Prince Rupert, BC, Canada

 Prince Rupert, BC   June 27^th- June 30th

View from road on way to Prince Rupert

We left Lake Maziadin to go to Prince Rupert on June 27^th.   In retrospect, it probably would have been better to stay in Lake Maziadin or even stop in Terrace or back to Hazelton for a couple of nights before heading down to Prince Rupert. We had 4 days of mostly cold and rain with just a touch of sunshine now and again.   We were able to get into the Prince Rupert Campground without a reservation for the 4 nights which was fortunate because it was coming up to Canada on July 1^st.  It was a good location in as much as it was not even 5 minutes from where we got on the Alaska Marine Highway to Ketchickan. Fishing is absolutely huge up here. We had heard that from many folks, but to see the amount of fishermen with their pickup campers with boats in tow is amazing. The campground was packed with them..and the fish they would take off their boats and put into their  freezers were very large and very many.

Prince Rupert had all the essential stores and was actually bigger than we originally thought it would be. They have a quaint dock area called Cow Bay which was called that because this is where they used to off load the cows for market from the barges coming down the river. No cows now, however, as it is a cruise ship port (about 6 a year, they say)with lots of little shops and a few restaurants and an interesting museum and interpretive center on local history.

We were told by earlier travelers to Alaska that we would see lots of eagles at the dump in Prince Rupert.  So, off we went to the dump to find no eagles. Another hot spot for them was to be the dock area where the multitude of fishermen launch their boats and bring in their catch..right next to the fish packing plant and Bob’s on the Rocks..a tiny outdoor seafood restaurant. We were not disappointed there. We saw many young bald eagles with their white spotted breasts and wings and a few mature bald eagles swooping over looking for leftover fish.

We also found a Seaplane Base and watched them take off right next to the Coast Guard boats. 

We did a lot of reading, played scrabble, did some sightseeing and, of course, laundry at this stop. We’re getting anxious now to get on the Alaska Marine Highway through the Inner Passage.