Yesterday was early rising as the wake up call came in at 4:30 AM to get up and pack the bike. Don’t know why you have to be 2 hours before departure at the Ferry terminal, if boarding is just ½ hour before departure. So we stood around at the quay and waited for our turn, which against normal procedures, motorcycles boarded today as last. Time was passed by exchanging experiences, roadway tips, and bike comparrisions with all the other two-wheel enthusiasts who waited with us in line. The Ferry took us out of Port Hardy and in to the straight they call the Inside Passage, a narrow straight between the hundreds of islands along the northwest coast of British Columbia en route to Prince Rupert. This passage way by sea saves us approx. 902 miles of driving, which for today we certainly didn’t regret as the weather was not very cooperative, and the early morning grey changed into a steady rainfall later the morning. Wildlife viewing was therefor pretty much limited, nevertheless we could spot Sea Otter, Whales, and Bald Eagles along the voyage. But even without sunshine it was like ridding through an enchanted forest, just like in the lands of “Lord of the Rings”. Behind the fog and mist it seemed that all creatures of the forest were hiding to surprise the unprepared intruder when setting foot onto the shore. This was even more felt through the narrow passage of the Greenville Channel later the evening, just a couple of hours away from Prince Rupert.
Arriving close to midnight we didn’t bother to look for a tenting space but went the easy route of booking into a hotel near the port, specially since more rain was coming down.
Leaving Port Hardy, Vancouver Island, BC
Inside Passage
Prince Rupert, Memorial for those lost to the sea
Today we did some educational sightseeing and visited the Museum of Northern British Columbia to learn more about the First Nation People like the Tsimshian and their neighbors the Haida, the Gitxsan, the Nisga’a and others. It is always fascinating how those people lived in unison with Nature and respected it so much, that their believes and way of life was completely embedded in it. The museum itself is already impressive as it is build like a traditional Longhouse, one of those houses in which the First Nation People would have lived.
Museum of Northern British Columbia, Prince Rupert, BC
Murals by Jeff King, Prince Rupert, BC
"There are many who look, but only some who see" - Chief Dan George
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