Mix of sun and cloud, warm.
This morning we left Gray Bay campground and drove the 22 km. / 14 miles of very rough, one lane, gravel road back to paved road, then into the little village of Sandspit. The gravel portion took us an hour ! In Sandspit we stopped at the school yard for the weekly farmer's market. Such as it was ! Not much "farming" taking place on Moresby Island, apparently. The only produce being sold was kale and chard, neither of which we wanted. But I did buy a lovely blueberry and white chocolate chip scone. I never leave a farmer's market empty handed. HA HA HA !
We were finished at the farmer's market at noon, so decided we would catch the 12:30 ferry back to Graham Island. We drove the 10 km. / 6 miles from Sandspit to Aliford Bay, waited in line briefly, and drove onto the ferry. This time we were positioned in the middle of the ferry, so Bo could not see when the "parking lot" began to head out into the ocean. So ... no panic as there was last Friday.
The ferry arrived at Skidegate at 1 PM. We drove off the ferry and headed a few miles south to Queen Charlotte City where we used the municipal sani-dump station to dump our waste tanks and refill freshwater. So ... that was the third of three public dump stations on Haida Gwaii, and we used them all ; Port Clements, Masset, and Queen Charlotte City. We drove to the Visitor Information Centre, parked on the street nearby, and while Joanne prepared lunch I used the Visitor Information Centre's Wi-Fi to retrieve and respond to e-mail.
After lunch we drove the few miles back to Skidegate and Joanne went into the Co-op store to buy a few grocery items. We headed south on Yellowhead Highway 16, the island's only road, about halfway back to Tlell, and stopped at Halibut Bight Rest Area. I went to take a brief nap with Bo while Joanne went outside to pick some wild raspberries. I awoke when she returned about an hour later, and when I went to look at the raspberries she had picked ... HUH ? ? ? Her container was filled with huge, plump, juicy Huckleberries. WOO-HOO !
We went outside and she showed me where the Huckleberry bushes were. We both picked Huckleberries for about an hour, until we had more than we knew what to do with. HA HA HA ! My vote was ... freeze some and take them to Yuma to eat next winter, mixed into yoghurt. Eventually I brought Bo outside and showed him where the Huckleberry bushes were. I regretted doing that. As soon as Bo realized there were low hanging Huckleberries, he shoved his face into the bushes and began scarfing. HA HA HA ... you go, Bo ! I allowed him to scarf a couple of dozen Huckleberries, then had difficulty pulling him away from the bushes. And for the remaining few hours that we stayed at Halibut Bight Rest Area, he was insufferable, whining to be allowed outside. NO ! You've had enough ! He's a little dog, with a little digestive system. We've seen the effects in the past of him eating too many Saskatoons ... < rolling my eyes > !
I barbecued burgers for supper. After dishes were done we drove from Halibut Bight Rest Area back to Skidegate to boondock overnight somewhere near the ferry terminal. We need to be at the ferry terminal at 8 AM tomorrow morning. My goodness, what a lot of deer on the side of the road between 9 PM and 9:30 PM. We parked overnight in a scruffy parking lot for semi-trailers across the street from the Haida Heritage Centre / Museum.
Monday ; Skidegate, Haida Gwaii by large ferry back to Prince Rupert on B.C. mainland
Cloudy and cool on Haida Gwaii in the morning. Cloudy, cool, and raining in Prince Rupert in the evening.
This morning we awoke up at 7 AM in order to be at the ferry terminal at 8 AM. The ferry began to load at about 9 AM, and departed fifteen minutes early at 9:45 AM. For the first half of the seven and a quarter hour ferry trip I worked on my computer, getting caught up on downloading photos from the camera to the computer, then processing and labelling the photos in the computer. We had lunch, then I napped and read for the rest of the trip. We arrived at Prince Rupert right on time at 5 PM.
Once off the ferry we drove about 20 km. / 12 miles to Port Edward to dump our waste holding tanks and refill our freshwater tank. And capture an escaped dog and save its life ! While we were using the municipal sani-dump station a young boy, probably about twelve years old, was chasing his escaped Husky named Nanook down the street. We interrupted what we were doing to intervene and assist, but to no avail. Nanook dodged us and continued running down the street with the boy in hot pursuit. When we finished our dumping and refilling we drove down the street to see what, if any, the outcome was, and attempt to assist if we could. A long way down the road we found the boy using a big stick to try to herd the dog back in the direction that they had come. I used the truck to cut off the dog's progress, then jumped out of the truck to capture it. The dog was cornered by the truck, the boy, and me. I lunged and grabbed the dog's harness at which point it became frantic and tried very hard to convince me to let it go by snarling and snapping, somewhat at me, but mostly at the boy. I have the skills and ability to convince most dogs that I am top dog. The boy did not have those skills, so the dog decided that while it might be unwise to attack and rip to shreds some new "top dog", he could easily intimidate his own young master, whom he ( the dog ) obviously did not recognize as top dog. While Nanook snapped and snarled, mostly at the boy Matthew, I calmed him ( the dog ) a bit, then lifted him up into my arms, told Joanne to get out of the truck quickly, take Bo, and step aside, leaving the truck door open.
I dropped Nanook onto the passenger seat of the truck, then "whispered" at him until
I had him calm.
Joanne and Bo got into the camper. I drove slowly along the road, following Matthew as he walked back home, a considerable distance. By the time we got to his home,
I had Nanook all calmed, and happy to be going "drivey". When we got to their home,
I found the long nylon leash I have stored under the back seat of the truck, looped it around Nanook's neck, and led him out of the truck, just as Matthew's father showed up. Matthew's father and mother were out in separate vehicles trying to find both Matthew and Nanook.
All's well that ends well. Nanook seemed fine. Matthew was very upset. His father was grateful for my help. Another dog saved. It's what I do ! And quite well, I'm proud to say ! Well done, Daniel !
We drove back to Prince Rupert and went to Cow Bay, the tourist area. We had supper at Dolly's Fish Market ( again ). Once again I had fish and chips made with one piece of Halibut and one piece of Ling Cod. Joanne had freshly made crab cake, which she has been looking forward to since she saw it on their menu when we ate here a couple of weeks ago. After supper, while Joanne paid the restaurant bill, I went over to the fish market side and bought three packages of frozen Halibut to take home.
We drove to Wal-Mart to boondock overnight, arriving shortly before their 9 PM closing time. Joanne dashed into Wal-Mart to replenish a few items while I walked Bo ... in the cold rain, which I hate ... then started my nightly computer work. Using Wal-Mart's free Wi-Fi signal, which reached us at the far end of their parking lot, I didn't finish uploading my weekly blog entry until midnight !
Tuesday ; Prince Rupert to Sanderson Rest Area east of Terrace
Sunny and cool in the morning in Price Rupert, warming throughout the day as we drove away from the coast.
This morning we left the Wal-Mart parking lot and drove about a block to Safeway where we replenished groceries. Before leaving Prince Rupert we refilled our five gallon water jug at a dry cleaner / water purification business. At the edge of town we stopped at Petro-Canada and refilled Lanoire with diesel. Then we stopped in Port Edward to dump our waste holding tanks and refill our freshwater tank. Finally ... we hit the road, heading eastward / inland on Yellowhead Highway 16.
The highway followed the mighty Skeena River. We stopped for lunch at a rest area where Basalt Creek flows into the Skeena River. After we finished eating lunch I fished for salmon for twenty minutes in the Skeena River at the mouth of Basalt Creek. No luck ! Well ... at least I didn't lose my expensive pink Buzz Bomb. HA HA HA !
We continued on to Terrace. Tag line should be ; Terrace ; town of obnoxious rednecks and bikers ! GEEEEEZ ... did anybody in this town get any further than grade ten ? ! ? Do they sell only jacked up black pickup trucks in this town ? ! ? Oh, yeah ... there goes a jacked up white pickup truck !
Just before entering Terrace we stopped at a Native gift shop on the Kitsumkalen Reservation. Nice Native arts and crafts stuff ! I bought a pewter and copper pendant necklace to give to Joanne on our anniversary in a couple of months. When we drove into Terrace we headed for the Visitor Information Centre to find out where there was a laundromat. From there we headed to Baker Extraordinaire to buy some fresh bread made with stone ground flour. We had seen an ad for this bakery in a tourist magazine. From the bakery we found our way to the laundromat, attached to the rear of a Shell fuel station. I am typing this journal entry at 5:30 PM while Joanne does laundry. From the laundromat we will be heading to Wal-Mart. I'm not sure yet whether we will get any further or will we be staying in Terrace tonight. OH ... Joanne has just given me notice that she will be finished laundry in five minutes.
We were finished our Wal-Martin' and heading out of town, crossing the bridge over the Skeena River, about 7 PM. Now the highway followed the Skeena River on the other / south side. About half an hour east of Terrace we arrived at Sanderson Rest Area on the Skeena River and decided to have supper and boondock overnight. Lovely, forested rest area high up on the banks of the Skeena River, with a lovely view.
Wednesday ; Sanderson Rest Area east of Terrace to Sunset Lake BCFSRS south of Topley
Sunny and warm. All day ! Today was a long and productive day.
We left the rest area this morning and continued eastbound on Yellowhead Highway 16. As we drove a wolf crossed the road in front of us, and then a bear did the same. A Black Bear. Joanne asked it if any of its white cousins were nearby. We are in the Spirit Bear / Kermodei Bear territory. Kermodei Bears are Black Bears that are coloured white due to a strange genetic pigmentation mutation. Found only in this area, about Prince Rupert to Prince George The ...< ahem > ... First Nations people call them Spirit Bears, and consider them to be sacred.
At New Hazelton ( a white community ) we left the highway and drove a few miles to Old Hazelton, a Native community. Excuse me ... a First Nations community. We spent some time visiting Ksan Village, a Native village restoration / museum. We drove back to the Visitor Information Centre at New Hazelton. We had lunch in the camper while in their parking lot. I used the Visitor Information Centre's Wi-Fi to retrieve and reply to e-mails. We used their sani-dump station to dump our waste holding tanks and refill our freshwater tank. As we drove through the town of New Hazelton we stopped at a bakery and bought a loaf of fresh bread.
At Smithers we ran more errands. First we washed the truck and camper at a self-serve vehicle wash. There was a lot of Haida Gwaii gravel road and wet muddy road grime. Joanne was tired of getting dirty every time she brushed up against the truck or camper. Then we refilled a propane tank at Petro-Canada. Lastly we replenished a few grocery items at Safeway.
Near the village of Topley we turned south off the highway and travelled a few miles on a good gravel road to a British Columbia Forest Service Recreation Site campground at Sunset Lake, arriving about 7 PM. I immediately got busy building a campfire and cooking supper on it. After supper I went fishing in the beautiful lake for Rainbow Trout. I fished for forty-five minutes, catching and releasing ... < sigh > ... four Rocky Mountain Whitefish ; two small, one medium, and one large. The largest Whitefish
I have ever caught. By then it was 9:15 PM. I returned to our campsite and sat with Joanne by the campfire, under the bright light of the full moon. The Harvest Moon,
I believe. That would explain why we are attending the Harvest Moon Festival at Barkerville in a few days.
Our bedtime snack was fresh Huckleberries with Con Leche purchased in Mexico drizzled on top. I'm salivating just from typing that !
Thursday ; Sunset Lake BCFSRS to Prince George
Sunny and very warm.
This morning before leaving Sunset Lake I went Rainbow Trout fly fishing for twenty minutes. I caught and released four tiny Rocky Mountain Whitefish ! < rolling my eyes and sighing > We drove the few miles back to Yellowhead Highway 16 and continued east.
At Burns Lake we refilled with diesel, then dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank at the municipal sani-dump station. We really appreciate that almost all towns along this route operate a municipal sani-dump station for the convenience of tourists. I'm glad that our home village of Keremeos also does. It really facilitates RV tourism. We stopped at a rest area to have lunch. Later we stopped at another rest area so that I could nap briefly.
We arrived at Prince George about 6 PM. First stop was Wal-Mart. Then Superstore to refill Lanoire with diesel again. Then we searched for and found ... with considerable difficulty ... a Chinese buffet restaurant. After ETYS supper we drove to Treasure Cove Casino at the junction of Yellowhead Highway 16 ( east / west ) and Hwy. 97 ( north / south ) to boondock overnight. DARN ! No Wi-Fi available in the casino parking lot.
Friday ; Prince George to Quesnel to Lightning Creek BCFSRS
Sunny and hot !
This morning we left the parking lot of the casino and got onto Hwy. 97 heading south. WOO-HOO ... Hwy. 97 ... the road to home ! Well ... not really ... I guess Hwy. 3 is actually the road to home, but ... Hwy. 97 is certainly the road to the Okanagan region. Within a couple of hours we were in Quesnel. First stop was the municipal sani-dump station to dump and refill. Then through town and out to the south, to the big box shopping area, to Canadian Tire. While Joanne prepared lunch in the camper I went into Canadian Tire to buy an item, then walked over to the adjacent mall to buy dog food at Total Pet. After lunch we drove back into the city, to the Visitor Information Centre, where I used their free Wi-Fi to retrieve e-mail.
We left Quesnel and headed east on Hwy. 26 towards Barkerville, our destination for tomorrow. I thought we would arrive there today, but Joanne had other plans. She directed us to a British Columbia Forest Service Recreation Site remote wilderness campground on Lightning Creek, about halfway between Quesnel and Barkerville. We're only about 50 km. / 30 miles from Barkerville, so there will be no problem being there early enough to enjoy the day long Harvest Moon Festival event.
After selecting a campsite we walked down to the creek, which looked like a very promising Rainbow Trout fly fishing site. I got my fly fishing gear and fished for about forty-five minutes. Nothing ! So much for appearances ! I barbecued supper ; shrimp for me, pork chop for Joanne. We met the "neighbour" walking by, a woman camping with her husband at a campsite a few hundred feet down the road from us. She invited us to join her and her husband around their campfire. We did. We chatted with them until 10 PM about their and our experiences in common as full time RV'ers.
Saturday ; Barkerville, B.C.
Mostly sunny and warm. Brief, heavy rain around 7:30 PM. Cold night.
This morning we left the Lightning Creek campground and continued east on Hwy. 26 the remaining 50 km. / 30 miles to Barkerville. Just before arriving at Barkerville Historical Town we made a stop at Barkerville Lowhee Campground to refill our freshwater tank. We were parked and in the historic village before noon.
Barkerville was the centre of the Cariboo gold rush of the 1860's. It has been restored and recreated as a living re-enactment of the gold rush era. Once per year they pay homage to the large Chinese population of Barkerville of the 1860's with the Harvest Moon Festival at the time of the August full moon. The day is filled with cultural events and demonstrations in the Chinatown section of Barkerville.
We spent the afternoon wandering around Barkerville's Chinatown, taking an hour long guided tour of Chinatown, and viewing cultural entertainment such as lion dances. We had lunch in the camper in the parking lot. I napped briefly while Joanne went back into the historic village after lunch.
We had an early supper in the camper, planning to attend the evening's cultural entertainment. But a heavy downpour from 7:15 to 7:30 PM delayed the evening's entertainment for awhile. It started about an hour late, around 8:30 PM, with everyone in the audience being served a sample of moon cake, a Chinese dessert. The evening was a couple of hours of singers, dancers, musicians, and even a Chinese magician performing Chinese style magic. The evening ended with a lantern parade all the way through town and out to the parking lot, with an impressive fireworks finale.
We drove west back down Hwy. 26 from Barkerville a few miles, through the village of Wells, to a rest area at Jack of Clubs Lake where we boondocked overnight.
DSK
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