Wells, BC

[sasquatch-hunter]

Where quads are street legal, or just nobody cares?

[mararmeisto]

Probably nobody cares.

Where's the local Mountie? Is he still patrolling on a horse?

[FalcoColumbarius]

Yeah but can that horse Dance!

[madmazda]

my dad's friends with the guy who owns that restaurant.... nice place

[glenn]

Ah, Wells. . . I was doing an archaeological field school in barkerville one summer about 15 years ago. We spent a lot of time in Wells - particularly the bar in the Wells hotel, before it was burned to the ground. Anyway, amid the recreational fistfights on the weekend and heavy drinking and pot smoking among the miners there was a biker who was particularly proud of his new harley. At some point in the evening his motorcycle came inside the bar. Next thing I knew he fired it up . . . then started doing donuts inside the bar.

So, my guess about the ATVs is "don't care"

[sasquatch-hunter]

With Phil Hobler?

[glenn]

Yes! How did you know Phil?

It was quite a colourful cast of characters in that town, and they were pretty accepting of the barrage of university types descending on their town. Good times.

[konadog]

I worked out of Wells and Barkerville back when I did the BC Park's Youth Crew - they stopped that most excellent program years ago though... I also was an archaeologist for a few years too. Never worked near Wells then and I never met Phil Hobler (I was at Uvic - Don Mitchell there) though I reckon the three of us know lots of people in common, BC archaeology is a fairly small group after all.
Oh, and Glenn - I do remember those heady days when we all drove L-300's - sigh, I miss those days too...

[glenn]

Small world. Or more likely, these vans attract like-minded people.

I know there is an incongruity between my avatar and my signature. I just got my new L400 back from CVI today, and what a difference. The more I drive it, the more I like it. It's a pretty awesome vehicle. But, I don't love it the way I used to love my L300 when I first got it. A lot of the uniqueness has been engineered out of it. My daughter sums it up nicely when she said "I like the Jasper, but once I'm inside it feels like a van." Yet, now given the choice, she chooses the Jasper every time. Same goes for me, the more I drive it, the more it's delica-ness comes through. We are a off-the-beaten-path road trip family and this van fits this lifestyle perfectly.

As for the unique factor - I've been watching the old school minis going through the auctions lately. . . .

[FalcoColumbarius]

I'm still heady.

[sasquatch-hunter]

@glenn, I graduated at SFU in archaeology. I did my field school with Phil and Roy at Namu and Bella Coola. I stayed at Phil's in Hagensburg in few times in the 1990s. He was a legendary man with many crazy stories.

[nxski]

@glenn, I graduated at SFU in archaeology. I did my field school with Phil and Roy at Namu and Bella Coola. I stayed at Phil's in Hagensburg in few times in the 1990s. He was a legendary man with many crazy stories.

What years were you there? My dad got a degree in history and archeology at SFU and taught Latin American history there afterwards. Do you know Goef Spurling or George Nicholas?

[glenn]

I think we may have been studying at the same time - I graduated in 94. I'm convinced now that I have a vague recollection of you from those days - is it possible? I spent my archaeology time with Duncan Mclaren, Farid Rahematulla, and Eldon Yellowhorn.

My timing was off with field schools - historical archaeology was not really my thing, and Wells/Barkerville, while beautiful and interesting was a pretty miserable environment to be outside 24 hrs a day. We even had snow, and tonnes of cold rain. No communal fires to speak of, it was hard to even get one going, everything was so wet. We pretty much spent our evenings at the Wells hotel, or the legion. I would have loved to go to Namu or Bella Coola - but alas, even though Phil was in charge of the field school, I spent most of my time with TA's. Perhaps this explains my waning interest in Archaeology as a career.

[sasquatch-hunter]

@nxski, sorry I don't know those people. I graduated in 1994 as well. I may recognise them if I see them.

@glenn, I know Duncan, Farid and Eldon. Farid is on my FB. He is now in UNBC in PG. Believe me, he didn't change one bit. My time in the central coast was amazing. Too bad, I don't know when will I ever see Namu again. Bella Coola, on the other hand, is relatively close from where I live now.

[nxski]

George is a professor for Archeology at SFU, it makes sense you don't know Geof if you graduated in 94 though, he finished a while before that and then did some work in Peace River and South America.