This trip has been long in the planning and much anticipated as it will bring us very close to our beautiful Canadian grizzly Bear’s.
We start by splitting up for the first 4 days as André heads north to Prince Rupert BC and the Great Bear Rainforest to assess a location for future travel. It does not disappoint, first day with 10 humpback whales bubble netting which is a technique that rounds up fish by a group of whales dancing in a tight circle while a couple of their mates send bubbles from below driving a ball of fish to the surface. On the surface the rest of the fishing party awaits with widely open mouths, fish easily dropping into the anticipating stomachs. There are usually a bunch of sea birds taking advantage of the whale fishing prowess. A good session of bubble netting can attract hundreds of sea birds to partake in the feast.
Prince Rupert lives up to its reputation of the wettest place in Canada and despite the persistent dry conditions throughout summer in southern British Columbia (BC), it receives a steady rain while André is there. A couple of grizzly cubs have been sent on their independent life journey by Mum. They are 2 years old, a little young but it seems they have had enough coaching in fishing the spawning salmon that they are managing to fatten up leading up to the end of the season and looming hibernation. Salmon are spawning at the end of the inlet and that provides the final protein feeding burst for the Bears.
In the meantime I check out the cultural scene in Vancouver, walk a lot in Stanley Park and taste test a lot of the offerings at Granville Island. I manage to find a comedy show by Jenn Kirkman , an American comedian on tour in Canada, who provides really intelligent political satire with you can guess who being her main focus. An excellent performance, the audience in stitches with a very interesting cross section of age groups enjoying the show.
André is back on the Sunday and we reunite to start our explore in the Okanagan Valley of mid BC.