Tuk Trip - Day 22

     It didn't take long to get to Massett and we found out quickly it depended where you were as to whether there was one T or two in the town name. It is definitely the largest and most populous town in Haida Gwaii. One thing that is undeniable - it was a glorious day; sunshine, gorgeous blue skies and a temperature of about 14 degrees.
     There's an Old Massett as well. It is more cultural being on the reservation. All street signs are in Haida and sadly, the homes are quite dilapidated in spots. There are totems everywhere and most of the people we saw live there. Not a lot in the way of tourists and crowds. Awwww.

cranes swarm the chicken ranch to get to the grain feed in the ground

totems galore in Old Massett

a serious decision on nutrition

designated locations for hitchhiking in Haida Gwaii

see also   www.thatroadtripbook.com

Tuk Trip - Day 21

     A calm river setting resplendent with reflections is a relaxing way to begin any morning. Port Clements is a short 21 kilometre drive from our current home in Tlell so didn't take us long to get there. The Golden Spruce Trail is short but awe-inspiring with its huge cedar trees and mossy green rainforest appearance.
     It was overcast with some sunny breaks and actually rained for a while but it was difficult to tell under the heavy canopy. It's hard not to be thankful and revel in this almost haunting beauty.

Tlell River reflections

Golden Spruce Trail

end of the trail - near where the golden spruce used to be

the Haida Gwaii explorers

see also   www.thatroadtripbook.com

Tuk Trip - Day 20

     The Pesuta was a 264 foot barge shipwrecked in a winter storm in the Hecate Strait in 1928. The remains lie north of the Tlell River on East Beach in the town of Tlell where we are staying.
     A hiking trail leads out to the ruins. It is a moderately difficult trail of 10 kilometres round trip (though at times that certainly felt like 20) but it is a beautiful hike and well worth the effort. The first 2 kilometres is through a beautiful BC rain forest; some steep hills, a few roots and some muddy sections but by and large a very enjoyable journey on soft moss pathways.
     The forest trail leads down to the beach which is a gravel roadway that continues for 3 kilometres to the site of the wreck. The ship did not miss the open ocean by a lot - missed it by that much! The return trip was a little dicey as the tide was coming in quickly and spots we easily crossed on the way in were now underwater. We made it back to the van, weary but very happy we made the attempt.

The Pesuta Hiking Trail

The wreck of the Pesuta

                                                                Eric and Karen at the Pesuta

the cranes visit our cottage each night to steal the chicken feed for the resident fowl

see also   www.thatroadtripbook.com

Tuk Trip - Day 19

     Today was a beautiful day right from the sunrise. It's the first day since we left home where it has been sunny all day with absolutely no threat of rain. We spent some time in the museum which is not something I normally do but thanks to our trip yesterday we knew something of the history and culture of Haida Gwaii and that made all the difference in the world.
     The town of Tlell is only about 40 kilometres north of Queen Charlotte so it didn't take us long to get there once we got going. A stop at Balance Rock was a tourist must and a picnic lunch at Jungle Beach rounded out a leisurely trip to our second home on Haida Gwaii.

the start of a beautiful weather day

mid-section of a monumental pole from K'uuna

the ladies at Balance Rock - two days ago this was nearly underwater

see also   www.thatroadtripbook.com

Tuk Trip - Day 18

     Today was a fabulous introduction to the real Haida Gwaii. A wet and wild zodiac tour (wet from the weather at the beginning of the day, wild as I swear we were airborne at least part of the time) took us to the Haida village of K'uuna.

     We saw more wildlife today than we have seen this entire trip. Started with the bald eagles in the camp where we started. We had seen a lame deer on the road - sadly I think his days are numbered and another at the Haida village. On the way back we encountered a Humpback whale, fairly close to the zodiac. As we left there was a bear on the road but I was in the back of the van so was fortunate to see it - getting a photo was out of the question.
The four of us are off to Tlell for a few days tomorrow. Apparently internet is bad to non-existent so the blog may be missing in action for a few days. It's all part of the adventure.

the 4 explorers

Haida Gwaii

bald eagle

deer at K'uuna

Humpback whale

whale tail

see also   www.thatroadtripbook.com

Tuk Trip - Day 17

     It has been a typhoon rainy day. Every once in awhile a teaser appears in the sky in the form of the sun trying to break through but alas that does not last. Hopefully Dave and Christy arrive late this afternoon. They have their van so we are here at the moment without a vehicle.
     Enter Holly. Holly is a patient of the doctor Karen works for and was born and raised on Haida Gwaii. Her family lives here and Holly is visiting right now. A bonus indeed for us. She borrowed her sister's car and toured us around Queen Charlotte this afternoon. It gave us the opportunity to see some of this end of the island because without her we would surely be trapped in our "home". She has even arranged for her brother to take us crabbing this evening.
     Even though it was raining we managed to see some natural, unenhanced carvings and attacked a hiking trail that was reminiscent of one we did in Labrador last year. A spongy, mossy, rooty trail that basically went straight up, it took us through the dark woods trying our best not to fall and come rolling down. Some call this recreation.

unenhanced original carvings

Heritage Centre

St. Mary's Spring Trail

see also   www.thatroadtripbook.com

Tuk Trip - Day 16

     So far I'm loving Haida Gwaii. We have not been anywhere remotely cultural but there's just a very laid back, enjoy life feel here. I guess that's why it was so difficult for me to tell the bus driver to take a hike when he showed up to take us to the ferry. He wanted 60 bucks to take us about 15 kilometres. I wasn't sure what we were going to do, I just knew I wasn't going to pay $60 to do it.          
     We walked over to the airport only to find he was the only game in town. Karen went outside and talked to people and found a man and his wife willing to take us to the ferry for $20. The world is full of good people; you just have to look sometimes.

     A cab for a reasonable price on the other side of the ferry brought us to our home for 3 days in Queen Charlotte. It's an Airbnb and is the upper two levels of a waterfront home. Our friends did not make it today as scheduled. Their ferry from Prince Rupert was cancelled and hopefully will arrive tomorrow. The weather is a bit hard to take but we'll have to make the best of it.

our home for 3 days in Queen Charlotte

the view from our deck on a rainy, windy day

as on many islands - life is laid back and meant to be enjoyed

see also   www.thatroadtripbook.com