To Hell and Back

(I tried posting this on Saturday but my computer has been infected by a virus so I am now doing this at work. hehe This is the same post on my blog but I thought you all might enjoy.)

Signs Sign every a sign, F*****g up the scenery breaking my mind. Do this, don’t do that BUT WHEN A DIRECTION SIGN SAYS “TURN NOW” YOU SHOULD PROBABLY LISTEN TO IT!!!

More to come.

Saturday was May the fifth – Children’s Day in Japan and China - I spent the day with my daughter.

ALSO - this time last year we had just landed in China after leaving Japan forever. OOfff the flood of memories.

First we headed off to my daughters swimming class. She was a freak as usually and starting to kick with her feet more. This is great.

Then we headed over to watch some of our towns Art Parade. We sat ourselves down at the front booth table of the European deli munching on a sandwich and watching the floats go by.

Then we packed our car up and headed out past Hope to Hells Gate.
I was last there a few years ago with my husband. I brought him there as part of his sight seeing trip for his first time in Canada.

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Hell’s Gate is a section of the Fraser River that narrows considerably – it is both the narrowest and deepest point on the Fraser River. I guess blasting by the makers of the railway, many many many years ago, caused a cave-in that made the river narrower then it already was. The result turned the water pressure into a freaky torpedo canyon with so much force man has still not won the battle against it and many lives have been lost attempting war on it.
It also killed the salmon.

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The water pressure was so massive many of the salmon could not make it back up the river to their spawning grounds due to complete exhaustion. The government built the fish ladders that are wrapped around either side of this freaky area way back in 1941. The scale of this undertaking and the fact that the collection of gates and ladders created for the fish still works actually amazes me.

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Well last weekend was “Canyon appreciation weekend” – I have no idea when or where this phrase was coined but it meant the tram was free and that there were many activities happening on the far side of the river.

It is a bit of a drive – 30 minutes AFTER Hope – and Listen to the Sign!!! When it says TURN NOW for Hell’s Gate, DO IT!! Or you will be heading on the freeway towards the Cocahalla (no idea how to spell that) desperately looking for an emergency paved area where you can do an illegal u turn.
Stupid.

I met up with some friends on the other side and we arrived just in time for some Native Indian music and dance. The costumes were AMAZING!!!!

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But then something ‘wow’ happened.
In a middle of a dance and song the two dancers suddenly stopped and stared down at the floor. I immediately noticed that some Eagle Feathers had fallen off their costumes. Eagles are a very sacred animal for the Native Indians in this area. The elders that were playing all stood up and removed their hats – no one had touched a feather yet. The younger men had no idea as to what to do. The one older man bent down and pushed the feathers together without letting them really leave the ground then they all stood around in silence then said a small prayer. The one man came out into the audience explaining the importance of the Eagle feathers and how if the feathers fall off like that they need to say a prayer of apology before they can actually touch the feathers again.
If you look closely in this picture you can see the feathers.

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Their next song was to the Eagle and all their hats were removed as if in prayer.

For the rest of the time we were there we browsed through the book shop and trading post. My daughter picked out a her-sized Canadian flag umbrella and I bought some interesting looking books.

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She also tried her hand at panning for gold and had a brilliant time.

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I might warn everyone that the trail walk back is ONE MILE UP HILL!! In my mind I remembered it shorter and easier.
Mind you when you are carrying a tired kid it feels about five miles long.

I thought that I would die on Sunday but I was actually ok. Huge Surprise!!!

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