Well after being home two weeks now I suppose I should write about my twelve days at Nootka. First of all I should thank Kip (the Principal Keeper) for having the patience of Job! Even though I have been doing weathers for 14 years there is ever so much to learn. I told Kip its the difference between taking driving lessons from a Driving Instructor as compared to taking lessons from a friend (you know who you are RT & co.)!

No don't get me wrong, I haven't been giving WRONG weather reports all these years, Kip just helped me fine tune them. Hopefully I will remember everything when I go back up there the end of March for a month. Luckily it was clear skies for the first few days so that I could concentrate on how to calculate the dew point etc. And also thank goodness for the little handy voice recorder I got for Christmas - remembering 4 temperatures and water accumulation was tough on this old brain!!

(Estevan Light)

The day I flew up we stopped at Estevan Light to bring in a work crew and for the chopper to sling some cement etc. around. It was a beautiful sunny day - and of course the West Coast was at her best. What a beautiful sight the Long Beach area is from the air. Shame on those of you that have never visited that part of the world. For those who haven't been there in years you would be shocked at the growth in that part of the world.

(Nootka Light)

We landed at Nootka and I jumped off with all my stuff and Joanne and Mark jumped on with theirs - the chopper didn't stop so we could exchange words - but that was okay as I had talked to Joanne earlier. They were heading over to Entrance Island (near Nanaimo) to do relief and I did manage to tell Joanne that our time had been extended an extra 2 days - good thing both of us packed extra food!

I had been to Nootka about 12 years ago when Norbie, Buck and I camped out on the Reserve land and visited with Pat and Ed Kidder so I knew the lay of the land. The Assistants house is on a pinnacle with an incredible view of the whole area around Friendly Cove. It is amazingly beautiful and Kip calls it Middle Earth. With the snow on the mountains it makes for an even more spectacular view. But, alas there is a big downside..... In the storms of the winter one of the charter businesses had a styrofoam and concrete dock which came loose and broke up along the shoreline. What a bloody mess!!! Kip had alerted those who he figured would care but at that time only the keepers had been picking the huge and small chunks of styrofoam. Think about this - how traumatic for the environment is this foam. It will never go away, fish eat it and if it doesn't kill them by filling their bellies with foam and hence floating them to the surface to die, they live like this then whatever eats them gets this pollutant inside of them. Boy aren't we glad that man once again is screwing up Mother Nature's circle of life.

I said to Kip that the main problem is timing. This is not the time of year when anyone is out there boating, fishing, hiking etc., so it is only those that live there that see this. Needless to say several days you would find Kip and I down there picking up huge bags of this stuff, and thankfully the owner of the dock sent out crew to do the same, finally. But I don't think the end of this stuff will be seen in our lifetime.

On a happier note....I managed to do a couple of walk abouts while I was there. One of the nice sunny days I headed over to the first of two monuments around the station. This monument was for the meeting between Quadra and Cook in 1792 - imagine 1792!!! This is what excites me so much about this area - the native peoples have lived in this area for approximately 4,200 years and then along came the white man... Still one can imagine what the Captain and his crew must of thought when they first landed - taking away what they actually thought after visiting the houses of the native peoples - there are great books out there for you to read about it.

When I stood on that spot I could imagine the boats - only 36 feet long - coming into Friendly Cove - the beginning of BC as we know it. Amazing. I wish you all could have been there with me to feel the history. I sat there for quite awhile in the sunshine looking around me and taking in this beautiful place - but time and for sure tides wait for no man (or woman) and I had to get back to the station.

In my quest for styrofoam I took a walk to the sea side of Friendly Cove. This area at one time had been a community of houses but now everyone except Ray Williams and his family had all gone. Since the last time I had been there they have built up the area a little with board walks and a carving shed where Ray's son Sanford does carving in the summer tourist months. Besides this area being quite busy in the summer with individual boaters the Uchuck comes in several times a week from May to October with tourists - like the Lady Rose to Bamfield.

I ventured over to the ocean side of the site and there I met up with Ray's two dogs. At first I was a little apprehensive as they stood their ground and barked at me. But then the puppy decided I looked okay to him and he raced at me and proceeded to jump all over me. The older dog seeing that I was okay by the puppy's standards decided to do the same. I knew Ray had gone into town the day before and these guys were alone and probably hungry. They followed me around as I wandered the area. They didn't seem to want to go over to the site of the grave yard so I gave that a pass too.

We wandered into the church that has been there for over 60 years. Its a strange thing to see this big white church - like something you would see in Little House on the Prairie. With a statue of Jesus looking down on you before you go through the front door. The old windows - those that haven't been broken - are stain glassed and quite simple and lovely. The last time I had been in the church it did not have the totem poles that are now there. The colours which the poles have been painted are very different then the ones we are used to - the carver has incorporated aqua and yellow as well as the typical red and black. Very beautiful. Once you enter the main body of the church and turn around you see a huge carved eagle over the entrance way.

I took several pictures of the inside of the church but I will tell you - they didn't really turn out. There is a film of white clouds on several of the pictures.....Joanne told me she had the same and thought it was her camera. I did feel I little like I was trespassing on a very spiritual place and didn't stay there long. The native people have made this church into a bit of an information centre and reading about their history is very interesting. I left the place feeling once again that I had stepped back into history. Its like the days I hang laundry outside here at Beale and get the feeling that I am doing something that many before me have done. I could feel those that have moved on to another place beside me escorting me out.

So home I went, past the styrofoam beaches with the two dogs in tow as I headed up towards the station. I managed to send the puppy towards his home but the older dog insisted he was staying with me and followed me back up to the station. Like a kid I assured Kip that he followed me home!!! But I didn't ask if I could keep him - although I was tempted to dog-knap the puppy - who looked like a cross between a yellow lab and a german shepherd with huge paws. You know what a sucker I am for big dogs.

Overall, although I was frustrated now and again getting to know how to do the aviation weathers I really enjoyed my time up at Nootka and I am looking forward to my next stint.

When I flew back the weather was not as nice but once again I flew with Len - he is the only pilot that I have flown with going to and returning from Nootka. I missed asking him if we could do a fly by Cougar Annie's garden but maybe next time. As I flew home - Len likes to fly low over the shoreline - I thought how blessed I was in having these experiences in life. I realize everyday I live this life is a gift.

Thanks for coming on this journey with me.

Talk to you soon - we'll keep a light on for you.