We weren't too sure how Marieka would do with biking again - biking with weight appeared to be aggravating her back, so we decided that I would carry all of her bags and such on my trailer. Packing up, compressing packing cubes and stuffing it all into the bag on my trailer, it all disappeared, with the exception of my hiking shoes, which got stuffed in her panniers, strapped on top of the trailer.
Heading down the highway from Lawn Hill to Skidegate, we decided to get into Skidegate and see if we could drop our bags early at the Airbnb (Haywaas' House - highly recommended for a couple). Well, we got a message on the way offering that we could check in early, along with the directions - it was up in a new development, and the roads weren't on any maps. It was also overlooking Skidegate, so we got to try to ride up the pretty steep, long hill (I made it more than halfway).
Once we crested the hill, we saw a Haida lady out berry picking with her son. It turned out this was our host, and she confirmed we were on the right way, and that we could leave things we didn't need (like my trailer) in their garage, and get into the airbnb early.
When we were unloading, we got to chat with her uncle, who is also a cyclist - he rides up the other hill when the weather is good (apparently it's even steeper), and has a Peloton for when the weather isn't that good.
While we were chatting with him and unloading stuff, our host and her son, Haywaas, arrived. Haywaas was a very happy looking toddler, with a big berry smile. Our host showed off the thimble-berries and currants (? cranberries?) that she had been picking, and we talked for quite a while, learning about how the guesthouse used to be her hair studio until she became a teacher.
We also learned a lot more about our hosts after we had settled into the airbnb, as there were copies of their books for children in the house - I Wish You Were Here about how they met, and Haywaas' Question about the complexity involved in trying to explain what reconciliation is.
We double-checked, and no food stores were open, so we made a plan - we were going to go to the Haida Heritage Centre, spend the afternoon there, and then I would go to Daajing Giids to do some grocery shopping while Marieka shopped in the gift store.
The Haida Heritage Centre is a great museum and resource for keeping the Haida culture alive. We walked through the longhouses and then entered the museum to follow the journey of the Haida from their starting with Sea Foam Woman and other supernatural beings, to the impacts of contact with Europeans, and how the Island has been on its own reconciliation journey for the last 50 or so years (this is a simplification).
In Daajing Giids, I went to the Causeway Convenience again, but, pulling in, I recalled that the salmon we'd been getting was from T&M, which was on the wharf just at the end of the street, so I walked over and watched as they were unloading their catch of the day. There was an awesome little girl of about 7 or 8 who was proudly showing her dad the large fish eye that was hers (he made her wash her hands before getting in the truck). Once there was an opportunity, I wandered back to the retail store around the back and got a pound of frozen salmon, to make for dinner tonight, then went back to the Causeway Convenience for more groceries, to stock us up, putting them in a backpack for the ride.
Back at the giftshop, Marieka had gotten to know the lady who ran it and had plans of what to buy, but hadn't bought anything yet.
We went through Skidegate on the way back to the Airbnb, seeing the Skidegate Volunteer Fire Department Fire Truck (below), which had slightly larger trees than last time I was here, the awesome new Youth Centre in a prominent waterfront location above the beach, and the Skidegate Haida Immersion Program building.
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| Skidegate Volunteer Fire Department Truck |
Back at Haywaas' House, we had a great dinner, relaxed, stretched, read, and went to bed.
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