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Hamann journal: Hey, you! Stop here!November 30, 1999 EDITOR'S NOTE: Seattle-based correspondent Jack Hamann is headed on another adventure, this one to just to the south of the Arctic Circle. He'll be driving through the Canadian Rockies, across the windswept northern plains, up the Inside Passage and along the northernmost section of the Alaska Highway. Follow along here for regular dispatches on his journey. By Jack Hamann and Leslie Hamann
Journal date: November 25
(CNN) -- How do you hide an entire town? Actually, Telkwa, British Columbia calls itself a village -- 1,300 souls a couple of miles up the road from the 6,000 folks in Smithers. Both are on the main road between central British Columbia's two Prince cities, Prince Rupert and Prince George. You've probably never heard of them. You almost assuredly have never been here. Rupert and George are 457 miles apart, more than we wanted to drive in one day, considering that the roads are sometimes slick and the scenery is mostly beautiful. We cruised along ice blue rivers, between snow-capped peaks and extinct volcanoes. The south side looks a lot like wilderness; the north side reminds you that this is logging land, the home of gigantic clear-cuts. But for the most part, the vistas are exceptional. In the summer and early fall, the Bulkley River and its tributaries attract famous fishermen from throughout the world. Starting in December, the Smithers Ski Area has what look to be phenomenal runs, including of plenty back country areas and heli-skiing until the cows come home. In the off-season the two towns are still alive, if not kicking. The surrounding hills are just about ready for Nordic skiing and snowmobiling. There are trails to frozen waterfalls and places along the frigid river where fishermen still cast for late Autumn stragglers. Smithers has restaurants and hotels and a steady stream of small-town excuses to throw a party or stage a festival. A fair share of Canadians know about this valley, but many of the visitors are Alaskans dropping down to ski. But tourists from the Lower 48 have been slow in coming, and some businesspeople in the region are feeling the pinch. Maxine Douglas knows all about the frustration of trying to attract tourists to a remote, if sensational, corner of Canada. In 1974, Maxine quit her career as a nurse, and moved to Telkwa with her husband, Hugh, and two children. All these years later, they still run the Douglas Motel, an eclectic mix of homey cabins with drop-dead views of the rapids on the Bulkley River and the soaring mountain peaks above. Maxine, who was mayor of Telkwa for seven years, and is now in her 15th year on the town council, says that the hidden gems of this part of Canada simply haven't figured a way to get the attention of travelers. But she doesn't regret raising her kids by the river, and has a wish list of renovations for her little motel that could take the next 25 years to complete. Joan and Terry Hunt hope Maxine sticks with it. Three weeks ago, they opened the doors of Pico Bello, an intimate Italian eatery clinging to the side of the road in Telkwa. When a previous restaurant in the same location was the latest to go under, the Hunts didn't want their village to suffer the indignity of not having enough restaurants to pull travelers off the highway. When they hired 27-year-old Jessy Taggert to manage the place, they got a woman who bounces around like someone ready to run a big city bistro. Jessy is a lady who still proudly wears the letterman's jacket (Rugby) that her ex-boyfriend gave her seven years ago. The boyfriend is long gone; the jacket is still a souvenir. One of the coolest things about Telkwa is a tiny outdoor hockey rink. In 1943, a local boy serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force was killed in action in Algeria. His bereaved parents erected the small hockey rink in his honor, and the village's kids use it to this day. The attraction of both Telkwa and Smithers is that they have a higher-than-average quotient of Genuine Characters. On the one hand, they wish more visitors would come their way and spend lots of money. On the other, you know that an increase in tourists would tempt more faceless franchises to bring in their fast food and indifferent service to a place that seems to put a premium on conversation and courtesy. Cynicism is still in short supply here. Jack Hamann is a correspondent with CNN's Environmental Unit and CNN NewsStand.
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