Stewart to Prince Rupert to Hixon

One of many totems in Prince Rupert

We got to Prince Rupert from Stewart without incident. We stayed overnight in a rest area off Highway 16, aka the Yellowhead Highway. Much of the drive to Prince Rupert follows the Skeena River. From Terrace west, it climbs a few hundred feet into the rounded mountains that are characteristic of this part of coastal Canada, then sinks again to follow the river as it becomes an estuary.

We had planned to take the ferry from Prince Rupert to Ketchikan, thence to one of the barrier islands, Metlakatla. Consuelo had befriended another volunteer in New Orleans who invited her to see their island. The logistics of making the trip became insurmountable, though. After reviewing the costs, we decided to make the trip on foot.

Totem and view in Prince Rupert Museum

First, our cell phone didn't work in Prince Rupert, apparently because Verizon had no agreement with the local providers. This significantly hampered making necessary calls. To solve this problem, we bought a calling card. This was not completely satisfactory, because we could not get any callbacks.

Second, requirements for bringing our dog back into Alaska were that we have a kennel for her to stay in on car deck for the 6-7 hour ferry ride. She also would need a health certificate signed within the last 30 days. This would entail a checkup, and probably another $200-$300. Since we had a certificate from May, and she had blood tests in Anchorage in August, there was a chance we could get through.

Native ceremonial garb decorated with puffin bills

Third, our friends in Metlakatla could not house us, and due to construction on the island, all other housing was occupied. We tried to call the 2 B&Bs out there, and to send them email, but only got voice mails and no replies.

Fourth, Consuelo was still coughing pretty badly. She was willing to take the cough with her, but I was concerned that adding the seasickness of the ferry trip, part of which was across the open gulf, plus visiting friends while sick would not be the best.

Fifth, due to the complicated ferry schedules and irregular sailing times, we would need to book a couple nights in Ketchikan. That would give us a chance to see the city, but added to the cost.

Finally, we would have to store our RV and car at the RV park. The RV would need electric to keep our refrigerator and freezer up and running. This turned out to be the easiest part of the process, our campground host was more than willing to accommodate us for $20/night.

There are some hills in BC

We tried for 3 days to resolve the housing issue, without success. We worked all the other problems as well, but not having a place to stay in Metlakatla killed the deal. We considered a day trip, since there were 2 ferries a day tot he island, but that would only allow only about 1-1/2 hours there, not really worth the expense.

We did take the opportunity in Prince Rupert to get the rear window replaced in the bug. All West Glass did a great job for us, getting the replacement window in on the next day and changing it out. While they worked on that, I visited the museum and learned about the local First Nations culture and totem poles.

Totem poles are a case of using the available materials for presenting art to the community. Trees are readily available on the west coast of British Columbia around Prince Rupert. And you don't even have to go cut them down... they are floating down the river, free for the taking. So it's no surprise that the local aborigines ended up using them for something, something that endured and became a visible symbol of their culture when they were invaded by us Europeans.

Main Street in Smithers

I learned in the museum that when a native chief established a community, he built a long house and a totem pole to demonstrate his power in the region. The totems were designed to illustrate the clan that the community belonged to, such as Raven or Eagle. Other elements in the carvings highlighted some of the history of the clan and paid tribute to important ancestors. Upon completion of the long house and totem, a great feast would be held, where neighboring clans would come to celebrate, to eat, and to bring gifts to the chief and his family.

After getting the car fixed, I returned to the RV, and we got ourselves packed up to hit the road the next morning. We traveled east on the Yellowhead to Smithers, BC that day. Smithers is a regional center of about 6000 people. They had a nice main street, guarded by a wooden guy blowing on an alpenhorn. We parked in a mall that indicated free overnight RV parking. Just across the street was a produce stand featuring Okanogan fruit, and the nectarines were really delicious.

The verdant ski slopes in Smithers

The next day, we continued on the Yellowhead to Prince George. This city bills itself as the “Capitol of Northern British Columbia”. We thought we might park at a Wal-mart, and found one upon entering town, but also found signs saying “No overnight parking, by city ordinance”. Since this was an RV unfriendly town, we moved on another 35 miles to the town of Hixon, where we found a nice RV park, cheap, and very friendly staff. Even some place for Thumper to run free for a while.

The terrain has changed. In Prince George, we turned south on highway 97. We have left most of the mountains behind us, now in rolling hill country dotted with hay fields and dairy farms. The highway is posted at 55 or 60 mph, but now passes through little towns along the way, with speed limits of 25 or 30 mph.

The climate is different, too. The last two days have been warm and sunny... so warm, in fact, that towns in this region have been experiencing new record high temperatures. We may have to get out and get a tan.