Finally - Prince Rupert!

Turn your computer sideways to see (part of) the World's Largest Fly Fishing Rod

the "cairn" of King Arthur

Moricetown Falls

Can't really see the "falls", but you can get a sense of how high the bridge is

One-lane bridge over Murtle River Falls

The end of our road trip was Prince Rupert.  That is where we would catch the car ferry for a 38 hour (Friday night - Sunday morning) trip to Juneau.  For Bill it meant no more trying to use the cruise control on the tough mountain roads and I didn't have to rotate my Mile Post travel guide, the atlas and the map of British Columbia to make sure we were on the right route.  The ferry, when it arrives in Juneau, will let us off less than a mile from our condo.  What we didn't expect on this last day of driving was the exquisite views of this part of Canada.  In contrast to the mountainous province of Alberta, British Columbia is in the western Rockies and much more like Northern Wisconsin.  Lots of trees that were just finishing turning color along winding rivers with some serious rapids - in fact, there were a number of kayak entry areas along the route we took.  As we exited the mountains, we found ourselves in prime fly-fishing area (like "A River Runs Through It" - watch it just for Brad Pitt) although we didn't see anyone actually fishing, as we wound our way to the coast following the Canadian National Railway route.  We did stop at a rest area that advertised that a "cairn" (a stacked stone tower) that supposedly was part of Tintagel Castle, birthplace of King Arthur.  We also stopped in Houston at the "World's Largest Fly Fishing Rod" - a 60 foot rod with a 21" fly - which was planned and executed by volunteers.  This part of the trip was the most calming - the scenery seemed familiar, the roads following the train tracks and the rivers through canyons, rather than up-and-down.  We took a break at the small town of Moricetown, and saw the canyon and waterfall there.  Like I said, I can't pass up a good waterfall!  Now, instead of (non-existent) "moose crossing" signs, we saw lots of "danger - falling rocks" signs, but again, saw no falling rocks, but in this case it was a good thing!  The small villages that we drove through were mostly native indian reservations, with few services.  We had lunch in the car after an A&W drive-through (in Canada, A&W's are like Walgreens - on every corner!) and made one more stop at the Murtle River Falls, which flow over volcanic rock through a narrow gorge.  It is best seen by walking across a one-lane road and stopping in the middle, leaning over the waist-high barrier and taking a picture.  NOT IN MY LIFETIME.  I let Bill do it......