our first out of town visitors

toby, mary, me, jon in Rupert

when we met for dinner in Victoria in May our old friend Toby and his wife Mary decided they would come for a visit. we were ecstatic to have our first out of town visitors (and of course pushed to get the flooring down so they wouldn't have to walk on plywood in their room--alas, we only got half finished)...but no matter, we didn't spend too much time hanging out in our rooms.

after their long drive up north with their superstar (but senior) pooch Molly in tow, we hit the road again for a night in Prince Rupert (4 hrs west of here on the coast)...Jon and I were excited to head out that way for a bit, and Toby, Mary and Molly were troopers, that's for sure! what better way to relax from all that driving than to go on another mini road trip? haha.


the drive out to Rupert took us forever, mostly because we stopped to dilly dally a lot (here's me playing on a river boat in Hazelton)


we decided to stop in old Hazelton for a coffee--and good thing too because we randomly met the artist Roy Henry Vickers in the street--unfortunately we didn't think to snap a pic with him, but hopefully we can photoshop him onto the above pic


Jon and a Hazelton totem


stretching our car legs on the rapids hike on the way in to Rupert




found: tree swing

Mary has actually been to Rupert before, but only from water--she does marine research and often will go out on the water on research missions for a few weeks at a time--Rupert is usually one of their stops to get off the ship and stretch their sea legs with a night at the pub.
Toby had never been and I think was looking forward to seeing the pay phone from which Mary calls him when she's away on her missions.
and Jon and I? well, we were excited to get out of town for a couple of days, and so look forward to eating candied salmon and salmon jerky from Dolly's! (sooooo darn delicious--we stocked up!)


a miraculously sunny two days in Rupert made for a miraculous sunset
(which we recently realized we don't get to see too much in the mountains)


we enjoyed the sunset on the waterfront patio at the casino (after losing our money on the nickel and penny slots)






another sunny day in Rupert...Jon under a cowbrella in Cow Bay


saw this pic in Cow Bay and had to snap it for Jord and Gillian (our next out of town visitors--well, meeting them halfway between here and Calgary in July...can't wait!)


stopped for a visit at the old North Pacific Cannery in Port Edward
(Jon and I had been before so I didn't take too many pics but of course had to take pics of the old tins of food in the old store building)


mini-kegger...old school


mini provincial park on hwy 16 (once a campground, now just a quick stop on the highway)







had a beautiful day just walking around town here the day before they had to head back...it was nice to relax and be a tourist in my own town for a day!

but of course we took them up our favourite Smithers scramble, Malkow Lookout
(where we got mauled by black flies and skeeters--Tobes had the bear spray in case we encountered the black bear that was hangin out in the parking lot the previous day--but none of us thought about the bug dope)

Mary, Tobes, Me, Jon with Molly

super fun visit!
-a.