Haida Gwaii

After our time in Hazelton we drove to Prince Rupert, where we left the truck and got on our bikes.  Tobin and Nick were on the trail-a-bikes, AMG had panniers and Tobin and I pulled the chariot full of camping gear.  We did a similar thing last year, so knew what we were getting in for!

It was a great 8 days with fine weather, except for a little rain...  Which was very fortunate as we were totally unprepared for rain!!

I was so impressed with the kids; they rode just shy of 300km in 8 days!  Tobin was always happy and never complained about being on the bike.  Nick was a little less patient, but for being 3 he was amazing!  When we got off the ferry in Rupert and started driving home, Tobin said "I wish it was sunny and we were riding our bikes".  What troopers.

Who's driving this thing?

 Here we go!

 \

 This might be Bill Reid's Wave Eater.  Awesome name.

 Another beautiful dugout Haida canoe.  Amazing this started as just a big tree!!

 The Haida heritage center.  Built at the site of an old village.  Not to be missed if you're on HG.

 A lady in Tlell gave Nick this stuffed bird.  We had plans of taking photos of it on our travels and then sending it back with the pics, but it became lost and presumed roadkill somewhere between Massett and Port Clements...
 

 Not sure why Tobin looks so frightened in this picture

 Driftwood engineers

 "dad stop wrecking our fort!"

 "okay, I'll just go over here..."

 Sorry Nick-in-the-future, couldn't resist.

 We took refuge at the Nadu Creek Loft betwen PC and Massett.  It was so great!!  Kiku took care of us there and supplied us with fresh salmon, salad out of the garden and fancy rum!  Then she started negotiating the price of accomodation DOWN.  Not a real businesswoman, but a great person!

 This place sux, there are way too many people!  North beach.

Then the battery died.  I'll get the pics from AMG's phone and get some really lousy iphone pictures up on here.

Hazelton

For our holidays this year we headed north.  Partly because we wanted to catch up with long lost friends and see Haida Gwaii, and partly because we're so lousy at planning there were no other options for accommodation anywhere else in the province.

Turns out it was an awesome decision! We spent a few days with Marty, Stacey and Caleb in Hazelton where we were given the royal treatment and taken fishing, 4x4'ing and jet boating!!  What a great time, definitely going back next year to stock up on more sockeye from the Skeena.

Early morning start to a long day of fishing for sockeye.  The weather was so nice we spent all day in the river in just shorts!

 

 

Even the kids got into it.  Tobin and Caleb hauling in sculpin's and rainbow trout off the back of the boat.

Hard to believe, but Marty got this 18' aluminum jet boat up on a plane with 10 people on it.  There's a lot I didn't know about driving jet boats on a river!

 

  

Just another Marty creation.  1960's era Muskeg tracked vehicle with a dodge fargo body...  How the hell he does this is beyond me.

 

Oh, and another one.  Diesel powered Suzuki samurai rock crawler with some kind of homemade transfer case...*

Before our 4x4 outing Marty gave a safety briefing which was along the lines of "keep your head and hands inside, and if it rolls jump clear!"

 

Rancho Strachan-Brown

 

*the boys and I have decided to sell the tacoma and buy an older, more capable truck we can turn into our own rock crawler.  Theoretically, this is a fantastic idea.