Good bye Tweedsmuir

Good bye, Tweedsmuir

So sad to be leaving this lovely place, but tomorrow morning we board the ferry to sail to Vancouver Island.  I made the most of my final day in Tweedsmuir Park, however.  I met some new friends from Sicily, Italy who hiked a nice trail with me.  We saw some huge steelhead trout jumping in the river.  We were reminded that bears have the right of way here.  I played some frisbee here on the lawns of the Tweedsmuir Lodge before packing my bags for tomorrow's sailing.  My frisbee flew into the pond and my person had to fish it out with hiking poles.  I was ready to go in after it, but he intervened just in time.  Good bye, Tweedsmuir.  It has been great fun.  Tweedsmuir Park Lodge is a ten star dog rated place!  I really hope we return soon.

Bears have right of way!?

My beloved frisbee is saved

What law?  Why can't dogs come into the lodge?



Bridge at Tweedsmuir Park Lodge



Mi amici -- Carmen and Vito from Italy

Dog versus bear



 

Deer

 As my people ate dinner in the Tweedsmuir Park Lodge last night, a very nice, young woman named Rebecca brought me a slice of roast duck as I waited patiently on the veranda of the lodge.  It was delicious and made me wish I could go into the lodge to have dinner with the other guests.  While I waited I started to worry about bears.  What if a black bear or grizzly appeared on the lawn and came toward me?  I've seen a lot of bears since coming here, so I know they are out there in the forest and along the river banks.  But the more I thought about it, the more I gained perspective on this issue.  Did you know that a human is 67 times more likely to be killed by a domestic dog than a bear?  For every person killed by a black bear, there are about 17 deaths from spiders, 150 from tornadoes, 180 from bees, 374 from lightening, and thousands of homicides in the U.S.   I read this in Bear-ology by Sylvia Dolson.  Maybe bears aren't so bad after all.  And does that mean I am more dangerous than a grizzly?  Something to ponder.

Fox



Clayton Falls



Rainy Day in Bella Coola








Where will this rainy day take me??

Woke up to a heavy rain today....first real rain on my trip.  Can't let some raindrops stop me, though, so I put on my pink raincoat and headed off to Bella Coola for the day.  Saw a lot of water coming over Clayton Falls.  It feels more like October than July to me, and all this water indicates a most bizarre weather too.  Undaunted, I explored the town of Bella Coola and enjoyed the First Nations art and architecture.  I took a walk through Snootli Park, a sacred site of First Nations people.  The giant, ancient cedars were incredible.  I was the only dog on the trail and it was eerie in the mist and the silence.  It really did have a sacred feel to it.  I noted that many of the younger cedars had the bark stripped from their trunks and later learned that this is because the First Nations use the bark and wood from this forest to make ceremonial objects.










In the sacred forest



Ancient cedar in Snootli Park

Big cedar

House in Bella Coola

Cedar tree stripped of bark

Bella Coola marina

Old salmon cannery

Bella Coola -- population 400 and 1 poodle









A Rolling Stone

Like a rolling stone

They say "a rolling stone gathers no moss," and here is picture proof of that Proverb.  We are on the move again, stopping to have a photo taken of me atop an ancient, moss covered glacial boulder in the Tweedsmuir Provincial Park.  We took our time descending the high plains area of the Chilcotin and going coastal.  The trip down the Freedom Road (or "The Hill" as the locals call it) was terrifying.  This is a volunteer-constructed gravel road that was bulldozed down the mountain in 1952 to connect the Chilcotin with the Bella Coola Valley.   I came face to face with a Grizzly while traveling this trail of a road---well, not quite a face off as I was in my car and observing from the safety of my backseat bed.  What a beautiful part of BC it is between Nimpo Lake and the western border of Tweedsmuir Park.  The rivers, the sloughs, the wildlife, the moss, the mosquitoes, and oh, did I forget to mention the bears??  We are now staying for three days in the beautiful Tweedsmuir Park Lodge, which began serving guests in 1929.  We are in the Grizzly Cabin!  I really like it here as I can view the mountains from the deck of the cabin or take a little hike down to the river and watch for salmon as they begin to spawn.  Next time I bring a fishing rod.  I think I might gather a little moss for a day or two before we set out on the next leg of the journey as I catch up on my sleep and ponder how I can best describe this most amazing place.



Green River - on the lookout for moose

Black bear

Freedom Road -- so named
because you are free to die
here!

Tweedsmuir at last

Vista from the Chilcotin Plain

Tweedsmuir Lodge



I inspect accommodations at Grizzly Cabin

 

Grizzly!!

Nimpo Lake - some great fishing here

 

A refreshing drink at Kettle Pond



My view from Grizzly Cabin at Tweedsmuir Park Lodge

  


Bear Country

Today I am a cowgirl poodle

We have entered bear country.  Saw my first bear yesterday as we drove from Williams Lake to Tatla Lake.  Based on the size and speed of that black bear, I intend to stay far away from bears of any shape or kind as we travel on toward Bella Coola.  Highlights?  I really enjoyed a stop at 108 Mile Ranch to see the heritage village there.  It really made me wonder what life would have been like for a poodle dog in the 1880's here in cowboy country.  We stayed on the Gold Rush Trail for most of the day, stopping in Williams Lake so I could enjoy a walk through Scout Island bird sanctuary.  I saw some beautiful American white pelicans there (not your average pelican).  We finally arrived in the very remote village of Tatla Lake where I enjoyed looking at the distant Coastal Mountain Range and hearing the birds sing as evening fell.  The countryside is truly vast and stunning.  We finish this leg in Chilcotin and head toward Bella Coola today, but with the promise of some hikes along the way.


Barn built in 1906 for 200 Clydesdales at 108 Mile Ranch



In the hay loft of the big barn

I loved lunch at Lac La Hache

I stay here at the Tatla Lake Manor. 
Great people and a dog named Sadie.

View from Tatla Lake.  Mama mia!!

Chasm.  The name of this place says it all.

A poodle could get lost out here.

Che bella!  Near Alexis Creek

On The Road Again!!

The Cariboo Chilcotin Coast & Vancouver Island Loop

Squamish--A great town for outdoor recreation

I can't believe it.  We are on the road again.  Never know a trip is on the horizon until I see the suitcases coming out and the frenzy to get the house and garden in order before our departure.  This is going to be quite a road trip.  Started out in Burnaby, traveling through Squamish and Whistler.  Squamish is a great town, and Capilano University has a small campus there that has some very unique programs.  Then on to Lillooet, stopping for the night in Clinton, BC.  I've enclosed a map for your viewing pleasure.  I am calling this the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast - Vancouver Island loop trip.  So far, I can't believe how majestic and beautiful it  is here in this part of the Province.  As soon as you leave Whistler it is like a totally different world from the big city of Vancouver.  It is going to be hard to choose a few photos to share because there are just too many lovely vistas and sights along the way.  But here is my first installment of my latest adventure here in super, natural BC.


Duffy Lake Road between Pemberton & Lillooet--
Am I back in Switzerland? 



We stop for lunch in the car on Duffy Lake Rd.

I check-in at Cariboo Lodge in Clinton




Big spaces at Joffre Lake area just out of Mt. Currie



I love this place (the Cayoosh River).  Do I look happy??

 

We stop to savor Lillooet, a former Gold Rush town

Wild apricots abound around Lillooet



HOME AGAIN!!



There's no place like home!!



Olympia Farmers' Marget goes to the dogs!

I spent a nice morning in Olympia.  I had some breakfast at Mercado restaurant.  They now know me as a regular there.  I was not permitted to go into the Saturday farmers' market in Olympia, but I see there is a dog day at the market coming up in September.  It is a fantastic market.  I enjoyed waiting for my people as they bought sweet peas, veggies, and cinnamon bread.  Then we drove to Sedro-Woolley, WA (my former home) to spend the night with Ceci and Harley...Ceci is the person and Harley is the dog.  We had great weatehr for a patio dinner and breakfast the next day.  No problems getting back to Canada, as I have my official Swiss passport and that gets me across the borders fast.  This final shot is me sleeping in the sun back home in Burnaby, BC.  It was a fantastic vacation but I must say that it is good to be back home!  Watch for my next travel adventure scheduled to start next week!


Nearing the end of the journey--asleep in the car.



In Sedro-Woolley, WA

Breakfast in Olympia at Merc ado...a great place.

I should eat more vegetables.