Prince Rupert And Rain--Synonymous

Coastal Mountains Of British Columbia
July 4, `80

Hi there journal. Looks like were struggling again. What a roller
coaster ride we've been on lately. But wait a minute; this is way too
happy a mood. Let’s try this again.

After the weather turned bad—I could barley see the coastline from
inside the ferry—I figured I might have to spend time in Prince
Rupert, at least until things got better. It was pouring when I
arrived, and at the boat dock, I didn't find much encouragement. The
hired help told me I had to get used to it, the rain that is.
Apparently, Prince Rupert and rain were synonymous. They also told me
that if I could have arrived yesterday I would have enjoyed the last
of the longest drought on record--thirty-one days of sunshine. The
forecast was rain, rain, and more rain. The optimist of the group,
however, said, "It might get better once you get away from the coastal
mountains, but doing that without getting wet wouldn't be easy." I
hung around for a couple hours, and then I hopped on my bike and
headed out; my new direction--east.

It was the worst rain I had ever bicycled through, four straight
hours of it. When it finally quit, the sky remained dark and cloudy.
The scenery was fantastic, though, at least what I could see of it.
The mountains were much bigger then I expected and the river that cut
through them was, at times, as big as a lake. Stop! I can't do justice
to the scenery. The ninety miles from Prince Rupert to Terrace had
some great scenery, but I was (and am) too wet and miserable to do it
justice. Lets just say that if the weather would have been good, I'm
sure I would have experienced one of those incredibly rare highs.