Blogs from Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada, North America - page 2

Our last ferry ride was a doozy. We were picked up at 4:30 a.m. and delivered to the Ferry terminal for a 5:30 departure. We had booked a berth and headed straight for our ‘stateroom’ on the M.S.Taku- one of the oldest ships in the ferry fleet. Wow! Our room was twice the size of the last one and ‘Ta-Da!’, it even had a little red ladder that Val could use to get into the top bunk. While that was helpful, the 2 ½” of headroom didn’t make the task any easier for her. She’s a trouper! We both fell asleep for a few hours- me much longer than Val. I was awaken because cold breezes kept blowing across my head. I put my sweater over my head but the breezes were still freezing. Apparently, some ... read more

Ok, this is where we are going to be staying in Croatia: http://www.jadran-hoteli.hr/uvala-scott/uvalascott_en.php Another cloudy day here, we are off to Terrace to pick up a few last minute things. CK... read more

OK, so the Inside Passage deserves its own entry. All the guidebooks, tourist information centres, etc. say that it is THE most spectacular ferry journey in the world: and you think "Yeah, Right", but in this case, they may have a point... It was an early old start yesterday. We had to be up at 05:00 to get to the ferry terminal for 05:30 (somewhat ridiculously they load the ferry at 06:00, but don't set off until 07:30... Mark Woods - how happy would you have been???...anyway...). The first couple of hours on the MV Northern Expedition were not that great as we bounced across the tempestuous maelstrom of the Pacific Ocean (Queen Charlotte's Sound) to get from Vancouver Island into the shelter of the coast islands. But once we made it across the sound, the ... read more

More perfect weather! Sunny all day with highs in the mid-70’s. I’m in Miata heaven! Left Smithers this morning and decided to stop again at the Moricetown Canyon where the native Indians fish with nets in the raging rapids (see yesterday’s blog). This visit was even more interesting than yesterday and I ended up staying for nearly two hours. There was only a single Indian fishing; a large, middle-aged man who immediately came up to me and introduced himself and shook my hand. He was very friendly and said that he’d lived there (and fished there) all his life. He always fishes early in the morning because he has the whole place to himself. He told me that it’s illegal for them to sell the fish they catch but they do it anyway. He estimated that ... read more

The NV Northern Explorer, run by BC ferries from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert is a comfortable way to travel through the Inner Passage on Canada's west coast over 15 hours. The trip is mostly through protected waters, sheltered by dozens of islands. We saw two humpback whales from a distance, and heard Captain alerts for orcas and porpoises but no success in spotting these. The weather was fine and the vistas terrific, but we would have liked more marine life. The ferry was quiet with only 200 or so passengers: about one third full. It was fun to visit the bridge and have a chat with the crew. The vessel is brand new, made in Germany. ... read more