Tourist praises ferry service to unique area

Re: Chilcotin tourism depends on the ferry, Letter of the day, Dec. 20

Last summer I had the pleasure of taking the Discovery Tour Ferry from Port Hardy to Bella Coola, and then travelled across the Chilcotin and down Highway 99 to Vancouver. The ferry trip was breathtaking, particularly for the out of province tourists. The area covered is virtually uninhabited; occasional boats and the odd house snuggled in among the rocks. Whales entertained us, eagles soared along the coastline.

The service on board was wonderful; good food complete with an outdoor barbecue and a friendly staff.

We spent a couple of days in Bella Coola, then took the steep road out of town and up onto the Cariboo plateau. The Cariboo is an entirely different experience; mile upon mile of rolling plains with very few people. It had been 60 years since I had been there and my memory is that it hasn’t changed since then.

We crossed the plain into Williams Lake, down south through to Cache Creek to where we joined Highway 99 and continued down through the mountains through an area of high mountains capped with glaciers. The tourists we talked to along the way were awestruck with the beauty. The road passes through Whistler and continues along the edge of the Tantulus Range of mountains ( again complete with magnificent glaciers) and on to Vancouver on the Sea to Sky Highway.

We spent eight easy days on our trip and were very impressed with this unique holiday. We were also proud to share it with so many tourists who were equally enjoying it. NORMAN TAGGART Coquitlam