Words won't do it justice, but I'm going to try and describe some of the highlights of my amazing trip to BC. I flew out of Moncton in the early hours of July 4th. The weather was clear all the way which allowed me to see when we got to the mountains. Flying over them was spectacular. I took at least 200 pictures out the plane window and was thrilled with how well many of them turned out. (Not photographer quality, but great for memories)
My cousin, Greer, met me at Terrace airport where I was still shooting as I walked from the plane. Terrace is a lovely city with mountains all around and a small town feel, which I like. She showed me many of the interesting spots when we drove past them- the gorgeous green Skeena River, the old one-lane bridge, the Kermodei bears( not real) attractively painted and placed around town, the George Little house which is now the train station, the carvings on Ferry Island, Sleeping Beauty(a mountain), the 'benches' of houses from which comes the name Terrace, and the Farmers' Market, of which she is a member.
Friday we drove over the old bridge, then the new, and I dipped my feet in the Skeena. Every day the banks are busy with people camped out fishing for the day. We took the dogs to Ferry Island and that's where I got to put my feet in.
On Saturday, Farmers Market Day, I went with her. She runs the "Yuppy Puppy Cafe" where she sells coffee, tea, lattes, iced tea, etc. and various doggy treats-crackers and biscotti- which she makes herself. It's a very popular spot and she does a great business, May through Oct. I had lots of time to browse the stalls-around 80, they told me- and saw some great ideas and wonderful craftmanship. The motto of the market is, "you have to make it, bake it, or grow it" and only home-based businesses are allowed. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I had to keep in mind my luggage capacity or I would have been tempted to buy so many things.
After the market we went to Lakelse Lake, where friends of hers were 'cottage' sitting. The term cottage definitely doesn't do justice to this lovely dwelling and the views were, once again, spectacular. (I need to find some more synonyms)
Sunday afternoon she took me out to Kitimat where we drove to the end of the road, saw the Rio Tinto Alcan operation, stopped at Hospital Beach and I put my feet in water of the Douglas Channel which comes from the Pacific.
We also went into Kitamaat Village which is the Haisla Nations settlement across the Channel from Alcan. First Nations people make up a large percentage of the population in Northern BC. Greer lent me a book to read by a local girl, Eden Robinson, called "Monkey Beach". It was fun to read it while I was there and recognized the names of places.
Monday was a rather gray day, but we were up really early and on our way to Prince Rupert, where we were booked on a 6 hour excursion by boat to Khutzeymateen Park, "Valley of the Grizzlies" to, hopefully, view some Grizzly Bears. Greer had generously gotten the tickets for this tour when we first started making the plans for my trip. I love being on a boat anyway, but before that I got to see the edge of the world (well of Canada) at the ferry terminal for Alaska and Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) plus lots more pictures of mountains as we drove there. I just kept shooting through the windshield as we traveled and, again, got some good shots.
The area we departed from is called Cow Bay. It is a quaint and touristy place with some cute shops and a couple of B&B's right on the water. The boat, called Inside Passage, was a lovely craft with lots of room and 2 outside decks for viewing when we got close to bears, but not while we were traveling at top speed, sometimes 24 knots. There was plenty of space, as they did not have capacity crowd that day. They have a lunch counter( and our lunches were included), maps of the area, reading materials, and several high-powered automatic-focus binoculars which were great.
We traveled out from Prince Rupert, which is actually on an island, by way of Prince Rupert Harbour, north in Hecate Strait, Chatham Sound, and just before we got to Alaska we turn right into Works Channel (I think), and then into Khutzeymateen Inlet. It was not sunny all day but that was good for seeing and taking pictures. We saw 3 bears, thankfully. Their record for a day is 11, but sometimes there are none. They make every effort to be successful, checking all spots, and watching continually with the binoculars. When there is a sighting, the outside decks are opened and you are instructed to be absolutely quiet and no flashes on your camera. If the bear doesn't notice you or feel disturbed you can watch for quite a while as they graze on the sedge grass that is plentiful there. That is the reason why the sanctuary is there. They eat around 60-80 pounds a day of this grass, which is high in protein, until the salmon start running.
Not only did we see grizzlies, but on our return trip we also followed a couple of whales. My camera nor reflexes were good enough to get any decent shots, but I saw them. We also saw seals,
porpoises, and on the way into the harbour they did an eagle show for us. They threw stuff into the water and the eagles came from everywhere and dove and soared and put on a fantastic show. I took some video because I couldn't seem to get any pictures. It began raining hard again, as it had done for the whales, but I persevered. What's a little water when you have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see something new. It was a fabulous day!
Wednesday while I was perusing all the literature I'd accumulated, I discovered that Vanderhoof is on this same northern road that Terrace is. I have friends in Vanderhoof and we tried to find some way for me to go see them. Though the price of the train was very reasonable, it only ran every other day. The timing didn't work as they were going away to a wedding in the only window of time I had available. It was very disappointing, but my own fault for not studying the area before I went. If I'd known ahead of time, I'm sure we could have worked it out.
After I'd been on the phone with them, we got ready and went to Smithers. This is east of Terrace and the river there is called Bulkley. This town has an Alpine feel created by the architecture of the many shops. I guess a lot of Germans go there. The 'ceiling' as they say, was very low that day so I missed seeing many of the landmarks such as Hudson Bay Mountain, Roche de Boule, and the Seven Sisters.
I took pictures anyway to say I was there and then bought postcards to show me what they look like. We looked aound the shops and had lunch at Alpenhorn Bistro. On the way back we visited the Hazeltons-New -, Village of- and South -. Here we traveled over the Hagwilget Bridge, which is one of the highest suspensions in North America. It's one lane, it was under construction, and you can just look straight down into the gorge (if you're not driving). It literally took your breath away.
I saw and also photographed a great number of totems pole that day. The guide book says it's the 'Totem Pole Capital of the World'. They are truly remarkable.
We also visited Kitwanga and Greer showed me the first school she taught at when she went West. We stopped in to see some friends of hers there and admired their beautiful property. I also took a picture of the sign that says, "North to Alaska".
The fog had lifted some so I did get to see S H _ T Mountain, named because you can see the letters in the side of the mountain. You have to look closely.
Also took a picture of a little chapel in Usk.
Thursday I took myself on a walking tour of Terrace. I left her place and took a back way up to the highway. Then I got on the beginning of a walkway that goes all the way through along that highway. It took me to the back side of the business district and I crossed the road and went up and down the streets looking at the shops. I ate lunch at Pizza Hut, as I have eaten at a Pizza Hut in every country I've been in, so it's become a tradition. I also took a peek into Fabricland and took pictures of as many of the Kermodei bears as I could find. No one seems to know how many there are, but I kept forgetting to ask at the Tourist Bureau. It rained a bit at times but it was still a great day. I finally got the city layout figured out.
Kermodei bear is the legendary mascot of Terrace. It is also known as Spirit Bear, Ghost Bear, or Moksgm"ol to Tsimshian people. Even many of the locals have never seen one. What makes it so intriguing is that it is actually a black bear in every respect except its white coat. It is not albino, but actually gets its colour when both parents have the recessive gene that produces the white fur. First Nations legend says that long ago a raven changed the earth from snowy white to forest green but in order not to forget the past it changed every tenth black bear into a white one.
Friday we took the dogs to Ferry Island again and did the walk through the woods. Greer pointed out all the carvings as we went and I managed to photograph about 54 of them.
We asked the artist on Sat. at market and he said there are around 80. I hugged a tree to show how big some of them are and it's not nearly the biggest, she said.
Saturday was Market again. It was really cold. I did some more exploring around town, bought some souvenirs, and spent some time on internet at the library. When market finished I helped her load up and we were just done when the rains came down.
Sunday we went out to the Lake again to a different cottage/house for a going away party for a friend, who is retired and moving to Comox on Vancouver Island. I met some Nova Scotians at this gathering. We left there early to go have dinner with her neighbours, who had invited us over. He caught a salmon one day last week and shared a big piece with us. Yummy! I told him if he got another I wanted to have my picture taken with it to pretend it was 'my catch of the day'.
Every day just seems to be amazing on top of amazing. Monday she had arranged for a friend to take us in his boat. We went up the Exstew River, which comes from the mountains and feeds into the Skeena. I saw more beautiful mountains, got lots of fresh air, walked through a mountain stream, and we ate our lunch at the base of this huge waterfall that comes crashing down from a glacier above. I shot and shot and shot and despite the movement of the boat none of them were blurry. What a day!!!
Wednesday, for the last hurrah, we visited the Heritage Museum which has various log cabin structure and some memorabilia from the past. Then we took iced coffee to a friend at work, chatted and then went on a little tour of Thornhill, which is a neighbouring 'subdivision'. We got take-out for supper and relaxed for the evening.
Thursday my flight left at 10:35 so it didn't require an early morning rising. I made myself some snacks and we arrived at the airport just in time to beat the busload checking in from Alcan for their week off. I think they go in for 2 weeks and have a week out. It was a nice day for traveling again weather wise, but there were delays in Vancouver and Toronto which put me home at about 2:15 a.m., an hour later than planned. My faithful brother was there to meet me even though he had to work the next day. We were home by 3:30.
I saw so much and learned so much and still have all the literature to read up on. I couldn't possibly post all the pictures I wish you could see. It was an amazing adventure. I'd been waiting my whole life to see those mountains and was not disappointed. The whole experience was more than I ever hoped for. Thanks, Greer. (If you're reading this, I hope I di dn't mess up any facts too bad.)
We live in a diverse and spectacular country (there's that same word again, but I can't help it) .
My cousin, Greer, met me at Terrace airport where I was still shooting as I walked from the plane. Terrace is a lovely city with mountains all around and a small town feel, which I like. She showed me many of the interesting spots when we drove past them- the gorgeous green Skeena River, the old one-lane bridge, the Kermodei bears( not real) attractively painted and placed around town, the George Little house which is now the train station, the carvings on Ferry Island, Sleeping Beauty(a mountain), the 'benches' of houses from which comes the name Terrace, and the Farmers' Market, of which she is a member.
 |
| a glacier |
Friday we drove over the old bridge, then the new, and I dipped my feet in the Skeena. Every day the banks are busy with people camped out fishing for the day. We took the dogs to Ferry Island and that's where I got to put my feet in.
On Saturday, Farmers Market Day, I went with her. She runs the "Yuppy Puppy Cafe" where she sells coffee, tea, lattes, iced tea, etc. and various doggy treats-crackers and biscotti- which she makes herself. It's a very popular spot and she does a great business, May through Oct. I had lots of time to browse the stalls-around 80, they told me- and saw some great ideas and wonderful craftmanship. The motto of the market is, "you have to make it, bake it, or grow it" and only home-based businesses are allowed. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I had to keep in mind my luggage capacity or I would have been tempted to buy so many things.
After the market we went to Lakelse Lake, where friends of hers were 'cottage' sitting. The term cottage definitely doesn't do justice to this lovely dwelling and the views were, once again, spectacular. (I need to find some more synonyms)
Sunday afternoon she took me out to Kitimat where we drove to the end of the road, saw the Rio Tinto Alcan operation, stopped at Hospital Beach and I put my feet in water of the Douglas Channel which comes from the Pacific.
We also went into Kitamaat Village which is the Haisla Nations settlement across the Channel from Alcan. First Nations people make up a large percentage of the population in Northern BC. Greer lent me a book to read by a local girl, Eden Robinson, called "Monkey Beach". It was fun to read it while I was there and recognized the names of places.
Monday was a rather gray day, but we were up really early and on our way to Prince Rupert, where we were booked on a 6 hour excursion by boat to Khutzeymateen Park, "Valley of the Grizzlies" to, hopefully, view some Grizzly Bears. Greer had generously gotten the tickets for this tour when we first started making the plans for my trip. I love being on a boat anyway, but before that I got to see the edge of the world (well of Canada) at the ferry terminal for Alaska and Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) plus lots more pictures of mountains as we drove there. I just kept shooting through the windshield as we traveled and, again, got some good shots.
The area we departed from is called Cow Bay. It is a quaint and touristy place with some cute shops and a couple of B&B's right on the water. The boat, called Inside Passage, was a lovely craft with lots of room and 2 outside decks for viewing when we got close to bears, but not while we were traveling at top speed, sometimes 24 knots. There was plenty of space, as they did not have capacity crowd that day. They have a lunch counter( and our lunches were included), maps of the area, reading materials, and several high-powered automatic-focus binoculars which were great.
We traveled out from Prince Rupert, which is actually on an island, by way of Prince Rupert Harbour, north in Hecate Strait, Chatham Sound, and just before we got to Alaska we turn right into Works Channel (I think), and then into Khutzeymateen Inlet. It was not sunny all day but that was good for seeing and taking pictures. We saw 3 bears, thankfully. Their record for a day is 11, but sometimes there are none. They make every effort to be successful, checking all spots, and watching continually with the binoculars. When there is a sighting, the outside decks are opened and you are instructed to be absolutely quiet and no flashes on your camera. If the bear doesn't notice you or feel disturbed you can watch for quite a while as they graze on the sedge grass that is plentiful there. That is the reason why the sanctuary is there. They eat around 60-80 pounds a day of this grass, which is high in protein, until the salmon start running.
Not only did we see grizzlies, but on our return trip we also followed a couple of whales. My camera nor reflexes were good enough to get any decent shots, but I saw them. We also saw seals,
porpoises, and on the way into the harbour they did an eagle show for us. They threw stuff into the water and the eagles came from everywhere and dove and soared and put on a fantastic show. I took some video because I couldn't seem to get any pictures. It began raining hard again, as it had done for the whales, but I persevered. What's a little water when you have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see something new. It was a fabulous day!
Wednesday while I was perusing all the literature I'd accumulated, I discovered that Vanderhoof is on this same northern road that Terrace is. I have friends in Vanderhoof and we tried to find some way for me to go see them. Though the price of the train was very reasonable, it only ran every other day. The timing didn't work as they were going away to a wedding in the only window of time I had available. It was very disappointing, but my own fault for not studying the area before I went. If I'd known ahead of time, I'm sure we could have worked it out.
After I'd been on the phone with them, we got ready and went to Smithers. This is east of Terrace and the river there is called Bulkley. This town has an Alpine feel created by the architecture of the many shops. I guess a lot of Germans go there. The 'ceiling' as they say, was very low that day so I missed seeing many of the landmarks such as Hudson Bay Mountain, Roche de Boule, and the Seven Sisters.
 |
| (taken from internet) |
I took pictures anyway to say I was there and then bought postcards to show me what they look like. We looked aound the shops and had lunch at Alpenhorn Bistro. On the way back we visited the Hazeltons-New -, Village of- and South -. Here we traveled over the Hagwilget Bridge, which is one of the highest suspensions in North America. It's one lane, it was under construction, and you can just look straight down into the gorge (if you're not driving). It literally took your breath away.
 |
| (also taken from internet since mine doesn't show the height) |
We also visited Kitwanga and Greer showed me the first school she taught at when she went West. We stopped in to see some friends of hers there and admired their beautiful property. I also took a picture of the sign that says, "North to Alaska".
Also took a picture of a little chapel in Usk.
Thursday I took myself on a walking tour of Terrace. I left her place and took a back way up to the highway. Then I got on the beginning of a walkway that goes all the way through along that highway. It took me to the back side of the business district and I crossed the road and went up and down the streets looking at the shops. I ate lunch at Pizza Hut, as I have eaten at a Pizza Hut in every country I've been in, so it's become a tradition. I also took a peek into Fabricland and took pictures of as many of the Kermodei bears as I could find. No one seems to know how many there are, but I kept forgetting to ask at the Tourist Bureau. It rained a bit at times but it was still a great day. I finally got the city layout figured out.
Kermodei bear is the legendary mascot of Terrace. It is also known as Spirit Bear, Ghost Bear, or Moksgm"ol to Tsimshian people. Even many of the locals have never seen one. What makes it so intriguing is that it is actually a black bear in every respect except its white coat. It is not albino, but actually gets its colour when both parents have the recessive gene that produces the white fur. First Nations legend says that long ago a raven changed the earth from snowy white to forest green but in order not to forget the past it changed every tenth black bear into a white one.
Friday we took the dogs to Ferry Island again and did the walk through the woods. Greer pointed out all the carvings as we went and I managed to photograph about 54 of them.
Saturday was Market again. It was really cold. I did some more exploring around town, bought some souvenirs, and spent some time on internet at the library. When market finished I helped her load up and we were just done when the rains came down.
Sunday we went out to the Lake again to a different cottage/house for a going away party for a friend, who is retired and moving to Comox on Vancouver Island. I met some Nova Scotians at this gathering. We left there early to go have dinner with her neighbours, who had invited us over. He caught a salmon one day last week and shared a big piece with us. Yummy! I told him if he got another I wanted to have my picture taken with it to pretend it was 'my catch of the day'.
Every day just seems to be amazing on top of amazing. Monday she had arranged for a friend to take us in his boat. We went up the Exstew River, which comes from the mountains and feeds into the Skeena. I saw more beautiful mountains, got lots of fresh air, walked through a mountain stream, and we ate our lunch at the base of this huge waterfall that comes crashing down from a glacier above. I shot and shot and shot and despite the movement of the boat none of them were blurry. What a day!!!
 |
| Yes, it is that green. |
Wednesday, for the last hurrah, we visited the Heritage Museum which has various log cabin structure and some memorabilia from the past. Then we took iced coffee to a friend at work, chatted and then went on a little tour of Thornhill, which is a neighbouring 'subdivision'. We got take-out for supper and relaxed for the evening.
Thursday my flight left at 10:35 so it didn't require an early morning rising. I made myself some snacks and we arrived at the airport just in time to beat the busload checking in from Alcan for their week off. I think they go in for 2 weeks and have a week out. It was a nice day for traveling again weather wise, but there were delays in Vancouver and Toronto which put me home at about 2:15 a.m., an hour later than planned. My faithful brother was there to meet me even though he had to work the next day. We were home by 3:30.
I saw so much and learned so much and still have all the literature to read up on. I couldn't possibly post all the pictures I wish you could see. It was an amazing adventure. I'd been waiting my whole life to see those mountains and was not disappointed. The whole experience was more than I ever hoped for. Thanks, Greer. (If you're reading this, I hope I di dn't mess up any facts too bad.)
We live in a diverse and spectacular country (there's that same word again, but I can't help it) .
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