B6 Terrace Review — Wednesday, May.16, 1990

“Northwest Travelogue’ cee en ee ea are
The Queen Charlotte islands: where to.
stay when you get there

by Nancy Orr

Mention the ‘‘Queen Char-
lotte Islands” and an awakening
gleam sparkles in everyone’s
eyes.

Named by Captain Dixon in
1778, the Queen Charlotte
Islands, or the Misty Isles, as
romantics call them; or Haida
Gwaii, Home of the Haida for
centuries; or most commonly,
the Charlottes — whatever you
favor in a name — the long low

‘archipelago lying just over the

horizon off Prince Rupert on
British Columbia’s northern
coast evokes a mysterious en-
chantment in adventurous
travellers everywhere.

Isolated by the turbulent seas
of the legendary Hecate Straits
which separate the Charlottes
from the mainland of B.C., the
islands have at last become ac-
cessible for thousands of people
with the introduction of regular
service by the B.C. Ferry Cor-
poration.

Comfortable ships, such as
the “Queen of the North” or the
“Queen of Prince Rupert”, with
stabilizers to minimize the roll-
ing swell of the open waters,
maintain regular service between
Prince Rupert and Skidegate, on
the south end of Graham Island.
The ferries carry a full load of
passengers and vehicles three
times a week in winter, and up to
five during the summer. The
journey averages six hours,
usually during the daylight
hours, but at least one sailing a
week crosses overnight.

A word of advice — know

where you are going to stay, at

least for the first night! The
remoteness of the islands makes
it necessary. When you are
hustled off that ferry in the late
afternoon, you can’t just drive
to the next town or province for
accommodation.

The regularly scheduled ser-
vices, both by air and ferry, take
you to the central area of the
string of islands at the junction
of the two main islands,
Moresby in the south and

WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY: VAT Air. Cadet

RADA ann Paraplegic Asti ciatiol

Late Night’ —_ * Terrace Peaks Gymitias

thank youl Have a ‘Nie

Pasty pelvic a ad

Graham in the north.

At Sandspit, on the northern
tip of the southern island of
Moresby, is the main airport.
Daily jet service is available
from Prince Rupert and: Van-
couver, with small connecting
planes feeding the island com-
munities,

A short bus ride to Aliford
Bay and 20-minute ferry ride on
the M.V. Kwuna takes passen-
gers to Skidegate Landing, next
to the B.C. Ferry dock. From
here paved roads lead north and
south on Graham Island.

To the south about five
kilometers is Queen Charlotte
City, familiarly known as
‘“‘Charlotte’’. To the north is
Skidegate, Tlell (35 km), Port
Clements (50 km), Masset (110
km) and Haida (Old Masset, 120
km), The North Beach is
reached by a short drive beyond
Masset and the DEW (Distant
Early Warning) Installation.

In the years since the ferries
began their service, a prolifera-
tion of Bed and Breakfast estab-
lishments have opened in all the
communities and in between
them, To name a few: in
Charlotte, Spruce Point Lodg-
ing; in Sandspit, Moresby Island
Guest House; in Port Clements,
Velma’s Bayview Guesthouse;
on the North Beach, Alaska
View Lodge, and many more.

For hostellers, Bellis’ Hostel is
a popular destination on,’ the
road to Port Clements, im-
mediately after crossing the Tlell
River Bridge near Naikoon Park
Headquarters.

Hotels and motels have not in-
creased greatly in numbers. The
first class Sandspit Inn, at Sand-
spit, is particularly accessible to
airport travellers. In Charlotte,
20 minutes’ drive south from the
ferry dock, the newly rebuilt
Misty Harbour Inn is well rec-
ommended, as well as the pic-
turesque original Premier Hotel,
recently renovated.

There is also the Sea Raven
Mote! in Charlotte; the Golden
Spruce Motel in Port Clements,
an hour’s drive north from the

‘Ladies of the Royal. Purple .

“> Kinsmen Club (Altern

ferry; and in Masset, a further
45 minutes’ drive, is the Singing
Surf Inn.

DuBucy’s taxi, or bus, has
been meeting the ferries and
airplanes for years. Gas and car
services are found in all the set-
tlements (an example of friendly
helpful service can be found at
the Misty Garage, formerly
Ross’s, at the south end of
Charlotte).

In the summer, RV’s and
campers of every description
pour off the ferries to find very
limited facilities designed for
them.

Naikoon Park, occupying
about a quarter of Graham
Island, with headquarters at
Tlell, has employed summer stu-
dents for years, and yet one of
the shortages of the camping

system on the islands is the lack .

of good serviced facilities for
recreational vehicles.

There is one 30-unit overnight
park at the Naikoon Park head-
quarters at Tlell (35 km north up
the coast from the ferry), and at
Tow Hill Park on the extreme
north end of the island, 25 km
on the beach road from Masset.
Grey Bay on Moresby Island
south of Sandspit is more dif-
ficult to find until one is ac-

‘quainted with the islands.

There is only one government
sani-station for recreational
vehicles at Port Clements. Fresh
water may be obtained there and
also at Joy’s Information Cen-
ire, 10 minutes from the ferry
landing south toward Charlotte.
This Information Centre is also
a knowledgeable source of data
and a treasure house of Haida
carving, jewelry and other in-
triguing items.

Kallahin Travel Services, run
by Mary Morris, provides excep-
tional advice and bookings for
services, and is well worth the
call before setting off to the Mis-
ty Isles (604-559-8455).

The isles are indeed Misty, but
be warned that the mist often
turns to rain and gale-force
winds, so be prepared for wet
weather, too.

2

Lobster Crepes

Cadet first aid —
team demonstrates
_ Skills on reporter —

by Tod Strachan

Hit by a speeding, nondescript
motor vehicle, you're left lying on
the pavement in pain as the driver
races off into the distance and the
dust settles around you, Who do
you call? Probably the ambulance
and the police... but if you're lucky
the 747 Squadron Air Cadet first
aid team will be close at hand and
you won't have to wait.

Fortunately, this hit and run was
only a skill testing game played
last. week at the Air Cadet hall...
not the real thing. Eager cadets,
fresh from provincial competition,
were ready to demonstrate their
prowess with a triangular bandage
and splints, And the victim? Well,
it’s amazing how far a reporter
will go just to get a siory.

But even though this was only an .

exercise and the victim, yours
truly, was in good humor and far
from cooperative in answering the
simplest of questions, the cadets
took their work seriously and
gently probed until they had ident-
ified the injuries; a bilateral pelvic
fracture, a closed fracture of the
mid-third right femur, and shock.
This only took a few minutes and
from there they quictly and effi-
ciently planned their course of
action.

All-in-all, they did a good job.
I'm alive and well today. I suspect,
though, there may have some
minor error made along the way.
At one point, one of the cadets
asked if I knew anything about
first aid and when J lied "No"
there was a sigh of relief. Coupled
with a comment from one of their
instructors, "They need the practi-
ce," the wail of an ambulance siren
might have been a welcome sound
at the time. But they soon had my

confidence and completed their
timed 20-minute task in only 19
minutes... and [I was no. more
injured in the end than I was
before they began.

And it’s no wonder | felt as
though I was in the hands of some
real pro’s. These 747 Squadron

cadets were the same foursome —

that placed second in the northern
zone finals in Prince George on
Mar. 3 and in the top 10 at the
provincial finals at cadet camp Pat
Bay in Victoria on Apr. 7.

The team consists of WO2 Ravi
Gill (team captain), F/Sgt.
Christine Mermans, Cpl. Cartie-Jo
Normandy and Cpl. Adam ‘Hill.
Cpl. Rick Boehm is the team spare
and the coaches are Terrace life-
guard Paulette Joel and firefighter
Dean Tetreau.

Tetreau says he’s pleased with
the team’s performance; with only
three weeks to train they did well
at both the zones and provincials.
And the team is looking forward to
much better things to come. Poss-
ibly even surpassing the 747 Squa-
dron team performance in the 1986
provincials. With 300 hours of
training, the 1986 team captain
won top honours and the team
placed first in a field of 15 entries.
But they didn’t just place first.
They won with the greatest margin
between first and second place
ever recorded in the provincials;
200 points.

That’s not going to be an casy
record to break but Tetreau is
optimistic. He says the team is
going to begin training at the end
of September this year and with
six months of experience under
their belts breaking their own 1986
record at the 1991 provincials is
exactly what they’re going to set
out to achieve.

[ Look
What’s

“Newburg”
with saffron rice &
fresh vegetables
$14.95

in the month of

Cookin" ... BAVARIAN INN

MAY at the

Whole fresh east
coast LOBSTER

flown in weekly
for your pleasure.

Whole Atlantic
Lobster

with drawn butter &

baked patato
$19.95

Ask about our Banquet Facilities! We cater in our downstairs tocation from
60 - 160 people. MUSIC AND LARGE DANCE FLOOR A SPECIAL FEATURE!

for more information and reservations call:

Babarian Jun Restaurant :

The friendlies? "Inn" town!
Make our place “Your Place" to enjoy an

Lt |

035-9161

evening of Intimate dining and reasonable prices! | |

ae

ha
;
aa
ae