Day 1: Barkerville

If you are ever planning to take a trip down Alaska highway, there is one book you must have. MILEPOST. For a directionally challenged person like me, milepost was a saviour. I knew where the camp sites were, where the tourism info centers were and even all the dangerous corners from that book.

From Vancouver we took the Fraser Canyon route( aka Cariboo gold rush trail/old Cariboo wagon road).

Cariboo gold rush trail was built in 1865 and at that time it was known as the 8 th wonder of the world because the trail was impassable by any living 'animal' but man!

It is one of the most scenic drive and the scenery changes from deciduous forests to ever green forest to nearly arid condition by the time you reach Cache creek. Few km before reaching Cache creek, the road is very close to Thomson river and I love the view of crystal clear water.

On the highway before reaching the town there is a sign board that says "caution mountain goats" and this was my 5th trip to Cache creek and I haven't seen a single mountain goat! However I did see handsome Cowboys while looking for the mountain goats!

Filled up Petrol at the shell station in Cache creek and picked up few route maps to Barkerville from the tourism info center. Kids had ice cream and mama stole a bit from each of them on the pretext of tasting to see whose is better!

Initially I was planning to camp at Quesnel, but we had to visit Barkerville and it made more sense to camp near to Barkerville. We reached Barkerville around 7.30pm and looked around for a camp site. All the govt campsites were full and then I found a campsite run by the Barkerville Historical society. It costs 16$/night and the best part?? FREE SHOWER!!

We ate pasta for dinner and Yaya helped to wash the dishes.

In the night the temperature dropped to 2 degrees! It was cold and I had to use the Coleman catalytic heater. I was a bit afraid of bears and every time something moved outside my tent, my heart would start pounding. Eventually I slept off. Some time in the night I noticed toothless running like a mad cow inside the tent and trying to open the windows. I asked him, what happend?

He started to hop up and down and I knew he needed to pee. There was no way I was going to walk to the wash room that was another 200 meters away. So I made him a new member of SUAES (Society for Uric Acid Enrichment of the Soil)..

I woke up around 8Am. ( I didn't want to. My sleeping bag was very cozy and comfortable, but the kids, they were jealous..they just don't like to see their mom sleeping.. First they started singing Malaysian National anthem(out of tune, often with the addition of new words), I ignored it, Then they decided to see who can bounce higher on the air bed( my blood pressure was increasing by the nano second. I paid 80$ for that bed!!) and finally they decided to climb inside my sleeping bag. That was it. I got up just like a mama bear about to growl and together they said Good morning mama, We love you. Ah the kids!!!, they know how to manipulate me and I fall for all their schemes! As soon as I smiled, toothless asked as though he was waiting for the cue

"What is for breakfast?" I really wanted to tell him nintey ammayi appantey thala..but I controlled!

We ate cereal and then realized we didn't brush our teeth!

While kids went to brush their teeth, I cooked rice and curry for lunch. Whoever invented Minute rice is a genius. I boiled the water, added the rice and switched it off. Curry was Gits sambhar.. I packed the lunch in a thermo pack, so we could eat in the car.

Then we packed up the tent. By the time we left the camp ground it was around 11.30 pm.

We headed to Barkerville historic town. Admission costs $29.75.

Kids absolutely enjoyed the town. Toothless even made friends with one of the boys in costume, who was acting the part of a junior miner who has come to town to buy some food!

We ate apple crisp, doughnuts and more ice cream from the bakery.

The Town( all the buildings are from the 18th century)

Costumes are also from the same period

St. Saviour's Church. Absolutely beautiful building

Mama and Yaya

Anaesthesia!!

Chinese people came to Barkerville in the 18th century( people from the same province also came to Malaya at that time in seach of Gold and minerals)

Original Barkerville school.

Toothless was fascinated with the scarecrow