Porteau Cove

Sea-to-Sky Tour Part 1

Porteau Cove, British Columbia, is located in Howe Sound, the most southerly classic fjord on the Pacific coast of North America. Steamships plying between Union Dock, Vancouver, and Squamish Dock used to stop there until the service ended when the rail connection along the coast and the Sea-to-Sky Highway (Highway 99) opened in the late 1950s.  It was the first stop on a Nixon road trip the day after Jennifer and I went to see The Strokes play in Vancouver.

Juicebox Jump

The old, rusting wharf is no longer used as a ferry terminal, but it hasn’t been completely abandoned. It holds out as an emergency ferry terminal in the event that a landslide, avalanche or rock slide were to block the Sea-to-Sky Highway. It’s going on my location list for future spy films. A confrontational scene at the pier would pair well with “Juicebox”, performed by The Strokes, because of its introductory guitar-sound interpolation of the “Peter Gunn Theme”, written by Henry Mancini.

Water’s Gate

Porteau translates from French to English as “Water’s Gate”. People of a certain age might associate this with the political scandal that led to President Richard M. Nixon resigning in 1974. It describes the place well, however, as an entry point for divers to reach down into the depths and explore the Nakaya, a World War II minesweeper ship (formerly known as HMCS Cordova). It was intentionally sunk here in 1992 to create an artificial reef and attract marine life habitation.

Reality Awaits

More location shots from Porteau Cove.