Dave through the Americas - 9.2.02 Leaving Masset to Port Clements and Queen Charlotte City

We left the beach cabin around 9:30 and I had Kevin stop by the Naikoon Motel so I could say goodbye to Pam and Salal. Salal was sitting on the couch watching The Wizard of Oz when I came in. I briefly described some of the good times I’d had in the past few days to Pam and gave her a big hug goodbye. I know I’ll be back to Haida Gwaii because I drank from St. Mary’s Creek. So we came into Masset in the pouring rain. David was still sleeping. I thought it would be a nice gesture to cook breakfast before I left, so I called up Helga in Tok and got her recipe for her Dutch Baby. She told me she enjoyed her trip to Germany and I briefly mentioned my idea to have her make more roach clip pendants for me to sell on the road. The recipe seemed easy enough, but I know there was some magic to it. Flour, milk, and egg in a blender and pour in a buttered iron skillet. Cover and cook for 24 minutes. Viola! It was a success. The result was a thick and fluffy pancake-like but also custard-like creation. We topped on fresh whipped cream and fresh raspberries and stewed rhubarb from Myrna’s garden. It was my first time trying rhubarb and my first Dutch Baby. Both were delicious. David, Kevin and Miel busied themselves preparing to drop off more stuff at the community hall for tomorrow and I prepared my things for a rainy ride to Port Clements where I’d hang out with Peter and Kristen until the talk in Charlotte City later that evening. The husband of the Governor General is pretty well known for his social commentary and was speaking tonight at the visitor’s center. I noticed one of my tires was flat, my rear, as usual, so I patched the small hole and loaded up the rig. I stopped at the Masset grocery for a quick snack before heading off in the rain. I made it to Port Clements (or “Port”) in about 2 and a half hours. Sheila passed me at about half way. She was going to the talk as well. I met Peter at the Kumdis River Lodge and he and Kristen gave me a warm welcome. I dried up my clothes and myself and went straight to the kitchen to cook up dinner while they finished up some work around the lodge. Peter works as a fishing guide for the fly fisherman with big bucks who come from the US and Canada to catch wild steelhead trout. Kristen helps out Peter and helps with the cooking and fixing up the rented cabins after guests. As I looked around for ingredients in their kitchen to complete my creations, I noticed their eclectic tastes from the spices and ingredients they kept. My kind of cooking. We had a nice meal and fixed some coffee for the road. I threw my bike and gear in Peter’s truck and we headed off to Queen Charlotte City to listen to the Governor General’s husband. We arrived about 10 minutes late and there were no seats but there was room to stand and squat. We listened to an interesting talk on global and local politics, economics, resource management and community structures but it was interesting. He was a good speaker with good ideas. I especially enjoyed the questions and comments afterwards and how he made himself accessible after the talk. I said goodbye to Peter and Kristen and then snacked on desert food after the talk. I walked around talking to the various people who had attended. I said goodbye and a big thanks to David before he left and gave him a big hug. I talked briefly with a producer, Kristina, working with the film crew doing the documentary. She said she knew lots of people in Columbia and would put me in touch with them as I got closer. She gave me her email to keep in touch. As I left the visitors center, thinking about what I was going to do for camping, I ran into Rachel. We brainstormed a bit and she told me the hostel down the street she was staying at was full. I thought it might be a good opportunity to ask if I could just pitch my tent on the property. We stopped by and I talked with the owner, who turned out to be Fraser’s Mom. Fraser works at the Career Resource Center in Masset, where Emily used to work. I talked to her about my position and dropped a few familiar names and in the end, she let me pitch my tent free of charge. Cool. I gave Kelly a call before going to bed and told her about my plan to arrive at Port Hardy Friday night after taking the ferry through the inside passage. She asked me some questions about gear and we expressed our excitement for the upcoming ride. (29 miles)

Peace

Dave