Part 3. Location, Location and Transportation

So far I have told you about the weather and a little of how we live here. Perhaps the following information should have come first so you can see where we are located.

If you have google earth you can look us up at     51 28'39.02 N   127 39'53.78W

You should see a bay with buildings located on an 'L' shaped string of logs. Our house has a very pale green roof. Our 'old' house is tied at right angles to it. This picture was taken in 2005 but not much has changed since then. The only difference is that during our caretaking months, sept to june, the whole of that 'L' shape is filled with buildings. It is like having our own small town!
Zooming out to get a clearer look at the area, Dawsons Landing is already marked. That is where we go for the post office and general store.
Robins Mum and Dad live in Coopers Cove which is in the next bay so with a little exploring you can get a better look at our surroundings.

It doesn't take long for you to see that there is very little opportunity to get on the land. There are a few beaches but much of the area is very rocky and covered in dense forest.
That leads me to the transportation part of this missive.

To get here is either by boat or sea plane.
Depending on the boat, weather conditions etc you can get here in a little as 3 hours by water.
Our boat, however, is not that fast and so an average trip to Port Hardy, on the tip of Vancouver Island,takes 8 hours!
This may seem like a long time........it is!!  But....we carry all our groceries, fuel and supplies and so do not have to use the freight system saving many dollars.
The sea planes are much faster...but more expensive.
A one-way trip to Port Hardy is $160.   Now they do come right to the front door and you can be there in approx 40 mins.

This image is a DeHavilland Bever
Pacific Coastal are our local airline and run a scheduled flight to the inlet 3 times a week plus charter flight whenever needed.
The Beaver is a very popular plane for bush flying and carries 5 passengers.
These planes were built in the 1940's so are not what you would call modern, but they are a work horse being strong, manouverable and versatile. 

The 'Goose' however is quite the machine.
Built between 1935 to 1945!
They hold 8 passengers and as you can see are an amphibian which means it can land and take off on either land or water. 
Pacific Coastal has the largest fleet of 'goose' in the world and we are very priveledged to be able to fly in them. In fact people come from all over the world just to get a ride in one of these great planes.

Taking off from the strip is just like any other take off, landing however is a shock for those not prepared for the rush of water over the windows. Once in the air they are smooth and only a bit noisy. The pilots do hand out ear plugs an all the flights.

Again they come right to our door. Baggage is loaded in the nose and rear of the plane and then a short taxy out of the bay to open water. Steering is done, on the water, but foot peddles and the engines, so it is  tricky plane to manouver.

Not many people can phone an airline, ask for a pick up and get a plane right to their door!  We know all the pilots by first name and they will even alter their route slightly if whales etc are spotted from the air.
Flying in the this area is part of life. Small planes are heard most days. All are float planes.
Flying is a more expensive option but there are only two to choose from. Long, cheap and rough or short and expensive. You do however, see the country from the air, flying low over mountains, up remote inlets and landing in otherwise inaccessable locations.

Our own fleet of boats will feature in another episode so keep watching!