Prince Rupert, British Columbia
This morning we arrived at Prince Rupert, British Columbia – our first stop in Canada. We happened to arrive when it was low tide, so as we walked off the ship and down the dock, we saw countless barnacles and huge sea stars that were exposed on the pier pilings. We showed our passports to Canadian customs officials, then visited the Museum of Northern British Columbia, which has a beautiful collection of native art and artifacts. At the longhouse across the street, Tsimshian dancers performed for us. Afterwards, some of us explored the small, gently sloping town by foot. There were colorful and interesting flower gardens around town! My impression of the Cow Bay portion of Prince Rupert is: ‘quaint and quirky.’
Shortly after the ship left town, we saw a couple of harbor porpoises, and we encountered several more during the early afternoon hours. We passed by many scattered small, low islands, and to the east, gently rounded mountains. In the late afternoon the National Geographic Sea Lion entered Grenville Channel, a long and very narrow waterway. We continue southward tonight.
