Balance

The past few weeks have seen much travelling, which has been a good thing insofar as it took me to some new parts of the country and reminded me there's a lot more to the world than city life.

Three weeks ago I was in the Okanagan, which seemed like something of a suburb to Vancouver in terms of the pace of life. A five-hour drive away by car, the hustle of the wine industry made it plain that business is business there as anywhere else. Of course, the Okanagan has its quieter spots, too, as a visit to a nature preserve that surrounds the grandly named Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory south of Penticton proved. We're not quite sure how we wound up there, but we're glad we did.

A week ago, a desire to see Prince Rupert prompted a trip through the Cariboo and down the Skeena River, which has all the grandeur one expects of Canada's mighty northern rivers (even some of its eastern ones, such as the St. Lawrence and St. John). A trip down the coast via BC Ferries and through some remote northern Vancouver Island communities (Port Hardy, Port McNeill and Woss) were all good reminders of what most city-dwellers forget -- that there's something beyond the city, places where not everything's at your fingertips and where the opportunities may not be as big as in the city but they're fit for the place. Too often, we in the city are on the lookout for the next big thing without realizing we're addicted to excess.

Here are some scenes from the road, beginning with a scene along the Skeena,


... continuing with a view of the Inside Passage ...


... and an early morning shot of the main street in Courtenay, a pleasant community on Vancouver Island: