Looking back, it’s difficult to believe we were in
Shearwater only a week ago . . . so much has changed. Only two hundred miles have passed under Cambria’s keel, but the landscape, at
least here in Prince Rupert, is entirely different – more “West Coast
Industrial” than “Inside Passage”.
But
I’m getting ahead of myself again.
The stretch of water along Princess Royal Channel is
arguably the most beautiful and dramatic section of the Inside Passage , especially this time of
year when the mountain ranges lining the channel are still capped with snow and
waterfalls deliver the melt to the sea in powerful flows. In hindsight, I wish we would’ve take more
time to enjoy it – Khutze Inlet, in particular, where we later learned a family
of grizzlies were feeding along the shore several days in a row. But we were anxious to reach one of our
favourite spots, Bishop Bay Hot Springs.
As always, Bishop Bay
From Bishop Bay Prince Rupert Alaska
It was a long day, made even longer by a dreary
landscape cloaked in an overcast sky.
Hour after hour, we slogged our way north: First through the wind and chop, then later
through the current off the Skeena River
Come Saturday morning, we were ready to launch the
dinghy and see what Prince Rupert
The truth is, on the surface, it looks a lot like
any other coastal city in British Columbia
What sets it apart is a world-class cultural museum,
The Museum of Northern British Columbia.
But the city also boasts one of the deepest natural
harbours in the world and is the fastest route to and from Asia , so it’s an important
trading port for the Asian market. In
fact, trade has played a central role in the economy here for 10,000 years –
from the first arrivals after the glaciers melted to present day. It’s the reason the city was founded and the
reason it continues to exist when so many other communities along the coast
faded away.
Day after day, ships arrive to unload cargo from Japan China Toronto Detroit Chicago British Columbia
Like
I said . . . a world apart from the solitude of the Inside Passage .
.jpg "Ocean Falls, British Columbia (2012)")
