Canada 2011 - Prince Rupert

Canada 2011
We'd always promised ourselves that we'd go back to Canada but it took us until now to get there. Our first holiday together was in Vancouver and on the Island - this time we started in Vancouver but then ventured further north. As seems to be usual these days, the pages needs to be split so the three sections are: Vancouver Prince Rupert Great Bear II Please click on the above to visit the pages
We finally arrived in Prince Rupert, very late and tired but at least we were there (and Brian very kindly stayed up late to let us in). Over breakfast we met our hostess, Mary and our host-to-be-on-the-boat, Trish. Our plan was to just relax for a couple of days here in Prince Rupert before spending a week on the water. We stayed at Eagle Bluff in the Cow Bay area of the city. As you can see from the photos, it was nowhere near as warm and sunny here as in Vancouver.
	Cow Bay was originally called Cameron Cove but was renamed after John Nehring started a dairy here by unloading cows ashore from a barge in 1906. It's a very pretty part of the city with quite a lot of black and white "cow skin" decor to offset the pretty colours of the buildings. The view from Eagle Bluff was pretty good and got better as the day went on and the fog lifted.
City Hall is an impressive building. The panels in the front are really interesting - not what you'd necessarily expect from a building that looks so art deco.
Right next to City Hall stands the statue of Charles Melville Hays, the acknowledged founder of the city, and behind him are two totems. With Jonathon in the foreground of one of them you can see how tall they are. The one on the left is a reproduction of the Anget Pole of Ninstints and has a grizzly bear with upside down human, man with skils(?), bear with frog in mouth, cormorant and eagle. The one on the right is a reproduction of the Alder House Frontal Pole. The figures on that one represent the background of the person who has amassed sufficient property to have the house erected and are crest symbols of his family. From the bottom they are bear mother with two cubs, head of killer whale which is also sea, grizzly with seal in mouth, killer whale with woman on its back and man with two watchmen.

These wonderful salmon are a representation of the 28 communities in northwestern British Columbia. They were decorated by students from pre-school to Grade 12 and compiled into the sculpture by Bruce Chandler, a local artist. They are part of the 10,000 salmon project.
	Lunch was at Cowpucchino's Coffee House and dinner at Cow Bay Cafe - by now you can see that they really use the "cow" connection in that part of town. Both these cafes were excellent. For the foodies amongst us, Adrienne at Cow Bay Cafe has a new recipe book coming out - see www.nomoresecrets.ca. All you'd have to do is learn how to cook as well as she does - easier said than done I think! We were pleased that the Cow Bay Cafe wasn't too far away (next door) because the expected rain had arrived by then so we didn't want to get too wet.
It rained and rained but was miraculously not too rainy when we'd finished breakfast on Thursday so we had a stroll around town and did a few chores. Jonathon did his best to help the local economy, especially the camera shop where there was a lovely dog called Mocha who liked to be stroked.
We spent the afternoon in the Museum of Northern British Columbia. It was really interesting with the exhibits nicely laid out and plenty of information in an "easy to read" format.
	There were various sorts of masks around the place - the one on the left is a bear and the right is a raven
The one on the immediate right is a Wild Man of the Woods mask - you really wouldn't want to meet him in the dark - mind you, the female portrait on the far right isn't much less scary!
	This one on the right isn't a mask - it's a Shaman Healing Figure.
There was a lot of info about salmon fishing and the railway as well - both important in the history of Prince Rupert (the salmon industry still is but we didn't have time to visit the cannery)
		Exhibitions also included social history such as rooms as they might have been, info about printing, photography etc.
There were also a few totem poles around but they weren't as big as the ones outside.
From left to right below we have a "Carved and Painted Ceremonial Hat", a "Chief's Ceremonial Hat" and a "Wood, Cedar Bark, Cloth, Sea Lion Whiskers and Abalone Shell Chief's Headdress".

		On the far left is a "Mountain Goat Wool and Cedar Bark Chilkat Ceremonial Robe" and on the immediate left is a "Tsimshian Raven's Tail Robe" made of wool and sea otter fur.
On the immediate right is a "Wolf Skin and Deer Hoof Ceremonial tunic" and on the far right a "Cloth, Leather and Brass Thimble Dance Apron".
	Two of my favourite pieces in the exhibition were a large etched glass panel (left) and this lovely wooden bear. The bear represents an example of Tsimshian mortuary art, of which most expressions (other than totem art) have disappeared. He's apparently very rare with most of his contemporaries being crumbling wood in North Coast cemeteries.
Dinner was at the Crest Hotel, where they were also kind enough to let us leave some of our luggage rather than having to take it all on the boat with us. Our final morning and there was no fog - it looked completely different from our guest house with the sun on the water and the islands in the distance! We even had a couple of Bald Eagles soaring around.
	Down to the Sea Plane harbour and everything was weighed, loaded on etc. Jonathon was co-pilot (long legs dictated he had to sit with the pilot, not that he was complaining!)

		We will stay in the Crest Hotel for one night when we come back off the boat before starting the long journey home. In the meantime, off we went to join Eric and Trish and the rest of the gang on the boat.
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