A week on the North Coast

After the glorious weather we've had all summer, it was a bit of an adjustment going back to coastal weather again. We lost the sunshine just before arriving in Prince Rupert and we didn't see it again until a week later when we left the Bella Coola valley to head back into the interior of BC. There was fog, rain and the temperature didn't exceed 18C. In July! We're used to maritime climates, but, this was hard to take. Out came the toque and the fleece jackets, lucky we'd brought them. It reminded us of the eighteen straight days of rain we'd experienced in West Vancouver in January, very depressing. We spent a few days exploring Prince Rupert. The town seems to be making a comeback with a busy harbour, some nice public gardens and many homes under renovation. We had a tour and made special note of their brand-new marina facility at Cow Bay. Looked like a great place to stop when cruising the Inside Passage.

At the waterfront park just down the street from the marina, there were plenty of beady eagle eyes about, surveying the harbour for tasty morsels.

We were booked on two ferries. One, a large ferry from Prince Rupert to Bella Bella where we had to stay overnight. We'd then take another, much smaller ferry (only sixteen vehicles maximum)  from Bella Bella to Bella Coola where we'd again be able to take to the roads. This trip by water does cut off a lot of driving miles, but, we had an ulterior motive. We wanted to have another look at the Inside Passage with eyes now tuned to the navigational challenges involved. As mentioned, the weather was dismal and unfortunately is probably typical for the area. There was a certain misty beauty about it all though and we enjoyed the trip very much, especially with someone else doing the driving.

The large ferry on the first day was modern and comfortable, but, it was so big that you didn't really get a sense of the marine environment. When we boarded, we wondered what the lineup was for at the Purser's office. Well, we were irked to find out that people were lining up to pay another $35, in addition to their already paid fares, for the 'privilege' of entering the locked lounge at the bow of the ship which had views out both sides of the boat. There was no other place on the ship where this view could be had, inside or out. It seemed a greedy grab by BC Ferries and we refused to pay it. We did enjoy the outdoor salmon bbq (in the wind and rain) on the stern of the ship though, but, without the forward-facing view.

The second day, on the tiny ferry, the smallest in the BC Ferries fleet named the MV Nimpkish, there were friendly crew, only six other passengers, free beverages and snacks. It was a much nicer environment. Navigation was challenging, especially through Gunboat Passage, the narrowest channel on the route and only able to be done by the smaller ferries.  We were following along on our iPad's Navionics app and I'm sure the captain was concentrating very hard to line up the approach properly to get us through this tight spot. We had to pass between the point of land on the left, leaving the red buoy to starboard and avoiding the rocks.

As on a sailboat, it's always thrilling when dolphins appear to ride your bow wave. This pod of about twenty were a new species for us, the Pacific white-sided dolphin.We spent about twenty minutes enthralled by their antics and speed. We also saw a few whales.

We passed a cairn marking the spot where Alexander Mackenzie completed the first recorded transcontinental crossing of North America north of Mexico, on July 20, 1793 beating Lewis and Clark's American expedition by 12 years.

Back on the mainland and just outside Bella Coola, more Norwegian connections were seen at Hagensborg.

The weather continued to be unsettled as we made our way out of the Bella Coola valley along the 'Freedom Road'. This 450 km highway was bulldozed across the mountains in the 1950's by residents who were tired of waiting for the government to build a road. The road is excellent, mostly flat and paved, until the very end when an 18 km 'hill' is encountered. Just like the road into Telegraph Creek, this part of the road is potholed gravel with many steep switchbacks, up to 18% grades and no guardrails. It didn't feel quite as challenging as the Telegraph Creek road though because it had more pullouts to let others pass and the vertical proximity of the rock cliffs wasn't quite as dramatic. Once on the plateau at the top, the weather became sunny and warm again within just a few miles. Summer was back!