Day 13 Floating Lodge to Rose Harbour

Day 13 - Floating Lodge to Rose Harbour, Gwaii Haanas

WOW!

Today was a day that I had imagined and hoped for.  Haida Gwaii has been on our wish list for years, and in my imagination I pictured the ancient Haida villages, the poles and wildlife encounters, but today surpassed all that I had imagined or could possibly imagine.

Conditions were absolutely perfect, maybe better than perfect!  Heron informed us that the type of conditions we had today were very rare and we all felt that we should take advantage of this gift and take Emma and Heron up on their offer to travel to Cape St. James at the very southern most point of the islands.

We are going to the Cape!

Spirits high, gas in the tank and the sun shining we set out for the Cape, but not before we took time out of our very busy schedule to set a couple of prawn traps.  Hard to believe, but we were thinking of food again!

There really are no words to describe the feeling of excitement we had as took in the sights and sounds of this day.  From Egg Yolk Jellies and Nudibranchs to Humpback Whales and Puffins the wildlife viewing was spectacular.

Countless whales

We actually lost count of the number of whales we saw and were also privileged enough to see:

• Puffin
• Black Tailed Deer
• By the Wind Sailor Jellyfish
• Egg Yolk Jellies
• Sun Fish
• Blue Shark
• Urchins
• Guillemots
• Cormorants
• Auklets

Puffin

By the Wind Sailor

The incredible list went on and on.....

Nudibranchs....all dressed up and nowhere to go?

The land was not to be outdone by the wildlife.  We entered Woodruff Bay where our guides carefully and skillfully navigated their way to one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen.

Emma and Heron anchoring in Woodruff Bay

 The sandy beach stretches for kilometres and is pristine.  You would think you were in the Caribbean....except for the Helly Hanson rain gear of course!  It was sheer joy as we stripped off our heavy rain gear and boots and ran barefoot in the sand.  Not another soul to be seen.  This was definitely my favourite beach and one I will remember forever.

Heaven on earth

We enjoyed another wonderful lunch at Woodruff Bay thanks to our gracious hosts and loaded, somewhat reluctantly, back in to the Zodiac.  Our reluctance was misplaced, as before we knew it we were heading out to the Kerouard Islands to view a large Steller sea lion rookery.  This breeding colony is a busy place.  Over 600 breeding Steller sea lions use the Cape St. James rookery.  They were a treat to watch, but NOT to smell.  I believe we actually found something that was stinkier that our biking clothes!

Steller Sea Lion Rookery

Content and tired from a long day on the water, it was time to head to the Rose Harbour Guest House, our accommodation for the evening.  The guest house is owned and operated by Gotz, who immigrated to Canada in 1981 and has lived in Rose Harbour since 1983.  Susan, who is Heron's mom, has also lived in Rose Harbour since 1983.  She operates the meal service for the guests.  Susan is an amazing chef and her gourmet creations feature fresh vegetables grown in her garden.

Susan's home at Rose Harbour

We were fascinated, intrigued and touched by Rose Harbour.  Located on the site of an old abandoned whaling station, the place oozed history.

Whaling Station Memorial

Words like cute, eccentric, rustic, whimsical, character, creative, unique all come to mind when describing the guest house.  As I toured the grounds and viewed the wood burning shower, I was taken back to my childhood and reminded of Caractacus Potts, the eccentric inventor in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  We admired the ingenuity of our hosts.  You really need to see this extraordinary place for yourself.

Rose Harbour

Wood burning heated shower

We accessed our room by climbing a steep set of stairs clutching the driftwood banister as we climbed.  Our room also served as a hothouse and distillery.  We loved it!  The washrooms were outhouses, however, should you need to visit the facilities in the middle of the night and did not care for the long walk, Gotz did supply you with a bucket.  The caveat.....those who use the bucket, clean the bucket!  Enough said.

Main floor

We were told the Moresby four day tour is sometimes affectionately called the "Float and Bloat".  After devouring Susan's fantastic Halibut dinner we confirm that the nickname is well deserved.  We have been treated to delicious meals and snacks at every stop.  It is going to be very difficult to go back to a can of beans over our camp stove!

Appetizers with a flare from Susan's garden

Giggle of the Day:

During our stay at Rose Harbour, we shared the facilities with a film crew from Germany.  They were touring Canada as part of a series on our National Parks.  Despite the majestic beauty of Haida Gwaii, the German crew found our host, Gotz equally, if not more fascinating.  Gotz had constructed an amazing tripod ladder system to support his cherry picking endeavours.  As we wandered about, we stumbled upon the camera crew attempting to film Gotz up the ladder!

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