A few, final, fishy, tidbits.

The food was amazing. Remember when I said that we aren't breakfast eaters? Well, we aren't, but I certainly tried to force myself to indulge when the morning after the ham, eggs and pancakes there was a crab omelet. And the next day there was salmon quiche. And then there was eggs Benedict with tiny bits of dilled salmon in the sauce. And all the seafood was caught on this trip. 

I didn't take breakfast pictures, I'm not sure why, other than I was usually concerned with getting my caffeine fix.

Lunches were usually made from something freshly caught as well. A snapper wrap. A salmon roll. Some seafood chowder with homemade rosemary focaccia (and oddly enough, this was the only bread we saw this whole time. If I had any complaint, and I feel like a huge shit complaining at all, but just saying, if I had a complaint, it would be that some bread or buns would have been nice.) One day Darren made a giant  salad with nuts and seeds and cheeses and different greens and veggies and spices and an amazing dressing, and I really would have enjoyed a bun with it. 

 

Suppers were also something concocted from the days catch.

Crab and pork. I guess the pork was just in case the crab traps were empty. It was sitting on a mash of parsnip and potato. 

The presentation was always wonderful and very un-fishing-boat-like. It was heaven.

This is ling cod in phyllo pastry with couscous (omg....you know how I adore couscous....the food so nice they named it twice!) and kale. 

This is blackened snapper and polenta in...I hate to say tomato sauce because it was so much more than tomato sauce. 

And this is salmon and roasted julienned beets and carrots, also on couscous. (The food so nice I ate it twice.)

And even though the fellows raved about the food, there is no doubt in my mind that their salivary glands went into overtime at the sight of the final nights meal of prime rib and all the trimmings. I gotta say, I was ready for some iron-laden red meat myself. Along with the wine from their organic vineyards, it was a real treat. I might or might not have gone for seconds.

 

And we can't forget dessert. 

A berry compote.

The infamous molton lava chocolate cake with ice cream.

A lemony custard thing, with blueberries that I forgot to take a picture of:

And a raspberry sort of mousse/cheesecake that I also forgot to take a picture of, but it resembled this:

And there was a never-ending pot of Tim Hortons coffee, with all the Baileys one could want, as well as a never ending supply of wine, which was organic. Reds and whites.

To not have to cook a single meal was one of the best parts for me. 

To not have to clean a single fish was one of the best parts for Steven.

Charles took care of all the cleaning, filleting, cryovac-ing and freezing. When we got off the boat, our fish was literally packed, frozen and ready to go.

Salmon for supper.

Getting it all sealed up. Actually, this is Stan, the Gorton Fisherman, called such because he was out fishing in his yellow slicker, rain or shine, for as many hours as he could. He stood on the precarious front deck, with "the stance" and fished and fished and fished.

Besides all the eating and fishing and eating and fishing I found some time (lots of time actually) to sneak away and just sit and enjoy the ocean. And a book. And maybe enjoy a glass of wine. Or seven.

And to enjoy the scenery....we really do live in one of the most beautiful places in the entire world.

Steven and Tony going for the  day on the little boat. 

I like the way the swirl of water looks so smooth in this.

Steven and Tony again, going in the little boat. I was so happy with this picture, it reminds me of a fantasy fairy tale....or heaven or something. Just mystical and soothing. Like the Robin Williams movie about the afterlife.

And this picture is my absolute favorite. To me, it looks like molten gold and I find it mesmerizing. I got a copy enlarged and I just love to stare at it.. No talent, just luck and Mother Nature.

We also saw lots of wildlife. Porpoises...impossible to get pictures of. Whales, both killer and humpback....almost impossible to get photos of. They'd be gone long before I was focused, but we did see one breech...and that was an "Ooooooh!" moment, I've never seen that before, and I think my jaw literally hung open. It was magnificent.

This fellow hung around for quite a while...he'd come up and down like this, but no jumping. But that was ok, this was still a phenomenal sight.

A flip of his tail as he vanished.

An early morning, misty sight.,

Regal but stinky. And loud!

Even the little coves and islands had sights to see.

By the way, this is where we were. Kitimat is a bit above the red mark. We went down the Douglas Channel to the ocean.

This island is Campania Island, we went past that and then, alas, at the end of the week we turned around and went back.

Good bye, beautiful islands.

Goodbye little threesome of boats.

Hello Jasper, Columbia Icefields, Yoho, Banff and Kootenay National Parks. Hello most amazing Storm Mountain Lodge hidden in the middle nowhere...home of romantic cabins and the sweetest restaurant...home of bison burgers and halibut crab cakes and a $12 pear (well, I mean, it was stuffed with ice wine, honey, chèvre, bee pollen and a balsamic glaze.) 

This place was built to attract tourists in the 1920's and we're still arriving. It is spectacular!

My cup runneth over. Are we there yet?

We interrupt this fishing story for a news flash.

I complain so much that I sometimes embarrass my own self. So I need to tell a positive story...not only that, but it's a positive TELUS story, and if that ain't enough to knock your socks off, it's a positive Telus OUTSOURCE story. Yes!

So, remember a week or so ago when Telus accidentally did something to our phone lines and none of the various departments would admit it was them? And I had no phone and Internet for days? And I finally got it fixed, but it was a horrendous  experience? And I complained loudly and endlessly to anyone who would listen? Well, this concerns that.

I decided to watch a Netflix movie the other night and when I tried to access Netflix from our new smart TV with the magic remote (ok...I know I don't do technology well, and yes, I believe that  TV and cell phones are genuine magic, along with Skype and microwave ovens, but this remote is really a magic remote)

Anyhow, the smart TV just kept telling me that there was no connection. I checked my phones again...working. I checked my computer and my iPad....working. Hmmmm. I don't get it. I tried turning things off and on, and I even tried getting Netflix on the iPad, and it worked, and I have to backtrack a minute here: When we first got the smart TV and the fellow set up Netflix, I was so pleased at finally being able to watch movies on the TV as opposed to just using the iPad, and when I later looked at Netflix on my iPad, I saw that a button had appeared that said "Watch on LG TV"! Whaaaaaat?  The wireless airwaves had discovered all by themselves to hook up with each other and tell me via new buttons appearing.  I can be watching a movie on the ipad and if i click on that button, the movie appears on the TV. And people say it isn't magic.....come on. People call this magic "synching", but I have no more room in my brain for new technological terms. Magic it is.

Anyhow, the magic wasn't there today. No button on my iPad and no Netflix on my smart TV. 

I phoned Telus and explained about the issue we had had the prior week, and that The Guy had forgotten to fix my TV. The fellow I was talking to said that The Guy doesn't set up the TV, that The TV Guy From The Store does that.  "But no," I said "He did that already. And then you guys lost my signals and The Guy came and fixed the computer and the phone, and now I need him to come back and fix my TV. My TV says there is no connection, so you need to send The Guy to connect me. Please." 

I think I heard rolling of eyes, all the way from India:

but he explained to me that somewhere in the TV menu there was a place to reconnect the wifi. And, he said, just go Settings  and do it. I sadly whined that I didn't know where anything was. He kindly talked me through all sorts of menus (I hate a TV that is smarter than me.) and eventually we found the place that said "Network Connections" It was like a gift from the TV gods! The network name was there, but it asked me my password. Once again I need to go back to last week.

When The Guy fixed stuff, he also gave us a new modem, and a new network name and password. The Guy read the password to me as I typed it into my iPad, and it was 4 or 5 hundred numbers long, along with a few dozen letters. I asked him if I could change the password to something easier, like "3" and he basically said there was no need, once I was set up I'd never need to enter it again, it was stuck there. (He didn't actually say "stuck there", but I know that's what he meant. I'm starting to catch on to the lingo.) He said that if someone  came over with their device, they'd need that password, so he gave me a card with it written on and said that if I lost the card, it was also on a sticker on the modem.

So, back to my India fellow. I told him that I didn't know the password, but I knew where it was, so I ran downstairs to grab the card, and it was gone. Faaaak. Where did I put it? I quickly flung things around and it wasn't there. It wasnt anywhere. I ran back up stairs to apologize to him, and told him I'd find it later, and finish the chore myself. He kindly told me he'd wait, and to take my time.

"Oh!" I cried with happy memory, "Oh! It's on the modem too, hang on, I'll grab a pencil and  paper and run back down." 

"No rush" he said.

I ran down, looked at the modem and of course it was printed in tiny letters that only the very young and eagles could see.

I ran back up and explained that I needed a magnifying glass and I'd be right back.

"Take your time" he said.

I ran back down, and even with the magnifying glass the letters were hard to read "Is that a b or a 6? Is that a f or an 8? Curses to my faulty eye genes!" 

When I figured that I had it correct, I ran back upstairs and breathlessly announced that I was ready to type in the number.

Ahmad was as excited as I was. We were pretty good friends by this point.

I typed the numbers in, all 400 of them and hit the "enter" button. Except I hit the wrong one. So I tried it again...and in my haste, I hit the wrong enter button again! The cursor was delicate and moved to random numbers with the slightest movement of my hands. It's was like doing surgery.

I think I may have done this once or twice more until Ahmad gently explained that maybe I was hitting the enter button on the magic remote and not the enter button on the TV screen? We laughed gaily at my silliness. 

So we tried once more, Ahmed and I, and glory be....the Netflix logo appeared!

"Hooray!" I cried "We did it! Thank God...or, thank Hephaestus, who is the closest thing in Greco-roman mythology to a god of technology." (You ain't got nuthin' on me, Smart TV.)

"Caloo-Calay!" cried Ahmed. "Thanks be to Rudra, who is the closest we have to a god of technology, and also is the god of  the Destroyer of Creation (which this technology is causing, I think, and so does Ahmed. We are like two peas in a pod, Ahmed and me. Or like two threads of saffron in a crocus flower.

So we discussed "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"and "The 100 Foot Journey." and made plans to exchange curry recipes.

Who'd ever complain about Telus and outsourcing? Not me!  

Heeeere fishy, fishy fishy.....

Sunday Morning. It's a hazy day and we are off for a 7 hour drive to Kitimat.  How can one province be so huge? BC is almost one million square kilometers....944,000, and that's almost a million. That's like 4 Montana's, or 3.5 Colorado's, or even 25 Rhode Islands. Or a France and half. How can there be such long distances between places? Why can't I have my own helicopter so that I can zip here and there in no time? Seven hours? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

We stopped at Tim Hortons in Vanderhoof for a caffeine fix...regular with cream for me, iced Capp with a vanilla shot for he. Are we there yet?

Then we stopped in Houston (no, not that Houston) for gas. Are we there yet?

Then we stopped at Morricetown to watch some traditional native fishing. They stand on a plank over the river, or perch somewhat precariously on the bank, with a spear and a net, and catch salmon. Then they try to sell it to you.  I wasn't impressed, nor was I not impressed, it was just guys fishing as far as I was concerned, but it's apparently quite an attraction. Are we there yet?

I finally spot the road signs for Terrace...we must be almost there! Are we almost there yet? Whaaat? Another hour? Where exactly are we anyhow?

Eventually we reach the little town of Kitimat, home of the giant Alcan smelter. It was sort of disturbing to see such a hideous looking place right by the water. Makes you wonder why kind of effluent runs into the ocean, but that's a rant for another time.  I noticed a cruise ship parked (uh, docked I mean) in the shadow of the smelter, and I thought it seemed strange, and then I learned this:

"Construction workers in northern B.C. will make themselves at home on a cruise ship as they complete $3.3 billion in upgrades to an aluminum smelter.

The Silja Festival, which was built by Estonian company Tallink, is a 171-metre ship that once carried passengers across the Baltic Sea from Stockholm, Sweden to Riga, Latvia.

The ship will be re-branded as the Delta Spirit Lodge while it houses Rio Tinto Alcanworkers for nine months, the Kitimat Northern Sentinel reported."

Which I thought was even stranger.  Although, when you think about it, a good idea. It has 500 bedrooms, a casino, restaurants and so on. There is an incredible housing shortage in Kitimat, and this is a pretty good solution when  you think about it. But, we're not here to worry about smelters and housing... We're here to fish...and, finally, we're here!

We drove to the marina and were greeted by Charles the deckhand, Darren the chef and a few hundred mosquitos. They gathered our luggage and off we went, to the boat.  The fellows gathered our luggage that is, not the mosquitos, although they were large enough to make a good attempt.

Let me tell you who else was there. Tony, our friend from the little cabin was our host and boat owner. His longtime friend, Stan, who I called The Gorton Fisherman was also a guest, as well as a taxidermist, and a retired businessman, an ex-mayor, a brother-in-law,  plus Steven and I, Charles and Darrin, and Pierre The Captain. A total off 11. Just a few more than the SS Minnow. And a few less than The Orient Express. And the same amount as A Ship of Fools. Hmmm...this could go many different ways....

We walked to the end of the dock, and I must say, I was...ummm....more than surprised to see my home for the next Six Days/Five Nights. Meals Included.

We were asked to remove our shoes, just sox and slippers inside, and we were provided with footwear for on the deck. Our own shoes were quickly spirited away until the following Friday morning when they magically reappeared as we left. 

This was my first sight of the little fishing boat: I'm at the deck doors, looking towards the kitchen.

And this picture is from the kitchen, looking towards the deck door.

If you look at this picture above, there are stairs going downstairs to the left, which lead to two bedrooms, each with a full bathroom, and also to the right are stairs going down to three bedrooms, with a shared full bathroom in the hallway. 

The stairs you see going up lead to the wheelhouse, another bed and bathroom, as well as a sun deck and BBQ.

Ok. I think I can do this.

We had a tray of meat and cheese, and wine for a little welcome snack.

And then we checked out our bedroom:

And bathroom (with a regular size shower in there too)

We slept on the boat, at the marina that night. The waves slapped up against both the dock and the boat, making for quite a bit of noise and it was almost  too "rocky-ish". I didn't sleep really well, but I never sleep well the first night in a new place...unusual noises, and pillows that  aren't quite right. The sound of the water was really close and I kept waking up thinking there was a bad leak. I didn't want to drown on my very first night. 

Monday am. Woke up to the sound of the Diesel engines starting up...hooray! We're finally on our way. My first decision was about showering.   We had been told earlier, by a prior guest, that the one concern on the boat is water conservation, and even though this boat has a desalinization, uh, thing, we still need to conserve water. Pierre, tne captain, will "make" more fresh water if needed, but I guess  its sort of a pain, and makes him cranky. I dont want to be the Gilligan to his Skipper. Now, there are five bathrooms on board, three with showers, as well as a dishwasher, so they must accept the fact that a fair amount of water is used, so I wasn't sure exactly how much to conserve. Does that mean a shower every few days? Or super-short showers? Or preferably no showers? Is a short shower just a 2 minute wet-down? Or is a 5 minute warm shower acceptable? Considering I was the only woman onboard, I didn't really want to query the others about their bathing habits. I  decided to stick my head under the tap and call it a day and go have breakfast.

Breakfast this morning was pancakes, eggs and ham steak. Hearty, but far more than I ever eat. I sheepishly asked for a scrambled egg and coffee, as did Steven.We just aren't breakfast folk. Coffee and a slice of toast will suffice, but there didn't seem to be any bread.

This is how the fishing works: This morning we head out to Douglas channel. The captain knows the good spots to fish (he's been with Tony and doing this for 22 years....this is boat #3) There are 3 kinds of fishing; fishing for salmon off off the back of the slowly moving boat, with down riggers and cannon balls ( not that kind) and then there is bottom fishing, off the sides of the stopped boat, with a different set up and that is for snapper and halibut and whatever else lurks down there.  Then there is  "Tony fishing" in which you go with Tony at 7am in the "little" 21 foot boat that they haul behind the big boat, and you sail off, not to be seen again until dinner. The man is a fishing guru. You will return with your limit of snapper, halibut, salmon and cod. He laments the days when he was a younger man and would also dive for abalone. (He's 77 now.) He does set out crab traps though.

So the rods were set up...and we waited....

And waited....

And waited....

 

And waited....

It seemed liked forever, but pretty soon there was salmon:

And snapper:

And halibut:

A day didn't go by without a cooler being filled with all sorts of fish.

And if that's not being spoiled enough by Mother Nature, there were also these:

Not only did we catch fish, we also ate fish. I'll write about the cleaning and cooking tomorrow.