Bella Coola - the Port - Part 4

  Bella Coola, British Columbia, Canada
Saturday, August 25, 2007

Date of travel: Monday, August 13, 2007

Blog Written ; Sunday, Aug. 26, 2007

Bella Coola and the Discovery Coast Passage

88

the highlight of our trip

It did not take the alarm on my cell phone to wake me up at 05:30. The excitement of the impending day had somehow crept into my subconscious to wake me up at 05:15.

I could hear Glenn and Dianna stirring in the tent next to me. I guess it was fair to say that no one wanted to "miss the boat" so to speak.

Thankfully it was not raining so packing up was a little easier but it still took us till 06:30 to leave the campground after a coffee and oatmeal breakfast.

Speaking of missing the boat, Glenn and Dianna's first choice was to take the Inside Passage from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy. However, that passage was booked a long time ago so we were very happy with this alternative.

The marshaling point for the Discovery Coast Passage was not at the pier but in the middle of the coastal village of Bella Coola, in the parking lot of the Co-Op Supermarket.

uou have to be there by 06:30

Upon our arrival, the parking lot was already nearly full so we were one of the last to arrive.

It was at this point that all paper work is checked and a boarding pass is issued to be displayed on the windshield.

During our 45 minute wait in the parking lot, it became obvious that a goodly number of the passengers were from Europe. German and some Dutch were being spoken all around us.

Dianna making new friends from the Netherlands

There must be some heavy marketing going on in Europe, especially Germany, to sell the concept of renting a mobile home and touring the Rockies and British Columbia. That would be the only explanation for the unprecedented number of these vehicles on the road. I am sure with the strong Euro Dollar this is a reasonably priced vacation for the Germans. It also indicates that there is still a lot of mystique attached to visiting the natural beauty of Kanada!


At around 7:15, the call went out for the caravan of waiting vehicles to head for the Wharf and Ferry Terminal. This was about a kilometer away where vehicles lined up on a narrow road to await final loading procedures.

the line up to get to ferry

And so it was that we got our first glimpse of the port and the Queen of Chilliwack, the ferry that was about to take us on a 13 hour voyage to Port Hardy on the northern tip of Vancouver Island.

the Queen of Chilliwack

Since there was still time before boarding, it was a good opportunity walk about to view the beautiful harbour and to conclude that it was a photographer's dream.



Other than the BC Ferries Dock there is an active fishing port for the commercial gill-net fleet as well as a pleasure boat pier.


The most interesting part was a section of the docks which was in a state of disrepair, or more likely, just permanent decay. It conjured up images of a former Cannery Row reminiscent of glorious fishing fleets and full employment in the fishing industry.

cannery row in decay

Every once in a while, a white dot would appear at a distance in the tall dark green spruce trees lining the road along the port. That was followed by a lot of commotion coming from the waiting line of passengers.

89 - what a telephoto lens might produce

The Europeans would raise their "howitzers" and take aim. I say "howitzers" because I have never seen telephoto lenses as huge as on this trip. I am sure at a hundred meters they would be able to take a photo of just the head of the majestic bald eagle whose white head stood out at a distance

Add to this mix the early morning mist, enveloping clouds, the shrouded mountains that loom over the harbour, the beautiful tidal flats and you have indeed the type of scene that one imagined Bella Coola to be.

the mountains of the fjord

looking east at low tide

a beautiful scene

Bella Coola is known for its access to great fishing, glacier viewing and coastal exploration.

It is located on the N. Bentink Arm of the Burke Channel which flows into the Fitz - Hugh Sound leading to the Pacific.
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Close but no cigar.

When I saw the name of Fitz-Hugh there was an immediate association with a name I became familiar with during my trips to South America.

That name however, upon closer reflection, was FitzRoy which is the name of one of Argentina's highest mountains - Cerro FitzRoy. It was named after Captain Robert Fitzroy who was the captain of Her Majesties Ship The Beagle. That just happened to be Darwin's ship during his South American and Galapagos trip.
(two photos of Cerro FitzRoy from Argentina: Blog No. 10 ) (Cerro is Spanish for Mt.)

One never knows about the early explorers, some really got around. Take for example the first European to set foot in what is now BC - Captain James Cook. The man circumnavigated the globe several times, first in HMS Endeavour and then in HMS Resolution.

After all that, I still don't know who Fitz-Hugh was?
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At about 07:50 it was our turn to approach the ramp into the Queen of Chilliwack. Since Glenn was driving an SUV with running boards, it took a bit of maneuvering guided by a crew member specifically there to intervene to keep the running boards from making contact with the loading ramp.

Within minutes of the rear hatch closing, the Queen of Chilliwack left her berth to head west along N.Bentink Arm.

The best part was that the sun was starting to lift the mist and clouds as well as our spirits in anticipation of a great day.

Yesterday was an incredible trip from Prince George to Bella Coola in which we had seen and experienced another beautiful slice of "Super, Natural British Columbia".

There was only one problem.

While my blogging makes it seem like it was a week, it was after all only one day. That was hardly enough time to do justice to all that we had seen.

The reality was that the next Discovery Coast Passage would not have left till next Wednesday, Aug. 15. Glenn and Dianna were flying back to Detroit from Seattle on Monday, Aug. 20 This was the only way we could do the trip in the limited time available and still include The Pacific Rim, Victoria and Vancouver.

It sort of reminds me a bit of the "it's Thursday, this must be Brussels" syndrome.


Best Photos from this Blog (No.22)

http://www.slideshare.net/lobo2007