August 7-14 — Will we ever get out of Prince Rupert?

We had no intention of staying so long in P.R., but again contrary weather forces us to stay at the dock. To help pass the time, we decide to rent a car with Shirley and Grahame and travel inland to parts of BC we have never seen. The first day, we drive along the mighty Skeena River to Terrace, where we visit the Saturday morning farmers’ market, then continue to Kitimat, a sterile company town with an enormous aluminum smelter. The cold wind and rough seas buffeting the town dock, situated at the end of the long Douglas Channel, confirm our decision not to take our boat to Kitimat . The day is gray and rainy. We have reserved rooms at a hot springs resort which turns out to be quite run-down, but the pools are nice and the dinner surprisingly good.

Next morning, when the cook himself tells us, “We have no sausages and I wouldn’t order the ham,” we decide to drive back to Terrace for breakfast at McDonald’s. After a quick perusal of Canadian Tire and Wal-Mart , still looking for a prawn trap to replace the one that got squashed, we check the roadmap and drive 100 km north along a secondary (but paved) road to the Nass River Valley and the native settlement of New Aiyansh, the capitol of the Nishga Nation. The clouds break apart enough for us to see huge snow-capped mountains, cascading waterfalls, and a view of the wide, fertile Nass Valley. We stop for a look at a large lava field and memorial park commemorating a volcanic eruption 250 years ago which buried two native villages.

The town of New Aiyansh is active and well-kept, with very impressive band government buildings and facilities. The natural surroundings are beautiful, and the residents are friendly and proud of their home town. We spend quite a bit of time in their tourist info building before starting the scenic drive back to Prince Rupert.