And this little piggie went wee wee wee all the way home... (London 1760)

The trip south from Prince George to Williams Lake was fairly uneventful and the scenery not outstanding. The area is a central plateau, relatively flat and populated compared to the north. If we come north again I think we would try the other north/south route highway 5 from Kamloops up to Prince George. Perhaps it would give us more entertaining mountainous scenery.

However, we did have a treat once we arrived at our campsite at Clinton. This little village owes its existence to the Gold Rush days of 100 years ago. It was a major destination on the first Cariboo Trail that connected Lillooet to Clinton in the early 1860s and today it exploits its gold rush identity with restored historic buildings and lots of shops to explore.

Just north of town you can find the historic Clinton cemetery which is also worthy of a visit.

Leaving Clinton heading south, the scenery starts out green, forested and hilly.

In no time the vista changes dramatically to grasslands and mountains.

Soon we arrive at the small town of Cache Creek, which just a few weeks ago was the centre of a very unexpected flash flood. Today, it looks surprisingly calm and lush, a beautiful little agricultural valley in an increasingly dried out environment.

Soon we see see the appearance of sage brush on the hills and pines.

And before you know it, the Thompson River is flowing between arid mountain sides.

At Lytton, the Thompson joins the mighty Fraser on its way to the Pacific Ocean.

Lytton has been fighting a forest fire for several weeks. In the bottom right you can see the town, and behind the town to the left side is the dark brown streak of torched forestland. Smoke still rises from the mountains behind where the fire is still smouldering.

After a steady downward course, we come at last to the valley floor at Hope (the gateway to the mountains), surrounded by peaks. From here it will be basically flat land all the way to Vancouver and the ferry, two hours away.

But first we glimpse the Fraser again, coursing its way to Vancouver and to the ocean.

We had the 3:15 pm ferry booked but we made it just in time for the 12:45 pm which gives us a much better arrival time at home. This is the Coastal Inspiration. I am not sure, but the only thing it inspired in me was the desire to get to the cafeteria on the 6th floor before the mobs behind us. While Rick ordered the food, I got the last window seat view of the Strait of Georgia (NB: I am well aware that the Strait of Georgia has been re-named by some idiotic government bureaucrat after centuries of use, and is now called the pretentious sounding Salish Sea. I am in revolt and refuse to call it that ridiculous name. Others may succumb to pressure but not I. The Gulf of Georgia was good enough for Captain Vancouver in 1792 when he named it after King George 111, and good enough for me and Salish Sea is not).

Having a late lunch on the Strait of Georgia....

With Rick on the Strait of Georgia....

First glimpse of Gabriola in the Strait of Georgia. The blobs on the left are the Flat Top Islands which protect Silva Bay and its marina on Gabriola (the solid island to the right of the Flat Tops). If the ferry would only pull in here, we could be a 5 minute walk and be home.

Off the right side of Gabriola is our manned lighthouse on Entrance Island. Behind is Gabriola, Mount Benson and then the mountain range behind Mount Benson in the middle of Vancouver Island.

The wake behind the Coastal Inspiration as we round Entrance Island and head for the dock at Duke Point.

At the Gabriola ferry dock, we watch the Gabriolans in summer dress boarding the ferry. In the background is a pleasure craft, two kyakers and a sea plane landing. This harbour is always full of
activity!!!

Also docked nearby is this RCN ship, probably a training ship (no guns).

And this impressive vessel (we think it is an ocean going tug).

Shortly after loading, we reached home and fell into bed snoring. After a very long and undisturbed sleep, we found that our island was under extreme fire watch and with all sorts of restrictions. The sun is blisteringly hot, the winds are high, the ground crackles under foot, the grass is burned out and we must now carefully restrict our water use. The risk of fire is now very close to home. All of you for whom summer has not yet graced with her presence, reality here is in a different world. We pray for rain and cooler temps but there appears to be no end to this in sight.

I want to take this opportunity and thank everyone, friends and family alike, for making this one-of-a-kind trip so memorable for us. Each one of you has become a precious memory, and an ongoing part of our life. So a huge hug to you all, and we hope to cross paths with you again soon!!!

xxxxoooo to all,
Barbie and Rick

Trip to Davie Lake

We left Hudson's Hope in the early morning, but while Rick prepared the camper for the trip, Molly and I enjoyed one last moment of meditation watching the waters of the Peace flow past.

After leaving Hudson's Hope the first place we passed was the mill town of Chetwynd with their display of wood carvings.

Then southward we went up and over Pine Pass which was notably short of snow. The mountains were, however, very impressive.

We were advised to stop at Bijou Falls Provincial Park which was just alongside the highway and we did.  The sign warned everyone to stay behind the chain link fence, but a couple of young romantic fools defied the advice.

Their posing however, brought a chuckle from Rick as he happily clicked away at the free exhibition taking place in front of the falls...

At last we arrived at the entrance to Davie Lake about an hour north of Prince George. Our friend Gerry had made sure that balloons were hung out to mark the entrance. It was a dirt track that led to a gate and then down to the cabin sitting on the waterfront. Gerry's kids Bert and Cathy share 75 acres on the lake with Bert's brother Greg. On the first of August holiday weekend, the entire Grattan clan arrives and camps on the property, sometimes 50 or more of them. They have a lot of fun with fishing derbies, swimming, BBQs, and all sorts of revelry. I leave the finer details to your active imaginations. All I can say is that they have so much fun that Cathy and Bert often make $75 from the empties everyone leaves behind.

The location is perfect for parties of all sizes. Their off grid cabin sits up above the water with the view below.

And here it is, such a sweet little cabin with solar and propane to fuel all the necessities of life. They use the cabin year round for fishing and hunting and skidooing in the winter.

You can see here how it fits onto the lakefront.

We found a bit of lakefront for outselves as well.

And later, Gerry's son  Ken arrived with his partner Janice and they parked their tent trailer in a shady spot closer to the cabin.

Here we are, the three musketeers Rick, Barbara and Gerry (and Molly)

The lake in the morning was very calm, not a ripple. At this time of day we could watch the loons and the ducks and sand pipers. Later in the day the wind picked up and made white caps on the waves and the birds tucked themselves away for the duration.

Here is a panorama of all of us parked along the lake.

We were fed EXTREMELY well, and we seemed to be eating all the time! Here the group at the picnic table are snacking on all sorts of goodies.

Meanwhile those on the deck are being served coffee and snacks by Cathy.

At times we just all sat around together and enjoyed the view and the flowing conversation and endless jokes. The whole event was a party from beginning to end. We were so spoiled, we hated to pack up and leave the next morning...in the nick of time Greg and Patty arrived with a fire pit for us, a tire rim off a heavy duty truck with the bottom cut out. They couldn't find us a new one so they gave us theirs! I thought that was perfect, to have a fire pit with a pre-made history attached. It came with its own positive kharma!!

At the last minute we took this photo of Gerry and his kids. Thanks so much guys! We loved our stay with you and hope to see you in August on Gabriola!!!

Hudson's Hope, BC.....The Best of the West

Here we are at the campground at Lynx Creek, just outside Hudson's Hope. This is one sweet little community, and because my cousin Bill used to be with the Municipal Office here, and since retirement has served in many volunteer capacities, he has a very intimate understanding of the infrastructure of this town plus a personal knowledge of almost everyone living in it!!  We were privileged to a grand tour and explanation of all the facilities and lifestyle aspects of living here: several restaurants and gas stations, Health Care centre, curling rink PLUS skating/hockey arena, library, post office, K-grade 12 school, motels, RCMP station with 3 officers, churches, Information Centre and a fabulous local museum.

To get a detailed vision of life in this northern BC/Canadian community, just go visit  www.hudsonshope.ca  and   www.lovehudsonshope.com and be as impressed as we were...

Here is me with my cousin Bill, having a picnic lunch at the WAC Bennett Dam.

Here's Bill standing in front of the very well managed and equipped local museum. The historic building is the former Hudson's Bay Post.

St Peter's church next door to the museum..

This very fine carving by Glen Greenside is postioned in a public park, central to the town.

There are so many other local attractions of this small town that I really would ask you to visit the websites listed above to get a real feel for it. Rick and I are so pleased that we made it to the BC north and we intend to explore of this area in the future. Thanks so much Bill for the great tour and hospitality! 

W.A.C. Bennett Dam, Hudson's Hope BC

Rick was probably most impressed along this trip by our tour of the Bennett Dam just outside Hudson's Hope. It is a completely earthen dam, built between 1961 and 1968 at great cost and effort by our most famous of Premier's W.A.C. Bennett and the Crown Corporation of BC Hydro who manages it to this day. The reservoir for the dam is 227 miles long, and covers 410,000 acres.  The structure is the world's largest earth-filled structure. The dam itself is 600 feet high with 10 generators and produces one third of the total power needs for the province of British Columbia (13 billion kilowatt hours annually).

We enjoyed our tour of the visitor centre, and then a one hour tour of the power house itself, which is buried into the bedrock behind the dam. We were driven by bus down 500 feet into the bowels of the dam where a guide gave us instruction about the entire process of power generation.

The earthen dam with power house on the left side, reservoir on the right.

Bill and Rick inside the visitor centre.

Showing the size of the drainage basin for the dam and the Peace River.

The bus took us down 500 feet into the backside of the dam at the level of the bottom of the power house which we entered on the right side. Ahead of us is the dam itself. It was filled with rocky material from a terminal moraine approximately 6 miles away and brought by conveyor belt to the dam site. It was a long and extremely difficult task.

Inside we visited the generator room which is the size of the Titanic with 10 turbine generators set beneath the floor. Each turbine is fed with lake water through a 5 and a half metre diameter tube.

Next we progressed to the area of the manifold which carries the water from the turbines out of the power house into the Peace River...

Back up at the parking lot, we took the truck across the dam to the other side...

The roadway is a narrow 2 lane track, and the down hill side gave us some very impressive views of the outflow of the Peace River away from the power house.

The viewpoint on the far side of the dam shows the reservoir on the left side, the top of the dam where  we drove across, the earthen side of the dam and the Peace River exiting from the power house at the base of the dam.

Of all the days spent in travel, this was by the far the most impressive experience we had!!