I spent yesterday not touching my computer for more than five minutes. The temperature reached 41C here and that was a record. My Vancouver friends wrote to me proclaiming the heat (33C – albeit a record) but I had a hard time being sympathetic. Forty-one was HOT!
We went to Clayton Falls yesterday. The hydro facility is right there and the falls provide 100% of the power for Bella Coola. There is a lot of water coming off the mountains due to the heat, so the falls were really moving. They are an easy drive and slight walk from town. We then walked around the recreation area and along the waterfront. There are remnants of an old logging operation right there.
We were planning to go back to the Fisheries Pool due to the extreme heat, but we got side tracked. We went there on Tuesday night and it was fabulous. Cool and refreshing and just beautiful.
People seemed to think it was too far from town (half hour drive from Bella Coola) but it was well worth the trip. It really wasn’t that far.
After exploring Clayton Falls we headed to the Lodge where we had arranged a zodiac tour of the estuary. They had called us saying they were willing to take us out, even though there were only two of us. While we were arranging that we chatted with Fraser (guide) and he told us they were getting ready to do a trip to Odegaard Falls. We had wanted to see the falls and do the drive, but everyone warned us that it wouldn’t be good to do in our car. These were logging roads that weren’t really kept up. So, when the opportunity arose to attach ourselves to this tour we did. It was a lot of driving, but the sights were fabulous. It was also great to go with a local guide who knew a lot about the area.
We saw a black bear on the ride up as well as squirrels and grouse (pheasants). Other than that, there wasn’t much wildlife. The vistas were stunning. Our goal was to make it to Purgatory lookout, and we came within a few hundred meters of our goal. The road had been washed out several times and just two months ago was covered in snow. Fraser didn’t want to take a chance on venturing much further in the van.
We came home tired, and beaten up by the excessive heat. I think swatting horseflies, deerflies and just flies made me too warm. I haven’t seen this many flies since my days in Algonquin Park in Ontario.
This morning we had an estuary tour in a zodiac. Fraser was our guide once again and the first thing he said to us was that we should be glad our Toyota didn’t make the trip up to the falls yesterday. This morning he went out to the truck and he had a flat tire. It was a rough road.
We zoomed around the estuary and saw seals and eagles. I have never been so close to an eagle. We got right up underneath them before they flew away.
We also stopped at the old cannery. It is run down but it was a fascinating step back into the past. The store there is as it was when it was left by the settlement. It was amazing to see all the old things (toothpicks and ex lax have the same packaging today as they did 50 years ago) and to imagine this as a bustling community up until the mid 70′s.
It’s still very hot. We have severe thunderstorm warnings issued for the area. There is not a stitch of wind. I think the Fisheries Pool might be calling us.