Port Hardy

Arrived here yesterday after a pleasant drive up the spine of Vancouver Island. Port Hardy is at the northern tip, so we're well-positioned for catching the ferry tomorrow morning...early. Show time is 0530 with the sailing at 0730. I think we're going to get a lot of use out of our cabin, which is supposed to be quite nice: self-contained with a couple of beds, a shower, toilet, and outside with a view so we should be able to watch the scenery glide by in comfort - cruise ship style.


Been enjoying this area. We noted in one of the brochures from the Visitor's Center that Port Hardy is home to the highest Black Bear concentration in North America. Been too hot during the day for them to appear, but apparently they're usually all over the place according to our hosts at the B&B where we're staying. We previously noted that every town here has bear-proof trash containers in the downtown areas...something we had only seen before in Yellowstone & Glacier Parks in the US. Apparently it's SOP for cities & towns in Canada however. Saw one black bear crossing the road ahead of us earlier today as we drove to a local hiking spot. No chance for a photo op, however, since he came & went so quickly. Had a Bald Eagle fly right by us yesterday as we walked along the sea front. There's an active nest about a block from where we're staying - literally right downtown. Walked along the beach this morning at low tide. Guess the Humpback Whales are here feeding and you occasionally see them just a stone's throw offshore. Saw what appeared to be a couple of fledgling Bald Eagles feeding on some fish right on the beach as we walked by. It's that kind of place.


A couple of eagles having breakfast on the beach. There were humpback whales in the sound just beyond.



Our lunch spot at Bear Falls, a stop along Marble River. Can usually see the salmon jumping the falls as they proceed upstream to spawn...but a few weeks later in September.


Looking downriver at Bear Falls


A little further along on the hiking trail, at a point call Emerald Pools.

I only scheduled a few stopover days on the drive north to catch the ferry, but we've seen enough to know that we need to come back to this area for a longer stay, especially since it's relatively close to home. Lots of great Canadian scenery in and around the Provincial Parks.

General Thoughts So Far

There's not as much sticker shock in Canada as there was in Australia earlier this year. Prices are pretty similar to those in the US, with the exception of gasoline which goes for about US$4.00 per gallon...as opposed to about $2.90 when we left Vancouver. Things here used to be a bargain back when the Canadian dollar was only worth about 0.85 US. Now it's near parity however so it's similar to traveling in the US...and not many bargains to be had.

Cell phone coverage has been pretty sporadic. At first I didn't think our US cell phones were working, but I finally found a signal this morning, swapped the US chip back into my international phone, and it seems to work fine. I Googled the coverage map for British Columbia & Alberta and noted that there are some pretty wide areas that just have no coverage at all. Looks like we'll be in and out for most of the trip.

Driving has been pretty easy so far, especially with the light traffic we've experienced since we left the Victoria area. Road conditions are quite good considering the severity of the winters up here, and the drivers seem to be a friendly and relaxed lot.

Guess they've been having an unusually warm & dry summer. This particular area is usually rather showery this time of year, but they haven't had much rain to speak of for about 6 weeks. Pretty dry in the back country, which makes for nice hiking conditions but there are open fire restrictions in place all over for fear of forest fires.