October 03, 1998.  Saturday.  No time.

   Day 4.  73,013 miles on the odometer.  Left the Boya Lake Provincial
Park at 10:40 am.  The Rodeo was iced up from all the driving last
night.  Even though there's snow outside, it wasn't very cold outside.
It seems I was the last one to leave the park.  I heard some car doors
closing during the morning hours.
   The area south of Jade City hasn't even been touched by snow yet.
   Could pick up Rock 101 from Vancouver, even though Vancouver is over
a 1000 miles from here.
   Stopped at Belle's 2 Junction and ate a breakfast meal at the
restaurant/gas station.  Got 2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, 2 pancakes,
and 2 sausage for $10.50 Canadian, which is horrendously expensive.
2 men were running the place.  One guy had a shaved head with a goatee
and glasses, and the other man was a little older, possibly the father.
As I left, 2 groups of people arrived.
   Some guy in a truck with a camper passed by on a dirt road and rocks
flew up and chipped my windshield at multiple places.
   Encountered a bear for the first time near the town of Miziadin Lake.  This
black bear was eating plants on the side of the road.  I fear for it's
life if it stays near the side of the road after dark because the bear
may be difficult to spot.
   Saw another bear atop a hill not much later.  2 in a few minutes,
while I haven't seen one in 6 months in Alaska.  Actually my whole life.
   There were 2 sites where there were a bunch of campers.  Mostly
hitch campers and not RVs.  And there was a section where people were
selling stuff on the side of the road.  They had signs calling themselves
"depots."  Since I've been on the road for the past days, I've only seen
one police car outside of the city; so I figure there's not much
regulating around here.
   The only thing I can think of is that those camp sites were hunters,
and the depots were selling hunting supplies.  Possibly selling ammunition.
   After seeing a 3rd black bear, I think I made the connection that
it's hunting season.  That's unfortunate.  In an encounter of a bear
and a hunter, my prayers would have to go to the bear.
   Highway 37 is known as the Cassiar Highway.  
   Drove through Kitwanga a 3 times at night trying to figure out what these
little houses where selling.  They looked like they were set up to sell
fruits and vegetables.  Then I decided to stop at one.  I went up and
asked if they were selling fruits, and the man looked puzzledly at me,
and said, "Fruits?"  These places were actually set up to buy mushrooms.
They must have thought I was some kind of dufus to ask for fruits.  He
also added that mushrooms grow well in this region.  There were 4 or 5
shops doing this.
   8:20 pm reached Highway 16.  Stopped at 7-Eleven in Smithers and
purchased a mega hotdog, a bottle of coke, and a litter of milk.
That 1/2 gallon of milk almost killed me.  Had to microwave the hotdog;
otherwise, it takes over an hour to cook on the cooker.  Next time, I
know not to microwave the hot dog and the bun together since it makes
the bun chewy.
   I ate and drank the milk as I drove on out of Smithers.
   Ran into some hitch hikers in Houston, British Columbia, Canada.  
Hardly ever see people hitchhiking.
   Stopped Lake Topley rest area.  There was a Nissan 240SX and a RV
here.  They were probably camping in their vehicles here tonight.
Canadian rest stops post signs prohibiting overnight camping.
   After I brushed my teeth I jumped into the backseat and tried to go
to bed.  And then it struck!  The milk was giving me gas.  If I don't
drink milk for a long time and begin drinking it again it gives me
the runs.  (It's been 2 months since I last drank milk.)  I looked out
the Rodeo, but couldn't spot the rest room.  The gas was getting worse
and worse.
   I decided to try to make it to the next rest area.  And so I went on.
Oh my goodness.  The gas was terrible, but I kept driving.  After about
20 miles, I finally reached the rest stop.  How lucky I was.  This was
one of the few electrical rest stops with running water, lights, heater,
and flushable toilets.  I can't believe how lucky I was.  (All the other rest stops I have seen up to now have been
the kind which had to be pumped when they were full.)  That milk made
this night the most painful night of this roadtrip or any roadtrip.  I
had thought that I wouldn't get gas since it's only been 2 months, but
it did.  It was such a incredible relief!  As I was driving, it seemed
like longer and longer before I found the rest stop.  If this was America,
I probably would have to run out in the bushes since rest stops are as
common especially on the smaller highways.
   After that, I decided that I would feel safer sleeping at the
previous rest stop which was occupied than to try my luck going further.
So I headed back.  When I got back, I hoped into the back and slept
well into morning.