Sunday, May 23, 2010

Rotary, pulp and Canadian BBQ -- May 11

We started the day with a visit to the Sunrise Rotary Club in Quesnel. The club meets in a beautiful facility that I believe is modeled after a Japanese style. We were welcomed in and all shoes were left at the door and exchanged for slippers (or not). After coffee, tea and quick greetings, the meeting was called to order. Introductions were made all around the table (about 20 present) and we were sent off to lead the breakfast line. After breakfast the club paid their respects to the Queen and sang the national anthem, O Canada. It was the first time we had heard the national anthem since we arrived. To our pleasant surprise, Keith was belting it out beautifully! So impressed with his singing ability. Mark was given a few minutes to talk about why we were here in BC and we each made our introductions. The day's speaker was a young man who had attended RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Academy). It was great to see his enthusiasm and desire to help other teens. I enjoyed watching the good-natured "fines". We had a nice time this morning meeting with this group of Rotarians.
We had some time to kill and all were eager to reconnect with our lives through the internet so we tried the public library. We were too early. So we all pulled out laptops in the van and hoped for a wireless signal outside the library. Well that didn't work. We had all gone a whole three days without internet access so we asked someone where to go for WiFi. We landed at a coffee shop with about twenty minutes of online time. Helene came in and informed us we looked ridiculous with us all on our laptops. Looked pretty normal for the states! I was able to get a quick video call home to see my husband and little boy. As I was warned by the Aussie team visiting South Carolina, I was okay until I saw my family. We were so busy, I hadn't had a chance to miss them. It was great to see Mark and Max and hear Max's little voice. Our break was short and we were off to our next appointment.

At Quesnel River Pulp we met with Anna Rankin the Environmental Coordinator for the mill. QRP is a division of West Fraser and produces 330,000 tons of pulp per year. The pulp is packaged and sent to buyers who will produce coated boxes, cigarette boxes, food grade boxes, tissues, writing papers, and newsprint from the pulp.
The process used at this facility is known as BCTMP -- bleached chemi-thermo mechanical pulp. This process uses chemicals to loosen wood fibers, the material is then steamed and mechanically ground to separate wood fibers. At this facility hydrogen peroxide is used to bleach the pulp. I found it interesting that the mill only employs 17 people per shift and they have a 90-95% conversion of wood to pulp. Very little waste! The BCTMP process uses a lot of electricity but the mill uses a very low volume of water. Because of the low volume of water used, there is a high concentration of chemical in the water. QRP has an onsite water treatment facility and water quality is tested using a trout test. Fish are put in the water and five out of ten must survive for a set period of time. We saw the process of pulp production from chips to one-quarter ton blocks of pulp. A very interesting and efficient facility!


We headed to lunch where I was able to feed my inner Greek. Had wonderful spanokopitka. After lunch we headed to Cariboo Pulp and Paper Mill. Wayne Strang (Environmental Supervisor) attempted to explain in great detail the complicated process of making pulp. I can't explain it but have the PowerPoint if you dig that kind of information. The mill was different from Quesnel River Pulp in that the fibers were chemically separated (rather than mechanical). Like the other pulp mill, most of the action takes place inside boilers and out of sight making this an informative yet not entirely visual tour.
After the tour we had a little down time. We headed into town and took about an hour break. I was able to get on the internet at the library and call home again. Our busy schedule was starting to take it's toll. It was so nice to have the mental break and a chance to really chat with Mark and the kids. They've been busy while I've been gone. Max was excited to tell me he had done his homework (he's 3 1/2 and stays home but wants to be like his sister hence the homework). Emma was ready for bed and reported on all Max's transgressions. That's what big sisters do!
This evening we got our first taste of Canadian BBQ. The five of us and our two host families met at Moose Meadows Farm. Tim and Eloise (and their two girls) were wonderful hosts. They own forty something acres and have multiple enterprises. We had some casual conversations on the deck while we waited for dinner. The meal was blessed and we headed in for the much anticipated BBQ (remember we are Southerners!). Much to our surprise (and delight) it wasn't BBQ at all but rather fixings for burritos. Definitely a delight. I will admit to getting more adventuresome with my eating (now that I know eating elk won't kill me!). So I tried the bison sausage and blackberries. You read that right, I've never tried blackberries. I grew up in a strawberry eating family. I will definitely add blackberries to my fruit list. You are probably starting to see that I'm the type of person who has a favorite restaurant and eats the same thing every time never venturing to try new foods. That's pretty accurate. But in keeping with the whole theme of this trip, I'm trying what is offered to me (well, I'm probably going to pass on any sushi containing raw fish). So the bison sausage wasn't bad (not as good as the elk stroganoff though). Good meal and conversations. It was nice to have this casual time with our hosts.

After dinner Tim led a tour of the property. We learned about birch syrup. It is a very labor intensive process for Tim (he takes three weeks off to make the syrup). He sells this stuff for $88 per liter. It was obvious this is work Tim really enjoys. Eloise showed us the peacocks, chickens, goats, llamas, alpacas, horses and the cow. They sell the eggs and send the alpaca hair off for processing. Tim and Eloise also grow Christmas trees. Definitely a lot going on! Both of them have forestry degrees. They have also started giving tours and having children's birthday parties on the farm. After an apple crumble dessert (complete with birch syrup) we left for the evening. A little side note, birch syrup does not have that super sweet flavor like maple. You probably wouldn't like it on your pancakes. Tim suggested putting it on fish or pork.


Well, it was a long day. The sun comes up some time around 5 a.m. I know this because I've been waking up at this time (without an alarm) and it is daylight! Hope I can get on this schedule soon!
Not anticipating having a chance in the morning, we gave the Corbett's their gifts this evening. I was happy to see their excitement over Greg Yarrow's autographed Managing Wildlife text. Definitely the right gift for them!




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