And We are Off!!
August 19, 2022 - August 26, 2022
What a treat to fly from Waterloo, avoiding all the turmoil at Toronto International Airport. A new airline, Flair, now offers flights directly from Waterloo Airport (formerly known as Breslau) to Vancouver. Five hours in the air and we were there. We left just as the sun was setting and we followed the sunset all the way across Canada. It was a delight. As we landed in Vancouver, darkness descended and the sun disappeared.
We quickly retrieved our luggage and picked up our rental car. We were soon on our way to our hotel. Check in was easy and we were comfortably installed by about 11 pm. What a gentle transition it was from Ontario to British Columbia.
We are very happy with the vehicle we have rented, a Mitsubishi SUV, about the same size as the RAV we drive at home. It will be our home on the road for the next six weeks so we are happy it feels so familiar and comfortable.
Saturday morning was a great start to our adventure. We met Brad Martin and Laurie Prange along with their son, Hamish, for a delicious sushi lunch and caught up on news of all sorts. It was fun to finally meet Brad and Hamish (10 years) in person. This reunion has been a long time coming.
Immediately after lunch we made our way to the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal where, after a relatively short wait, we boarded a BC ferry which transported us from the mainland to Vancouver Island. It was a very smooth trip across the water and we even managed to see a few whales along the way, ducking in and under the water and creating spouts of spray as they breathed. It was very exciting.
Once in Nanaimo, we visited a grocery store to get some food to take with us on the road. Our plan is to eat once a day in a restaurant and make the rest of our meals. Keep it simple is our motto.
And now we are in the Harbour Light Motel in Nanaimo, a very clean, modest and comfortable place where we are catching our breath before we head out on the road tomorrow. Port Hardy, here we come.
Monday, August 22
Today began very early. The alarm went at 4:30 am, our wake-up call to get ready for the ferry to Prince Rupert. We needed to be at the dock at 5:30 to board for a 7:30 am departure. As expected, most of the time between when we arrived and when we boarded was spent waiting in a long line of vehicles. But, eventually, we were able to board and make our way from the car deck to the purser’s office where we picked up the key to our cabin and the vouchers for our lounge chairs.
The trip from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert is 17 hours in length. The ferry travels mainly along inland waterways and, thus, provides a very smooth ride all the way along. No ocean waves to cause us to toss and turn. Because we were in rivers and fiords, we were often very close to the coastline, able to observe the vegetation, rock formations and mountains at close range. We travelled at a reasonably slow speed and were transfixed by the amount of wilderness that we saw en route.
Mountains lined the shore, in some cases several layers extending from the shoreline inland. The further inland they went the higher they got. There were a few that still retained snow at the very peak. The most amazing part for me was the vast emptiness of this region. Miles and miles and miles without sight of people or animals. Birds, mainly seagulls, and whales and dolphins provided entertainment along the way.
We stopped at only one community, Bella Bella, along our route, a very remote and small town. We were very impressed at the ease with which the captain of this vessel pulled into port, a very tight and awkward location. Vehicles disembarked; new vehicles boarded; trucks carrying household goods and food items left the ship and before long, we were on our way toward Prince Rupert again. It was very efficient and speedy.
We were fortunate that the weather was fine throughout the entire journey, Fluffy white clouds punctuated the blue sky overhead and the sun shone brightly all day long. As evening fell, the temperature dropped and more layers of clothing were required. As I write this, we are nearing our destination. Thankfully there is a heater in the car that will keep us warm while we drive to our hotel.
The ferry, Northern Expedition, has many attributes that make this long journey pleasant. Private cabins equipped with beds and a full bath were simple but comfortable. Reclining chairs with wide window views were especially good for naps as the day went on. Jim and I both enjoyed that experience. A movie theatre provided three movies at various times. The cafeteria offered a wide menu of choices; the ones we chose were very tasty and hot when we picked them up.
Nonetheless, after 17 hours on board, we will be glad to return to terra firma and settle in to our hotel/home in Prince Rupert for the next three days.
Tuesday, August 23
We had a more leisurely start this morning, still recovering from the early morning and late night yesterday. We had breakfast in our room. Jim found a Tim Horton's and got us both coffee. Then we set about planning our day. We will be in Prince Rupert for three days but we have already discovered that we will have to pick and choose our activities since we will not be able to cover all of the options that exist.
Today, we did a driving tour of the city. We visited the very active port area, a number of churches, several residential neighbourhoods, the cruise ship port, the train station, City Hall, the Indigenous Museum, the local shopping mall and the sea plane base. We were fortunate that while we were there, three planes landed on the water and one took off again.
We indulged in sea food for lunch - rockfish fish and chips and a bowl of seafood chowder. Mine was like a Manhattan clam chowder and Jim's was a cream soup made with crab. Everything was delicious!! The place where we ate will also process any fish you catch by cleaning it and preparing it for the freezer or a meal.
As we toured around the city, it became clear that, like other areas in Canada, there are really only two seasons - winter and construction. So many major undertakings on the go with detours galore. It is a challenge when one does not know the way around.
While this seems to be a modest community, it is clear that the residents have pride of place. Major public areas are being refurbished and, for the most part, the homes appear well maintained and cared for. One of the attributes of this community is the number of pick up trucks. It is the standard means of private transportation. And, of course, they all have trailer hitches on the back because, it seems, everyone in town owns a boat. The marina is jam packed with them.
We stopped at a nearby grocery store on our way back to our hotel to pick up some rations for dinner. We are trying to eat one meal a day in a restaurant and have the other meals in our room or as a picnic. So far this has worked well.
We learned today that Prince Rupert gets the most rain of anywhere in Canada (perhaps even the world - more than London, Singapore or Seattle). Almost 117 inches of rain (3000 mm) fall here each year. And it is also the cloudiest location in Canada. But today the sun shone all day long. It was a glorious summer day. And the forecast for the next two days is just the same. Fingers crossed.
Wednesday, August 24
Another beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky. How lucky are we! Our day began by driving out of Prince Rupert to the North Pacific Cannery National Historic Site. The drive alone made the trip worthwhile, winding across valleys and climbing mountain roads. The views were spectacular in some places; other places were entirely shrouded by dense clouds. As the morning wore on the clouds dissipated so we were able to see the landscape fully on our drive back to town.
Once at the cannery, we were able to walk through the facility and read about the history of salmon fishing in the region. Many workers from a range of countries were involved in both fishing and processing the salmon. It was interesting to note, even then, how Canada depended on immigrants to bolster the work force. Housing was provided for all employees but in separate areas depending on nationality. As time went on, technology was developed that eventually replaced most of the work force.
Canneries today are very high tech. The fish arrives at the cannery both cleaned and frozen, That process happens at sea. In sterile conditions, the fish is then either canned or packaged frozen and shipped to through a distribution company to stores and fish mongers.
Jim visited a modern day cannery just down the road. It was clean, busy and used technology for most of the processing. He was able to take some great photos of the fish arriving and being processed.
We wended our way back to town and headed for Bob's Fish and Chips for lunch. Bob's is a 'must' in Prince Rupert. It is a small building at the fishing port and offers a limited menu - halibut or rockcod, deep fried, battered and served with traditional french fries or sweet potato fries. Bob's has been in business for many years and recently won an award for being the best fish and chips in Canada. It is take-out only with a few well worn picnic tables on the deck for the lucky customers who get there first.
We shared our table with a senior woman from Australia (she was 79 and travelling independently). Of course, the conversation was lively. We told her how much we love Australia. She told us how much she loves Canada. She has been here for 3 months and travelled coast to coast by train. The only province she missed was Newfoundland. We also chatted about dreams of future travel and how much the Covid years interrupted our plans.
Following our delicious lunch, we drove back into town and made a return visit to the Museum. I had seen a beautiful scarf there yesterday and decided I could not leave town without it. It sports some of my favourite colours and has an indigenous motif, of course.
Then we were off to the bakery for apple fritters and bread. We visited several parks offering vistas from on high. We explored some more neighbourhoods; today we seemed to find more upscale areas, often at the tops of the hills with private vistas from their front yards.
We circled the hospital (always good to know where it is) and made our way to the ferry dock. Tomorrow we are travelling to Haida Gwaii and we wanted to be clear about where exactly we needed to go. It was dark when we arrived the other night and we were pretty tired. Our trip tomorrow is only 7 hours long, in full daylight.
We will once again enjoy dinner in our room - chicken and salad tonight. And then we pack our bags to move on. The great thing about having a rental car is that things to do not have to fit in a suitcase the same way they do for a plane.
More tomorrow from the Haida Gwaii ferry.
Thursday, August 25, 2022
Well, it certainly has been a day of waiting and hoping. One thing we are learning about BC Ferries is that they are unpredictable. We were booked to go on a ferry that was scheduled to leave Prince Rupert at 10:30 am today. We woke early, packed the care, made the required stop at Tim Horton's (yes, they even have a Timmie's in Prince Rupert) and arrived at the ferry terminal at 8:15 am. We were even ahead of the 8:30 timeline we had been told to use.
And then, the waiting began. The ferry was in the port; vehicles were all lined up; and we waited ... Finally there was an announcement. There was a problem with the ferry and it was not going to be ready to leave until later this afternoon, if at all. We, the passengers, were given the choice of leaving the terminal or simply waiting. If we chose to leave, we were told to return to the terminal at 1:00 pm for an update. No promises and no further information about why we were delayed. Was it mechanical? Was COVID discovered on board? Was there an injury or illness that required medical attention? You can imagine the speculation that was happening.
Jim and I chose to leave the ferry terminal and further explore Prince Rupert. Truthfully, we had already seen the parts of town that were of interest to us. One additional location was a sunken garden.
It was gorgeous, planted in a deep hole in the ground, a place where munitions were stored during the second word war. It was behind the courthouse and the war memorial. It seemed a fitting location. We were very glad we had been able to see it today. Otherwise, we wandered around the town: high on the hills but the fog this morning marred the views; down by the fishing docks where there was the predictable line of parked pick-up trucks, each pulling a trailer, now without a boat since they were all in the water. We have never seen a parking lot so filled with trucks. Another trip to Timmie's completed our exploring and at about noon we returned to the ferry terminal.
A sense of optimism was in the air. When we arrived, an attendant asked us if we had returned early for the delayed ferry. Something in his tone gave us reason to believe that the ferry would be leaving port this afternoon. Once again, we pulled into lane 3 and waited and waited and waited some more. Finally at 1 pm, the announcement was made that the ferry would, in fact, be leaving at 3 pm and arriving in Haida Gwaii about 11 pm. Whew!! We were going to get there after all.
This ferry was considerably smaller that the one we had travelled on earlier this week. We were once again impressed with the well practised system for loading the vehicles. And at 3 pm exactly, we left the dock.
We had a bit of lunch and settled into reading for much of the trip. There were some islands that were visible from the ferry soon after we left. But most of the journey was spent in open waters. No sign of sea life at all. The trip was smooth. We had some canteen food soon after departure and a home made sandwich just before arrival. I had a nap and Jim worked on planning our days on Haida Gwaii.
Haida Gwaii is the furthest west point of land in North America. And the earliest settled communities. It is unceded indigenous land and holds many traditions and stories about the early settlements that were established here. During this time of learning about indigenous culture, this promises to be a very interesting and informative place to be.
The ferry arrived at 10 pm (an hour earlier than anticipated) and we made a short drive to 'The Boathouse' where we will be staying for the next four days. We are very happy with the accommodation and look forward to the morning when we can see the property that goes with is. We can hear the lapping of the water on the shore so we know we are close to the ocean.
Tomorrow we will know much more.
Friday, August 26, 2022
This morning started slowly for us as Jim continued his research on how to best spend our time on Haida Gwaii and I worked with our photographs, organizing them into a book that will reflect the things we do on this trip. It was nice to be able to take the time to do that. This is the first time since we left home that we will actually be staying in one place for more than 2 days.
Currently we are planning to leave Haida Gwaii on August 30 but we do not have a confirmed reservation on the ferry. Without that, there is no easy way to return to the mainland. We could be staying here for the winter!! (Optimism and confidence remain our best friends.)
We enjoyed the view out of our cabin window this morning - the rising of the morning mist and the rising of the tide. The tide is much larger here than we would have expected. There was a large boulder sitting high on the beach when we got up. By the time the tide was all in, the boulder was completely submerged by the rising water.
It was almost noon when we finally got into the car. Our first stop was the Haida Heritage Centre. We know they provide guided tours of the various displays and we were disappointed to learn that there were no tours at all today. We quickly decided that going back tomorrow made the best sense as we want to learn as much as we can about the history and culture of these islands.
So, now what?? We are always ready for an adventure so we headed off to the north end of the island to the town of Massett and the accompanying village of Old Massett. The drive (about an hour and a half) was mostly along the seashore. There were several rest stops and beach roads that we could explore. The beaches were mostly made up of small rocks; occasionally larger boulders filled the landscape. On rare occasions there was actually sand along the seashore, much more to our liking as a beach setting. It was a very calm day and the water was almost glasslike throughout the day.
We encountered deer along the roadside as we drove. They are called sitka deer, very small in stature but large in appetite.
They were introduced to these islands many years ago as a potential source of food for the residents here. Indeed, that was true. But the sitkas also increased in population very quickly and became fond of the natural vegetation here. The sitkas ability to consume these plants exceeded the ability of the plants to maintain their presence in the flora of the islands. Many of the natural plants are now extinct or on the endangered list. Consequently, there is now a government program to reduce the number of sitkas on the islands and to achieve a balance between the flora and fauna that reside here.
By the time we arrived in Massett, it was mid afternoon and our appetites were craving food.There are not many choices of restaurants and we really did not want fish and chips for the third time this week. As usual, Jim was on top of things and had checked out reviews of the few restaurants in Massett. The Red Rooster Inn certainly had fine reviews and seemed the best choice. We laughed when we realized that is was a very modest Chinese restaurant. We each ordered a plated meal and thoroughly enjoyed the food. We did note however, that fresh vegetables would be very expensive here, having to be grown elsewhere and transported by ferry to the island. Consequently. Chow mein was based on a large serving of noodles, a tasty sauce and a very small amount of grated cabbage. The egg rolls were particularly good.
Back on the road, we drove a short distance to Old Massett. This is the location of the most accessible totems anywhere in Haida Gwaii.
The trees from which they were carved are colossal in size. We happened upon a carving studio that had several partially completed totems inside the vast tent. On the ground outside the tent were many harvested trees that were awaiting attention from the artists. Some of the trees had been cut with a saw to begin to shape the prospective carvings; others were simply lying in wait. As we meandered along the streets of this village, we noted that many private households had totems in their yards. All public buildings proudly displayed totems in front of the buildings. Often public buildings also had prominent painted motifs and/or the design of the building itself reflected the culture of these Haida islands. Some of the original totems have fallen into disrepair and have been replaced by newer replicas.
Sadly, the buildings in the town of Old Massett also showed a deep poverty that embraced the community. Many homes were in a deep state of disrepair. Several were totally abandoned and falling down. This was quite a contrast to other towns we travelled through today where there was much greater prosperity reflected through the buildings.
As we travelled, we happened upon two cemeteries. We are aware that taking photographs in cemeteries violates the norms of the Haida culture. We were not even sure that we were allowed to be in the cemeteries. But their beauty drew us in. Gravesites were very simple; several were simply mounds of dirt covering the remains of those who were buried. Some had wooden crosses at their heads and others had regular headstones that we might find in cemeteries in Ontario. What stood out for us and touched our hearts was the fact that almost every gravesite in the cemetery we were in was covered with fresh flowers. It was a place of honour and beauty. Even in death, the people buried here were a part of life as it continued.
The day was getting on and it was time to return to our cabin. The homeward drive took a bit longer as we ended up following some slow moving construction equipment along a very winding roadway. This pace gave us time to enjoy the views of Hecate Strait which was almost always within sight of the road. We also saw several more sitkas and were surprised but pleased that none of them ventured out onto the road.
Dusk was falling as we arrived at our doorstep. Another full day was behind us. It has only been one week since we boarded our plane to Vancouver. We have covered a lot of territory since then.
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