East of Prince Rupert

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After the news about my grandmother, I decided that Haida Gwaii wasn't going to work if I was going to be going to a memorial service. I therefore decided to just head out of town and up to Whitehorse. It turned out that it would be cheaper to drive up to Whitehorse and fly back and forth than to drive down to Vancouver and back again.



I headed out. Into the rain. But very quickly, the rain ended and then the cloud cover lifted a bit. I guess it's really only just down by the coast. In any case, I shortly reached Terrace, BC. Terrace is nothing really of note, but it is where my brother spent some weeks early on in his career, building a gas station for Mac's. I guess he didn't see the complete building, so here it is...



Then it was on to the east. I wanted to get to the Stewart Cassiar Highway in order to head north. But first I wanted to head to an area called the Hazeltons. You might be wondering about now what a posh-sounding neighbourhood like “The Hazeltons” is doing in northern British Columbia instead of an upscale part of Vancouver. Well, it's not a posh neighbourhood. It's actually three communities, New, Old, and South Hazelton. Collectively, they are referred to as the Hazeltons. And there is an old historical area in, as it happens, Old Hazelton. There is also another community nearby called Kispiox, that has a collection of totem poles.



I went first to the old town. And I was rather unimpressed. It's all fixed up and restored, but it's kind of fake. So I didn't stay very long. I headed up to Kispiox and I was far more impressed. The totem poles were all in a line along the river area. And the artistry is quite amazing. I really liked them. I only wished I had met someone who could tell me more about them and what they mean. Oh well, I have photos at least.



Then I headed back to the Cassiar Highway so that I could find a place to stay and set out from the next day. I had been dawdling a bit and it was getting a bit late. I think I may be taking longer than I thought I would on this trip. Once again, I am dawdling too much. Oh well, it's my trip.



I got to Kitwanga at the junction of the Cassiar Highway and found a lovely little campground with really friendly people. And it was cheap, only 15 dollars. The north is a much cheaper and friendlier place, it would seem.

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Photos

Mountain Clouds
With Prince Rupert being so cloudy and rainy all the time, the mountains nearby are often shrouded in cloud, which is quite pretty.

My Brother's Gas Station
My brother was stationed in Terrace BC getting a property ready for the building of a gas station. This is the finished product.

River Gorge
The dramatic Hagwilget gorge that runs through the Hazelton, BC area...

Hagwilget Bridge
...has an equally impressive bridge that spans the chasm.

Kispiox Totems
The town of Kispiox, north of the Hazeltons, has a stand of totems running along one street.

Intricate Carving
The Kispiox totems are well-carved and have dramatic features.