Pennod 6 Ar y Lein

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-The Bering Sea's over there,

-the Pacific Ocean's over there.

-This is where the two seas meet.

-It's one of the best places to fish

-in the world.

-I've reached Alaska

-and the Aleutian Islands.

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-I've reached the country

-where the sun never sets.

-Aurora borealis country.

-A country

-which has more men than women.

-I'm halfway around the world now.

-I've crossed the date line

-to Alaska.

-Unalaska Island, to be exact.

-It's part of the Aleutian Islands.

-It's very green here -

-it rains a lot.

-There are no trees here -

-it's too windy. Except for that one!

-Looks familiar?

-Yes - it's a Russian church.

-The Russians colonised the island

-back in the eighteenth century.

-This cathedral church -

-the Church of the Holy Ascension...

-..was built in 1894.

-This is the oldest Russian

-cathedral church in North America.

-90% of the Unangan population -

-the original settlers...

-..remain orthodox Russians.

-Their services are incredibly long.

-Without chairs

-and in three languages.

-Old Slavonic, English and Unangan.

-It was first written

-by one of the Russian priests.

-Here you can see he did

-the translation in 1828.

-Most of the original families

-retain their Russian surnames.

-Believe it or not, back in 1867...

-..Russia sold Alaska to the USA

-for less than two cents an acre.

-The whole country cost 7.2m.

-Alaska and the Aleutian Islands have

-been part of America ever since.

-Japan invaded some of

-the islands during World War II...

-..and occupied

-them for a short period.

-The Unangans were moved off

-the islands during the invasion.

-Everyone else was allowed to stay.

-These are the remains of Unangan

-houses - almost 3,000 years old.

-A JCB will soon dig them all up

-and a new bridge will be built.

-Local school children

-have come to see the remains...

-..for the last time.

-Fish and crabs sustain the

-population in some shape or form.

-More fish are caught here

-than in any other part of the USA.

-40% of the USA's seafood

-flows through this harbour.

-Over 400 shipping boats

-from 14 different countries...

-..call here each year.

-Some are very grand, and they catch

-1.2m lbs of fish every three days.

-These are pollack.

-They also catch halibut,

-cod and crabs.

-800m lbs of fish

-are processed here annually.

-I use the callipers to measure

-the girth on it.

-That helps us determine what's

-going to happen with this fish.

-I've never seen so many fish.

-The machines were amazing. After

-the fish were positioned properly...

-..the machine would skin

-and gut the pollack.

-They appeared at the other end

-as fillets.

-That's the belly and the backbone.

-Some are sold as fillets...

-..and the rest are made

-into surami...

-..which is used to make

-crab sticks and fish burgers.

-There is another way

-of fishing here.

-Recreational fishing -

-which attracts a lot of visitors.

-What a whopper!

-This is the place

-for halibut fishing.

-Look at this one - just look at it!

-That's the biggest halibut

-caught anywhere in the world.

-459 lbs.

-A dead ringer for Churchill!

-There's a tax on fishing.

-It brings about 5-6m

-to the local economy every year.

-The money is spent on the museum,

-the library and the clinic.

-And Kelty Park, the softball stadium

-where competitions are held nightly.

-This is The Elbowroom.

-According to Playboy Magazine...

-..this was North America's

-wildest bar in the '70s.

-It was quiet when I called in.

-Everywhere's quietened down

-since the '70s.

-Hello, how are you?

-Hello, how are you?

-

-Can I sit here?

-So, where are you from?

-So, where are you from?

-

-Wales. Heard of Wales?

-Well, he has now!

-I was thirsty

-but didn't know what to order.

-Attitude Adjustment.

-Attitude Adjustment.

-

-How about a Duck Fart?

-A what, sorry?

-A what, sorry?

-

-A Duck Fart.

-Sounds interesting. What is it?

-Kahlua, Baileys and Crown Royal.

-Yes - a Duck Fart.

-And I had to sink it in one.

-Just drink?

-Oh, dear.

-How was that?

-How was that?

-

-Good. Have four or five more

-and you'll be in good shape.

-Like the hat?

-This is the only thing they gave me.

-There are eight men to every

-one woman on this island. Oh, well!

-I wanted to stay for another Duck

-Fart, but I had a plane to catch.

-That was our only stop in the USA.

-The line doesn't touch

-the country after that.

-But it goes right across Canada.

-50kms from the Aleutian Islands

-and 80kms from Canada...

-..lie 154 small, secluded islands

-that belong to Canada.

-The Haida Gwaii Islands.

-They were renamed Queen Charlotte

-Islands during the Imperial era...

-..after the boat owned by George

-Dixon who landed here in 1787.

-They were called Haida Gwaii

-long before that.

-And Haida Gwaii is the popular name

-for them once more.

-5,000 people live on the islands.

-The local economy consists mainly of

-tree felling, fishing and tourism.

-It's a lovely place.

-Natives of the Haida tribe have

-lived here for over 10,000 years.

-Haida Gwaii means

-land of the people of Haida.

-They were the original elite tribe

-of North America.

-True warriors, who rowed to Alaska

-and California in their canoes.

-They brought slaves back with them.

-Haidan men were known

-as tough, strapping men.

-They were also very artistic.

-Today, their art

-is renowned throughout the world.

-Silver and gold jewellery,

-argillite and wooden carvings...

-..and, more famously, totem poles.

-The cedar trees here

-grow taller than anywhere else.

-Haidan totem poles

-are taller, thicker...

-..and better than all other

-totem poles.

-The village

-that this pole represents...

-People like Tim Boyco

-keep the tradition alive.

-He makes a living making statues.

-The figure below it is a cormorant.

-That is under the eagle crest, too.

-The only raven crest is the bear.

-Every house used to have its own

-pole tracing the family's history.

-Families belonged to the raven

-or the eagle family.

-Eagles would marry ravens

-in the old days.

-Are you eagle or raven?

-Are you eagle or raven?

-

-Raven.

-A warm water stream from Japan

-heats the water around the islands.

-A lot of rain falls here.

-Consequently, some cedar trees

-are a thousand years old...

-..and the rainforests

-have an abundance of wildlife.

-There are thousands of deer.

-And small creatures

-like the beaver, weasel and racoon.

-Sometimes, if you're lucky,

-you'll see a black bear.

-Yup - I was lucky!

-The largest black bear in the world

-lives in Haida Gwaii.

-If you want to see a bald eagle,

-this is the place to come.

-They're everywhere.

-I've travelled thousands of miles.

-This is the place I'd like

-to revisit - Haida Gwaii.

-It's a beautiful island.

-The wildlife is amazing.

-I've seen a bear - close up.

-I love the Haidan people.

-I'm enthralled by their history,

-their tradition and their art.

-I'll definitely visit again.

-When I've got money!

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-On to Canada's mainland -

-British Columbia...

-..where salmon create traffic jams

-in the rivers...

-..as they battle their way upstream

-to lay their eggs.

-After crossing the Hecate Strait

-from Haida Gwaii...

-..our next stop was Bella Coola.

-It's beautiful and cool.

-You'll find little written about it

-because it's so difficult to reach.

-You can get there by boat or catch

-a little plane for little people.

-It was worth squashing into

-the plane - look at that view!

-Captain George Vancouver's crew

-were the first white people...

-..to reach the mouth

-of the Bella Coola river in 1793.

-They arrived by sea - the easy way.

-A Scotsman from Stornoway

-named Alexander McKenzie...

-..was the first man

-to reach here by land.

-He trekked through the mountains

-and trees...

-..and became the first man...

-..to find a route from the east

-to the Pacific Ocean.

-Over 200 years later,

-this is Bella Coola.

-A small, laid-back town

-in a fertile valley...

-..at the foot

-of the Coast Mountains.

-The original settlers were Nuxalks -

-more laid-back than the Haidans.

-Many now earn a living fishing

-for chinook, sockeye and chum.

-And another fish

-called the eulachon.

-It's a high-maintenance occupation.

-Tough, determined people

-live in places like this.

-People like Melfin Gurr.

-50 years ago, the only way

-to reach the town was by sea...

-..or on horseback

-over the mountains.

-The government was adamant...

-..that building a road

-to Bella Coola was impossible.

-So the people of Bella Coola

-built one themselves.

-They had little money

-but they were hard workers.

-Melfin's father

-was the brains behind the plan.

-It was such a simple plan.

-One bulldozer from the west,

-one from the east...

-..burrowed their way through the

-mountains, meeting in the middle.

-Their buckets touched

-on September 26th, 1953.

-This is the Freedom Highway.

-And you thought Bwlch-y-groes

-was steep!

-Melfin's job was to blow up the

-rock, with only a little dynamite.

-There was no such thing

-as overtime back then.

-They had a job to do

-and that was it.

-We worked a ten-hour day

-and then we had our dinner.

-Then we worked for free until dark.

-And you slept out in the open.

-We slept in tents all the time.

-It was quite a feat.

-I enjoyed my time in Bella Coola -

-and the landscape was superb.

-The line continues to Alberta

-in the heart of Canada.

-After crossing

-the Coast Range mountains...

-..we find a mountain range...

-..that makes Snowdonia

-look like molehills - the Rockies.

-Banff is right in the middle

-of the mountains.

-Named after Banffshire in Scotland.

-Banff was built in 1885,

-primarily to attract tourists.

-The Canadian Pacific Railways

-were responsible for the scheme.

-They wanted to attract visitors

-to the brand new spa town.

-This is Banff's birthplace.

-The local Indians had always said...

-..that there was warm, natural

-spring water in the mountains.

-In 1883, three gold prospectors

-smelt sulphur.

-They looked down this hole

-and found this warm-water spring.

-Imagine the satisfaction of a warm

-bath after weeks in the wilderness.

-The town grew from here and Banff

-National Park was established.

-Canada's first national park.

-Today, Banff is one

-of the busiest towns in Canada.

-4.5 million tourists

-visit the town each year...

-..to go rambling, climbing,

-pony trekking and rafting.

-In the winter, they go skiing

-and climb the snow-topped mountains.

-The town is quite small.

-Everything's close together and

-it's easy to find your way around.

-It's like Betws-y-coed -

-always full of visitors...

-..plenty of shops selling souvenirs

-and climbing equipment...

-..and an abundance of shops...

-..that sell things you need

-in this part of the world.

-GUNSHOTS

-All I need now is a horse!

-One of the area's greatest

-attractions is Sulphur Mountain...

-..which is 2,285 metres high.

-I'm on my way up Sulphur Mountain.

-I'm a farm girl and I'm walking up.

-Some people reach the top

-in a gondola!

-They were new shoes, OK?

-It only takes eight minutes

-to reach the top in a gondola.

-On foot,

-it's a very steep 3.5 mile trek.

-You're not allowed to bathe

-in the original spring now.

-But you can bathe

-at Upper Banff Hot Spring.

-You can bathe and enjoy the view

-at the same time.

-Now I know why you only see cowboys

-on their horses!

-This is wonderful.

-Just what I needed.

-The water emerges from the ground at

-39 degrees Celsius - it's fantastic.

-Smells a bit of sulphur,

-but I can cope with that.

-The Rockies is world-renowned

-for its wildlife.

-69 different mammals, 277 different

-birds and 20,000 different insects.

-Lake Louise is situated

-a few miles outside Banff.

-It was named

-after Queen Victoria's daughter...

-..even though

-neither visited the lake.

-The lake attracts thousands

-of visitors each year.

-The lake's hotel - Chateau Lake

-Louise, is an attraction in itself.

-I found one

-very special bellboy there.

-You're not going to believe this.

-This isn't fixed -

-it's totally true.

-I'd just checked into my room

-when there was a knock on my door.

-This young man was standing there -

-he'd heard we were Welsh.

-He asked us if we knew people

-from Bala.

-I asked you if you were from Wales.

-You said you were from Bala.

-You knew my grandmother -

-well, you didn't know her...

-..you're actually my second cousin!

-I'd never heard of him -

-this is Andrew.

-It's true - his grandmother and my

-grandfather are brother and sister.

-It was a bit of a shock.

-It was a bit of a shock.

-

-Wow! Very much so.

-Can you see the family resemblance?

-You don't speak Welsh

-but you have a few words.

-A couple of words - "tyrd o'na"

-and "nos da". That's about it.

-"Tyrd o'na" - that's Bala!

-"Tyrd o'na" - that's Bala!

-

-That's my grandmother talking.

-Nain.

-I'll teach you something else now.

-When you go to Bala again,

-you can say "s'mai".

-It means hello - and "s'mai wa".

-Especially in Bala. OK, "s'mai wa".

-Especially in Bala. OK, "s'mai wa".

-

-Sorted! Brilliant.

-We're going to talk about our

-forefathers and catch up on things.

-It's a small world!

-Smile for the camera - family!

-The Chateau has been here

-since 1890.

-You have to reserve a room

-a long time beforehand.

-On the shores of this lake and

-in the shadow of these mountains...

-..it's a fairy-tale location.

-You can go pony trekking,

-canoeing and skiing.

-This is Bruce - a guide who'll

-take you up to the mountains.

-Swiss guides were the first

-to arrive here.

-That's why Andrew and the

-other bellboys look like extras...

-..from The Sound of Music.

-The Swiss guides

-that came to Lake Louise...

-..were hired

-by the Canadian Pacific Railway...

-..and they guided guests here

-for over 50 years.

-Ooh, listen!

-Hear that rumble?

-That sound almost fills you -

-that's an avalanche.

-Literally, an avalanche.

-We have an avalanche!

-Carving off that band of ice

-on the cliffs of Mount Victoria.

-To put that in perspective,

-that mountain's ten miles away.

-That avalanche of ice...

-..occurs throughout the summer

-quite regularly.

-There's nothing like an avalanche

-to end the programme with a bang.

-It's time to go -

-the flies are after us!

-I've travelled

-from Alaska to Alberta.

-I didn't see a whale or a moose,

-but I saw some wonderful places.

-I want to return to Haida Gwaii

-some day.

-The lakes and the mountains of

-the Rockies have also gripped me.

-It's such a beautiful place

-to visit.

-To cap it all,

-I've met a new cousin.

-Talk about the icing on the cake.

-And there's more to come.

-Next week, I'll explore

-the rest of Canada...

-..through the snow and the ice,

-all the way to Labrador.

-S4C subtitles by

-TROSOL Cyf.