Several weeks ago, as I passed through Jasper, Alberta, sorry it just seems like it was weeks ago, actually it was just last Saturday night. Anyway, at the motel there I asked the desk clerk how I could get heat in the room. He said he’d send a maintenance guy by to see me. Troy, the maintenance guy, told me that the building was on “neutral” right them. When I asked what that was, even though I knew, he explained that since it was summer, the heat was turned off. Since it wasn’t hot enough for A/C, that was also turned off, hence the term “neutral“. I told him I was from Arizona where it was 100 degrees and “neutral just didn’t cut it, could I get some heat, please? He said he’d bring me a space heater. It seems like they were prepared so I guess other Arizonans have stayed there.
I mention that because, last night, I was freezing. Now this building is not “neutral”, the heater does work. The room has baseboard heat but I’m guessing it’s been disconnected because there’s a European style plate type heater on the wall, behind a chair in the corner of the room. When you’re sitting in the chair, it’s great. If you’re anywhere else in the room, it’s chilly. Last night, I had the heat turned up and was still cold. In bed, I doubled over the bedspread and still couldn’t get warm, especially my feet, which, I swear, were frozen. I finally got up and put on socks. I guess all the cold I’ve been riding through, finally caught up with me. You know, I finally figured out the best thing about riding a motorcycle in Canada, stopping and getting off of it! No matter the temperature, when you stop, the air feels warm.
Today, Canada is 142 years old. I thought I’d stop at the all day festivities, taking place in Mariner Park from noon to 4 PM. There was a lot of stuff going but it mainly appeared geared towards the kids. There was face-painting, a jumping castle and a bunch of food venders with long lines. Fortunately for me, I’d just eaten at Smiles Seafood Café but more on that later. The best thing about the festivities, for me, was getting to see a small boat that’s on display in the park, the Kazu Maru. Now the Kazu Maru is a boat that a Japanese fisherman took out to sea for a day of fishing in 1985. He left from the city of Owase, Japan. He never returned. In March, 1987, a Canadian government inspector found a boat, overturned, just off of Prince Rupert. The boat was battered and encrusted with barnacles‘. After some research, it was determined that this was the Kazu Maru from Owase, Japan. The fisherman, whose name I can’t spell or say, was never found. The really strange part of the story is that 10 years earlier, in 1975, Owase, Japan and Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada, had become sister cities. Somehow a boat floats for a year and a half and winds up in the sister city of the port city it left from.
Do you know what you can’t find in Canada, a good breakfast café. I rode all over town looking for a café. There aren’t any. Oh, there’s Tim Horton’s that I told you about but I did say “good” café. In Tucson, it seems like there’s a café every mile! Since it’s the only game in town, I went to Tim’s house for a breakfast sandwich. Afterwards, I headed to Port Edward and the North Pacific Cannery. Last night I asked the desk clerk if there was a café in Port Edwards, he said no. Hence, the reason I stopped at Tim’s. Actually, there is a café there but it’s not open for breakfast. I’m beginning to get the picture that Canadians either sleep in or they don’t eat breakfast, although I must say that Tim’s was doing a land office business in coffee.
The road through Port Edwards gets gradually narrower as you head out of town towards the cannery, with lots of low hills and curves. Just over a hill, I see something in the road, obviously road kill. When I get close, I see it’s a porcupine. I thought about stopping and getting some quills but then wonder what I’m going to do with porcupine quills for the next 4000 miles, so I keep going.
When I get to the cannery, there are chains across the entrance. I’m obviously early. See, I told you Canadians sleep in, after all, today is a national holiday. I park the bike and step over the chain to check to see if they have hours posted. Open at 10, the sign says. I’d parked the bike across the street so I mosey back to it. I’m amazed at the stillness. I could here a few birds but the thing that truly amazes, especially a guy who lives in the desert, is the sound of the water. From where I stood, I could hear water gurgling and babbling in the woods but I couldn’t see anything. The woods, or forest, is so lush and green and dense, you can’t see into it, you can just hear the water running. Everywhere I walk, there’s more water.
Of course, as I stand there, my mind begins to wonder….to those signs that warn me to watch for animals that never appear. I begin to think what would happen if a bear walked out of the woods right in front of me. I’m the only one here. The cannery guides would show up to find a blue motorcycle and a bright red spot on the road. About that time, I decided that, since I have no idea what time it is, that maybe I’d better head back to town rather than wait to be some bear’s breakfast. I only go a short distance when I see a doe and her fawn on the road. They turn and run up the road ahead of me. I stop the bike as they disappear over a low hill in the road. I wait but never see them run up the hill on the other side. I slowly move forward, to the top of the same low hill. As I get to the top of the hill, I stop. The doe is facing me at the bottom of the hill, on the left side of the road. Her fawn is nowhere to be seen. When she sees me, she turns and runs across the street and heads up the hill. About 50 yards up the hill, she turns and runs into the woods. I figure that she’s stashed the little guy in the woods at the bottom of the hill where I saw her when I got to the top. I ride to the bottom and get off the bike. I figure the fawn is here somewhere. Forget it, the woods and vegetation are so thick that I couldn’t see that fawn if I looked for a week, which probably makes mommy deer very happy. About that time, a bus tops the hill. I figure that they’re tourists, heading to the cannery so I go back. I figured that if a bear attacks, he won’t be able to eat all of us and I’m betting that I can, at least, out run one of them. Turns out that they’re cannery employees, actually guides. I chat with the girl who takes the money since no one else has arrived yet. I didn’t get her name but I found out she’s 17 and missed graduating high school because she was an exchange student in Brazil last year.
The cannery tour is very good, very informative about the fishing/cannery industries from the late 1800’s through the late 1900’s. The cannery people only have 3 building that you can go in but they’re trying to get grants to continue the rebuilding/restoring process. Since it the last of the big canneries on the Pacific coast, I hope they can restore more of the place shortly as the facilities are really starting to show their age.
Since there’s such a shortage of breakfast places, I head back to town to try to find a lunch place. I’d heard/read about a place called the Cow Bay Café. Cow Bay is the bay at the north end of Prince Rupert. Everything at that end of town looks like it got shipped here in a Gateway Computer box, even the dumpsters! After reading the posted menu at the Cow Bay Café, I decide to head over to Smiles Seafood Café. Between the two, there’s a short boardwalk. I can see a guy with some monster camera, aiming back towards the woods between the buildings. I walk over to see what he taking a picture of. I scan the trees for eagles. As I’m looking for whatever he’s looking at, his wife says, “No, not up there, right there“. There on a pile of boards, not 50 feet away, is a bald eagle. He’s just sitting there. I made the joke that he’s only got one wing and the Chamber of Commerce brings him out every day and puts him there for us silly tourists. Or maybe, he’s not real. He was created by Disney as an animatron and some clerk some where pushes a button that causes his head to move so us tourists can ooh and aah over him. They’re probably looking out some office window right now, laughing their butts off at us. I’ll post several shots of Mr. Bald Eagle.
Oh yeah, Smiles Seafood Café. I always find it fascinating to read a menu far from home, just to see stuff on the menu that I’ve never heard of, let alone eaten. How about an Oyster Burger, Smiles has them. Maybe some poutine? Poutine is French fries covered in gravy and cheese. I passed on those…..but how could I pass on a shrimp sandwich? I had the shrimp sandwich, a bowl of shrimp chowder and an ice tea, which came in a can. The ice tea was typical canned ice tea but both the shrimp sandwich and the chowder were excellent. If you ever find yourself in Prince Rupert, I recommend that you try them both.
In a bit, I’m going to get my stuff organized so, hopefully, things will go quickly tomorrow. When I went to the ferry docks the other day, they told me that I should be there around 6 AM. The ferry sails at 8:30. There are lines painted on the parking lot where you line up to get on the ferry, Since everything is outside, I’m just hoping it’s not raining.
