Vernon 2023

 We're starting out on another big trip this time to Winnipeg and Yellowknife 

Fort Telkwa on the Bulkley River

Our campsite is right beside the river and we took advantage of the first sunshine in a week to walk along the river path.  Saw 3 bears and 3 porcupines in our travels today.  

Gitanyow

This is the village of Gitanyow which is located between Terrace and Smithers, just north of Highway 16 on the Stewart Cassier highway.  We were here in 2010 and noticed the interpretive centre then and the wonderful wrought iron doors, alas, it was closed then and closed again today.  The good news is that there has been a new pole raised!  There are at least 16 poles in this village without much fan fare or signage.   But Emily Carr painted here!

Apologies to anyone who is monitoring this blog.  We have had a major problem with cameras and computers...and I am totally fed up.  So suffice to say, we had a marvelous week in Haida Gwaii, and now have been to Prince Rupert, Kitimat, Terrace, Nass Camp and have made it to Smithers.  We have seen 5 bears, 3 porcupines, many deer, even more eagles and 1 humpback whale.  We have attended a pole raising and feast in Queen Charlotte, we have collected agates on Agate Beach near Masset, we have talked with Haida artists and collected driftwood in Rennel Sound.  We have hiked to the top of Tow Hill and around the Anvil Trail and we have many wonderful photos...too bad I can't share them with you.

Whoops, these pictures are in the wrong order...am still relearning the blog ropes.  And to continue my whinging, all of the pictures that I have taken on my little camera are hiding on the chip card and won't download...so all you get to see are the odd picture that I took with my cell phone.  Regardless, this is on the ferry heading out of the Prince Rupert Harbour to Skidegate, on Haida Gwaii.  It was again an early morning start, and a very complex loading of the ferry as there is only a single access to the car deck so all the cars, campers, trailers, boats, semis...had to pirouette around, and back into tiny little spaces, kind of like a tetris game.

This is the lighthouse that we passed on our way from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert. 

The first picture is of the Port Hardy to Prince Rupert Ferry awaiting the boarding.  We had to be there at 05:30 and the boarding took 2.5 hours - quite a bit of planning and juggling as some of the vehicles were getting off at Bella Bella.  As you can see the bow of the ship lifted upwards.

And this is Bella Bella which was much larger than we expected.  There was another much smaller ferry waiting to take some of the vehicles off our ferry on to Bella Coola.

Port Hardy to Prince Rupert

This is the only picture that I have been able to use so far.  As you can see the trip was unbelievably smooth!  Lovely trip through the inside passage.  Had to be at the ferry terminal by 5:30 am, and didn't arrive in Prince Rupert until 11:30pm.  Lots of  islands, forest right down to the water.  Saw one humpback whale and a couple of light houses.   Bella Bella was interesting, and quite a bit larger than we expected.