100 Mile Post and Quesnel

I stopped today in 100 Mile Post (it’s a city), named for the mile marker along the Canadian gold trail with its epicenter in Lilooet.  Considering the number of lakes in this area, I was sure that I’d have some luck fishing, so I decided to stay overnight, fish the afternoon, and then camp at the Luc du Hache provincial park.  When I arrived at Luc du Hache, the afternoon was sunny and my campsite looked across the highway at the shimmering waters of the lake.  I set up my tent and pulled out my solar camp light and was pausing to admire the view when a dense cloud passed over the sun.  Within seconds mosquitos appeared and surrounded me. Not 50 or 60 but clouds of them. So many that I jumped into my car to get away, taking out my frustration on the few that clung to my clothes and whined against the insides of my windows.  The air was so thick with them that the telephone lines 100 feet away were slightly blurred and I realized now that the ground squirrels chirping at me as I set up my tent were yelling warnings.  So after a few minutes of thought I wrapped a scarf around my head, jumped out of my car, threw my tent in pieces into my car, and hightailed it out.  I figured I’d drive until I stopped seeing marshy water and I left the mosquitos behind.

I didn’t stop until almost 8 pm and I’d passed Quesnel (pronounced Qwenel) by a few miles.  Spotting 10-mile Provincial Park, I pulled over and was so happy that they had not only a fishing lake and relatively few mosquitos, but that they had showers (with warm water!).  After the biting mess that was Luc du Hache, 10-mile lake was a paradise.