Saturday, June 17, 2012

We left Clinton this morning and headed down towards Whistler, driving in and out of rain.  We stopped at a lovely roadside campground where some guys were fishing.  Upon taking with them they indicated that a "wedding band" was the hot lure for catching fish there. 


Traveling down the road we went over a slight hill to be confronted by a herd of horses in the roadway. 

Just some of the numerous waterfalls we saw today. Beautiful and wet country on the west side of the mountains.

Winter is still occurring in the upper hills of British Columbia

We arrived at Whistler and while I took a nap Shirl assisted the local economy and arrived back with a wonderful Father's Day gift for me.  A nice shinny "wedding band" fishing lure.  


Upon leaving Whistler we drove by a roadside sign stating "watch for bears".  We went about 500 yards and saw two bears along side the roadway.  Makes you wonder if they were trained!!


We are spending the evening in Sqamish and plan to arrive back home tomorrow evening after a short stop in Vancouver to visit an old ham radio buddy who has gone on many foreign radio contest trips with me for many years.


Good Night,


Shirley and Roger

Saturday June 16, 2012

We woke up this morning to a pleasant surprise.  The rain had stopped during the evening and the tent and equipment was dry which made packing much easier.  We had a quick breakfast of camp toast and good camp coffee (nothing better!).  We packed quickly as the weather was beginning to look threatening and headed to Tatla Lake for a brunch.  We eventually arrived in Williams Lake, the point where we reconnect with civilization.  I must admit, I felt a little sad to be leaving the beauty of the back country and joining the masses again.

Breaking camp in the morning.

Brunch stop in Tatla Lake

My awesome camping buddy.  Love her.

Bridge into Williams Lake

Log stockpile in Williams Lake

As we approached Williams Lake it was apparent that logging and wood products is the key industry for the town.  We passed an enormous log pile.  I don't think I have ever seen so many logs stockpiled as big as this place is. We headed south from Williams Lake and spent the night at a motel in  Clinton.  Unfortunately we had problems connecting to the internet so we were not able to get caught up on our reports. Tomorrow we branch off towards Whistler where we will spend Sunday evening, Fathers Day.

Roger and Shirley

Friday, June 15, 2012

As I mentioned at the end of yesterdays report, something special happened this morning.  

As we were preparing to leave I went back inside the office/dinning room to take some pictures of the beautiful dinning room.  The room is furnished with crystal glassware throughout and includes a baby grand piano and a large crystal chandelier. The entire facility is is very tastily decorated with antiques and collectibles which provide the feel of the old world charm located in the middle of wilderness.

As I was preparing to leave one of the staff asked if I would like to see their library, which I eagerly accepted.  As I entered the room, I was greeted by Lady Enubi, the owner and mama to the entire staff. While she is the owner, they have created their own family of around 7 staff members, some of which are actually direct family members, while others are adopted members.  All four library walls were completely filled with numerous books and publications. 

 As Enubi was proudly showing us before and after photo's of the facility she invited us to see here personal parlor.  As we stepped through the door we felt as if we were entering another time period and location.  The blue carpet complimented gilded furniture and numerous antiques from a prior life.  Each piece brought it's own tale including a Hopi kachina, carved Chinese wood carvings, and beautiful paintings.  Lady Enubi was originally from Austria and she certainly has kept the European flair with her numerous pieces of ornate furniture and crystal chandeliers and glassware. As we left to go finish our packing she advised us that we were only the third couple that she has ever shown her personal quarters.  Our experiences at the Eagles Nest is certainly something we will remember forever.

As I mentioned yesterday, we were heading to Nimpo Lake this morning but the mosquito's were so intense we elected to bypass Nimpo Lake and continue east towards Williams Lake, some 200 miles away.  When it became apparent we were not gong to arrive in daylight and the local weather report was no rain until later the next day we opted to stay at Bull Canyon campground along the river.  Well, let me say, the weatherman in this area is no more accurate than the weatherman in Seattle.  As we completed setting up the tent and was preparing dinner the rains arrived.  Fortunately we were able to grab dinner and eat a gourmet meal of bacon and eggs in our tent.  We fell asleep listening to the music of raindrops on the tent and thinking of how we were going to pack the wet tent tomorrow morning.

Good Night,


Shirley and Roger


(Sorry for the font issues but this program seems to have a mind of it's own sometimes and I could not get rid of the underscore and color.)

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

We arrived in Bella Coola around 6:45 in the morning, just about on schedule which is surprising, especially since we started two hours late and had the stop for the kayakers. Sleeping in chairs was, well lets just say, interesting.  Fortunately we had taken our sleeping bags upstairs from our car with us as the cabin was quite cold during the evening and once the ship was underway you could not return to your cars. Meals were OK.  We had a hamburger for lunch and a nice ham dinner.

Bella Coola

Bella Coola is a very small fishing port with probably around 30 homes, mostly very old and in poor shape.  We hit the road and started towards Eagles Nest Resort on Anahim Lake, our first stop.

The road started out being a nice paved road however it shortly became a nice gravel road as we headed towards "The Hill".  If you Google "The Hill" or Freedom Road and Bella Coola you will understand. It is a very narrow gravel road, which is one way width in some places and is VERY steep with a very, very long way to the bottom.  It was initially thought impossible to build a road into Bella Coola as the government had indicated they could not do it so some of the people living in Bella Coola took it upon themselves to build the road.  I believe it took around two years but they finally built the road and now the government does maintain it.


At the top of the road we encountered two black bears.  I was surprised at how large they were.  We also saw a deer.










I found this sign to be quite amusing.  If you had an encounter with a bear and  wanted to actually win the encounter being evicted from the park would be the least of your concerns....







We did arrive at Eagles Nest Resort at Anahim Lake with the sun shinning.  The resort is  very nice with an excellent restaurant.   I tried a little fishing from their dock but have not had any luck. Unfortunately the WiFi here is very slow so uploading pictures is very, very difficult.
We are off to bed so see you tomorrow.

Good Night,

Roger and Shirley

Thursday June 14, 2012

The initial portion of the wterrfall.  I was unable to capture the entire waterfall  due to the size  of the fall.

Today we left camp for a day of exploring the area.  The resort personnel had told us about a nice hike with a view of a waterfall.  When we arrived at the location we had been given we parked at a wide spot in the road and started on a trail for about 1/4 mile following along the side of a rapid stream.  All of a sudden the stream disappeared over a ledge and upon reaching the edge of the precipice we encountered a 500 foot waterfall.  With the spring runoff and rainy season the water flow was astonishing.  I happened to have a zoom lens on my camera so I was unable to capture the entire waterfall.  The surrounding terrain consisted of sheer rock cliffs with a small lake below.  This remote and hazardous view was by far the highlight of the trip.  The feeling seeing this waterfall in such a remote and primitive location that few people will ever have the opportunity to see was wonderful.

This log crossed the creek at the point where the waterfall began.

An eagle flying above me on the ridge by the waterfall.

The rest of the day was spent driving on back roads and exploring a few other resorts in the area.  We have decided to go to Nimpo Lake tomorrow, heading east towards Williams Lake.


Dinner tonight at the resort was enjoyable.  The dinning room is very beautiful, not what you would expect at a lake resort normally serving fishermen. The main dinning room has a beautiful baby grand piano and a window wall overlooking the lake below.  The meals are exceptional.  I had halibut cheeks and Shirley had schnitzel, which was wonderful.  The staff at the resort have many family members in addition to another family from Austria.  All are delightful.  We were entertained tonight with the mother of our waitress coming to our table and playing her guitar and singing us two love songs in her native Austrian language.  I have no idea what she was saying but the music and thought was wonderful. The brain enjoys surprises, and our stay in such a remote area was a wonderful surprise! 


Good Night,


Roger and Shirley


 (This is written on Friday morning as we are preparing to move on to Nimpo Lake.  We had a wonderful surprise from the host as we were preparing to leave.  Stay tuned for tomorrows report.)

Tuesday June 12, 2012

We started the day with another fine breakfast at the B&B Orange Tabby .  We were advised to be at the ferry terminal no later than 8:15, two hours before departure. We arrived on time and patiently waited for the departure time by listening to one of Stuart Wood’s audiobooks which we have been listening too along the trip.  When 10:15 rolled by there was no activity so we patiently waited another two hours!  We later heard that this was the first run for the boat this season and they were just trying to get things together...not something you want to hear especially when the workmen are running around like lost souls.  

Just as we were getting ready to board the ferry the car ahead of us in the line discovered he had a dead battery.  Apparently they had been listening to their audio book but forgot to start the car occasionally.  They held up loading until we could turn our car around and get our car close enough to his so a jumper cable to get his car started.

The ship, which can accommodate around 375 passengers probably, had around 30 people on it so there was no problem in getting a good seat.  The seats are quite comfortable with reclining backs and a foot rest.   

Shortly after we were underway there were two separate whale sightings, both quite close and enjoyable.  Being the wonderful photographer I am, I was able to get some nice shots of either a water spout or the ocean where a whale had been a few moments before….

The meals on board actually are very good.  We had a hamburger for lunch and a nice ham dinner for the evening meal 














 Shortly after dinner they made an announcement over the public address system that they would be stopping the ship to launch two kayak’s.  Two men then proceeded to disembark the boat and proceeded to paddle away to an island close by.  I still do not understand why you would want to leave a nice warm boat with a motor for an open kayak that you paddle….I am sure old partner Doug will let me know the benefit of this adventure as he boats up here in this area annually.

We slept in the lounge chairs to the beat of the boat vibrations and rattles.

Monday, June 11, 2012

After an enjoyable breakfast we headed out on a bear hunting trip. Unfortunately the only wildlife we saw was a squirrel and an eagle.  We did however see some nice country and a very big logging mill operation.  

The logging industry is very active up on this end of the island.  The pictures are of a major operation that starts with the logs arriving at the mill on train cars where they are off loaded onto the ground, sorted, and then dumped into the sound where small tug boats would move the logs around until they were in large groups and then floated north towards Port McNeil where there is a large plant for cellulose.

The train engine is just a remembrance of the past gone by during the boom time.

That is a davenport that is submerged in a roadside pond.

A beautiful river adjacent to a campground. in the back country

On the road during our bear hunting trip.

An eagle in the tree top just above their nest.

Today we also enjoyed a visit to Telegraph Cove which was an early location of a telegraph station used during the war.   In WWII the telegraph was valuable to the war efforts as well as being the location for internment of the local Japanese civilians. Today the buildings have been restored and are being used for tourist accommodations.  In addition there is a good whale museum which contains many skeletons of various types of whales and marine life.


Tomorrow morning we head out to get on the ferry going over to Bella Coola.  The trip takes 18 hours arriving at 6:00 am on Wednesday. I doubt if they will have any WiFi on board so we will try to send out a report Wednesday evening when we arrive in Anahim Lake.


Good Night


Roger and Shirl

Sunday, June 10th

Sunday, June 10, 2012:

We left Chemainus British Columbia early this morning after spending the past two days visiting with my cousin-in-laws. We had a good time visiting and getting brought up to date on the family history. 

 The weather started raining as we headed north towards Port Hardy, British Columbia.  Our original plan was to stop along the way and camp and  arrive in Port Hardy the following day, however the further north we drove the heavier the rain came down so we pushed on and arrived at the Orange Tabby B&B in Port Hardy a day earlier. Fortunately they were able to accommodate our early arrival, however the rain stopped shortly after we arrived in town.

 We stopped to take a picture as we crossed the 50th parallel. 

Some of the beautiful beaches along the island shore.

Our arrival into the town of Port Hardy.

We went for a walk after dinner and watched numerous eagles in the trees.  The country up here is so beautiful however we have not seen our bear yet.  We plan to go for a drive tomorrow where the B&B owner suggested we might see some.    Good Night, Roger and Shirley

Saturday, June 9, 2012

We woke early this morning to a beautiful sunny sky, something we have not seen for quite a while.  We left camp and went downtown for a cup of coffee, a pastry roll at the local bakery, and some very interesting conversations with some local residences.  

One of my favorites showing the illusion of being a building
with a corner while it actually is a single building wall surface.

We then proceeded to walk through town visiting the many building murals.  It is quite an impressive sight with the many beautiful murals depicting early life in the area.

 

Roger and Shirl with a friend at Cowchin Bay, British Columbia

A local resident on island time

Following lunch the four of us drove to Cowchin Bay where we toured  the wooden boat building museum and also visited numerous small shops with various goodies... 

The afternoon was concluded with a short stop at a tasty ice cream parlor and a dinner of halibut and chips in Old Town concluded a wonderful day of touring the area and visiting with my cousins.

Shirl and Roger's cousin's Charlie and Leslie Van Gorkon

A local waterfall provided some great ideas for our use at home.

Tomorrow we will be heading north going towards Port Hardy where we will board the ferry to go to Bella Coola on the main land.

Good Night,


Roger and Shirley

Friday, June 8, 2012

Friday, June 8, 2012

We left Port Angeles at 8:15 this morning on the Black Ball Ferry Coho arriving in Victoria, British Columbia 90 minutes later.  We were blessed with a smooth crossing as the weather was quite nice. The crossing of the Straits of Juan d Fuca can quite often be a rough trip, especially if the wind is blowing. When we crossed it earlier this year the wind was so bad that they closed the access to the exterior decks.

We headed north up Vancouver Island from Victoria and two hours later arrived in Chemainus, British Columbia.  Leslie and Charlie, my cousin-in-law live in Chemainus Garden RV Park, a beautiful facility with both RV parking spots, cabins and residential homes. The grounds are beautiful with several small ponds and extensive landscaping. Charlie, who is quite the craftsman, not only is an artist and writer but is known worldwide for his expensive custom made leather boots. 

This afternoon we did a brief walking tour of the town, and enjoyed a sidewalk cup of coffee while getting re-acquainted with my cousins.  We also visited their church, a beautiful small building built over 100 years ago and still contains some of the original stained glass windows.  Apparently the windows were shipped from Europe encased in liquid molasses to protect them.  

 

The town of Chemainus is quite interesting as it is known for the many murals painted on the buildings throughout town.  I have included pictures of some of the many murals.  The tourist information indicated that there are over 45 murals at this time.  

  

This painting is an excellent example of trompe-l'oeil technique. 

This is painted on a straight rectangular smooth wall surface. 

The lights and the blue sky at the top are actually part of the painting.

Tonight we enjoyed dinner with Leslie and Charlie and following a wonderful apricot pie Leslie introduced me to Google BlogSpot while Charlie showed us some of his wonderful pictures and paintings that he has done.  He is a very accomplished artist with work in both oils and pencils. 

Hopefully this new format with the pictures will provide a more interesting read but please let me know if you have problems reading this file.

Tomorrow we will do a more though exploration of the town, and yes, some shopping….

Good Night,

Roger and Shirley