The ferry arrived in Prince Rupert, BC at 7:00 am. We were one of the first off the ferry and going through customs was pretty fast. It was raining as we drove east on Highway 16. The view along the Skeena River wasn't that good because of the weather. It finally stopped raining at Terrace. We had wanted to explore this area, but usually just drive through on our way to or from Prince Rupert. We turned north on a gravel road that we thought would lead to the Nisga'a Memorial Lava Beds, created by a volcanic eruption that happend only 240 years ago, destroying 2 Indian villages and killing 2000 natives. We stopped at the Red Sand Lake Campground. There were campsites on this lake but few trees to provide privacy. A little farther north, also on Red Sand Lake was the Hart Farm Recreation Site with three walking trails. A little ways north of Hart Farm we saw a black bear. About 25 miles north of Terrace a bridge was washed out. We turned back, realizing we should have gone a little farther west into Terrace and taken the paved Nisga Highway north. We decided we didn't have time to do that. (The Lava Beds are about 65 miles north of Terrace.)
We got back to Terrace around noon and took Highway 37 south toward the relatively new town of Kitimat, 40 miles south of Terrace. We passed Gruchy Lake and Lakelse Lake on our way south. The Lakelse Lake Provincial Park Campground was quite large-- large enough to have speedbumps. It started raining again. When we got to Kitimat at 12:45 the first place we stopped at was the Visitor's Center. They had lots of brochures/maps and the staff was very helpful. Kitimat was originally an Indian village. In the 1950's Alcan buildt a plant here. While it seems inland, it is actually where the 130 mile long Douglas Channel terminates making it a port city. Kitimat is a planned city. One of our books claims it was planned better than most weddings. Each neighborhood has a park and every house is located in a cul-de-sac. They even planned which way the houses were situated on their lots by the way the wind would blow. We stopped at the Kitimaat Indian Village. The totem carver turned the 'open' sign around at his shop just as we arrived. It turned out he was getting ready to go somewhere. We drove through town toward the huge Alcan Plant. We stopped at the 
Moore Creek Falls and Hospital Beach, where a hospital for plant workers used to be. We explored the stairs and foundation of an old building left to ruins. An Alcan security officer stopped to see what we were doing. He told us this was the site of the old hospital and was on Alcan property. He didn't care if we were on the property but warned us that the foundation had some holes and cracks. Later when we stopped at the Museum they told us this was the remains of an old Hudson Bay Store/cafe/post office/bank, not the hospital. Like the hospital, once the Alcan Plant and the town of Kitimat were buildt, the company store was no longer needed. The Alcan, Methanex and Eurocan Plants all give tours during the weekdays. We found the Giant Sitka Spruce tree in Radley Park. While we were there we talked to a man from Washington State who told us there was an uncontrolled forest fire south of Williams Lake. We stopped at Kitimat's Centenial Museum located in a strip mall. They had exhibits of native and pioneer artifacts, as well as sealife. Upstairs were exhibits by local artists and stuffed animals that leave in this area. The staff was very knowledgable and answered lots of questions. On woman who was a retired Alcan employee told us they they used to go to work by skiff or seaplane, before they filled in the land. She told us that while Alcan has had there union problems, the company is very environmentally friendly. We stopped at a Subway for sandwiches before heading out of town.
It finally stopped raining as we headed north toward Terrace. We couldn't find the Humphrey Falls road on the way out of town, so we kept going north. 
Before heading east at Terrace we got gas. The Hazelton area, about 100 miles east of Terrace, has lots of historical as well as present day native Indian communities. The Indian village of Kitwanga, 30 miles west of New Hazelton, has totem poles in front of some of their homes and an old church we took pictures of. Highway 37 begins here at Kitwanga and joins the Alaskan Highway at Watson Lake. It is the shortest and newest highway to reach the Yukon and Alaska. We took this route last year. We stopped at the Kitwanga Fort National Historic Site. Several plaques on a trail, which took you into a valley and then up stairs to the top of a steep hill, told the story of how the Gitwangak tribe would protect themselves by rolling logs down this hill. One of the members of this tribe scared off other tribes by wearing a grizzly skin lined with slabs of slate, to protect his tribe's fishing sites, trade routes and prestige. 
We started to take the Skeena Crossing Road but it was washed out. We went north to Kispiox, a small Indian village with some really nice totem poles and then back south stopping at the Ksan Historic Indian Village, which is a model Indian village. There are seven tradiional houses here being used for a museum, art centre, carving school, gift shop, art studios and restaurant. It was around 8:00 pm when we arrived and the buildings were closed. We have never been here during the day when they give tours, but there are still lots of finished and a few unfinished totems outside the buildings. 
There is also an RV Campground adjacent to the Indian Village. We walked through a forest near the Skeena River that had some tall, straight trees that would probably be used for totem poles someday. We stopped at the Hagwilget Suspension Bridge, buidlt in 1931 over the Buckley River near New Hazelton. This town had quite a few nice motels. Continuing east we stopped at Moriceton. At 9:00 pm it was getting dark, but the natives were still out there fishing , using nets while standing on rocks in the Buckley River. It started raining again. We turned right off Highway 16 on Lake Kathleen Road. About 5 miles down the sparcely populated road we stopped athe Twin Falls Trail and glacier gulch. A trail leads to the falls and Lake Kathleen Glacier. We stayed in Smithers for the night at the Sorento Motel and had appetizers and drinks at the Alpinehorn Pub and Bistro, a popular hangout for the younger locals.
I guess you could say we celebrated Dale's birthday a day early.
300 miles today
4700 miles total