Inside Passage, 9:00 a.m.
Overcast again — yesterday's sunshine was such a gift. Unlike the fishing expedition in Homer, the waters of the Inside Passage have been calm, and a 2600-ton vessel like the Taku is inherently more stable than the 34-foot Slow Goin, so I have had no problems with motion sickness.

This is the first time on the trip that I have gotten out the earphones and plugged them into the laptop to listen to some music while writing. There hasn't been time or need for music until now. The first playlist I chose was the wonderful collaboration between Jonathan Byrd and Dromedary, The Sea and the Sky. Listening to the haunting track "Verdigris" brought on an overwhelming surge of emotion, like that experienced early on July 11, while riding through the Canadian Rockies.

Forest Service Ranger Ernestine Hayes, who teaches English at the University of Alaska Southeast, gave a brief talk on Robert Service, Bard of the Yukon. I had heard of Robert Service before this trip, and I have certainly seen his name in enough places along the way, but it wasn't until Ernestine's talk that he came alive as a person, easily the equal of Jack London. Ernestine inspired me so much that I immediately went down to the gift shop to purchase a paperback edition of The Best of Robert Service. She has written a memoir, "Blonde Indian : An Alaska Native Memoir"; if Emory's library doesn't already have it, please, someone, order a copy.

I've never been much for poetry, but the excerpts that Ernestine read captured my soul, especially her closing quote, which moved me to tears:

There's a land where the mountains are nameless,
And the rivers all run God knows where;
There are lives that are erring and aimless,
And deaths that just hang by a hair;
There are hardships that nobody reckons;
There are valleys unpeopled and still;
There's a land—oh, it beckons and beckons,
And I want to go back—and I will.

Prince Rupert, BC
The ferry captain made up lost time, and we arrived in Prince Rupert pretty much on time. During debarkation, I was frantically packing the bike, trying not to hold up traffic, when the loudspeaker came to life with words I did not want to hear: "Selden Deemer, please report to the Purser's Desk to pick up your belongings." Four weeks on the road, and I am still a complete idiot when it comes to getting going in the morning. I had left my "important documents" folder behind in the locker. Fortunately, I have made two copies of everything, and I had my passport on my person, so there was almost nothing irreplaceable, but it would have been an inconvenience to lose this package.

Prince Rupert was overcast and drizzly when I hit the Yellowhead Highway east. The rain stopped as soon as I crested the mountains, and most of the ride was in cool overcast conditions — good weather for covering ground quickly; poor for scenery and taking photos, but I have enough of those already. After a point, one U-shaped glacial canyon looks pretty much like every other. Looking at the map, I decided that Prince George was a destination too far, so I picked a name: Smithers.

Smithers, BC
OK, class: raise your hand if you have ever heard of Smithers. I thought not. Smithers is a ski town, smack dab in the middle of north-central British Columbia. It was the location for some of the shooting of the Disney film, Eight Below. It's just waiting to be discovered; Smithers could be the next Jackson Hole.

I hit town at 5:45, and stopped at the local information center just before they closed. Spotting a card for the Smithers Guesthouse, I made a beeline for the premises. Unbelievable, surpassing anything I have ever experienced to this point on the trip. The Smithers Guesthouse is run by an Austrian couple, Hans and Tina. It is modern and immaculately clean. Motion-sensing switches turn the lights on and off automatically as you walk down the hall to the guest rooms. The upstairs deck has a glorious view of the Hudson's Bay mountains. They have really fast internet access, with a secure WiFi network in addition to a wired machine. Hans and Tina took a somewhat rundown suburban house, added a new wing to it, and lovingly remodeled the entire interior, making for a most delightful place to stay. Earlier I referred to a motel described in Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as a place that reflected Phaedrus' quest for "quality". This place exudes it, with loving design and finish details throughout. I have picked up several ideas that I want to put in place in my own home.

Destination: Smithers, BC
Distance: 227 miles

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Copyright © 2006 Selden Deemer