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Carpe diem??..Seize The Day

Jermechanic

Well Known Member
My friend John Howroyd and I made a journey to NW British Columbia to visit the Islands of Haida Gwaii and Stewart BC. He did a great write up for our local flying club so I will share it here with his permission.

Credit to John Howroyd - Pics and Write Up

Back in the dark, dank, dreary days of December, my flying buddy, Jeremy Prpich, proposed a flight of fancy to Haida Gwaii for our summer adventure of 2019.

waxs-1 by Jeremy, on Flickr

Having always found that area mysterious and significant as the western edge of Canada, I readily agreed and Jer fixed the ETD for June 17 since he had to arrange his holiday time.

After many trials and tribulations and 2 Throttle Body Injectors later, as June approached I was ready. Surprise!!!!! On Monday, June10, in the afternoon, Jer called to say that his analysis of the Wx showed that it might be better to go the next day since our proposed week didn’t look as good. CARPE DIEM !!! He juggled his work schedule and I reinvented my week and at 1130 Tuesday, June 11 we rendezvoused at 1500 ft. over Raven.

Raven direct Port Hardy to buy fuel and confirm that my new TBI had a known fuel burn. Fueling at CYZT showed that was true with a chock to chock consumption of 6.8 US GPH , not quite as good as the previous Ellison but then I hadn’t leaned aggressively either. We had a shock , however, when settling the bill , that on top of the outrageous price per litre we were each assessed an additional $30 “truck charge”. This would have been the case even if we had purchased only 1 litre !!!!! Canadian FBO “service” at its worst !!!
 
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[/url]greatbearrainforestterritory by Jeremy, on Flickr[/IMG]

Onward to Bella Bella over spectacular Great Bear Rain Forest territory. Landing there, we were greeted by a First Nations marshal who guided us to our parking spot. He summoned the fueler .who arrived with a smile and a warm welcome to Bella. ?I?m Matt and those are the coolest aircraft in Bella this year?. The airport is definitely a major community resource and a conversation with the Manager confirmed that he valued GA and made sure his people did, too.

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[/url]Bella Bella Fuel by Jeremy, on Flickr[/IMG]
 
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Now for the biggy!! After consulting both Kamloops FSS and Jer?s Sirius XM weather, we determined a plan that allowed us alternates should things change dramatically while we were en route. We set up a waypoint for the south tip of Moresby Island so that we knew we would have to turn NW upon landfall to head for Sandspit., our destination. 1.2 hours later our wheels again rolled on the airport at CYZP. It was a magnificent flight, absolutely smooth , and without incident. I had expected the proverbial ?automatic rough ? over Hecate Strait but the beautiful O-320 never missed a beat. Interestingly, although we usually have a lively conversation on 122.75, out over the ocean, there were very long periods of silence as we both enjoyed our own private thoughts.

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[/url]sandspitparking by Jeremy, on Flickr[/IMG]
 
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Jer had made arrangements with the Inn at Sandspit for our stay, no more than 300 ft from where we parked our birds.!!! On the ramp was a Gulfstream 450 with a unique M registration for the Isle of Mann. When we met the crew later they reflected on how much fun we were having compared to the tight restrictions imposed on GA throughout Europe and the rest of the world. We must never give in to restrictive bureaucracy.

We rented a car and spent Wednesday touring Skidegate, Queen Charlotte City and Masset. We enjoyed excellent roads and warm friendly people. Certainly, this is truly unique place quite unspoiled by humans. Returning by a short ferry ride across Skidegate inlet to Sandspit, we were surprised to find a power outage had occurred and that the only 2 restaurants were closed as were the grocery stores. After pleading our case with the Inn’s manager, we were pleasantly surprised when he delivered to bowls of yam soup and 2 sandwiches each, refusing to accept any money. Better yet, he repeated this for 2 elderly women travelers just in from Toronto. On top of this, he walked home to retrieve a beer from his own supply when one of them mentioned how much she’d like one. How refreshing it was to see this example of the very best small town Canada has to offer.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2gim8fG]

[img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48110351136_b5b66cb8ae.jpg[/url]welcometomasset by Jeremy, on Flickr[/IMG]

oldmassetbctotempole by Jeremy, on Flickr

sandspithotelwindowview by Jeremy, on Flickr

sandspitfish by Jeremy, on Flickr

oldmassetgiftshop by Jeremy, on Flickr
 
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Since there is no Avgas at YZP or Prince Rupert, our next leg to Terrace required careful planning. After consulting the weather gods we set our waypoint at Gill Island which set us up for Douglas Channel and ultimately Terrace. Again it was a little weird turning out over the ocean at 1500′ considering I usually look for 5500′ over Georgia Strait. A totally uneventfully crossing ensued, testimony to patience, modern weather technology and careful aircraft maintenance.

Leaving Terrace, we set our sights on Jer’s other unique destination, Stewart. Following the road and ducking under some showers put us at the final hurdle, a somewhat claggy entrance to a canyon leading to CZST. Careful probing showed it was doable so down we went. We didn’t linger long since the location of ZST at the top of the Portland Canal means weather can become a factor very quickly. We launched for a return to Smithers over somewhat familiar territory. Again it was a magical flight. Later, over a great local beer and steak we reflected on how lucky we are in Canada to be able to do what we do. It was hard to believe that only 6 h before we had left the remoteness of Canada’s western edge, flown over awe inspiring glaciers and vast tracts of emptiness as free as eagles. If you don’t fly, you don’t live!!!!!

Friday saw us preparing for a “milk run” home to Raven. First stop was Anaheim Lake to make sure we’d have more than adequate fuel for our last leg. But then, Jer pulled out another surprise. Since we would be in the ‘hood, why not stop at Tsuniah for lunch? Why not indeed!! Carpe Diem

stewartparking by Jeremy, on Flickr

jziCambriaIcefield by Jeremy, on Flickr

StewartAlaska Border by Jeremy, on Flickr

TsuniahLAkeLodge by Jeremy, on Flickr
 
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Thanks for the praise

We at the Airport appreciate your kind words and the beautiful picture, it's rewarding to know our effort toward our appreciation of the GA community is recognized and appreciated in turn.

We would like to offer our thanks for your visit, we would also welcome you back any time and anyone else with a sense of adventure. It is always nice to step away from the day-to-day and experience a rare treat. Carpe Diem.
 
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