Bella Coola Blog

Good River Conditions

2012-05-29T22:17:00.001-07:00

A cool May has meant the Bella Coola River has stayed very 'tame'. You can see in today's photo the river is just flowing at a nice level, not too muddy and very little debris moving. All indicators of a nice controlled snow melt. Grizzly

Nice Weekend

2012-05-27T22:21:00.000-07:00

It was a pleasant weekend in the Bella Coola Valley, not as warm as Friday, but very comfortable and only a minor shower here and there. We haven't had enough precipitation to seriously wet the soil and so perennial beds, blue berries and other gardens are all needing watering. Still lots of snow in the mountains, they look more like late April mountains than late May mountains with the amount of snow still showing. Grizzly

Suffering with 26 C in Bella Coola

2012-05-25T21:23:00.001-07:00

Did anyone else in BC have to put up with 26 C, balmy, warm, super comfortable temperatures today? It was almost hard to believe but that's what the official Environment Canada weather station put us at! Grizzly

Below Seasonal

2012-05-24T22:42:00.000-07:00

It's hard to write a blog about the weather and natural history in the Bella Coola Valley when you have been away for a few days. From what I can tell the best way to summarize it is "below seasonal" in both temperature and precipitation. Not a lot of precipitation, but not a lot of heat. The hay fields are loving it though and the annual burst of new vegetation, flowering and fresh growth is peaking on everything (Douglas Maple seeds forming in the photo). The Bella Coola River is the best indicator of seasonality this time of year. It is still in a pre-freshet, slightly brown but not glacial green or grey stage -- meaning it's cold and the new snow and glaciers at higher elevations are melting very slowly. Grizzly

May Long Weekend

2012-05-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

As in most of Canada I am certain, the May long weekend is the big gardening weekend. It's traditionally a time of 'frost freedom' with some certainty in most gardening locales and a time to get at it and get the soil ready and the less hardy plants in the ground. We've had a cool May so far this year in the Bella Coola Valley and I waiting till June to put out a few tomato plants - they always catch up anyway. I'll be fallowing and rebuilding soil mostly this year, as I'm recovering from a bit of a back injury and decided to focus on other yard and building chores to catch up. It's our first time in 25 years without a substantial most 'of our veggie supply garden, so we'll just have to support the farmers market this year. Grizzly

Up

2012-05-16T22:06:00.000-07:00

The Bella Coola River is in prime Chinook salmon fishing condition. The few warm days we have had have brought the level up and quite a bit of colour. I haven't been fishing or asked around much what's going on for fish though--sorry. Grizzly

Fresh Growth

2012-05-15T21:44:00.000-07:00

Fresh spring growth is always pleasing to the eye after the winter 'dulls'. With everything in the Bella Coola Valley mostly fully leafed out, there is no shortage of fresh soft greens to take in. This carpet of ferns on the forest floor provided a pleasing eyeful the other day. Grizzly

Warm Weekend

2012-05-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

We finally got some of the great May weather we have been missing. The temperature hit 20 C today, which is low for May but good for this year. Still cool at night so as you can see in this photo of the Bella Coola River from this afternoon it's running fast but not 'blown out' as they say. Grizzly

Improved Weather

2012-05-11T23:36:00.000-07:00

A big improvement on the Bella Coola Valley weather this morning. The cold and wet spring weather we had all week moved through during the night and by mid morning things were clearing up nicely. It turned out a clear blue day and much warmer temperatures. Might be the last day the Bella Coola River stays clear and low if the night time temps warm up a bit this weekend. Grizzly

Cold Day - May Snow

2012-05-09T22:51:00.000-07:00

The morning photo shows it all -- rain overnight in the valley and snow not very far up on the mountains. Most of the morning it was wet and cold and some nice sunny periods in the afternoon, but temperatures were far below nice early May weather. More snow in the mountains at higher elevations will mean either a higher freshet when it comes or a longer runoff if it stays cool. A high temperature of 9 C and a low of 3 C at 11 AM this morning are not temperatures to be proud of for the Bella Coola Valley in May! Grizzly

Gnarled

2012-05-07T22:31:00.000-07:00

The black cottonwood in this photo is firmly anchored at the mouth of a very active creek. It has been battered by numerous floods of water, logs and rocks pounding it. As you can see there is not much too hold onto with all the bare rock, but this tree has managed to hang on and grow to a good size.

In the Bella Coola Valley we are having a slow start to the spring freshet. Temperatures have been cool and many mornings there has been fresh snow in the mountains. Until we get a good run of hot weather it will continue a slow melt, which is not so bad, but not typical of usual Bella Coola Valley May weather. Grizzly

Cherry Blossom Weather

2012-05-05T22:57:00.000-07:00

While the cherry trees in the valley are in full blossom, I can't say that it is perfect cherry blossom weather because it is not overly warm and very few bees are out and about. Some more heat would be good, even though we have had plenty of sunny periods and not much rain. Next week's forecast isn't for much better. Grizzly

Cool but Nice

2012-05-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

The week hasn't been overly warm in the Bella Coola Valley, with plenty of sunny periods but not much precipitation. All in all a slow start to a month that can be very warm and pleasant. The Bella Coola Valley is shockingly green though when you make the transition from the brown still coming out of winter West Chilcotin and the white of the deep snow pack along Highway 20 in Tweesdmuir Park up top.

Lots of plants flowering and exploding with spring growth like the flowers on this wild currant. Grizzly

Bella Coola River

2012-05-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

I've been away for a few days and in that time, the Bella Coola river has started moving towards its spring freshet. It's still not very high, but showing some colour. The Atnarko River is still running clear though. A few hot days will change that quickly. Grizzly

2012-04-27T22:29:00.000-07:00

Another in "The Hill" series contibuted by a regular Bella Coola Blog reader and ex-resident. Grizzly

Susannah AndersonApr 27, 2012 01:06 AM

I love that hill! After the long drive over the Chilcotin (as Karl says, "the best and the worst..."); exhausting and exhilarating at the same time, I come dusty and parched to the top of the hill, and stop at the first sight of the luscious green valley opening up ahead. Up here, the only sound is the wind murmuring in the trees, or maybe a busy family of bees mumbling in the goldenrod. Then I drive down, slowly, watching the valley unfold gradually below me, the mountains rise almost magically from the earth, embracing me, welcoming me. I begin to hear the river chattering, far below.

I always stop at the open space half-way down to rest my brakes and look for eagles circling far above. Then on down, down, into the cool shade and the final few miles home. (I've been living elsewhere for too many years, but the valley is still, and always, home to me.)

Hill Stories Continued

2012-04-26T17:28:00.001-07:00

Another great comment on the hill, I should ask for more 'guest posts', Karl did a nice job on this. Grizzly

Karl FrostrupApr 26, 2012 11:32 AM

How about this: "It's nothing like it was...".

It's a good road and has been for a very long time. As mentioned, stay off your brakes and enjoy the view. Think too of the folks that built it - two bulldozers, pack trains of dynamite and little (if any) government funding.
Each time I drive to Bella Coola I like to leave Williams Lake pretending it's my first time on HWY 20. Fuel up, eat then head west into the setting sun. Civilization quickly recedes in the rear-view mirror and you feel like you're getting more and more remote. There are pockets of people living across the Chilcotin and several services strung along the way, but you definitely get a sense of alone time.
The journey across the Chilcotin itself is both the best and worst journey possible. It's very interesting and entertaining if you have time to stop and check things out - things like Farwell Canyon, Bull Canyon (and the caves up the hill), good burgers at Lee’s Corner, Chilko Lake, Anahim Peak, Charlotte Lake, ‘The Chilcotin War’, Nuk Tessli, the Rainbow Range in Tweedsmuir park, the Ulkatchco range north of Anahim, to name a few. And if you’re lucky and you time it right, you can experience the thrill of the healthy mosquito population at Green River.
If you’re in a rush and need to catch a ferry, it can be a very monotonous journey made entirely frustrating by the refraction of the blinding sun off the bug guts on your windshield.
As for ‘The Hill’, it’s nothing like it was. Do not hesitate to visit Bella Coola because of this piece of the road. In fact, enjoy it – it’s really pretty nice. Up at the top take a few deep breaths of the unbeatable cool, pine-scented air and take your time heading down. Use your engine to keep you moving slow and rely on your brakes only when required. We do it this way all the time…
At the bottom, take another deep breath – the heat radiating from the summer sunned rocks convey the scent of the surrounding fir forest. Those of you with a proclivity for nervousness should look forward to this – there is no better remedy in all the world.
Karl (… still calling Bella Coola ‘home’.)

Hill Stories

2012-04-25T17:34:00.000-07:00

A "Hill" story by Ed Farrell. Grizzly

I drove to Bella Coola from the California Bay Area in September of 2003. The Hill was closed to traffic at the time, except for two brief "windows"--once in the morning and once in the afternoon. The rest of the time road crews were dynamiting the mountain side and widening the road. Well, I crossed Heckman Pass and arrived at the barricade about two hours before the second "window" of the day. I was the only car there and it was insanely quiet. After stretching my legs I rolled down the car window and read a book. It began to rain, so I rolled the window up. Soon the sun came back out and I rolled it down again. After a few minutes, I heard the window roll back up. I stuck my arm out: the window was down. Hmm. After a few more minutes I heard it roll up again. Once again it was down. I began to question my sanity when I noticed a raven in the tree about twenty feet away, staring at the car. I whistled at the bugger and he answered me with: the perfectly rendered sound of a car window motor.

The rest of the ride down the Hill was totally uneventful. Ed Farrell Apr 25, 2012 01:17 PM

Scaring Blog Readers

2012-04-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention that I might be scaring some of my faithful blog readers and in particular scaring them from visiting the beautiful Bella Coola Valley!

Take for example one of my readers at the Spotted Dog Ranch Blog. Chinle writes and photographs about a fantastic and beautiful area of the state of Utah. In one of the recent posts, it appears like they might like to visit the Bella Coola Valley, but aren't too sure about "The Hill".

I've made a few posts that mention "The Hill" and thrown in the odd picture, but nothing that should scare anyone from taking a leisurely drive into Bella Coola...but the folks at the Spotted Dog Ranch are looking for some "Hill" stories to convince them that visiting would be good (at least not dangerous on the hill). Did you or your family help build the Hill? Or maybe you are a trucker or professional driver that can offer an opinion or advice. Maybe you just have a few unique thoughts or good advice about The Hill. How about what The Hill means as Bella Coola's lifeline and place in it's history?

So bring em on! Funny ones, scary ones, short ones, long ones. Post them in the comments anonymously or post your name if you want. I'll publish a selection of them as a posts-- let's make this the greatest online source of Bella Coola Hill stories on the net! Grizzly

Trilliums

2012-04-23T22:57:00.000-07:00

Spending part of my youth in the West Kootenays I always looked forward to seeing the mixed deciduous/coniferous forest floor covered in blooms of white Western Trillium's (Trillium ovatum) in April. For nearly 30 years now looking around the Bella Coola Valley in almost identical habitat, with a very similar climate (maybe a tad wetter) I've never found any. The bible on coastal plants - Plants of Coastal British Columbia, by Pojar & MacKinnon shows their coastal range well south of the north end of the Vancouver Island. I gave up looking for them finally. About 15 years ago a friend with a nursery for native BC plants on Vancouver Island offered me a plant, which I placed in a rich site of mixed coniferous/deciduous forest. For those 15 plus years it hasn't disappointed us, flowering every year within a week of the middle of April and adding one or two flowers a year. It's a a large clump now, but hasn't made one shred of attempt to spread by rhizomes or seed - truly a plant that doesn't seem meant to be here, but thrives in its own little spot. We enjoy it immensely every year. Grizzly

River Morning

2012-04-22T22:06:00.000-07:00

A shot of morning on the Bella Coola River. Grizzly

More Good April Weather

2012-04-20T22:43:00.001-07:00

The later part of the week hasn't been as warm but certainly pleasant enough without much precipitation in the Bella Coola Valley. It's common to see the mountains dusted with fresh snow in the mornings in April, even when there has been only the briefest of showers in the valley bottom, the mountains generate their own weather. Grizzly

Greenery

2012-04-18T22:37:00.002-07:00

With the warming and lengthening days of mid April and a few rain showers in the last few days the plant growth is really taking off - so much so that it's almost lawn mowing time -- again. April can be a really pleasant month in Bella Coola especially into the later half because we often don't get a lot of rain and the temperatures are warming and comfortable and the new growth on everything is noticeable and you can appreciate it every day after coming out of winter. I like April in the Bella Coola Valley. Grizzly

Bears Like It

2012-04-16T21:48:00.001-07:00

When the bears first emerge from their dens around this part of the world, their den sites are usually still under a lot of snow, since they tend to den on north and east facing slopes at higher altitudes, where the snow will be deeper and stay longer for a nice comfortable winter sleep. After coming out of dens they head down slope and down valleys looking for new greenery in the valley bottom and on the rich estuaries and shorelines for the early feeding. As the snow retreats and the avalanche tracks green up they will move back up slope in the late spring.

Down on the valley bottom, sites like the one in this photo taken this weekend provide a rich source of food when they start rooting around after the tender roots and shoots of the Skunk Cabbage horsetail plants. Skunk Cabbage is really in it's glory on warm spring days like we have had with lots of light reaching the forest floor before the deciduous trees fully leaf out. Grizzly

School House Mountain

2012-04-14T22:22:00.004-07:00

The mountain south of Sir Alexander MacKenzie School is known as School House Mountain. It's a big imposing mass of rock that forms a great back drop to the fields of the school when there is a lull in the action of a soccer game.

Occasionally the heli skiers ski various runs on it when they are looking for some nice close to home runs especially on the last day when the skiers are trying to get in a few more runs before being dropped off at the Bella Coola Airport.

Today with the warm 16 C temperatures in the Bella Coola Valley you can see a number of avalanches which have come down on the face. Grizzly

Rhubarb Weather

2012-04-12T21:53:00.000-07:00

Night time temperatures are creeping up and the daytime temperatures have been decent this week as well in the Bella Coola Valley. Along with the greening of the grass and the growing of the weeds, the rhubarb likes to get an early start and is coming along well this week too. Grizzly