Smithers was indeed a pleasant surprise…. So much so that Colleen thinks her daughter should get a job teaching there to provide an excuse to come back.
There are a number of waterfalls in the area. We all chose to walk up to Twin Falls...good choice. Bit of an uphill slog leads up to glacier fed mists of rushing water pounding down to the valley below. Don had a great time with his new camera.

Like a Swiss mountain village the experience included the local market on Saturday morning (where I bought yummy Bison sausage and spicy roasted pumpkin seeds). A blue grass band was playing as we wandered the stalls taking in the fresh produce, flowers and artwork.

Took a picture of our old goats next to the old goat statue then Don took another of Shane and I next to a statue of a man blowing an Alpenhorn.

The Swiss began to settle here in 1910 and continue to this day. Their love of the outdoors and their celebration of flowers is evident everywhere. I can see why my sister and her husband loved the place!

Shortly after we left Smithers we came to a First Nations settlement, Morricetown, where the river narrows through a rushing gorge. Here locals catch salmon with spears and nets. We spent a long time watching the salmon try to jump up the rapids. An experience that takes you back in time.

Unfortunately the village is also at the start of the “Highway of Tears”.. the area where so many women have gone missing. We passed a number of signs clearly warning of the dangers of hitchhiking. Kind of sobering as you drive along and think of the horrors that happen in such a beautiful place.
Just past New Hazleton we turned north to visit Ksan Historic Village. The isolation of this valley meant they were able to retain knowledge and the ways of their great, great, grandparents. They had permanent settlements and a rich tradition of hunting, fishing and gathering. I’m glad we took the guided tour. Our soft spoken guide was able to answer questions the audio presentation did not fully explain. The tour included three long houses…. One a traditional home which had displays showing how they went about their daily life (weaving, box making, preserving, fishing etc). The second was a Festival House which gave us insite to their traditional ‘meetings’ and the last gave stunning examples of masks and costumes. The people of this area have rich and proud heritage and I was privileged to be able to experience it…. Besides, I bought myself some pretty nice earrings!!
Farther along the valley we came to Terrace where we took a picture of the hospital for Salina and gathered sand (which is a story in itself). At one stop we experienced a mass migration of baby frogs. So… lets see;…yesterday it was ants and today it is frogs…..thousands of the little hoppers. Not sure where they were going but we got lots of pictures.

Between Terrace and Prince Rupert the road winds along the glacier fed river with the narrow valley surrounded by mountains every bit as pretty as Jasper and Banff.

In Prince R|upert we checked in to the Crest Hotel which is right on the water. Though our rooms looked out the other direction we still had a view with dinner and later in the hot tub. How good does it get??