A Wee Cruise

Okay, the blog’s working, here we go. Better late than never. The comments are also working again so you may continue to criticize every little thing I print.

The journey to Prince Rupert from Port Hardy and all places south of there started on 1^st Aug. The trip started an hour early, 9:00 am instead of the planned 10:00 am, so we took a leisurely drive for our first stop in Campbell River for lunch. Just outside of Cumberland I realized that I had left my camera behind. As this was a special trip, I decided to go back and get it so we actually left on time after all.

There was an overnight stop in Port Hardy so we had booked a hotel. Fortunately, some new friends live there and invited us for the night. We were joined by another couple and everyone went to the pub for happy hour and dinner. Needless to say, a good time was had and I ended up with a bit of a hangover. A great start to our holiday.

Our ferry left at 7:30 and we had to be in the lineup before six. The check-in process took a while but we finally got aboard. A cabin had been booked for the day although I’m sure I didn’t ask for one. It was fine though as there was a TV as well as a bathroom with a shower, neither of which we used. 

There were also two lounge chairs booked which hadn’t been asked for but I guess, when ordering, I inadvertently booked the whole deal. They were nice though, they reclined and had kick-outs so you could put your feet up. Rosalie even had one of her famous naps there.

The ferry left on time and within 15 minutes they were making announcements about orca sightings. Our lounge chairs were in the bow of the boat in a lounge only accessible with our room cards. (oh, we’re so special.) There were floor-to-ceiling windows right in front of us so we had a great view of all the goings on. 

The ferry arrived in Bella Bella about noon and after unloading and reloading, left to complete our journey. While there we watched the eagles in the trees. We were sitting next to a family visiting from Kent, my home county, and they were loving every minute. 

The weather was very overcast and dreary but we still enjoyed the journey. I friend had loaned us a pair of binoculars. There were a few sighting of whales and eagles but alas no enemy submarines. I also didn’t get any real opportunities for photos. It was getting a bit boring so we took a few naps and spent a lot of time in our cabin toward the end of the trip. As I was going to have to drive in the dark for an hour and a half, I managed to sleep for a while before we disembarked. 

The boat arrived on time and we set up the GPS for Terrace. The road had many twists and turns and it was misty and foggy and hard to see. I drove at what I thought was a safe speed and we arrived at 1:30 am. There was some catching up to do so we eventually closed it down at 4 am.