IT FINALLY RAINED, AND WE LEFT

Did I mention that it's sunny here - well, up to a few days ago anyway.  Then it got rainy and windy.

Because it was raining in Queen Charlotte City, we decided to drive to Skidegate - BUT, it was raining there, too.  Maybe that's because they are only about 6 kms. apart.  So, it looked like a good day to see the Haida Heritage Centre at K'aay Llnagaay. 

This is part of the Heritage Centre.  There are several more buildings this size, and there is a large museum which explains about the Haida culture

This ceremonial canoe is often seen when there are posters or advertisemants about Haida Gwaii. 

And, what good is a canoe without some paddles?  I'm guessing that different clans have different designs on their paddles, and there were hundreds of these differently designed paddles.

And it was still raining outside, so we continued on with the tour of the museum.  Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed in the museum, but here are a few more totem poles - some outside and some inside.

Next day, we took a short ferry ride to Sandspit.  This is the Salmon statue that stands beside the highway as you enter Sandspit.



When you travel a few kilometers away from Sandspit, there are communities along some of the ocean bays, that look like they are only used in the summer fishing season.  And, even some of these have a totem pole on the front of the building. 

There are some interesting rock formations as you drive along the rainy road!

The sun was able to poke through the clouds briefly as we were traveling back to Skidegate on the ferry - it stayed out long enough to get a good picture.

We were at the front of the ferry, and as the ferry was approaching the wharf we were able to take a picture throught the windshield - it was a couple of days before Christmas, and the shining lights gave it a festive appearance.

This is odd, eh?  What do you think it is called?  If you guessed "Balancing Rock", then you would be right.  This is at low tide - when the tide is in, you can't recognize it! 

Did I mention that it was still rainy and windy?  Luckily we missed the most severe winds - apparently they were measured at 174 kmph on one spot on Haida Gwaii. 

Next day, we were invited for Christmas dinner with some people we had met here.  That's the fun thing about doing what we do - being able to meet people, and spend time with different people.  

But, all things must end sometime, and our time had arrived.  Did I mention that they sometimes get snow here?

The plane was comfortable, and soon we had left Haida Gwaii!

And this guy was in the parking lot when we arrived in Vancouver.  I think it's a good omen!  What about you?

FUN FOTOS

This beautiful mural is in Massett.

Our house in Massett is on Elm Street...ooooh scary

The snow had come and gone by the time we arrived in Haida Gwaii, but ice on this pond hinted at the colder weather they'd had.

This is another pond on the hwy to Tlell...the little boats caused us to do a double-take.

A beautiful moss drape in the rain forest.

Couldn't resist the temptation to alter the colours in this photo. This is at the Dunes in Tlell.

Amazing varieties of seaweed

Saw this moose on the beach which reenforced our belief that we are somewhere still in Canada.

Serenity

I found this amazing agate.  Someone told me they are second hardest to diamond.

Is there any medium that Mother Nature has not perfected when it comes to artwork? The view in the photo below is from our B&B in Queen Charlotte City looking out over Hecate Strait.

...and a Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

A HIKE, A SHIPWRECK AND OTHER THINGS

Well, that was sure scary - they say that Haida Gwaii is at the edge of the world so we must have been over the edge!!  Here it is the 21st century, and we just spent 3 days with no internet connection and no cell phone signal!!

We were able to rent one of these cottages in Tlell (no, that is not a spelling error - it's actually how it is spelled).  It was very cozy.

This was the view from the front window, when the tide came in.  I'm thinking that it would be even more awesome in the summer.

We set out on a hike to a shipwreck.  Here are some more of the Sitka spruce trees along the trail - you can't help but feel overwhelmed when you are walking under them. 

We followed a trail that weaved in and out of the trees.  We thanked Mother Nature for bringing out the sun, and holding off on the rain.  It made the walk really enjoyable.

The hike continued along the Tlell River, which opens on to Hecate Straight on the east side of Haida Gwaii.

We headed out in the morning - it was about a 4 hour hike through the trees and then along the river edge. 

This is the land of the bald eagle - you usually see some wherever you go.  These 2 were keeping an eye on us.

This was our destination - the wreck of the Pesuta.  It was a log carrying ship that ran aground in 1928, and each year a little more of it disappears as the waves pound it. 

There's not much of it left to see, so it was nice that we were able to see some of it.

Later, we walked along another beach, looking for agate.  This is actually quartz, but it looked interesting with the sunlight shining through it.  And, talking about sunshine - there's been sun every day that we have been here.  Where else would you rather be in December??

This pathway looked interesting as it went across the sand dunes and out to the ocean.



Next day we took a hike on the Anvil Trail.  There was a sign warning us not to hike the trail if the wind was blowing.  What do you think they meant by that??



Along the way we met some "fun guys" that were just hanging out on the trees!

There was also a "fun girl" who was enjoying the hike.

Later we drove to Queen Charlotte City, and stopped to look at the "balancing rock" along the way.

And then we arrived in Queen Charlotte City, to spend a few days exploring the area around here.  Keep tuned for future blogs!

BEACHES, EAGLES, DRIFTWOOD AND STUFF

Working regularly seems to cut into the time available to take pictures, but we were still able to get out and about for a few photos.

This was taken one morning as I was walking to work - the sun came out and was shining on the town of Old Masset.  It only lasted for a few minutes, and then the rain started again.

The sun came out later in the day, and I was able to drive to Old Masset.  This totem pole was too tall to get it all into one picture, but I thought that the top of it was interesting.

A couple of days later, we were able to get out again.  As you can see, it was raining and overcast, but this picture of Yakan Point seemed like a good one.

There were a couple of Eagles sitting on a large piece of driftwood, and keeping an eye on us.

There was lots of debris on the beach.

Some of the debris was large enough to capture Carolyn.  But, this was "designer debris" - notice the color coordination for the toque and the fishnet!

I'm not sure if we were intruding on some secret driftwood ceremony, but you have to admit that it looks like fun!

Looks like a serpent in the water.

This piece of driftwood is hanging on the side of a garage.  Amazing what some of the driftwood can look like - do you think that this is salmon country?

This restaurant is amazing - the "Trouthouse Reataurant".  The chef is a teacher of culinary arts here in Haida Gwaii.

We even had some entertainment at the restaurant - the guy on the ukulele is a teacher who is offering a course featuring carpentry and incorporating native carving.  His son is the dancer in the background.

So, after stuffing our faces with lots of good food and being entertained, we drove past the harbour to go back into Masset.

I guess we didn't have enough to eat and drink at the Trouthouse, so we stopped for a latte at The Ground.

It's a cozy place, and they feature some of the local artists.


And that was all there was for a while.