Arrival

Me: "Could you please direct us to the Inn?  Is there a taxi that can take us there?"

Helpful Sandspit Airport Gift Shop Person: "Um....come outside with me.  See that building?  With the green roof?"

Me: "That one next door?"

HSAGSP:  "Yes, that's the Inn."

So for the first time, probably anywhere we've traveled, we walk about 100 paces to our overnight accommodation, a barn of a place with a few pickup trucks parked outside.  Inside is much the same as the outside except you can replace the pickup trucks with their obvious owners parked at the bar.

Classic Canadian motel with its built-in tissue holder and bottle opener in the bathroom

Welcome to Haida Gwaii!  

This trip has been a long time coming: years, decades.  We both have explored almost every bit of accessible coast in BC except this bit, the most northerly and remote cluster of islands. As such it is not inexpensive to get here, and even more expensive to explore thoroughly, given the lack of roads, particularly in the southern islands, which form the Gwaii Haanas, a national park and marine conservation site due to to its biodiversity and historical significance to the Haida First Nations people.

Sand spit at Sandspit 

Scudding whitecaps and sun crashing through clouds that tumble on the wind met us as we stretched our legs and followed the road to town, which was a few odd businesses dotted along the shore road, with the "shopping mall" being a small grocery store and liquor store combined, a library, a thrift store and maybe one or two other doors.  We picked up some rations (a bottle of gin and a case of tonic water) then went back to our digs, passing a giant salmon which dwarfed an eagle salivating at the prospect of a salmon this large but that is not constructed of wood and copper.

Wood and copper salmon piece by Lon Sharp

'Dang that would be a nice piece of fish!'