Rough Seas

 There are rough seas on the horizon as we head into what so far has been a record autumn with five storms bearing hurricane force winds in eleven days.  Since Labour Day the ferry has been cancelled twice and delayed five times.  These are the type of statistics we are used to in the middle of winter.

This is the weather satellite capture from this morning showing the tail end of a strong storm that grounded us yesterday(Haida Gwaii is on the far right and Russia is on the far left of this capture).  Our weather systems orignate in the North Pacific circulating in a counter clockwise direction.  Haida Gwaii's main weather comes from the southeast.  Winds coming across the warm Japanese current pick up moisture and speed, as they meet the coastal mountains and the high pressure system that sits south of us they create the spiral that brings us our weather.  If the high pressure system is weak our low pressure system will overwhelm the high and the system will move south over Vancouver Island, if it is strong it keeps the system north and we get wet and wind blown.

 These two photos were taken from the deck of the cabin.  The wind is blowing salt mist which plays havoc with camera lens.  The grasses have already gone brown and are showing the direction of the wind and blowing sand.  Even Marley is willing to watch from a distance!

SkyWatch Friday ~ Why am I here?

 In 2002/2003 I sat at the table with 20 other islanders and worked on what was to be known as the Heritage Tourism Strategy.  Often when traditional economies fail(in our case logging and commercial fishing) communities often turn to tourism as their panacea.  However tourism can have the same devastating affects as commercial logging and/or over fishing, turning once liveable pristine places into overrun seasonal landscapes gutting them of core services and long term viability.

The fella who helped our group through this process, Robert Sandford told us something that has never left me..."Each day remind yourself why you choose to live here and never let anything else get in the way of that."   What he wanted us to remember is the essence of why we live where we live so that when we are called upon to make choices we will make the right choices.  If we do not remind ourselves every single day change will happen for the wrong reasons.

I came to Haida Gwaii fourteen years ago but I had known since I was nine that I would come here!  It took half a lifetime to get here but everyday I know why I am here.  It is not always easy, work can be sporatic, family is half a continent away and some of them really don't understand "why" and the cost of everything going up can be daunting but I still know that this is where "my puzzle piece fits"!

It is when I take my morning walk along the beach

and see the incredible beauty that surrounds me

that I am reminded why I am here.

The human race have a tendancy to not do things in moderation, it seems to be all or nothing.  We were reminded while working on the Heritage Tourism Strategy that if there were special places on these islands that we wanted to keep special we should think long and hard before identifying them or risk them becoming our "best kept secret" that everyone knows about!

Where ever you choose to live, honour it, be a part of it and remind yourself daily why you are there...a job(money) should never be the primary reason.  

For me it is the connection to the land, to walk on Mother Earth and to know that we are all connected,

to appreciate the incredible beauty that surrounds us everywhere if we just take the time to look

and give thanks!

Out side of the first four photos(the beach at Tlell) these where taken on North Beach in Naikoon Provincial Park on the northeast corner of Haida Gwaii/Queen Charlotte Islands.  Although others had been on the beach we were the only ones there on this beautiful low tide.  The view through the cracked windshield is the stunning drive through what the locals call the "Magic Forest", a protected Ecological Zone.

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Weekend Reflections

SkyWatch Friday ~ Skies along the Skeena

4:50 a.m. PDT

I am 100kms and two days from home and this morning I finished my road trip on the "hound".  This was the sight that welcomed us this morning at day light along Hwy 16 in northern B.C.  Don't know its name but it was breathtaking.

5:15 a.m. PDT

Outside of the first shot these are all "drive-by" shots from the bus.  These are the BC Coastal Mountains.

5:45 a.m. PDT

These are known as the Seven Sisters oustide of Hazelton, BC.

 6:10 a.m. PDT

Looking back from whence I came along the Skeena River.

7:00 a.m. PDT 

The long and not so winding highway.

8 a.m. PDT

The river, the road and the railway share a very narrow valley.

8:30 a.m. PDT

There is very little snow pack on the mountains for this time of year.

8:45 a.m.

Not a lot of "wiggle" room if you want to pass!

9:00 a.m. PDT

You can reach out and touch them.

9:15 a.m. PDT

Where the Skeena meets he ocean.

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SkyWatch Friday.