Prince Rupert

We spent today being tourists in Prince Rupert.

First we went down to the container ship loading facility and watched them moving around the containers — loading and unloading from trains and trucks and putting them into huge towering piles.  They were not loading a container ship today, just prepping.  Prince Rupert is the closest deep water port to Singapore so while not as busy by a long shot as LA, Seattle, or San Francisco, it handles a great deal of cargo particularly for the Chicago market.  At the town dock, 10 to 12 cruise ships per year of the 250-500 passenger size call each year.  There is a third dock for the ferries.

Then we drove to the other side of PR and took a great hike (3 mi) through a rain forest.  About halfway around the loop was a view point for the Butze Rapids.  The rapids were quite active as the tide was about an hour from low tide. Lots of Sitka Spruce and huge cedars, and skunk cabbage that must have been 3 feet high and ferns and moss everywhere.

After a great lunch in Dolly’s World Famous Fish Restaurant (a little hole in the wall with great fresh fish), we walked  PR to see the sites.  Not all that much to see (most of the town is quite run down), but the day was beautiful and walking along the water was nice.  We did enjoy the Museum of Northern British Columbia and the sunken garden.  The story of the latter is interesting: In 1914 the basement for a courthouse was dug, but the courthouse wasn’t built when WWI started.  After the war (1923), it was decided to build the Courthouse on a slightly different place.  The old hole was then used during WWII as a munitions storage area.  Finally after the war, community volunteers turned the hole into a very attractive garden.

-- Janet (text) and David (photos)