Part 2 Canada Visit....Ferry Island Campground, Terrace, B.C and Day trip to Prince Rupert, B.C....we saw a bear

After a fairly good nights sleep we started our last day of travel to see Ron and Patsy in Terrace, DC, Canada. It was a shorter day than the one before and we were anxious to get there. We were getting used to the metric system by then and we made good time. We passed through some very nice towns on the way like Vander hoof, Fraser Lake, Telkwa, Smithers, Kitwanga and finally to Terrace. Many of the names seem to come from the First Nation Tribes of the region. We also noticed the mountains getting larger and closer. We were enjoying the scenery and knew there was more to come. 

We noticed several rivers and streams along the road and had to make a few stops as we moved along. 

 Finally at about 3:30 pm or so we made it to Terrace and found Ron and Patsy's home. They have a beautiful duplex with a wonderful backyard that is fenced in. Nice privacy and they have done a wonderful job of landscaping. They gave us the grand tour and we got settled in, in the spare room in the finished basement. The weather was untypically warm so giving us a room in the basement was great. It was cooler down there. They don't have A/C in most homes in Canada. Hmmm.

Ron and Patsy had planned on us having dinner at their home when we got there so Ron fired up the grill and Patsy had vegetables and salad to go with the meat. After a filling meal we needed some exercise, so we drove to the campground where we would have stayed if we had brought the motorhome. Ferry Island Campground is nicely forested next to a river, I think it's the Snee River, I'm probably wrong but it sounds good. Anyway they have a cool path around the campground with face carvings in many of the trees along the path. Spirits of the Forest.

This one reminded me of my friend, Steve. It's a pirate. 

The last two photos are carvings that go together to form a village

 The walk along the path was fun even with the torrent of mosquitos we had to contend with. That's the way it is in a forest around water.  We even found a geocache along the path. It happened to be near this pavilion. Ron was the luck finder.

We got back to their home and of course, it was time for a game or two or three of Spades. Guys always against the girls. This night the guys prevailed. There's a rematch coming. 

Ron and Patsy had incredible plans for us since we were only there for a few days. A jam packed itinerary.

The next morning after a delicious breakfast of muffins, coffee and fruit(Glenda had her oatmeal). We got ready for a day trip to Prince Rupert on the coast. We headed further west on Route 16 toward Meziadin.
However not too far out of town we saw a really cool waterfall coming down the side of the mountain and a huge rock wall formation that I thought looked like a stadium wall you would see in a baseball park.

Stadium Wall

Mountain views through the trees

Waterfalls galore

Shameless selfie

 Then Ron wanted to be sure we saw the Shoe Tree. Folks bring their old shoes and nail them to the tree. It looked like it has been done for many, many years. Enlarge the photos for a better view.

As we got closer to Prince Rupert we stopped at Meziadin Lake Provincial Park. Ron and Patsy have stayed there before a few times with their motorhome. Beautiful lake and well organized campground. Not all sites would fit our motorhome but I know we could find something. We had a small bite to eat while admiring the lake before we headed into Prince Rupert. 

This 5th wheel was parked right on the lake.

As we were leaving the park and driving down the road, when Patsy happened to spot a mother black bear and two cubs eating grass along side the road. This was one thing we wanted to see while in Canada. We did it, thanks to Patsy's great eye sight. 

After we took numerous photos of the bears and they wandered off into the forest, we drove the final leg to Prince Rupert. Ron and Patsy wanted to take us to a restaurant in the Crest Hotel with wonderful views of the bay with boats and ships in the harbor and marina. It's called the Waterfront Restaurant, of course.

After a filling meal we needed to do some exercise and sightseeing. We looked in a couple of shops nearby and then walked around the older part of town near the bay. We came across this Sunken Garden after walking through a concrete tunnel. Quite a history related to this botanical park off the beaten path.

Sunken Gardens Park and Trail in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada is a small two level park with a short pebbled walkway leading through a tunnel into an open area surrounded by brick walls fronting floral gardens. The area is well manicured and maintained with sitting benches and picnic tables so to enjoy the scenery.

Sunken Gardens Park sits on the first location designated for the community court houses. But in 1923, after more planning and more politics, the Provincial Court House in Prince Rupert was completed but not in the original location - the site was moved forward leaving a hole behind the building.

The hole, the original site of the court house, is now the Sunken Gardens. The brick wall is the old foundation. At one time, during the world wars, munitions were stored in the tunnels which are now walkways in the park.

As we walked along the streets there were several murals on buildings of Whales, Orcas and Grizzlies. Lots of talent. 

On our way out of town we stopped briefly at the Northern Pacific Cannery. Hasn't been in operation for many years but they do have a museum and shop made from the buildings that still stand. We did not happen to be there on a day when it was open so we just took a few pictures from outside the gates. 

We got back to Terrace in the early evening and had dinner at a local pizzeria just down the street from Ron and Patsy's home. Good food and good beer.

Again it was time for some cards and beer. We started with Spades....The girls won and got their revenge. Then it was on to Dave's Game where everyone is on their own. Glenda was the big winner. The night before and that night we didn't get to bed before 1 am. As a matter of fact being so far north and west and being the summer time near the longest day of the year we noticed it was still light out at 11 pm. That gave us more time to hang out and enjoy our visit. How cool is that?

 Part 3 is next and I can't wait to tell you about it. Have you seen a glacier?

I hope you'll come back again. Thanks for following along. We're really enjoying our time in Terrace. And for that matter, Canada it's self.