I'm back!!

had a fantastic time in queen charlotte sound on the ricker, a fisheries research vessel. just arrived home yesterday afternoon and it is SO nice to be on land again. although, I have to say I did have a pretty good time. the people were amazing, the hands on work was great and it was a totally different experience from the one I had a few weeks back. this boat is huge- there was 7 science staff and almost 20 crew.

I managed to not get sick once, which was totally a bonus! some of the major highlights included the most amazing beach I have ever set foot on in my life(seriously, it rallies mexico, nice and tofino), cruising down the beautiful straight yesterday afternoon while sitting on the bow soaking up the sunshine with some awesome people I met on the boat, and of course all the critters I got to see along the way!! we even managed to spot some killer whales on the cruise home yesterday. some of the highlights in terms of marine life were a giant pacific octopus, HUGE sea star(I have a thing for sea stars), huge squid, and a ton of different fish. I learned SO much. I feel now as though I am a wealth of information! what a great time.

not to mention the FOOD. oh my goodness- the kitchen staff were so amazing. they were so accommodating in terms of my non- meat eating, considering the majority of the people on that boat are your typical meat and potato kind of guys. they never made me feel like a hassle and always managed to come up with something for me. and the desserts and baked goods- wow I felt so spoiled. looking forward to being back in my own kitchen though :)

so here it is...

pictures don't even begin to do justice. this was one of the most amazing places I have ever set foot on! we were in the middle of nowhere, completely immersed in nature and there is absolutely no way to access this area unless you have a boat. there were huge paw prints(either wolf or cougar) on the beach. it was an amazing place. you can see the ricker faintly in the background of the second picture. click on the picture to view the photos a little bit larger.

I will be back soon- I missed the blogging world SO much!

--m