Blue skies, sunshine, and Ocean Falls --- who knew?

July 8 – We are leaving Namu for Ocean Falls. Fantastic night on the dock and fortunate to meet some of the great people who live here and are rebuilding parts of the site. The wood they are using to panel and construct things are sawn here from driftwood --- often clear cedar, spruce and fir.

We got a tour through the “mill” and were shown a stack of 2X12s 20+’ long that were absolutely clear --- something you would never find in Vancouver at virtually any price.

Hey Gregg, he also had some red cedar rounds with fantastic red and purples and a chunk of fir of unknown vintage as there are several portions of the log has annual rings that look as thick as a sheet of paper. Our tour guide spoke about wood in the manner of a docent in the finest natural history museum; history of the world in the growth rings of a fir...

We are now in Beautiful Ocean Falls -- quite warm and a bit overcast -- WOAH check that it's sunny in the place that gets 20+ FEET of rain a year.

And, the dock has Wifi --- who'd have thought?! No cell though.

The majority of the crew took a walking tour through the old townsite and up to the dam (I think we're adding some photos here). Ocean Falls is a combination of ghost town, museum, living and working coastal community and time capsule. There's a mix of dilapitated, falling down, going-back-to-nature buildings and neat, tidy, freshly painted and maintained houses, a serviceable ferry dock, gift shop (open 1-3 M/W/F/S/S - maybe to coincide with the ferry schedule...) The water spilling over the dam onto the rocks below is spectacular and worth the fifteen minute uphill walk. The salmonberries along the way were tart-sweet and delicious. The mill has been closed for many years, but there is obviously still much pride of place here for the residents; the docks are well-maintained, and the bulletin board proclaims that Ocean Falls is the "best town by a dam site".

Cheers, Turicum