Thursday, August 17, 2023
We woke up this morning to partly cloudy skies and 62 degrees. We have about 150 miles to go to get to Prince George, BC, so we head off at 8:30 a.m.
One last look at Stuart Lake from our campground.
We began our travel today on Highway 27 going south from Fort St. James, and Vanderhoof is only 33 kilometers (or 21 miles) away until we turn onto the Yellowhead Highway (Hwy 16 East).
Prince George is now 104 kilometers (or 65 miles) away. And then before we know it, we are in Prince George.
We see another "Welcome to Prince George" sign (see below).
Mama Yeh Campground is a beautiful provincial RV park nestled in a private 145 acres pristine forest setting.
We are staying at Mama Yeh Campground for three nights on site #12. It was a Passport campground and it cost us $97.44 CA (or $71.12 US or $23.71/night). It was a beautiful campground with large spaces that would accomodate big RVs.
After getting set up, we drove back into Prince George.
Prince George has an elevation of 1,886 feet and a population of 74,003. It is located at the confluence of the Nechako and Fraser Rivers, near the geographic center of the province. In 1807, Simon Fraser of the North West Trading Company erected a trading post here named Fort George, in honor of the reigning English monarch, King George III.
Fort George remained a trading post until 1912 when the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway acquired a site for a town, and Prince George was officially incorporated in 1915. The original Fort George is now a city park and houses a traditional native burial ground. Today, forestry, oil, mining, agriculture and heavy construction are major area industries here.
Prince George is British Columbia’s 2nd largest city (by area) and a hub for trade and travel routes in the region. Prince George is located at the junction of Yellowhead Highway 16—linking Prince Rupert on the west coast with the Interior of Canada—and Highway 97, which runs south to Vancouver and north to Dawson Creek.
We drove to downtown Prince George and stopped at the visitor center.
Our next stop was at Cottonwood Island Park, a wooded park covered with 100 year-old cottonwood trees on the shore of Nechako River. Cottonwood Island Park was named specifically for the many mature cottonwood trees within the park boundaries. The park lies at the confluence of the Fraser and Nechako Rivers in the traditional territory of the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation. The park consists of 83 acres of land.
You can walk the green trails, gaze out at the intersection of the Nechako and Fraser rivers, and look for peace among the foliage.
But if you take the right path, you might find something else too — 20 carvings of faces, whimsical houses and a dragon artfully carved into the sides of the park’s black cottonwood trees. The park truly has its eyes on you!
These magical carvings of faces throughout the park are the creation of a local artist, Elmer Gunderson, who has been carving and sculpting for more than 25 years. He commented, “When I carved them, I tried to leave them hidden a bit in the bush, so it’s a scavenger hunt for people to find.” He says now when he walks through the park, he has people tell him to look into the trees because there are carvings there, but he cited, “I don’t tell them I’m the carver. I just play along with it. I really enjoy it.”
Gunderson is known as the “Magic Man of Cottonwood Island” and he is a very talented guy with a set of saws — and carving tools. Gunderson indicated that it was in Cottonwood Island Park where he first taught himself how to carve faces and although he now mainly works sculpting stone and clay, tree carvings “gave him his roots.” He says while anything can inspire him, he finds the human face the most intriguing thing to sculpt.
Also at the start of Cottonwood Island Park is a replica of a railway bridge. You can cross a historical vertical lift rail bridge here. This footbridge is a replica of the Cameron Street Bridge that spanned the Nechako River from 1931 until 2005 just upstream from this location. The city decided to preserve the bridge's history by building a replica Howe truss bridge (with informative signage) to carry foot traffic in the nearby Cottonwood Island Park.
The Cottonwood Island Park located in the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation boasts incredible winding walking trails lined by gorgeous towering cottonwood trees. After we crossed the arched wooden bridge that lead to the trail system on a beautiful sunny morning, we soon saw tall majestic trees surrounding us as we wandered across carpets of yellow-gold leaves. Within minutes, any trace of the busy city of Prince George was long gone as we explored the trails and side-paths that crisscrossed the park like a web.
(Shown above is a map of the location of the tree bark carvings in Cottonwood Island Park.)
We are now on a scavenger hunt to find all of the carvings. Within a few minutes we have spotted something unusual jutting out from one of the trees. A small indigenous face, carved into the bark of one of the Cottonwood trees was staring back at us.
(Carving of a man with a long beard.)
The intricately detailed faces are about the size of the palm of your hand. Some are in plain sight, others are off the beaten path. Follow along as I show you the many hidden faces we found in the trees.
(A native Indian carving.)
(A carving of a man with a long moustache and beard.)
(Native Indian carving.)
(A winged dragon carving.)
(A mouse carving.)
(Multiple chicken-beak face carvings.)
(A girl with long hair carving.)
We continued along the wooded path looking for spirits or faces in the trees!
(A native Indian carving with a bear on his head.)
We were soon down to the shore of the Nechako River.
The Nechako River is a major tributary of the Fraser River in central British Columbia. It originates at Kenney Dam and flows eastward for nearly 150 miles, draining the Nechako Plateau into the Fraser at Prince George, BC. Stuart River, a 258-mile-long tributary, joins the Nechako midway between Fort Fraser and Prince George, a stretch that is paralleled by the Canadian National Railway. Once a 287-mile-long stream rising in Eutsuk Lake in the Coast Mountains of western British Columbia, the Nechako was bisected in 1952 by Kenney Dam as part of a colossal engineering project of the Aluminum Company of Canada.
We then continued on the trail in search of more surprises.
(A man carving with buldging eyes.)
(A raccoon carving.)
(A hawk carving.)
(Many mystical little house carvings.)
(Man with a long beard carving.)
(Man with bugged eyes carving.)
Another glimpse of the Nechako River and another hidden face.
(Girl with long hair carving.)
(Man with beard carving.)
(More mystical treehouse carvings.)
Another beautiful view of Nechako River.
The above storyboard told us about the cottonwood trees and the black cottonwood that are abundant in this park.
(Airbrush artist Greg Gislason painted the "Spirit of the Games" mural shown above.)
Afterwards, we drove to the Real Canadian Store to get groceries. And then we stopped at the Crossroads Brewing located in a historic garage in downtown Prince George.
Mel enjoyed a craft beer or two and we split an order of chicken wings. Yummy!
While Mel was enjoying another craft beer, I walked over to the Sunflower Fabrics store to pick up the 2023 row-by-row pattern. When I got there and found out that they did not participate in it this year, the new owner was very nice and she went and found me a couple of the row-by-row kits from a few years ago. And she gave them to me free gratis!
For dinner tonight, Mel made sausage and pepperoni pizza.
Friday, August 18, 2023
We woke up to a cloudy, rainy day with a temperature of only 54 degrees. We had a breakfast of pancakes and hung around the camper to see if the rain would stop.
Around 1:00 p.m., after lunch we decided to drive into Prince George and do a little sight-seeing.
Our first stop was at Mr. PG (see above and below). Mr. PG is a mascot for Prince George. He was first constructed in 1960 as a symbol of the importance of the forestry industry to the city. He currently stands at the junction of Highway 97 and Highway 16. This giant wooden man with a big log for a torso and smaller logs as arms and legs wears a yellow construction hat, waves a flag, and stands at around 27 feet tall. His head is 4 feet, 11 inches in diameter. The original was constructed out of wood but the current replacement is made mostly of painted metal.
The Mr. PG roadside attraction that stands today is actually the second incarnation. The first was built in 1960 to honor the lumber industry. When that one rotted in 1983, a new one was built in its place. The one that stands today looks identical to the original, but is 13-feet shorter.
We next went to the Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park. Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park (previously called Fort George Park) is located in Prince George and is one of the more popular community park destinations.
The name of this park is Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park to acknowledge Lheidli T’enneh traditional territory and the presence of a village that once existed in this area. The Lheidli T'enneh Band is the First Nations band government for the Lheidli T'enneh, a subgroup of the Dakelh people whose traditional territory includes the City of Prince George. The name means "The People from the confluence of the two rivers" in the Carrier language referring to how the Nechako River enters the Fraser River at Prince George.
Ths entrance pavilion (shown below) had an artist rendition of what the original village might have looked like.
Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park is the city's largest park covering over 65 acres of well maintained lawns dissected by pathways leading to viewing benches looking out over the Fraser River, flower gardens, a First Nation cemetery and a children's playground and water park.
Some of the many beautiful flower beds in Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park.
Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park includes many amenities onsite - most connected by a paved pathway. The walkway in the park works its way around flower beds and trees leading to the main walkway following the shores of the mighty Fraser River. Sitting benches line the shore providing views of the torrent river and of Yellowhead Bridge. The main paved walkway in the park connects to the Heritage River Trails.
The park is also a gateway to understanding our BC history. Next door to the park is the Fraser - Fort George Regional Museum. The museum stores the artifacts and stories of the early European pioneers who settled to the region. The museum is near the playground and is easily identified by the miniature steam train and the wooden fort.
The Fort George Railway Station is shown above. The Fort George Railway is Canada’s shortest passenger railway, and the wood-burning “Dinky” steam engine on those tracks is a unique Canadian artifact, cared for and operated by The Exploration Place. Built in 1912 and arriving by sternwheeler, this 24-inch narrow gauge wood-fired steam engine was present at the last spike in the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway at Fort Fraser.
The Little Prince runs on a 1.4 mile long track in the park and is the only engine of its kind left in operation in North America. The Little Prince is a rolling memory of the days when Canada completed its first transcontinental railway.
This engine and four others were initially built by the Davenport (Iowa) Locomotive Works to operate on coal for moving crews and materials to the railheads of various construction projects around North America. The five that were sent to Northern BC in 1912 on the back of a sternwheeler were modified to operate on wood, as that was the fuel source available in the region. The five engines were built to deliver supplies during the construction of the Grand Trunk and after they were no longer needed were abandoned to a scrap heap on Island Cache. Pieces were salvaged years later, fully restored, and rebuilt into The Little Prince -- truly making it the only engine of its kind left in operation in North America. Now the Little Prince burns roughly half a cord of wood per day.
The storyboard above told us about the South Fort George Schoolhouse. The visual look of the South Fort George Schoolhouse building could be described as “quaint”. It has a flat roof and a corner entrance with wood siding that give the building a nostalgic look. The building was originally one room only and was approximately 15 feet by 30 feet in size. Heat was provided by a single wood burning stove which made use of a brick chimney. It was not originally built to serve as a school and was only rented for this purpose until a proper school could be built.
Opened in 1910, the building was originally rented from Mr. Wiggins of the Northern Development Company for $30 a month. The first volunteer school teacher lasted one week, while the second teacher lasted one month. Mrs. A.B. Campbell was then hired and her first task was to change the unruly children into students.
After one month of hard work, and the use of the "cat-o-nine tails" as a disciplinary tool, Mrs. Campbell had the children in line. (NOTE: The "cat-o-nine tails" was composed of nine lengths of braided hemp with ends lashed. The rope forming the stiff, thick handle was twisted, knotted, braided, and tarred with a wrist loop at the top. The instrument measured 38-1/4 inches long overall, with the nine individual “tails” measuring approximately 18 inches each.)
In its first year, the school had 28 children enrolled, with 15 girls and 13 boys (with the average daily attendance being 15). In 1911, another 10 children began attending school. Teachers were paid $90 a month to teach students from kindergarten through 8th grade.
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Above is a historical photograph of the South Fort George Schoolhouse when it opened in 1910 with 28 students.
Above is The Exploration Place, which is a museum and science center in Prince George, BC.
Inside the park is a small First Nation Cemetery named the Lheidli T'enneh Burial Grounds. Lheidli tenne means "people from where two rivers flow together". The cemetery was once a main village site until the early 20th century. Today, all that remains of the village is the cemetery (see below).
Next, after seeing everything we wanted to in the Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park, we drove to the Northern Lights Estate Winery.
Built on the banks of the Nechako River, at the base of Prince George’s famous cutbanks, the Northern Lights Estate Winery opened in 2015 and quickly grew to be BC’s largest fruit winery. Much of the property produces the fruit that is used in their wines including gooseberries, raspberries, apples, rhubarb, black currants, cherries, and blueberries. Their wines are proudly crafted using only BC-grown fruits both from their farms and partner farms across the province.
We got to taste five different wines there including:
* Bumbleberry - sunshine in a bottle, Bumbleberry is the perfect example of a classic fruit wine. It is a playful blend that is a mix of BC-grown raspberries, blueberries and Saskatoon berries. Jammy on the nose, reminiscent of grandma’s homemade pie, dark fruit forward with a tart, silky smooth finish.
* Mirtillo - Italian for blueberry, this juicy wine will have you exclaiming “Bravo!” to the winemaker. Made from two varieties of blueberries and aged in Hungarian oak, Mirtillo is an off-dry, medium-bodied wine. Distinct fragrances of the plant itself, with subtle vanilla notes, lead to a vivacious, fruit-forward palate.
* Seduction - is one of many fruit wines created at the winery and is a fragrant, off-dry, creamy strawberry and rhubarb wine blend that really tastes of strawberries and cream. On the nose, a wave of strawberry and fresh fruit hits in a way that appeases all wine lovers. Home-grown strawberries reach the palate first with a medium body and creamy, buttery mouthfeel. Seduction finishes light and smooth seducing you into another sip.
* Ursa - made with apples, this is the perfect beverage for soaking up sun on your patio with a pal. Every vintage is unique thanks to the variety of apples collected from local trees in our partnership with the Northern Bear Awareness Society. Soft, floral scents ready your taste buds for this refreshing, gentle and light white wine that has just a touch of sweetness.
* Cuvee Blanche - is a white wine master's blend of apple, apricot, gooseberry, rhubarb, and strawberry. Perfect for a sunny September day!
We each tasted the above five wines, and Mel also tasted the rhubarb wine. We then bought two bottles of the strawberry rhubarb wine - Seduction to take home with us.
After our wine tastings, we went for a walk around the winery.
The above storyboard told us about the Northern Lights Estate Winery, which is BC's northernmost and largest winery. It opened in 2015 and is owned and operated by the Bell family.
We walked through the vineyard.
The above storyboard told us about the apple orchard at the winery. The 'Apple of their Eye' includes two varieties of apples - Goodland and Honeycrisp. They are pruned for shape and diseases every spring before they start leafing out. Typically the apple trees begin to bloom in May. These apples add to their famous wine Ursa, which gets its namesake from Ursa Major, or "Great Bear" constellation.
View along the banks of the Nechako River (see above and below).
Apple trees along the Nechako River.
The above storyboard told us about Bumbleberry Alley. Bumbleberry is simply defined as a mixture of berries. In this area, we are surrounded by three berries (blueberries, raspberries, and saskatoon berries) that are used in the top-selling Bumbleberry Wine. On site, they grow Chippewa and Patriot Blueberries. The raspberries are called, "Double Delight." The saskatoon berries are the cultivated variety Thiessen.
The above storyboard told us about "Following the Sun." The sunflowers grow toward the sun and have a special place in the hearts of the owners of the winery, so much so that they have planted over an acre of sunflowers.
The above storyboard told us about the north's favorit plant - rhubarb. Known to many as a hardy plant that survives the winter, rhubarb is the backbone of two of the winery's wines (Seduction and Nechako Crush). When fermented into wine, rhubarb loses it characteristic sour punch, and morphs into a delectable beverage. There are over 14,000 rhubarb plants at the farm.
The above storyboard told us about the Nechako River that arises on the Nechako Plateau east of the Kitimat Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. It meanders east to Prince George where it enters the Fraser River. The Nechako name is from the indigenous Carrier language which means "big river". The river is of spiritual significance and cultural importance to the Nechako First Nations, whose members are descendants of the Indigenous inhabitants who lived along the Nechako River since time immemorial. Sharing sturgeon and salmon with the community is a long-standing tradition for these people.
The above storyboard told us about the history and distribution of the white sturgeon that have lived the Fraser River Watershed for over 10,000 years.
Wine barrels at the Northern Lights Estate Winery.
The above storyboard told us about the bees at the Northern Lights Estate Winery. The many bushes at the winery are pollinated by bumblebees and solitary bees. The winery has planted a row of native plants to allow the bees to nest and feed once the fruits are done blooming. Bumblebees are by far the best pollinators for fruit growers because they are active earlier in the season than honeybees and they will fly from flower to flower even if the weather is grey. Since most of the fruits the winery grows bloom in early May when the temperature is still cool, the bumblebees are their main allies. Honeybees are beneficial for the raspberries and apple trees which bloom in early June.
The above storyboard told us about the newly planted plum trees in the orchard. The plum trees were planted in 2023, and as plum trees require a minimum of two varieties for the flowers to be pollinated and produce fruit. The variety of plums include Canadian, Lee Red, Convoy, Opata, and Pembina. The trees are planted close together because the pollen has a very short life.
The above storyboard told us about the kiwi berry vines that were added to the orchard in 2023. The winery grows Arctic Beauty, September Sun, and Pasha varieties. The vines are mainly female kiwi plants which produce the fruit, with a few male kiwi plants inbetween them for pollination.
Above is the Haskap, a honey berry, which is an edible blue honeysuckle, native to northern hemisphere countries including Canada, Japan and Russia.
The above storyboard told us about the haskap berries. These plants are beloved by northern growers because they can handle intense winter climates and are heavy producers. The look similar to a moon grape, or an enlongated blueberry. Berries are harvested the first week of July and are a slightly sour, almost raspberry flavor with a hint of eucalyptus. Haskaps are used to build body and depth in the wines.
The above storyboard told us about the amphitheatre at the winery. The space is perfectly sculpted to ensure that there is not a bad seat in the house or winery. (See the amphitheatre below.)
Above, Mel is out walking through the orchard, while below is a pretty area planted with native wildflowers.
Before we left the winery, we were surprised as we caught sight of a black bear looming among the vines in the orchard area of the winery. After leaving the winery, we drove by the Millennium Park that is overflowing with tons of homeless living quarters (see below).
Shown above and below is a "homeless encampment" in Millenium Park at the corner of First Avenue and George Street in downtown Prince George.
The homeless camp is truly an eyesore in downtown Prince George.
And finally before heading back to our campsite, we stopped at Trench Brewery & Distillery. It is a craft brewery and distillery located in Prince George, that is passionate about creating beverages that represent the unique landmarks of the Rocky Mountain Trench!
Above Mel enjoys a craft beer at Trench Brewery & Distillery. I sampled the Trench Peach Iced Tea Vodka -- it was really good. We bought a four pack to take home (see below).
When we got back, Mel relaxed in his hammock. Later that afternoon, we grilled pork chops, potato packets and sweet corn for dinner.
Saturday, August 19, 2023
It was a chilly 43 degrees tgis morning, but the sun was out and the temperature would soon reach 72 degrees. We decided to take a drive to see what we could see toward Hixon.
We left at 9:20 a.m. and Hixon was located 32 kilometers (or 20 miles) away.
We are now 13 kilometers (or 8 miles) away.
Hixon is the Cariboo’s most northern community and has a population of 500. It is a pleasant community on Hixton Creek. Joseph Hixton first discovered gold here in the 1860s.
We followed the signs to Hixon Falls. Hixon Falls was supposed to be a 100 foot cascading waterfall with a great swimming hole. Hixon Creek was named after a 19th century prospector (Joseph Foster Hixon) who found gold on the banks of the creek!
We followed the winding gravel road for a few miles.
We took the fork to the left.
And to our surprise and disappointment the Hixon Falls appeared to be dried up! The 100 foot Hixon Falls was to have cascaded into a deep pool, and then flowed down into two more deep pools.
We retraced our steps back the gravel road and back toward Prince George. We decided to stop at Walmart to pick up a few groceries, and then stop at Deadfall Brewing.
Deadfall Brewing Company is an intimate and inclusive craft-brewery that operates on the traditional, unceded territories of the Lheidli T'enneh people.
Mel had a couple craft beers, and then we stopped at Super Save Gas to get gas. We then headed back to the campground for the evening. For dinner tonight we had chili.
Our journey in Prince George was coming to an end. While there we had enjoyed spirits of all kinds -- including tree bark faces, craft beer and wine!
Shirley & Mel
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