Thursday, November 12, 2009

Remembrance Day and a memorable scramble

A rainy but touching Remembrance Day memorial service at Port Hardy. These Korean War vets laid a wreath and smartly saluting reminded us all of their integrity and pride.


The First Nations contingent was in full regalia, and added a wreath of their own. We learned many of them have dual citizenship with the US, hence both flags.

The mounties in full shine.

And a large group of Pt. Hardy citizens showed their support.

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This carved sign welcomes residents and visitors to the waterfront park in Port Hardy. It says at the bottom "Fishing Logging Mining". Copper Mining was fairly short-lived up here in the 1980s-90s, and no longer adds to the economy. We wonder how long until they have to add "Tourism" to it.

They also have the world's largest statue of a wooden carrot with a bite out of it, as far as we know. Please let us know if you know of any larger ones. We'll alert the proper authorities. After the service, and comraderie at the local Canadian Legion Post, we took a local's advice and checked out a new trail. We'll plagarize:

"If you’re up for a bit of adventure, why not take advantage of the hiking trail that begins on the shore of Storey’s Beach. Tex Lyon Trail is a challenging hike that wanders through a tough wilderness route. Enjoy making your way through rugged paths, and around challenging obstacles like roots, stumps and changing tides. "

Challenging is one word for it. The Canadian Rangers helped rebuild the structures and added ropes to the steep sections (though they might want to check the spelling on their bridges). It is an interesting design adhering to absolutely no sustainability or accessibility standards. It is an up and down game of Chutes and Ladders. Truly fun. The white shell beaches across the bay were inviting. Maybe with the kayak.

Chance actually climbed this ladder with a little butt support at the end. He gets so excited.

The notch through the rock at the beginning of the trail was really cool.

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So we mentioned rain. We've found we need to empty the dinghy about every three days. This was just one storm.

We stayed in during the rain and worked on insulating some of the compartments and hatches that were getting condensation in them. This displaced the dog from his beloved bed. At one point, he refused to move, so we used him for a workbench.

Tight accomodations require great flexibility from crewmembers. Of course, we all deal with our frustrations in different ways. Sometimes, toys simply must die to assist in this process.