A Love Letter to Smithers

After a stormy, mosquito-filled night, we were eager to get on the road and get out of Vanderhoof. We continued on the Yellowhead into Smithers, which is about halfway between Prince George and Prince Rupert (on the coast). It has a population of about 5,400 people and it quickly won both Justin and I over.

We stopped to do laundry- the not so glamorous part of van-camping across the country. We located a laundromat in the centre of town, obtained their WiFi password and got down to business. This was one of the first places we actually had WiFi and I was able to make a blog post. Justin chatted with the local kid working there: he bragged that he could sled to the next town twice as fast as driving there, and that he could ski down the local ski hill right into his backyard. Sounds perfect to me- golfing and kayaking on the river in the summer; sledding (for Justin) and downhill skiing for me in the winter! Retirement here we come. I noticed that Air Canada flies in/out of their airport, which would be important for visiting family and friends.

Since we were enjoying Smithers so much, we decided to stay the night here. We found a great campground on the outskirts of town and set-up for the night.

This is a municipal campground run by the city, adjacent to the Bulkley River. We had a great site, and there were many families with RVs and some motorcyclists tenting it for the night. We enjoyed hot showers and a campfire with FREE firewood!

We will definitely back in Smithers again one day. It has everything we could need- Canadian Tire, Safeway Grocery Store (with a Starbucks!)... and of course a gorgeous view and outdoor area to enjoy.

Morning dishes at Riverside Park

Smithers, you're perfect- we WILL be back!

J & S