Nisga'a Lava Bed

After visiting the Salmon Cannery we drove along the spectacular highway 16 and then headed North to the Nisga'a Lave beds. Lava beds are always fascinating landscapes and it is interesting to see a landscape recovering, even after about 250 years.

Fishing in the Skeena River.

The Highway 16

Our camp site.

We arrived late in the day at the camp site. Our first night in Grizzly bear country, and we were the only tent... everybody else was in Recreational Vehicles (RV's). I woke up in the middle of the night and saw that my travelling companion was gone, at first I thought she must have gone too the loo, but she never came back. She had left me in the tent alone and gone to sleep in the car... such was her fear of bears. I wondered about the merits of sleeping in the car. I had heard a grizzly could trash a car, and that's where the food was. I also figured the the authorities would have told us not to camp if the risk was too real. I went back to sleep in the tent. The next 3 camping nights went exactly the same.

The next morning we packed up and went sightseeing. The Nisga'a people are also famous for signing a treaty with the British Columbian Government, giving them self governing and law making powers. As we proceeded down a road far more spectacular then the famous Highway 16, we visited 3 villages. The second had a new and terrific museum, and we had a tour from the director. At the the final village (Kincolith) we had a First Nations woman cook Halibut and chips for us, but more importantly I got to tried Eulachon oil... I had heard talk of this grease they made from rotting Eulachon fish. It was as horrible as it sounds, but I am proud that I ate lunch in the house of a first nations woman and tried the Eulachon oil. 

Lava Beds... some 250 years later.

Nisga's museum... full of amazing treasures restored from other parts of the world.

A home smoke house, for smoking salmon at home.