I hope you are all well and enjoying what ever you are doing, My Jack and Alex are in OZ! so I hope they are having a great time.
May 22nd 2008
The journey is so lovely the road follows the mountain forests of tall pine with snowy mountains, raging rivers, many beautiful lakes, we stop to watch the wild life I am becoming quite a good bird watcher - I am Les' star student! Osprey and Bald Eagles flying overhead, we also stop just to admire the amazing scenery the outstanding variety of greens in the forests. Parking up for the night at the side of Burns lake we were able to watch Beavers doing what Beavers do, fascinating watched them through the binoculars. Les has a problem with his powered steering a bolt had fallen off he was able to get this fixed reasonably easily.
May 24th 2008
We were able to visit a reconstructed Gitxsan (first nation) Village “Ksan”. This village is committed to demonstrate the richness of the Gitxsan culture and heritage. We had a superb guide, he was a member of the “Eagle House” we were able to visit the “Frog House” which focuses on the life style of the people before contact with the outside world. “Fireweed House” displayed an amazing variety of “regalia” the ceremonial clothing is still used for special times. The description and information our guide gave us was excellent.
There is also an excellent display of “Totem Poles” each of the poles tells a story of the history of the clan, some tell stories much the same as our written stories, some factual, some not (fairy stories)
Check out the web site www.ksan.org to learn more about their amazing history.
Today I am wondering about Mikie and J who we met on route to Moab then spent a great weekend with them at the Moab Folk Festival, they are coming to Alaska this summer, I wonder if they made it, where are they. We stop to admire the view and take a couple of photos a guy comes over for a chat, a motor bike races past and skids to a holt. Turns around with a very loud “whoop” its “J” (Mikie did not come after all) much hugging, laughing and talking followed, we are all going to Prince Rupert so decide we will park up together for the night Les ‘n M and myself pooled our food and made a 3 course meal plus wine, which we ate outside whilst chasing mosquitoes away, after eating we all retired to L’nMs truck, where the mosquitoes bomb barded the fly screen but could not get us!! it was a great evening. We will meet up with “J” again in Prince Rupert he is going on a different boat to us, he has a ticket we do not, everyone keeps telling us the boats are booked months in advance :-(
However we managed to get tickets on the dates and times we wanted !
Spent some time with “J” until his boat left, then went to explore the town, there are several very good and interesting “Totems” we can read them a little, only a little!
The visitors centre is in “Cow Bay” so called because a pioneer unloaded his herd of cows here it is a very amusing little bay with black and white spotted décor everywhere one of the restaurants is called “Smiles Seafood” because the lady who opened it in 1934 had a lovely smile! but they make awful tea!
26th May 2008
Laundry day, van cleaning, a visit to the museum and a couple more “Totem’s” we then drove out to Prince Edward, stayed on a campsite had a lovely hot hot shower.
27th May 2008
We went to the Salmon canning plant; this is an original plant, built when everything was done by hand which must have been a terrible job wet, slimy and smelly. Later some of this work became mechanized, but I don’t think conditions improved much. It has now been taken over by “Parks Canada” and is a very interesting historical site. Helps in the learning of how Canada developed. It could however put you off tinned salmon for life !!
Workers came from all over the world for the season, living and working on site, all of which was company owned. Japanese and Chinese had to pay a tax just to work here, this tax was then taken from their pay cheque along with the price of their food and any goods purchased from the company shop (there was no other shop) what was left was sent to their homes, so they never really knew what they earned!! I guess this happened all over the world when you were at the bottom of the heap it was hard to climb up!
This afternoon we leave Canada go through customs onto the ferry into the USA and the Alaska Marine Highway. The boat is very comfortable I had lovely Clam Chowder for my tea. We left the boat around midnight at Ketchikan and found a Wal Mart for the night! I meet a lovely couple Cub and Kathy from Escondido California, like so many Americans we have met so warm and friendly I felt I had known Kathy for ever.
We are now back in the good ol’ USofA………………………………
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