At Meziadin Junction we confirmed that the gas station was closed and discovered that everything was covered in several feet of snow. It was a good thing that we had not planned on staying there last night, as we had at one point discussed, as there was no where to park.

At Meziadin junction we turned west onto highway 37A towards Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK. Beside the road and all around the snow was deep. We had heard a few days ago that the road was periodically closed for avalanche control and we could certainly see the evidence. At many places down the valley there were chutes of fallen snow. Some were very large and had spilled completely across the valley. At one point we came across a big caterpillar loader clearing a recent fall. The driver was digging a trench between the rubble beside the road and the hillside. This trench was deeper than the tractor.

Entering the town of Stewart it was hard to actually see much as the snow was almost as high as the buildings. Many of the buildings looked like they were not occupied and there were many for sale signs.

Our first chore was to send some mail so we travelled the few extra miles to Hyder which is around the bay from Stewart and in Alaska rather than BC. There was no US customs on the way to Hyder - guess the US feels being in Hyder does not get you anywhere else in the US - but on the way back we had to clear Canadian customs.

In Hyder as we pulled up in front of the closed motel there was a very old and battered Dodge van converted to a motor home and four young people occupying it - an Englishman, an Irishman, a German girl, and an Australian girl on their way to Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk - at least so they said. Although we got the impression there was some doubt about the capacity of their vehicle to complete the journey; they had already been towed twice.

It took us a while to find the post office among the snow covered buildings but eventually we did and Nina sent off our mail.

Back in Stewart we eventually discovered that the Prince Edward hotel had laundry facilities and a cafe with free wifi, so we settled in there while Nina did the washing. Since it was Thursday it was time to contact Richard for our weekly mail catchup. Good thing we had the free wifi as there was no cell phone service so all of the conversation with Richard was over Skype.

All in all we spent a couple of hours in the cafe talking to Rick, updating websites and catching up on emails. I also drank copious amounts of coffee as the cafe staff just kept filling my cup - all for $2 as it turned out. The Prince Edward folks were very friendly and we appreciated being able to use their facilities.

We whiled away the rest of the day quietly walking around the town, marveling at the breathtaking location. The town is surrounded by steep mountain sides that feel close enough to reach out and touch.

Nina got a tour of a new cute log house recently built by an American guy who lived the winters in Arizona and the summers in Stewart.

We both felt that Stewart was friendly and relaxed and were more than happy to spend the day and night there. We simply parked in the main street for the night; after having dinner at the local and only open cafe.