Raining Cats and Dogs...But not Fish...

Our last day in Price Rupert turned out to be our rainiest yet. We had an ocean fishing charter planned but it was rainy and windy so it didn’t go out. We were disappointed but decided to see what else we could do with our time. We relaxed all morning in our cozy Lazyboy recliners in front of our electric fireplace. The rain let up a little bit in the late morning so we decided to head out and explore the nearby town of Port Edward and its historic cannery. During the height of Salmon fishing in the area before regulations controlled the massive take there were numerous canneries in the area to handle the huge amount of fish. The North Pacific Cannery Historic Site is the oldest intact cannery from the era. Established in 1889 and operating for almost 90 years, the buildings and machinery are all largely as they were when production was stopped. It was as nice drive out to the location and the buildings were interesting but spread out over a large area so the rain wasn’t conducive to our spending a long time touring the outside. We looked around a bit and took a few photos and decided that it just wasn’t meant to be. We headed “home” and did some housekeeping that had been neglected since we have been enjoying so much time outside. We had dinner again with our new Canadian friends, this time all 10 of us in our trailer….quite comfortably I might add. They asked to see some of my photos so I hooked the laptop up to the TV and shared some from the trip and . Let’s just say they were really good for my ego. I think I have sold a couple of Eagle photos already.

Thursday we headed for Smithers. Since we went through there on the way out we were familiar with the drive and although rainy, it was fairly easy and went by quickly. We pulled into Glacier View RV about 1, pulled into our pull through site and realized that we looked directly up at Kathlyn Glacier. The campsite is appropriately named and we once again have a “room with a view.” We unhitched and got set up then Scott headed off to Smithers Ford for the appointment to have our truck serviced. One of the many things that you have to anticipate on a long trip is the regular maintenance of your equipment. We had the 5th wheel taken care of before we left but due to the additional driving mileage that we have put on the truck there was no way to go the entire 10 weeks without having the oil changed and the tires rotated at the bare minimum. While Scott was gone I did laundry and house work. With the chores done we sat outside with a cocktail and enjoyed the magnificent view.

Yesterday we took off early to head to the Driftwood Provincial Park, home to a large fossil bed. One thing that we have found about the Provincial Parks here in BC is that there is very little information or description on their website. All that was said was that there was a short hike to the fossil beds and numerous cautions not to remove any fossils from the site. We arrived at the parking area and were surprised to see lush green forest and a river running through it. Well it turns out the short hike is 250 meters…..really short I would say. What we found at the end of the hike was some information plaques and a view of the

fossil beds….basically a rock wall 100 meters away up a steep slope. Well, it’s pretty impossible to see fossils of insects at that distance….even with a 600mm lens!!! So, with Driftwood Provincial Park being a bust we decided to continue on the “Telkwa High Road Circle” drive. It was a beautiful option to taking the highway and another of BC’s perfectly maintained dirt roads. There were no other cars except for one truck that passed us early on the drive. The end of the road was Morictown. This was another local attraction that sounded intriguing. Shortly before we got to the end of the “High Road” the truck that had passed us earlier was stopped in the middle of the road. Keep in mind that this is a fairly narrow dirt road. We pulled up beside him and asked if he was OK. He said the truck just stopped on him. There was no cell phone service and no traffic in the area so we offered him a ride to his father’s which was 5 Km up the road.

Normally we would be extra cautious given the situation but everyone here has been so nice and genuine, and the fact that we had seen him earlier so we knew he wasn’t up to no good. Well it turns out that he knows a lot of local fishing spots…more on that later.
Morictown is known as the “Land of the Witsuwit’en.” The village is situated on the banks of the Bulkley River where it narrows to a spectacular gorge. The area can only be fished by First Nation Witsuwit’en people. The tourist info said that you can see them fishing there in August. Well it isn’t August yet but we were interested to see the canyon and the Museum. Shortly after dropping off our passenger we came around the corner and saw the bridge across the canyon. We drove across and parked. When we got out we immediately looked down and saw a man with a net…..dip it into the raging water pouring through the narrow canyon and pull it up with 5 fish in it. Really???!!!

Wish we could fish like that. Apparently they started early this year. We decided to head down the trail to the fish ladders to watch this spectacle more closely. It was amazing and really interesting. It turns out they can only fish 3 times a day for an hour. There is a province official there counting the fish and making sure that they are the right variety. Apparently they cannot take Sockeye Salmon this year but they will be given some of the commercially fished Sockeye. A strange set up if you ask me. We were so lucky to be there at the exact right time to experience it and get to talk to some of the fishermen.

After Morictown we headed back down the highway toward Smithers and the trail to Twin Falls. By now most of you know my passion for photographing waterfalls so I was looking forward to this “easy 15 minute walk” as advertised by VisitBC.com. They failed to tell you that the hike was at the end of a 6 Km dirt road…not too bad but not as well maintained as the other that we have encountered so far. They also didn’t mention the bird sized mosquitoes and the fact that the “Easy 15 Minute Walk”….WAS STRAIGT UPHILL!!! Well, we got our workout for the day and it was all downhill going back.

They also forgot to tell you that Twin Falls was one large waterfall and a bunch of tiny ones. That being said it was the tallest waterfall that we have seen since we have been here. We are a bit waterfall spoiled. After an evening of Fish Tacos made with local Rock Fish…Yum…we decided to try some fishing tomorrow.

This morning we had to do some provisioning and as luck, and prior planning, would have it Saturday is Farmers Market day. Eggs, Ground Lamb, Flat Iron Steak, Fresh picked raspberries and homemade English Muffins at the Farmers Market….everything else at No Frills. Yes, for all of you non-Canadians, No Frills is a grocery store with…wait for it….No Frills. You even have to give a $1 (Looney in Canadian) deposit if you want to use a grocery cart. Hand basket are free….we had 3.

After shopping was dropped off our buys and headed off to try fishing at the spot that our grateful roadside pickup gave us yesterday. First we thought we would check out a couple of spots that were on the tourist map. Telkwa is only 10 km away so the headed there first and worked our way back. We found a spot that looked really good but first and foremost there were no other people fishing there.
A little like going to eat at a restaurant with no customers…..it just makes you worry a bit. Also, there were three locals on the other side of the river doing their best to demolish a case of Budweiser. The boisterous, colorful language made the situation a bit uncomfortable. When we pulled up to the other spot we had been told about it was perfect. There were a couple of other people there and one had just caught a 20lb. Spring (King) Salmon. Long story short….we didn’t catch any fish. What we did catch was 2 local guys who went out of their way to help us rig our gear, gave us what we didn’t have and one even went home and brought us some smoked salmon to enjoy.

They were genuinely disappointed that we didn't catch anything and said that they enjoy when someone new catches something almost as much as catching themselves. We believed them. It was a truly enjoyable afternoon…and evening. We have learned that there are great people all over the world. We are so glad that we have been able to meet a few of them along the way. Part of the reason we enjoy traveling so much.

Everyone we have spoken with say it’s been a really slow fishing year. The second lowest fish count in recent history. I guess we aren’t total yahoos after all. By the way a very Happy Birthday to Craig!!!

PS. Sorry this Blog was delayed. We had poor internet in Smithers and none at all at our last overnight stop in Pruden Lake. We had to change plans due to all of the wildfires going on in British Columbia. We were able to avoid the road closures and some of the bad air quality due to the massive amount of smoke but have a couple of one night stop overs on our way to Bridal Falls in Southern BC. Our last stop before returning to the good ol' U.S of A. Love to All and continued safe travels to Steven and Valerie as they make their way cross country to Washington DC.