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John Carpenter's
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Flying Into Vancouver
If you are going to make the trip,
then we highly recommend that you plan for the days of late July or early
August. The reason is simple: at any other time the old mining road up
to the site may not be fully clear from winter snow. Also, unless you're
a sucker for long (and we mean really long) drives, then
you will definitely want to fly into Vancouver and catch a connecting
flight up to Terrace.
If you're coming from the States, then this by far would be the most expensive
part of the whole trip. So plan early and get your airline reservations
in. (Or just use your credit card like SPC did.) You'll need proper ID
to cross the border into Canada.
Because the flight up north from Vancouver is at 6:30 AM daily, all three
of us got into Vancouver on Tuesday the day before. Todd arrived
early and spent the day sightseeing around Vancouver. SPC came into Vancouver
International later that evening around 10:00 PM and slept overnight at
the airport.
Sleeping over at Vancouver Airport is not a problem at all. It is a very
friendly place for overnighters. Plenty of seats where people can stretch
out and take a snooze. In fact, there were about two dozen overnighters,
including a family with children, who staked out their corners and slept
through the night. Surprisingly enough, SPC was able to get six hours
of sleep before waking up at 5:00 AM.
Todd and SPC met each other for the first time at the Air Canada
terminal early on Wednesday morning. Todd and SPC had known each other
for around a year and a half, first through the old Yahoo Thing group
and then through the Outpost #31 website. It was great to have finally met
face-to-face. After talking for a half hour and catching up, it was time
to board the turboprop Dash-8 Air Canada flight to Terrace.
Looking out the window on the flight from Vancouver to
Terrace
The two-hour flight up to Terrace is simply breathtaking. The entire flight
occurs directly above the Canadian Rockies. On a clear day you will look
out the window to see ice fields, mountain-top ice caps, and glaciers
galore. It is downright amazing to realize with your own eyes that glaciers
grow in Canada by the dozen. In the summertime you'll also see scores
of small blue-green lakes and ponds, some of which sit high in the nooks
and crannies of the mountain tops. When we made our flight, it was mostly
sunny. Seeing all that gorgeous scenery below made for a good omen. We
knew early on that this was going to be one incredible trip!
The Drive
From Terrace, B.C.
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