Is This For Real?

An article from May 13, 2009 reporting an important find in the NWT. (Northwest Territories of northern Canada)

The primitive sponge-like creature, traces of which were discovered by paleontologist Elizabeth Turner and two other scientists, may well push back the earliest geological signs of animals by more than 200 million years.
"We're not looking at things that are as complicated as worms or even as complicated as sponges," Turner, of Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ont., told CBC News.
"We're looking at something that's simpler than that. And that's at the very junction between the earlier life forms that preceded animals and the lineage that became animals."
The trio's discovery has been documented in this month's issue of the journal Geology.
Only a few months earlier, evidence from the Arabian Peninsula pushed back the origins of animal life to 635 million years ago.
The new find by Turner and her colleagues dates those origins even further in the past, by another 200 million years.
"It is a big deal because, I mean, there's a huge community out there of people who are trying to understand the early evolution of animals and the early evolution of Earth ecosystems," she said.
Alasdair Veitch, a biologist in Norman Wells, N.W.T., said the discovery of the sponge-like body is an example of the rapid progress scientists have made in mapping human evolution.
"These little sponges that were on the sea floor out in the Mackenzie Mountains 850 million years ago - those are the precursors to all the caribou and sheep and moose and even ourselves that [are] what we have today," he said.

What goes through your mind when you read this? For me, at every turn there are questions to be asked. Where do I start? I am reading Lee Strobel's "The Case for a Creator". As he peels back the so called evidences for Darwinism, there unravels a trail of deceit, smoke, and mirrors. One thing is very evident among evolutionary scientists and that is the almost desperate attempt to convince themselves and others that there is indeed enough evidence to support their belief system. Time and time again the missing links unravel and are proved to be something other than what they were presented to be. In this article, the 635 million mark has been trumped! Really? Who can say this with certainty? Who can say they found a relic of organic living tissue dating another 200 million years farther back in time. And what a preposterous and outrageous claim to say that it is the precursor to caribou, sheep, and yes, even us humans. There is not a stitch of evidence, despite incredible efforts, to give us a shred of evidence that this is true, and yet it gets published and many say, "Oh my, we are getting closer to understanding our origins!"
I say, "Hogwash."

PS I have been very remiss in regards to the post of a few days ago regarding our garage sale. I failed to give credit to Linda Baxter and her mom who came out from Chilliwack to help us. They have been faithful, or at least Linda has, with all three sales so far. She is a great asset to our team and I only left her out (quite by accident) because she is not part of our church care group. Sorry Linda and Trudy. Please accept my humble apologies.

Postscript

View from ferry that brings you into Ocean Falls today.

I often think of our days in Ocean Falls, but organising my thoughts and honing my memory for this project has had some unexpected benefits. When I first started, Lis told me she had some souvenirs that she had kept in a scrapbook from those days. I was amazed to see some very interesting artifacts and memorabilia. There were newspaper articles, Crown Zellerbach newsletters, pulp test samples, test charts from the paper testing station, letters written on various types of paper that I had just tested and was hot off the machines, and some incredible town site maps from the engineering department dated from the 1950's. If I ever go back to Ocean Falls, I will have to take them with me and donate them to the museum there.
I knew we had kept our letters from those days, when the phone service was unreliable and we did not see each other for months at a time. There were well over 250 letters (just the ones I had written) and after reading them over a period of a few weeks, I was totally back in the frame of mind that inspired me to write them. The old feelings of waves of loneliness came back, as I described my life in the hotel and working long hours and not seeing the sun for many days on end. I read them in chronological order and as the letters progressed, I could see my thoughts developing and some maturity setting in. I believe a renewed love for my wife has also been re-kindled in the process. It is easy to forget the days of long ago when we are so wrapped up in today. But I was reminded why I fell in love with Lis and why I loved her so much, and why we were willing to wait for each other as the months dragged by.
There have also been other serendipity's. I have done some research and found some really great sites with tons of photo archives and stories. I have joined a "Yahoo Group" open only to former residents of Ocean Falls and have opened communications with a few people from there. I have not yet connected with some of my favourite people but it may yet happen.
I mentioned my friend who was in the car with me, when I had the accident that led to me taking the safe driving course in Ocean Falls. We have just in the last few weeks 'found' each other. In those days he lived right next door to me. Today, he again lives close, but this time three houses down and across the street in a town home complex. We have been out for coffee twice and are renewing our old friendship.
I realise that not 100% of my tale will be 100% accurate, but my recollections are based on the letters, the articles, and mostly my memory. I realise that time can warp reality, but there was not an intention to mislead or misrepresent. These were my memories and my recollections. It has been a cathartic, nostalgic, and most enjoyable time travel experience for me. I hope whoever reads these blog posts will find it worthwhile, a bit entertaining and a bit educational.

Thanks for reading, you do me a great honour.

A Bold Move

This is a panoramic view of Cousin's Inlet. Martin Valley is on the left, and the Ocean Falls town site on the right. I 'borrowed' the last two photos from a website put together by the Ocean Falls Development Committee.

There have been precedents. Private enterprise has determined that a business is no longer viable and then a government takes over. This never works. The reasons are all about political ideology and motivation as opposed to pragmatism. Even after new infrastructure such as a $5 million state of the art ground wood mill (built in 1965) and upgrades to the steam plant, Crown Zellerbach could not make a profit, probably because of falling newsprint and pulp prices on the world market. So to save the people, the jobs, and the town, the mill was purchased in March of '73, by the NDP government, even though there were only 6 people in town who did not already have another job and location to go to. Most had already shipped their belongings out of town and were in the stages of closing down their lives in Ocean Falls. Ted Vesak, who was directly involved in the studies that led to the original plan to shut down the mill, was now hired on as manager of all operations. Yes, he knew, but took the job anyway. There had been numerous other suggestions for the town site, from fish farming operations, to a drug addiction rehab retreat. But in the end, it was decided to take the two mothballed newsprint machines and fire them up. There was a little spike in paper prices right then and that was all the motivation that was needed to make the final decision.
It turned out to be a fiasco. Shortly after the government took over, we were seeing news headlines that were claiming that production had never been so high at the mill. I could not understand this so I made some inquiries and found out that all four machines were running newsprint at full speed. This obviously made for higher tonnage because you cannot run the machines at a high speed when you are making the more profitable specialty papers. Not only that, but I found out the newsprint did not always have a market and it was being pumped out in record amounts and then being stored. The problem was, storage space was limited so the thousands of rolls of paper were being fork lifted to the old sawmill which was old, decrepit and had leaky roofs. In no time at all, mountains of perfectly good newsprint were reduced to useless piles of wet and rotting pulp. But headlines did not reveal this. It was Government deceit at it worst.
Even 'they' could not carry on this sham forever and eventually, what Crown Zellerbach had known all along, dawned on the bureaucrats. Again, it was announced that the mill and town were shutting down, but this time there would be no last minute deals. Even a murderer on death row eventually goes to his demise.
The death was swift and brutal. Without a lot of consultation, the town was what they called 'normalized'. That was a sanitized version of 'demolished'. After much hue and cry from former residents, 'normalisation' was halted just before evertything was lost. What was left is still standing today. Some of it in total disrepair, some of it restored for historical purposes, and some building are being used or lived in to this day.
There are now around 50 permanant residents but in summer the population explodes as holidayers, fishermen, and former residents invade the town.
I have not been back but have seen many photos of what is left. I do not know if I want to go back. I have heard from others that it is difficult. I see it as such a waste and a devastation of such an incredibly beautiful spot. The town of my childhood in Saskatchewan is not at all like it was when I was growing up there. I have been back there and it is difficult not recognising all the old familiar spots. This would be the same. If I do go back, this blogspot will be the first to hear about it.

Third Annual

On Saturday we held our third annual fundraising garage sale for the Mwanza Orphanage in Tanzania Africa. As in years past, it was a very fun and interesting experience. We had many donors of merchandise and early Saturday morning I was out dragging stuff from under the protection of the roof onto the open driveway. This photo does not do justice to the huge amount of items we had for sale. Our ads and posters stated that it was an 8am start, yet just after this photo was taken at 6:30 am, people started coming and there was a steady flow until we shut it down at 2 pm. We had two small pick-up loads to take to the thrift store and by 3 pm everything was cleaned up. We had plenty of great help. The constant coffee pot and plate of baked goodies kept our little group of volunteers happy and well fed. We brought in a few large pizzas at noon and never missed a beat. We are particularly grateful to our neighbours who allowed us to park on their driveways, donated many items, bought many items, and our Bosnian neighbours brought us some fresh baked flaky pastries. Wow! Do we live in a good neighbourhood or what? From the day's sales, as well as some VERY generous donations, we are able to give the Mwanza budget a boost of over $3000.00! This was a very joint effort spearheaded by our very good friend Ken Martens and supported and organised by our Care Group from our church consisting of 6 couples, some of the greatest people I know.
So here is a big thanks to Ken & Jan, Henry and Heidi, Erv and Delores, Bill and Ella, Frank and Elma, and, of course busy Lizzy. A huge thanks also to all those outside our little group who donated many wonderful items.

Saved?

This is a photo from above, of what is left of Ocean Falls today.

It was a thrill to be back in civilisation, although it took some getting used to. A few days after our flight home, our 35 boxes of belongings arrived via Northland Shipping Co. and we farmed it out to our parents basements until we could find a place to live. Our first priority was to purchase a new car and do some travelling. It was the reason we did not stay 'till the end. We were not home one week and we heard the shocking news. Ocean Falls was to get a reprieve. We could have stayed there and continued to work, but by the sound of things, the decision to keep the mill going was just another postponement of the inevitable. I felt sorry for those who had already packed their belongings and had secured jobs in other towns. Now they had to make a decision. The two newsprint paper machines had been mothballed and only the two specialty machines were now running. The price of newsprint was falling and the cost of producing paper in the old mill was increasing.

We did our travelling across Canada that summer and had a great time. But even as we came back home to settle in, we had an ever watchful eye on the newspapers and kept in contact with a few people in Ocean Falls to hear what the eventual fate of the town would be. We continued to wonder what would have happened to us had we decided to stay a few more weeks. And then the big announcement came, ten months later, on March 16, 1973. There was a buyer!

Final Flight

"You had better get in right away. The weather is coming in fast."
We were not surprised because whenever the sun was shining in Ocean Falls, it meant that rain was just around the corner. But we also knew from the last few years, that flights in and out of town were cancelled without notice more often than not. We just wanted to get going and not worry about where to stay if we were delayed in town for another day or two.
The pilot threw our few bags into the hold and ushered us on board, me in the co-pilot's seat and Lis and my sister Jan in the back.
He quickly throttled up and because of our light load, we were airborne in no time at all. We looked back over our shoulders, gave a quick wave to our friends on the dock, and took a last look at what had been our home, and what we would probably never see again.
We were at a thousand feet by the time we rounded Cousin's inlet and headed up the Dean Channel to King Island. And there it was. A grey wall. I knew that storms looked worse from a distance, especially when the perspective was from the sunshine. We hit the wall in a few minutes and at first it did not look that bad. The visibility was decent and the pilot seemed to have confidence.
But it was only the leading edge of the storm and as we progressed, the plane began to get tossed around and we could barely make out the water below, and certainly not the mountains on either side. I was not too concerned because I knew the Beaver had pontoons and there was no shortage of water to land on should we get into serious trouble.
Just as the plane began to lose altitude, I stated the source of my confidence to the pilot who answered me by pointing out the huge white caps in the ocean below. I then realised, and knew, that a plane the size of the Beaver could not land in such rough seas. And he was indeed flying lower because he wanted to keep sight of the water.
"It is worse that I thought it would be. Maybe we should turn back."
I did not like what I was hearing.
After an hour of indecision, suddenly, the plane banked steeply and I blurted out, "What?"
After what seemed like forever, we were nearing Port Hardy and the visibility was deteriorating rapidly.
"I am going to have to 'island hop' the rest of the way in. I cannot see the next island so I will circle this one until I can catch a glimpse of the next one."
The steep and sudden banking of the plane resulted in a retching sound from behind me. Lis was in very early pregnancy, plus air sick, and she had been holding the little brown bag under her chin for the last twenty minutes already. She was now making good use of it. I was concerned for her but could not get to her because it was critical, at that time, that we remain belted in.
So, we island hopped for the next 30 minutes, sometimes in a gentle bank because the Island was large, and more often very steeply as the Island was so small and we did not want to lose sight of it. My eyes were strained and tired, desperately trying to distinguish shapes of trees or cliffs in the flat grey light. The pilot seemed to be depending on me a lot to help spot the terrain.
As we circled a spit of land for the sixth time, the pilot, who seemed to be in a quandary, finally opened up to me what the situation was.
There was no turning back. We were low on fuel, and he "just knew" that the Port Hardy harbour was just two miles across open water from where we were now. But, he wanted to see the goal before reaching for it. I wanted for him to see it too.
"I'm going for it!" he finally exclaimed. "It will be alright."
As I glanced over at him, taking my eyes off the greyness around us for an instant, I did not like the beads of perspiration I saw on his brow and upper lip.
I was too young to die. Don't we all say that? But it was true in this case. I had a wife and a child on the way. We were about to start a new life. My sister was in my care. I didn't have a will. I can't swim. These and another million thoughts flashed through my mind as we set a straight course into the grey unknown.
I cannot tell you how tense the next few moments were. What I can tell you is that there were four people praying and I guess that was a quorum because God saw fit to present to us the most incredible sight I have ever seen in my entire life. The light suddenly increased and almost instantly, we were in sunshine, but the most incredible part was that right there in front of our faces was the sleepy little harbour village of Port Hardy and we were heading straight for the seaplane docks, at just the right altitude and speed.
The relief and euphoria in that little cabin was palpable. Even Lis took her face out of the bag for an instant to see the answer to our prayers.
After much celebratory back slapping and congratulating, we transferred to a regular plane and resumed our flight to Vancouver, a very dull and uneventful happening. We were grateful for that because our adrenalin reserves needed replenishing.
.

Farewell

This picture actually includes one more person that you cannot see. Ponchos were all the rage, as you can see, but under Lis's poncho is the mystery person, our first child, and technically, also a resident of Ocean Falls.

In May of 1972, events came to a head and after years of threats, rumours and postponed announcements, the news that was not new to anyone, was that yes, Ocean Falls would be shutting down for good. It would happen some time in July, only two months away. There was relief and sadness and because everyone had more than enough time to contemplate the consequences for their own lives, most people had plans. We certainly did too. The decision to leave was made for us so we chose the exact day. I put in my resignation and with two weeks to go before D-day, we packed our few belongings and reserved a flight back to Vancouver.
Our desire to travel during the summer months overcame our desire to stay until the end. My sister (tall, blonde, in the photo) saw it as her last chance to come so she spent the last few days with us there and flew out with us. She, and Lis's sister were the only family that ever came to see us.
Our good friends, Larry and Rosanne Rae, had decided to stick it out to the bitter end so they came to see us off at the float plane dock. This was the last picture in my camera of Ocean Falls. It was a beautiful sunny day as the plane taxied to the dock and as we took our last look at the town that was settled between the mountains and the sea, we had very mixed feelings. But we would soon be fearing for our lives and days later hearing the most shocking news about our beloved town.

A Last Look

These are the Garden Apartments. Even though the town was gearing down, the population was dwindling, and there was no shortage of accommodation, these beautiful homes were built in the the mid sixties, only a few years before everything shut down. It was not built by private development but was part of the company town infrastructure. Today, these homes still stand, but barely. There are tall trees growing up through the carports, the roofs leak and the interiors are rotting and unsalvageable.

Front street on an evening when the several inches of rain turned to snow. This is the street where the executives of the mill lived. It was always pretty here. Today, these houses are gone, the concrete pavement is heaved, cracked and overgrown, and is barely recognisable as more than a path through the underbrush.

Click on the picture to enlarge. 1. Site of a big mud and rock slide in 1965 where several houses and their occupants were swept into the ocean. An apartment block was also damaged and the credit union was swept to the ocean's edge. Seven people perished that night and the town was evacuated across the bridge to the mill site. 2. The Gospel Fellowship Hall where I lived with my sister. We were almost the highest building in town. It was 227 wooden steps from the front door to the bridge that separated the town from the mill. 3. The empty space is where the school was. When it burned down, so did the steps. My brother-in-law and I hacked a crude trail down the slope through the Salmon Berry bushes for a shortcut. It was a long way around if we went to town via the roads. 4. The Cedars Apartment where Lis and I lived the whole time we were together in Ocean Falls. Very nice location and in spite of being built in the 30's and being a loud and echoing structure, it was home and we like it.

Contemplation

My 3 years in Ocean Falls were coming to an end. The first half of my adventure was filled with new experiences and challenges and made me grow up. It forced me to evaluate my life and my future and it took me away from some influences that could have been detrimental. It created in me a sense of independence and a final separation from parents as my care providers. I came to the realisation that I could not live alone and that marriage was a good and right thing for me.
The last half of the adventure was an extended honeymoon, an opportunity to build a financial footing in life, and a time to make plans for the future. It was a time when the deep loneliness disappeared and in retrospect was one of the happiest times of my life.
Overshadowing our life there, was the constant reality of impermanence. Leaving was inevitable, but the timing of that was uncertain but always imminent. There were constant threats of strikes. Our lives were greatly effected by longshoreman strikes, tugboat operators strikes, postal workers strikes, airport workers strikes, pulp and paper maker strikes, and I realise now, that those were tumultuous times in the world of labour relations in BC. In fact, the unionization of BC's labour force was a factor in the upcoming provincial elections of '72 which had an immediate effect on our town and our future.

Life in Ocean Falls

With my new Pentax Spotmatic 35mm single lens reflex camera, and a tripod, I was now an official portrait photographer. I forgot to read the chapter on composition, wardrobe, and lighting. Oh well, I have a memento.

The main indoor activity was reading and we both loved reading. We were only a few steps away from the town library and could see it from our kitchen window.

Lis took up painting and became quite good at it. She did not have a paid job while we lived there but certainly honed her skills as a homemaker. She also befriended the lady across the hall who was left alone with her young daughter most of the time. They were an Italian couple and her English was not good. She and her husband fought, constantly.

Kicking back and probably listening to my eight track tape player. Radio reception was sporadic and the one TV station, CFTK the "Tall Totem Television System" from Terrace BC was dependent on the receiver functioning, which it rarely did in winter when the mountain top antennae would ice up.

Our first visitor as a married couple. Lis's sister from Richmond came for a few days. We managed to get outdoors quite often and showed her our favourite spots. Today, we live in the same city.

More Things To Do

The sand bars on Martin River were our favourite places to visit. The river was so clean and clear and the sand was unspoiled. Even though the water was mostly snow melt and icy cold, we were in up to our knees just to get to the sand bars. I will never forget the beauty, peace, and tranquility of that place.

I was never in the Ocean Falls hospital, but my sister worked there part time during the months before they moved back to Vancouver. They demolished it and built a newer, more modern facility.

This was the same crane that fell through the docks in yesterday's post. The hospital was down in a matter of hours.

That winter was one of the driest on record. Normally, the water would be to the line where the snow meets the trees. There was threat of closing the mill and saving the water for hydro power generation. And then the rains came and within days, the lake was back up to normal levels.

It got cold enough that winter to freeze the lake where it was not so deep. Who would have thought that anybody in Ocean Falls even owned ice skates, but plenty of kids and adults were out there playing hockey. There was always a festive atmosphere when the rain stopped and folks gathered for any outdoor activity. Most people took every opportunity they could to get out and enjoy what was known a 'no rain' day. Very rare indeed.

Things To Do In Ocean Falls

We tried to get outdoors as often as the weather would permit. Hiking was the big thing for us because there were no shortages of mountains to climb and places to explore, if you were not afraid of bears. In the above photo, we have climbed half way up Sawmill Mountain and looking back was a spectacular view of the mill and the town. The terrain was very steep. My theory was that because there was more garbage for the bears to eat on the town side of the valley, we would be fairly safe up here. It was rare to ever meet another human on the trail.

Our favourite hike was to Lost Lake. It was on the lake side of the dam and the trail was about 45 minutes to a small lake under a looming cliff on Caromarion Mountain. There was a huge boulder a short leap from shore on which to sun one's self and lay back and watch the eagles soaring on the thermal updrafts. The trail was well maintained and at one time a lot of effort had gone into building it. There were numerous waterfalls and streams along the way. The water was so very pure and we always drank from the streams that were clear and refreshing.

Here we are at the top of Sawmill Mountain and just over the saddle back. The little shack in the background is the 'ski lodge'. There were actually a few pairs of skis in there. At one time, there had been a big beautiful lodge on these slopes. I have seen pictures of it and it was a log post and beam construction which could house many skiers. The rumour has it that one night there was an orange glow in the sky above Sawmill Mountain. Hikers, the next day, found nothing but ashes and because a Norwegian freighter was in dock taking on a load of paper, it was suspected that some of the crew had gone up there to party at night and started the fire. Nobody ever got to the bottom of it. At the time that this photo was taken, I did not know of the lodge or I would have searched for its remains

A little incident like this can create quite a stir in an isolated town. It drew quite a crowd of onlookers the day that it happened. The main town square was built on a dock and the timbers, being very old and decayed, just could not take the strain of a big piece of equipment like this crane. It was stuck there for a very long time because normally, something like this would be lifted out with a crane, but....... yes, you get it. You can see the beginnings of a block and tackle assembly being erected above the machine. They hoisted it high enough to rebuild the structure underneath it and then gently lowered it and drove it away.

There was no shortage of spectacular rivers and waterfalls. Could it have something to do with the average rainfall? This one was just beyond Martin Valley and a ways down a logging road. A pleasant level walk on a nice afternoon.

More Important Visitors

We began to wonder why our little town was becoming such a center of attention. We had just had the Prime Minister of Canada visit us and now a big Canadian Battleship came cruising into the harbour one day.

We had very little notice but those of us who were not working, gathered on the dock and got our first and only look at Canada's Governor General, Roland Mitchener. He was flanked by a couple of Members of Parliament and I can only remember Paul St. Pierre. Can someone help me with the other gentleman's name? I cannot remember a word of any of the speeches, but I am sure it was one of those "great land of ours" speeches.

It was not but a few minutes later that the imposing warship turned on its tail and headed back to sea. I remember feeling like the world had not forgotten us after all. The loneliness of isolation was broken for a brief period of time and I remember the people staying on the dock and watching until the ship turned the corner in Cousin's Inlet and headed up Dean Channel toward King Island. It perhaps had only been a dream and folks around us slowly departed without so much as a sound. It was back to same old, same old, and the outside world would have to carry on without us.

Friends

The Klassen's were one of only a few families left from the Gospel Fellowship Hall days. The town seemed to be emptying out and it was good to have a group we got together with and got along with quite well. Here we are having a picnic on a rare rainless day.

We had purchased our own boat which we could take to water easily either above or below the dam. After a while we preferred fresh water. There was an oily goo on the rocks, if you look closely, from a barge spill not long before. We had a difficult time getting it out of our clothes and off the boat. Here Neil is looking a little concerned and just a bit cramped too.

It was great to introduce, in person, the girl I had been writing to and telling the gang about for so long. She fit right in and was loved by all after the first meeting. Far left, Larry and Rosanne Rae. He worked in hydro and they had two very cute kids. They moved into the Gospel Hall after my sister and her husband moved back to Vancouver to continue their education at UBC. Next to Larry is Charlie Clotworthy. He worked in Tech Control and was above me as an inspector. During the mill slowdown, his job was eliminated and to stay in town, he took a demotion and I ended up training him in a junior position below me. He was a war vet and had suffered shell shock. He was a proper English gentleman but when his buttons were pushed he took on an almost evil persona and he frightened me many times. The Klassen's and then us, new kids on the rainy rock.

Showing Her The Ropes

All the time I used to spend writing letters, we could now spend together and we were outdoors whenever it was not raining and many times when it was. This was the road to Martin Valley where there were a number of private residences. The road was narrow, especially along this section which was wooden. The following spring, we were walking down this lane just as the Salmon Berry bushes were in blume and we found oursevles in the midst of a humming bird migration. The air was buzzing with the tiny creatures as they were stopping for a break among the blossoms on their way further north. They were as thick as flies and I recall that as a car drove by, they were bouncing off the grill and bumper. I picked one up and for the first time in my life I was able to examine one close-up. It was limp and warm and I saw that it was a Ruby Throated Humming Bird. The delicate body and intricate feather colourations were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I flagged down the next car and let them know to drive a little more slowly.

This was the lake behind the dam. There was row of boathouses that were left stranded, high and dry, as we experienced one of the driest winters in Ocean Falls' history. Normally all those stumps in the background were under several feet of water.

But the rains soon returned, as they always did. Here, all the floodgates are open and it was with a mighty roar that all that water cascaded down to the rocks below. Imagine too that the penstocks (huge pipes diverting water to the mill for industry and for hydo-electric power generation) were taking as much water again, so the total volume was immense, all supplied by rainfall and runoff from Baldy Mountain.

This was the natural part of the original falls. It was always a thrill to go up to the dam. Anywhere else, it would have been a big tourist attraction. When the rain was heavy, the background noise of the falls was always heard, throughout the town. There was never a concern about the dam bursting because the town sat high and dry. The mill, perhaps, would have been in some trouble, but then only at high tide.

A Stormy Beginning

We sorted through our wedding gifts and decided what to bring with us on our journey back to Ocean Falls. I had purchased some used furniture previously so what we needed to bring was small appliances and things of that nature. We already knew we would not be going back for Christmas so we had to be careful to bring everything we would need.

It was late October when we set sail from Ballantyne pier and it was a most beautiful sunny late autumn day, as you can tell from the photos. Lis had flown to Ocean Falls back in June so this was her first taste of the alternate transportation to the north coast. It was wonderful and we were so happy to be embarking on our new life together. Little did we know that only hours later, we would both want to die.

There is a stretch of open ocean that must be sailed, north of Vancouver Island, before once again hitting the shelter of the inlets of the rugged coast line. It was storm season and we did hit a storm. Or should I say that a storm hit us. It came on very suddenly and I was amazed to see the waves coming right over the bow of the freighter as it ploughed through the heavy seas. At first it was an adventure and challenge just to stay upright as we navigated our way around the ship. But when we were confined to our cabin and could only lay on our bunks, the sea sickness came over us in waves as big as the ones just outside the porthole. The violent motion was relentless and the nausea was all that dominated our thinking. There was no escaping it as we lay there, moaning and groaning. I heard the familiar dinner bell, calling passengers to dinner. Food was the last thing on my mind, but I was curious to see if we were the only ones lying low. As I staggered to the dining room, the smell of something frying caused me to heave, but not before I glanced through the glass of the swinging doors. There was not a soul in there. Aha! Even the captain and crew are not feeling well. That should have made me feel better but it did not. It was the first time in my life I literally wanted to die. It would be the only way to get away from the relentless rocking, up an down, up and down. I cared about nothing, not even my beautiful bride, lying there in a fetal position, green faced and moaning. We made an oath that we would never again take the boat either in or out of Ocean Falls, that is, if we would survive this trip.

After The Wedding

After a wonderful evening reception at the Sherbrooke Church in Vancouver, we settled in for plenty of picture taking. Here we are with both sets of parents.

In spite of my poor driving record, I managed to rent a car, a vanilla 4-door Pontiac Parisienne, a version of my very first car, only 10 years younger. Being early October, we were fortunate to have no icy roads and we got there and back safely. We had a wonderful time riding the gondola, relaxing in the hot springs with snow cascading down, eating, and ....and.... I can't remember what else.

We arrived home after 10 days away, to a mountain of wedding gifts. We were overwhelmed and now we had to chose what we would take with us to Ocean Falls and what we would leave behind in storage. I remember being taken aback because I had not really considered this aspect of a wedding before. Friends and family were so very generous to us.

Here we are on the Northland Prince saying our farewells. Lis's mom and sister are looking on as she opens a gift from her little brother, a sketch he had made, of a lion cub, already framed and ready to hang in our new apartment. I think he was being clever in that he knew if he gave it to us on the boat we pretty much had to take it with us and not store it in some dusty basement for the next few years.

The wedding and honeymoon were experiences that would have overwhelmed me at the best of times, but after having been isolated for so long, that old culture shock was kicking in. By the time we were leaving on the boat to return, I was back in my old 'groove', but now I was going back to isolation. The huge consolation was that I would not be alone and that we would not have family at hand to interfere or give us advice as newlyweds. This perhaps was needed many times, but we managed to work things out by ourselves and became stronger for it. If I had known how the trip back to OF was going to go, I would have stayed on dry land.

Wedding Day Ocober 10, 1970

The day finally arrives but what is this? The groom is late? I wonder if he will even show up or did he get cold feet? Note the look of concern/fear/anger/apprehension. I remember getting caught in traffic and I was late but not late enough to throw off the schedule.

Here we are cutting the cake so we obviously survived the wedding ceremony. We were actually married by two pastors, hers and mine. They are both still living and doing well and when we meet them we remind them that because there were two off them, they were able to tie the knot really tightly. We have not even tried to untie it although we have eyed it a few times.

We had no attendants, not that unusual for those times. Just yesterday I met the man who sold me that suit. He is now 88 years old. There is not a chance I could fit into it today, even if I still had it. I weighed 155 lbs, the result of being a bachelor and having to eat my own cooking. Or not.

Always the best part of a wedding. :) My mom and dad, looking on, seem to be enjoying that kiss just as much as we are. I was talked into getting a haircut just before the ceremony. My hair was shoulder length until hours before this photo was taken. It was the hippie era, you know. I made a deal and was allowed to keep the sideburns.

Meanwhile

All her cousins, friends and family threw a surprise shower for Lis

Guest of honour, but no man to show to anybody.

It was strange to know that my fate was being planned for me and I was not there to have any say in the matter. Life for me in Ocean Falls did not change except that the letters were flying back and forth even faster and more furiously. I would have only a few responsibilities to carry out when I arrived in Vancouver for my wedding day. I felt very detached knowing that there were parties being thrown on our behalf but Lis was the only half that was visible. Many of her friends knew a lot about me from her, but had never met me. I had a lot to live up to because she was apparently bragging about me as young future brides are wont to do. The pressure was on and I was bound and determined to keep from getting cold feet.

My Last Single Summer

Front Street looking from the theater toward the docks on Cousin's Inlet. Today, there is nothing here but the derelict Martin Inn at the end of the street. The roads that were not wooden, were concrete.

There were few distractions that summer, as I waited for the calendar pages to flip. There was always the rumour mill to keep one entertained and informed and that summer the talk of Ocean Falls having numbered days was prolific. That is why I was completely baffled when another rumour began circulating. The government was going to build a new school to replace the one that had just burned to the ground. Ordinarily, this would be a good thing, but I could not see the point in spending $1 million on a new structure for only a few years of use. In those days, that was a lot of money. The tilt-up concrete structure had to be barged up from Vancouver and then of course, it had to be equipped and furnished. Sure enough. By the end of summer, it was completed. It still stands today, but I do not know what it is used for. I heard that at one time it was home to a fish hatchery operation. Strangely enough, it is still referred to as the 'new school'. It is now 40 years old.
Another hi-lite was a visit by a very popular and famous politician. Pierre Elliot Trudeau came to Ocean Falls! It was in the days of 'Trudeaumania' and I caught a first hand glimpse of what that was all about. He came by plane for a quick town tour and a speech to be delivered in the theater. I, along with many others, waited at the doors to the theater because we knew he had to eventually walk right past us. We were not disappointed. I was amazed at how short he was and I could not figure why the women were screaming like groupies at a rock concert. He was not at all good looking. I was only a few feet from him and got a picture with my new camera. I would post it if 1. I could find it. 2. I care. I have never been a fan, but that is for another post.