{"id":491,"date":"2023-10-07T05:07:14","date_gmt":"2023-10-07T05:07:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/taberobrien.com\/?p=491"},"modified":"2023-10-25T17:46:28","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T17:46:28","slug":"prince-rupert-to-ootsa-lake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taberobrien.com\/index.php\/2023\/10\/07\/prince-rupert-to-ootsa-lake\/","title":{"rendered":"Prince Rupert to Ootsa Lake"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We finished driving the Cassiar on Thursday October 5 and continued driving south on the Yellowhead Highway. Views along the southern end of the Cassiar had changed from what we observed along the northern half – much denser forests and increased logging activity, but the fall colors still stood out.  Our next destination was a side trip to Prince Rupert. After a soggy night in Stewart, we decided to treat ourselves and book a night at an AirBnB. Because it was a last minute booking, it was discounted 50% – can\u2019t say no to that! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The drive to Prince Rupert was stunning. It reminded us of driving along Turnagain Arm, though it was much longer! We followed the winding road along the Skeena River and were surrounded by mountains the whole way with waterfalls abound. One highlight mentioned in the Milepost was \u201ccarwash rock\u201d. A giant boulder protruding out of the mountainside hung over the road and water cascaded down, splashing cars passing underneath. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Scenic, winding road to Prince Rupert following the Skeena River<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We reached Prince Rupert by 4:30 in the afternoon and checked in to our AirBnB. It was a great neighborhood within walking distance to downtown. After showering and reorganizing our bags, we headed out to explore and find a spot for dinner. Along our walk to downtown, we stumbled upon the beautiful Sunken Gardens and stopped to admire the hard work of the local garden club. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sunken Gardens in Prince Rupert<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We lucked out with perfect weather and a beautiful sunset. After a delicious sushi meal at Fukasaku, we walked around the harbor and took in the views. Our next stop was the old train depot on the water which had recently been converted into Wheelhouse Brewing Company. Several locals were out enjoying the evening and soaking up the sunset. We found a spot outside in the beer garden and watched as dusk colors filled the sky and the first stars became visible. Prince Rupert sure is a scenic coastal town with a great small town vibe! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Walking along the harbor in Prince Rupert, BC<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Sunset at the harbor in Prince Rupert, BC<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A real local perched on the rooftop of a bed & breakfast<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Wheelhouse Brewing Company in the old train depot <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The next morning our AirBnB host Andrea was up early making breakfast. We joined several other guests in the adjacent kitchen and were treated to delicious local coffee, homemade toast, and eggs. After we thanked her for an awesome meal and said our goodbyes, we got packed up and back on the road by 8 to make our way back to Terrace. In the midst of packing and loading up the car, Tim inadvertently left his raincoat on the roof, and neither one of us noticed. It wasn\u2019t until we reached Terrace that he remembered he had put it there. Oh no! All we could hope for was that someone who needed it in Prince Rupert found it and it fit perfectly. We also instituted a new rule before leaving anywhere: always check the roof!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The returning views along the Skeena River were just as grand. And this time a coast-bound train chugged past us, giving the scene an even more Turnagain Arm-like effect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Coast-bound train along the Skeena River<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We continued east on the Yellowhead Highway, (following the Skeena River all the way inland!) and stopped in Hazelton around midday. In between Old Hazelton and New Hazelton is the Hagwilget Canyon Bridge. With the leaves changing colors, we were treated to some spectacular views. (The foliage really has been a major highlight of this drive!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hagwilget Canyon Bridge near Hazelton, BC<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After a quick break for lunch, we continued for another couple of hours on the Yellowhead through several small towns including Witset and Smithers. Just before reaching Houston, we veered south onto a dirt Forest Service Road. Tim had chosen this next adventure and assured me he had done plenty of research. Our destination for the night was the Ursa Minor Brewing Company on Oosta Lake, a 5 star location according to Google reviews. Not only did it offer homebrews, but also farm animals, campsites, lake views, and since it was Friday, they served food too. (Leave it to Tim to find the most remote, rural breweries in the middle of nowhere!) After nearing the second hour of driving down this rural dirt logging road, I asked again if he thought we were going the right way. Before he could answer, a sign appeared on the right hand side of the road. It read, “Brewery” with an arrow pointing in the direction we were going. What a moment! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dirt logging road on the way to Ootsa Lake<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Lots of free-range cows on the way to Ootsa Lake<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another hour passed, and several more signs were posted along the way, encouraging us that we were on the right path to the Ursa Minor Brewing Company. We pulled up to the entrance and made our way down a long and narrow driveway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The property was incredible! Owners Nathan and Gwyn live here and not only run the brewery, but also tend to several farm animals. They also have a marvelous garden, and frequently incorporate their harvests into beer recipes as well as meals served in the tasting room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Great brews and views at Ursa Minor Brewing<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Wilson the brewpig (he has his own instagram<\/a>!<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Several others had made their way to this remote spot for the evening – a group of teachers from Ontario, a couple from a nearby town, and a local pipeline worker. The atmosphere was fantastic and we had a chance to get to know Nathan, the owner. His parents lived on this property and had a dairy farm for over 40 years. After working many years in forestry, his interests shifted to brewing beer, raising farm animals, and gardening. Now he has an amazing 540-acre farm to do just that, in addition to graciously hosting campers on the property!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the evening wore on, many guests had already departed. Soon Tim and I had the whole place to ourselves. We walked around the property and moved our car to the designated camping location, right near the lake. It was perfect! We quickly fell asleep to pure silence, interrupted only by the occasional loon calling, or Canadian geese landing on the lake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Friday night campsite at Ursa Minor Brewing on Ootsa Lake<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It turns out the long drive down dirt logging roads in the middle of British Columbia leads to an amazing place, and I’m so thankful Tim stumbled upon this gem and insisted we stop!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We finished driving the Cassiar on Thursday October 5 and continued driving south on the Yellowhead Highway. Views along the southern end of the Cassiar had changed from what we observed along the northern half – much denser forests and increased logging activity, but the fall colors still stood out.  Our next destination was a … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Prince Rupert to Ootsa Lake”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":494,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[13,50,51],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/taberobrien.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/taberobrien.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/taberobrien.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taberobrien.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taberobrien.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=491"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/taberobrien.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":524,"href":"https:\/\/taberobrien.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491\/revisions\/524"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taberobrien.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/taberobrien.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taberobrien.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taberobrien.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}