From Vancouver, we drove north along the coast to picturesque Porteau Cove Provincial Marine Park. Situated on the most southerly fjord in North America, the park offers waterfront campsites with a view over Howe Sound to the mountains beyond. Purposely sunk in the cove is an old boat to attract scuba divers and other marine life.
But our main objective that day was the Britannia Mine Museum National Historic Site at Britannia Beach. Once an isolated company town, it supported one of the largest copper producing mines in the British Empire—with 240 km of tunnels in the mountains above it. It lies within the territory of the Squamish Nation, who had lived along the river banks for thousands of years, but had no permanent large settlements because of the mountains’ steep slopes right into the water.
The third and largest mill built on that site was erected 101 years ago, and processed 2,500 tons of ore per day, but eventually closed down in 1974. The raw ore entered at the top of the 20-story mill that crushed and ground it in each successive floor until the valuable metals and minerals were separated from the waste rock.
Before we entered the mill, though, we enjoyed a short tour by mine car through a section of the tunnel system. As we entered the bottom floor of the old mill built into the side of the mountain, we gaped up at its enormity. But the most memorable part of that visit was a truly clever and engaging light, sound, and live-action immersive show that interpreted how the old mill operated within that architectural marvel. (I’ve been in the educational/interpretational field for more than 40 years, and that’s the best presentation I’ve ever seen. If you’re going out of your way to coastal British Columbia, I recommend the tour!)
After the tour, we stopped at Shannon Falls Provincial Park to once again gaze upward toward mount and sky to soak in the sights and sounds of the gushing falls and rushing river.
Before we flew cross-country home, we made it a day in Vancouver’s famous Stanley Park. Larger than New York City’s Central Park (the natives are proud to boast!), the west coastal rainforest offers fantastic interaction with scenic waterfronts, majestic trees and mountains, and an abundance of cherished natural assets and cultural/historic riches.
We leisurely clopped along in an hour-long horse-drawn carriage tour, pulled by a pair of Percherons, with stops at Deadman’s Island, Totem Poles, Brockton Point Lighthouse, Lumberman’s Arch, and the Girl in the Wetsuit Statue—a takeoff of Denmark’s famous little mermaid. On our own power, we also visited the Lions Gate Bridge, the Vancouver Aquarium, Prospect Point, Third Beach, and Jericho Beach. From our elevated position, we were able to watch an enormous cargo ship leaving the Vancouver harbor.
Our red-eye flight home left at midnight from Vancouver, with a three-hour layover in Chicago starting at dawn, circling down over Lake Michigan. We arrived home via an Uber ride from our local airport at 12:30 pm. We ended our adventures with a drop-dead nap in our own bed, but with glad and thankful hearts for the full, enriching experience.
