Headed for the Coast

Saturday, May 09, 2009 – Day 9

We left Terrace, BC just after 09:30 AM under a bright sunny skies and a temperature of 11C.  A few clouds hung over the mountain tops and we received a few isolated showers as we travelled through the mountains.  But that did not spoil the views.  We are likely to be using a lot of superlatives during this trip so please don’t be bored. 

Wow, is one that comes to mind. Spectacular mountain vistas at every turn in the road.  We had criticized the engineers who built some of the mountain passes in an earlier blog, but they got it right on this highway.  We continued our travels beside the Skeena River.  It is about ten times wider than the Red River in Winnipeg as it makes its way to the Pacific Ocean. 

There is wildlife in BC other than deer.  As we were travelling along the highway we saw a black dot approximately 1/2 Km ahead at the side of the road.  As we got closer we realized it was a black bear enjoying some of the fresh spring vegetation just off the shoulder on the opposite side of the highway.  There was no traffic coming in either direction so we were able to get a couple of good shots before he meandered away looking for better pickings. We continued the rest of this leg of the trip hoping for another sighting but it was already getting late in the day so we really didn’t expect any more. We were thrilled to see our first black bear of the trip.

We continued on to Port Edwards (just outside Prince Rupert) where we got a beautiful campsite at the Kinnikinnick Campground.  We had to navigate up a fairly steep roadway in four-wheel drive and then manoeuvred the trailer into a cut in the rocks where our campsite was located.  At the rear of the site is a salamander pond…unfortunately it is still a bit chilly for these little guys but we could see masses of their eggs in the water.  The site only offers water and 20 Amp electrical service but it is well worth it for the beautiful surroundings.

After getting setup we continued on the road to Port Edwards to see the North Pacific Historic Fishing Village and Museum.  You can follow the link to their web site.  Presently the site needs some major repairs and is really a diamond in the rough but could potentially be a major tourist attraction.  It is a turn of the century (1900’s Century that is.) seafood canning facility.  Our guide was a young woman from Prince Rupert who seemed to be very knowledgeable about the history and the workings of the machinery, considering she only started working here on May 1.  Chinese, Japanese and Native labourers and children performed many of the manual jobs in preparing salmon for canning.  The salmon innards were simply dumped below the buildings and were washed away at high tide.  Apparently there was also quite a crab industry right below the cannery.  Worker safety and “due diligence” were not common expressions back then!!

On our way back to Prince Rupert we spotted a bald eagle soaring over the tree tops.  We tried getting a couple of shots but neither Janet or myself had any luck. We continued on to Prince Rupert where we briefly stopped in Cow Bay (more on this in a later post) and then to a local Safeway to get some groceries and drop a wad of cash.  Everything up here is expensive.  Tomorrow plans are to see the Butze Rapids, (which reputedly rival the reversing falls in the Bay of Fundy, NB) the downtown walking tour and the BC Museum of the North.