Inland to Terrace, BC, The Kiva

There's snow out here this morning in Prince Rupert. We've had a grand breakfast with our hosts at the B&B, and the day looks pretty good. The drive from here to Terrace, BC is reputed to be one of the most scenic in Canada— and we are quite looking forward to it. It's quite beautiful here on the water, in a rugged sort of way, and this is the "end of west" for us. The truck is pointed eastward, and in another month this grand adventure will be over. A full tank of gas, a couple of big coffees to go, and zoom—







Oh, yeah. It's a great looking drive on a day like this. But it does remind us of just how far away Prince Rupert is from the big roads and the big towns. It's Friday the 13th, and I guess that shouldn't matter much if you are not a Knights Templar sort. Gosh, I wonder if the world cares about the secrets of the Holy Grail in the age of the Internet? Anyhow, it's a nice day for us here and now!


Dave rocks in red today!


OK, now we're getting here. This was our gas stop on the way into town.


The gig looked small from the outside, but as we moved indoors for soundcheck it began to look bigger— and all but sold out in advance we are told.



We brought our own sound for this one. That Long and McQuade system has been great in a wide variety of halls. Dave and I are set up and done our soundcheck in less than 20 minutes! Downtown to the Best Western, where we suit up and get a bite to eat. It's going to be a good night for sure, and we're ready.

Showtime! And wouldn't you know it, the Tour camera is back at the hotel! The blues fans have come down from the hills, and all seats are filled. Dave has found a couple of fans who like to tell jokes— or rather, they have found him— and they have a good time trading punchlines before we start. The show itself goes very, very well, and a large number of cds and posters are autographed before the night is out. Tour jacket winner? Of course! Picture? Somebody send us a jpg or two would you? We had a great time at the Kiva and definitely plan on coming back.

Terrace closes up early, even on a Friday night. By the time we get back to our hotel the little pizza joint across the street has closed up. The breakfast buffet will be good.

Prince Rupert, BC, The Tom Rooney Playhouse

Early, but not too early. We've had a decent sleep in our cabin, watched the sun rise— or the light come up at least— as the ship makes her way up the passage to Prince Rupert. And now we're here! The lower decks where the vehicles are parked give some idea of the size of the ship. It's been very smooth. We had only a couple of choppy hours, and I got through them. Dave says he was fine, but for a few minutes I certainly considered the possibility of using the brown bags provided! Let's get on shore and check this place out!






The town is pretty interesting. It hugs the hills overlooking the ocean. Apparently it has been in a bit of a recession of late, but great hopes are placed on the new rail terminal here— expected to bring in a huge amount of ocean traffic, infrastructure, and jobs. We gather from the shops that there is a pretty nice tourist season here in summer— but here we are between seasons. It is grey and cold and wet. But the boats are busy. As we make our way to our B&B we take in the harbour— big splashes of colour against the sea and the mountains. It's going to be a seafood dinner for me— of that, I am sure! We are in town quite early, but I guess with the ferry schedules people are used to that. Dave and I GPS our way to the Eagle Bluff without any trouble, and are quickly made welcome. This is great!








Yes, indeed. This is a free promo for the Eagle. If you visit Prince Rupert you should try to stay here! After a nap, a warm-up, lunch, we head out to drive around town. We don't have any luck at the Thrift Store, but as we are walking a young gent pops out of a diner and introduces himself as Ken Shaw, our promoter. We've drawn some advance press, so everyone is hopeful that there will be a good turnout this evening.



The Tom Rooney Playhouse is a pretty good sized venue with a nice stage, excellent sound and lighting. Load in and sound check go off very smoothly. We are looking forward to being on stage again after two days of travel!

By showtime it has started to snow heavily. This is the first snow of the year for Prince Rupert, so people are standing about, looking at it in that resigned sort of Canadian way. You know, it's a good night to stay home, nurse a scotch, and look out the window saying, "well, early start tomorrow, looks like three or four inches..." Of course, this is a bad sort of night to be hoping for a sold out house, but we're always determined to deliver to whoever we have. It's a lesson that John Hammond taught to both Dave and myself— individually— over thirty years ago when we were opening shows for him. So tonight, I'm at the bar with a glass of red wine, waiting. We are not disappointed, and we have got a pretty good house by the time we hit the stage.


Here's our tour jacket winner tonight! Apparently this fellow is a blues playing lawyer who can— variously— get you into a good jam, or out of a bad jam. I'm sorry there was not a local act on the bill, as it is always great to meet and hear the local players.

The night goes very well, and it is late by the time we load out into the snow and cautiously make our way back to the Eagle. It's a nice theatre here in Prince Rupert, and a good bunch running it. I hope we'll meet again.

Port Hardy, BC— Remembrance Day, Northern Adventure

Waking up in Port Hardy. It's Remembrance Day. While Canadians everywhere stop at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, in British Columbia the province pretty much shuts down for the entire Day. So it is very quiet in downtown Port Hardy as we search for our breakfast. We happen on to a pretty good spot and, by chance, the place is run by the brother of somebody Dave knows well. "I love the blues," says the man, "ever hear of Big Dave McLean?" After an enormous breakfast of our favourite kind, we wander the town.






By coincidence Dave's dad served in Port Hardy during the War. I gather that he was part of the coastal defense effort, manning the radar and patrolling the rugged shorelines. My dad served in Europe, as did my grandfather who was a career military man. So it is an easy decision this morning to attend the Remembrance Day ceremonies on the beach here in Port Hardy.







When the Master of Ceremonies called out for a WWII vet to lay a wreath, none were present to step forward except the MC himself. It was a lonely kind of moment, one which resonated with Dave and I as our own fathers have both passed. In all, a splendid and moving ceremony— attended by all branches of service including our northern Rangers, First Nations, and the RCMP in their magnificent dress uniforms. I think we are bonding with this great country, each mile, each community, every province and territory, every vista, each page of history. It's a sense of place, it's hard to describe— but on this day we both feel especially proud of our Canadian heritage. The parade is heading across the way to the Legion Hall, but we have a boat to catch. And we've got to move!






It's hurry up and wait for the Northern Adventure, but I can imagine that this scene is pretty chaotic at other times of the year. The ship will, I understand, carry up to 600 passengers— and I don't know how many vehicles and tonnes of freight beyond. She's big... Well certainly the biggest ship I've ever been on. Today, I'm told, there are fewer than 50 passengers booked for the journey. The Inland Passage, a Canadian legend for its striking scenery and stark beauty. Soon we'll be leaving this Port, heading north, bound for adventure.


View from our cabin window. Very cool!


They were right— with only about 50 of us on this ship it is almost empty. It's like a very private cruise!


As we get underway we know this is going to be a thrill.





Oh Canada.