the cruelty of milling

Next morning, we headed to Houston, home of Canfor - the worlds largest timber mill. The tours (can I call them tours? they were more of a lead walk through by 2 young people, from the visitor centre I think, who were mostly unable to answer any questions), reveal an impressive operation.

The are hardly any staff operating the round the clock shifts. The machines are pretty much computer operated, and the staff seemed to mostly keep an eye of things. Computers would decide the most efficient use of every tree trunk and it would be conveyed on to be milled accordingly.

It made quite impression on me... please don't lock me away for my thoughts, but I found it quite horrible, like an abattoir with carcasses of what was living-not-so-long-ago being conveyed to uses mostly unnecessary. I left feeling shocked and horrified.

From there it must have been mostly just driving... because I didn't take anymore photo's aside from this beside the road shot until we visited Jasper the next day.

The most beautiful hike!

Next camp spot was Seeley Lake Provincial Park, beside the highway. In this camp site we got to feed the mosquitos and listen to the trucks on the highway all night long. We were up early and went to Hazeltons to visit a First Nations museum... but neither of us seemed to get too excited about this one. Not that it wasn't good, but we'd probably had first nations overload at that point.

Moving on from there, we asked at the local visitor centre if there was any chance of seeing the First Nations people catching fish using (modernised) traditional methods. We were in luck! Although it was early in the season, the salmon were running and I was very excited to watch these people simply put a net on a rod into the water and pull out a big salmon... I bet it was heavy though. They are the only people allowed to catch fish this way. It would have been even better to see a bear do it... but I never did.

And then, even though I was so excited about that, the day got even better. Next we went to Smithers, a lovely town, where we had a most delicious lunch and then did the most beautiful hike I have ever done in my life. Beautiful because we walked through gentle slopes of wildflowers, with the most spectacular vistas. This was the hike to the Crater Lake on Hudson Bay Mountain.

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.

Salt Spring Island camping at Ruckle

On Monday we headed off on our camping trip. First stop Ruckle Provincial Park on Salt Spring Island which is one of the Gulf islands near Victoria.

It's a lovely island, pleasant camping and hikes, and inhabitable by artistic types, which always makes for a pleasant place. At one point we went to a cafe where I comment that the music playing was that of Harry Manx (a Canadian folk musician who I have seen perform 3 times in Australia). I was delighted to discover he resides just up the road!

Sunrise at Ruckle, on Salt Spring Island. I wasn't the only person up, there were fisherman in the boat. 

They have seriously big slugs in Canada!

Camping at Ruckle, Lauren discovered that I am an early riser, and I was astonished at just how late the campers there (and everywhere else we went) rose in the morning.

Victoria

As mentioned I took the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria. I got in rather late, but Lauren and I eventually found each other. I 'checked-in' to her beautiful waterside apartment.

The next day (Saturday) we both needed to buy things for our planned camping trip, and she wanted some time to get things done, since she had just knocked off work the day prior. So, she left me in the city centre for sightseeing. I found a busking festival! It was great, and it being one of my few sun shiny days, I got sunburnt watching them! But... sunburn in North America is kinder than Sunburn in Australia.

The best busker I saw (and I blame him really for my sunburn) was an Argentine that holds 4 world records for tricks with soccer balls. His name is Victor Rubilar... if you want to look for him.

On Sunday Lauren and I went to the famous and absolutely beautiful world famous Butchart gardens. Wow. We even had High Tea there.

Butchart Gardens, Victoria.

The timber industry has long been massive in British Columbia. As testament to this, there is a street in Victoria which is paved in timber, as you can see. 

Vancouver

I landed in Vancouver mid afternoon. My friend had a day and a half of work left before her leave started and so I was to spend a day in the big city before heading over to Victoria to meet with her. This first day had beautiful weather... and in the entire trip I had another 2 days of great weather. The other days were filled with patchy rain.

I checked into a HI hostel in the Westend of Vancouver, took a map, and headed to walk off my 20 hours of flight time in Stanley park. It was lovely. It was a Thursday (19 July), and I was astonished how many people were on the beaches. I walked the coast of Stanley park for about half of it, and then cut back through the middle, where some locals introduced me to the edible Salmon berries, and I later found some racoons.

The next morning I bused to the University to check out the museum of Anthropology and learn more about the Canadian indigenous culture (First Nations people). I was great, and I learnt a lot. I was particularly impressed by the construction of bentwood boxes.
Later I took the ferry to Victoria to meet Lauren.

This Laughing men public art exhibition near English Bay Vancouver is a lot of fun!

The First Nations people had big beautiful serving dishes for their feasts.

Bentwood boxes. Steam the timber, cut the corners to be so they will be foldable, and stitch the final join. love it!