Highliner Plaza Hotel And Conference Centre Prince Rupert

... our credit card would only authorize two swipes so we had to switch to another card. After 3 different credit cards with 2 swipes each we gave up when the card reader kept giving the message "read error". It was frustrating, but also kind of funny. We did manage to get 238 gallons of fuel. The price was pretty good at $2.25 per gallon. Behm Canal goes all the way around Revillagigedo Island (we have no idea how to pronounce this so we call it Ketchikan Island ...

... riding, as our butts are so sore! <br><br>Now we're at the Aleeda Motel, getting ready to go get dinner. Our ferry leaves at 715am tomorrow so we have to be there insanely early to clear customs etc. <br><br>Having a great time so far, and by this time tomorrow we'll be in Alaskan waters on the ferry! <br><br>Distance Travelled Today: 347 miles or 559 km<br>Travelled By: motorcycle

<br><br>We finally got underway mid-afternoon on July 14, two weeks after our original departure, and drove as far as Nairn Falls, just before Pemberton. The Sea to Sky Highway is always a spectacular drive and we knew the camping ground was a nice spot &#8211; we were relieved just to be on our way.<br><br>The following day we drove north and the scenery and vegetation changed from mountainous wet coastal forest to dry interior highland plateaus around Lillooet. The weather ...

... and watched as the snow line dropped lower and lower on the hillsides as we travelled north. Arriving late, we checked right into the Anchor Inn and got up early the next morning to search for Aili's family. Unfortunately, there was no cell phone reception even though Rupert is the second largest city on the BC mainland coast (population 15,000), so we resorted to driving by the docks along the local canning ...

... people!), we will have to work on our poker skills, maybe it was the packets of sugar we were using instead of chips that threw us off! Revenge was ours, however, with a convincing win at ********, oh yes for those of you who were not previously aware (as if), Matt is indeed a ********!! So it comes to bed time, and in our effort to economise (especially having just been card sharked out of $5) we decided not to book a cabin...... "I'm sure the floor won't be too bad!" hmmm ...

... struck me that this must been the part of the Yellowhead which in May 2007 had been covered by a massive landslide. Two people lost their lives when their pickup truck was buried. I made a quick U-turn and went back to examine this tragic spot which was marked by a make shift cross. The most surprising aspect of the landslide was that it happened in an area having a relatively gentle slope towards the highway. There are many other parts of the highway where the ...

... returned to their barge by kayak. We then stopped at the village of Metlakatla, a Tsimshian village village on Annette Island, which has the distinction of being the only reservation in Alaska. We were taken in an old bus to a long house where the locals danced. One of the women had a baby in a sling - a real papoose. It was a much more sophisticated dance and the people more prosperous and afterwards, I spoke to the lady with the ...

... I have to admit I thought I was going to lose my lunch. But I managed to hold on to it, and get some great pictures. It was amazing how much there was to see that hadn't been settled or explored. There were waterfalls, snow, glaciers everywhere. It was amazing. Half way through we landed in a river and saw this massive waterfall. Then we took off again and went back to the airport.

... could see it was huge. After a while it looked around and realised the cubs were missing, so it walked slowly back behind the bank. Although we waited another hour, they didn't reappear, so we motored back to the lodge and showed the owners and other guests what we had caught on video. Our 'plane arrived on time, this time a Cessna 187, and we had a good flight under low cloud back to Port Hardy where we had the first relaxing afternoon and evening since we left home, waiting ...

... for us. It was really good as we had two types of salmon and a piece of halibut. We pigged out again. Bob very generously picked up the tab as a way of saying thank you for all the work John had put into organizing this trip. A very nice gesture ! John wanted to go on a walking tour along the dock area so we probably walked five miles. We took some pictures and got some needed exercise.