CACAdmin
Jul 23rd 2007, 11:50 PM
This year my sister and I took a Train/Ferry Circle tour of BC... to parts of BC I had never seen. We headed from Vancouver to Jasper, AB by Train, then from Jasper to Prince Rupert (on the north coast) once again by train, then by BC Ferry down the 'Inside Passage' to Port Hardy (on Vancouver Island, by bus to Courtney, then by train to Victoria and lastly by ferry back to Vancouver.
It was a fabulous trip, relaxing and beautiful scenery and lots of wildlife. The highlight of the trip however, was the boat trip to the Khutzeymateen which is Canada's only Grizzly Bear Sanctuary (45 Km. northeast of Prince Rupert). We went on a Pilot Boat so made good time getting there and back (2 hours to/2.5 hours from) and spent 2.5 hours simply working our way up the valley seeking out Grizzly bears dining on Bear Grass on the beaches. Our guide would pull in close to the shore, cut the motor and we'd just drift in close and watch these amazing creatures in their natural habitat.
We were lucky enough to see seven of these amazing animals (most juveniles... around 4 years old. They were the ones who'd let us get the closest. We saw a mature sow who kept us at a distance... as we drifted closer, she would take a few steps closer to the bush...lol. (She had a set distance for her tolerance of us.)
If you ever are in Prince Rupert and have the opportunity, it's well worth it... an awesome experience. Here are a few pictures I took of some young bears (I only wished I had a camera with a decent telephoto lens... and of course, the skill to take good pictures.:rolleyes: )
http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/jb_images/Grizzly1.jpg
http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/jb_images/Grizzly2.jpg
http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/jb_images/Grizzly3.jpg
It was a fabulous trip, relaxing and beautiful scenery and lots of wildlife. The highlight of the trip however, was the boat trip to the Khutzeymateen which is Canada's only Grizzly Bear Sanctuary (45 Km. northeast of Prince Rupert). We went on a Pilot Boat so made good time getting there and back (2 hours to/2.5 hours from) and spent 2.5 hours simply working our way up the valley seeking out Grizzly bears dining on Bear Grass on the beaches. Our guide would pull in close to the shore, cut the motor and we'd just drift in close and watch these amazing creatures in their natural habitat.
We were lucky enough to see seven of these amazing animals (most juveniles... around 4 years old. They were the ones who'd let us get the closest. We saw a mature sow who kept us at a distance... as we drifted closer, she would take a few steps closer to the bush...lol. (She had a set distance for her tolerance of us.)
If you ever are in Prince Rupert and have the opportunity, it's well worth it... an awesome experience. Here are a few pictures I took of some young bears (I only wished I had a camera with a decent telephoto lens... and of course, the skill to take good pictures.:rolleyes: )
http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/jb_images/Grizzly1.jpg
http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/jb_images/Grizzly2.jpg
http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/jb_images/Grizzly3.jpg