It was an early morning that we boarded the Northern Expedition ferry that would take us from Port Hardy on the northern portion of Vancouver Island to Prince Rupert located 320 miles (516 km) to the north. It would be a 16-hour trip through the fjords that sit off the British Columbia coast. We looked forward to it. We would arrive Prince Rupert at 11:30 pm and spend three days there.

Then we would do the 16-hour journey all over again, headed south back to Port Hardy. Because it was early summer, the days were long, so the hour or so of darkness at the end of the north-bound trip, we were able to see on the return in the early morning light.

The journey is a stunning trip through British Columbia's fjords and narrows, passing historic landmarks and occasional animal life along the way. We were kept at times entertained, but always relaxed, with its towering mountains and calm waters. Enough so that we were not dreading the return trip along the same route after our time in Prince Rupert.

The weather on the return route had changed for the better - more sun and fewer dark clouds, putting, I guess we can say, more light on the subject.