Campbell River

Monday, September 22

Monday morning we packed our things, checked out of the hotel, and hit the road.

As we approached Campbell River on Highway 19, we decided to stay on the old highway which follows the water (19A), rather than take the faster new road.



The morning was clear and crisp -- a perfect time to take in Campbell River's strung out sea side. When we noticed we were driving beside a rather nice walking path we pulled over and got out to stretch our limbs. On our walk we saw various driftwood sculptures. Most were weathered and though they'd seen better days, they were clever.






We were about to return to the car, with me congratulating myself on having stumbled across these beach treasures when we met a man wearing a Jesus t-shirt in the parking lot. We exchanged pleasantries, talked a bit about the art work and he asked if we'd seen this year's driftwood sculptures. They were still on display at the Arts Center, he assured us, which was up the road a little way.

We found them - and what fun. Here are some of the winners and contestants in the 2008 Campbell River Shoreline Arts Society 2008 Driftwood Carving Competition.

election day in Canada - VOTE!!!

...and in case you're still dithering about who to vote for, here's an exposé on one of the leaders that might help you make up your mind.

Coal Harbor

Sunday, September 21st

We took one more side trip late Sunday afternoon before leaving the Port Hardy area, and that was to Coal Harbor.

On the way, we drove past this bear, foraging right beside the road.


Coal Harbor -- a 20-minute drive from Port Hardy -- has had several identities in its lifetime.


It began as a coal mining town in the 1880s. But the quality of coal was poor and the mine didn't do well. Regardless, the name stuck.

In the 1940s it became a sea plane base. The big hangar buildings are still there, as well as some old planes. This memorial along with the Air Force flag hearken back to those days.


Later still it became a whaling station. These Blue whale jaw bones remind visitors of that time. It closed as a whaling station in 1967, the last of such stations on the North American coast.


The town also had a copper mine. This was in operation for 26 years and closed 12 years ago, in 1996.

Though Coal Harbor seemed somewhat deserted on this quiet Sunday evening, it wasn't dead. There was traffic to and from the boats in the marina and the Coal Harbor store was open. We bought drumsticks and enjoyed our ice-cream treats in the lengthening shadows of a beautiful day.

Port Alice

(Returning to our three-week-old holiday before the memories wash away in the fall rains...)

Sunday, September 21

Back on shore after our whale watch, we decided to continue our explore and drive to Port Alice, a 30 km drive off Highway 19 down a pretty tree-lined road.


There we had lunch. Then we walked along the Port Alice Seawalk, enjoying more gorgeous sea vistas.

thanksgiving

"October" by Carl Larsson

This weekend we celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada.

If I were to write my list of things to be thankful for, you would see I am indeed blessed. You might even think I am God's favorite (I am -- but so are you!).

However, especially on days officially set apart to think grateful thoughts I can't help but wonder how I would fare if things were different. How thankful will I be on Wednesday morning if one of the "wrong" parties wins the federal election? How thankful will I be if/when this economic downturn comes to roost in my life? How thankful will I be should our idyllic way of life (E's and mine in our sweet empty nest) be rocked by disaster or disease?

It's not hard for me to be thankful when things are going my way. But will I ever be able to say: "I know how to be abased and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." After living with myself these many years, I know how far I am from that lofty standard.

This Thanksgiving I resolve to weave thankfulness into more of the fabric of my life. May this be my template: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6,7

Telegraph Cove - 2 (Whale Watching!)

Sunday, September 21:

We got up early Sunday morning to be at boatside in Telegraph Cove by 8:30, in time for our Stubbs Island Whale Watch adventure.

A little Telegraph Cove history:
Telegraph Cove is a coastal settlement about an hour's drive east of Port Hardy. It started out in 1912 as a telegraph lineman's station. In the mid 1920s Duke (Alfred Marmaduke Wastell - who first suggested it as a telegraph station) built a salmon saltery and a small sawmill on the site.

In the mid 1920s Duke's son Fred ran the Telegraph Cove sawmill. For many years his wife Emma and their daughters Bea and Pat lived in this hamlet of buildings sitting on stilts in the water and connected by a boardwalk. Many of the old buildings are still there.


I'm not sure if this truck is an original. It almost looks as if it could be!


By the 1970s most of Telegraph Cove's natural resource industries had petered out, giving way to recreation - boaters, kayakers, sport fishers, whale watchers and vacationers.

Here's how it's described today:

"Telegraph Cove is a center point to the huge marine park known as the Broughton Archipelago; the famous orca rubbing beaches of Robson Bight; and the inside passage marine route known as Johnstone Strait. Famed Sea Explorer Jacques Cousteau remarked that it is one of the best places in the world to view and enjoy killer whales in their natural environment.

June 2002 saw the arrival of Springer, the orca whale from A-pod that had been abandoned at the Vashon Island Washington ferry dock. A remarkable US/Canada cooperative effort brought Springer back to native waters to reunite with her pod."

It's to this spot we came Sunday morning. A little after 9:00 Captain Wayne maneuvered the Lukwa, with its load of international tourists, cameras and binoculars in hand, into Telegraph Cove. (Yes, it did feel a little odd to be out on the sea instead of in church on a Sunday morning. But then, I reasoned, isn't this really another mode of worship - coming out to see and admire God's handiwork?)


Shortly there was a sighting followed by a flurry of cameras as a school of White-Sided dolphins swam by.



Soon after we had the first glimpse of Orcas. Captain Wayne and naturalist Caitlin identified the A matriline (family unit) of resident (salmon-eating) Orcas. For about the next hour we tracked their progress. Caitlin said they were unusually docile as they traveled in line and were probably in rest or sleep mode.









A boat from Natural Geographic was out there enjoying the action with us.



To round out the morning, Captain Wayne decided to motor to where a group of Humpback whales had been sighted earlier. This is part of the Broughton Archipelago and we wove our way through lots of pretty little islands.


As we got back into open ocean, tiny clouds of blow-mist on the horizon indicated the presence of Humpbacks. When we got closer, we saw the show they were putting on. At one point I saw one breach. Sadly I was way too slow to capture such a moment with my camera and had to content myself with just a portion of a Humpback's body showing above the waves.


Finally, captain took us to a rock full of Steller Sea Lions. As we approached he told us to be completely silent so as not to frighten them into the water.


We must have been quiet enough for they paid us no heed at all, simply lolling in the sun in all their massiveness. And they were huge. The Steller or Northern sea lion is the world's largest with males reaching 3.3 m. and 1,100 kg. (11 feet, 2400 lbs.). These were all males who, according to Caitlin, have migrated here to eat and gain weight against the next mating season when they go for long periods living only on testosterone and aggression as they compete with each other for females.




While there we also saw a display of eagle education. Several adult and an immature eagle from a nearby nest were flying around diving and nipping at each other. I didn't understand what they were doing but Captain Wayne on his "Sightings" log about our trip described it as the parents teaching the eaglet "talon grabbing."

We returned to Telegraph Cove at about 12:40, a little chilly but thrilled at all we'd just seen.

Port Hardy

Saturday & Sunday - Sept. 20 & 21:

We had booked a room at the Airport Inn in Port Hardy, so checked into our room, unloaded our stuff, then drove into town to look around.

We found a mall where we bought a few supplies, then wandered down to the waterfront. It was cloudy, cool and even threatened rain. In fact the late afternoon was so unphotogenic, I took no photos of Port Hardy's waterfront except for this sign board


and an eagle staring dolefully down at us.


The must-take of any town for me is its murals. On a much sunnier Sunday I returned to capture some of them.Here are a few you'll see around Port Hardy (subject - Orcas, of course!).






(I see that several of these murals were painted by Razmpoosh. More of his murals are on display in Agassiz, B.C.)

Telegraph Cove - 1

Saturday, September 20:

From Port McNeill we decided to backtrack to Telegraph Cove and see about booking a whale watch trip.

While there we discovered the Whale Interpretive Centre (on the Telegraph Cove boardwalk) was going to be open for a few minutes (a private event earlier meant that it had been closed for most of the day).

It was a quickie, but I did get shots of few of the displays.

This is a Fin whale skeleton that hangs from the ceiling. (Fin whales are the second largest mammals on earth, smaller only than blue whales. This whale was hit by a cruise ship in June of 1999 near the north tip of Malcolm Island.)




Jaw bones of a Blue whale. Each of these jawbones is over 18 feet long and weighs about 400 lbs.


A Pygmy Sperm whale skeleton.


Otters - river otter top, sea otter bottom.


A sea lion skeleton


The skeleton of a five-year-old Orca.


The most impressive thing about this exhibit for me was the monstrous whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling. How massive these creatures are!

favorite

Pigeon Party

I took this photo Boxing Day, 2007. We were walking on the pier at White Rock when we noticed these pigeons. On this cold, blustery day they were all lined up with little their faces to the wind.

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Thursday Challenge

Next week: AUTUMN (Leaves, Harvest, Farm's Market, Migrating Birds and Animals, Rainy Season,...)