Every summer now, I look forward to having the truck at home, so we can head north - across the border - to explore some of the most amazing landscapes in the entirety of North America. In all those travels to Canada, the Kootenays - in eastern British Columbia - have continued to capture my attention, with soaring peaks, glaciers, and brilliant lakes that make any hike worth the effort.
But this time, I'd gotten wind of another place. Further north and on the other side of the province, the Central Coast seemed to offer some fantastic landscape of its own. Harder to get to, perhaps, but that would be part of the adventure.
And so, hoping for a good weather window - and to avoid the wildfire smoke covering much of the country - we climbed on a boat headed north. To Bella Coola. And beyond.
But for the bugs, it was everything we hoped, and more!
The Boat | Bella Coola #1 - Every summer, I look forward to having the truck at home, so we can head north - across the border - to explore some of the most amazing landscapes in the entirety of North America. In all those travels to Canada, the Kootenays - in eastern British Columbia - have continued to capture my attention, with soaring peaks, glaciers, and brilliant lakes that make any hike worth the effort. But this time, I'd gotten wind of another place. Further north and on the other side of the province, the Central Coast seemed to offer some fantastic landscape of its own.…
The Inescapable Bugs of Purgatory | Bella Coola #2 - We were both tired and stir-crazy when we finally got to Bella Coola, a full thirty-one hours after leaving home. The plan - given that it was already 6:30pm by the time we disembarked - was to head up a nearby Forest Service Road (FSR) to find camp. But then, as I maneuvered the Tacoma into position for a final shot of the Northern Sea Wolf, another truck - fresh off the same boat - headed up the same road! This immediately gave us pause - we're not generally keen to share the end of the road with other folks…
Above the Clouds at Blue Jay Lake | Bella Coola #3 - After returning from Purgatory - not a statement one can make on a regular basis - it was time to consider our next move. There were three things that were competing for our attention: The weather. We'd been planning to spend at least three nights in the area, but in the week preceding our departure, the weather guessers suggested that four days of rain would start somewhere in the middle of our visit. Rain wouldn't be the end of the world - dark skies can make for some dramatic photos - but we wanted to get as many "big views"…
Magnificent Mining Roads | Bella Coola #4 - Bella Coola is not the most accessible town in British Columbia. Our ten-hour ferry ride aside, there are - technically - roads that lead to this stunning valley, but that hasn't always been the case. Before the road, the only way in or out of the Valley was by boat, seaplane, foot, or horseback. A trip from Anahim Lake for supplies took three days and nights. Residents kept asking for a road, but the government said the grade was too steep. A road would be too expensive. It couldn't be done. On September 14, 1952, the Bella Coola Board of…
Rain Forest Rock Art | Bella Coola #5 - While on our last trip to British Columbia, we happened to stumble upon a few petroglyphs, created by the First Nations, hundreds or thousands of years ago. They were so different than those that we've seen in the lower 48, and reminded me a bit of the style that found in Hawaii. Upon returning home though, I think it may have been the surfaces - ground-level rocks with petroglyphs on various faces - more than the actual figures, that seemed similar. We arrived at the stie on our way from one place to another. Getting there meant an enjoyable, short…