Travels with haRVy

Good thing we stopped at Jason and Sunday’s in Courtenay again as the wind and rain were ferocious for most of the two days and nights we were parked in their driveway. We are so grateful that haRVy provides us a warm and dry living environment even during wild stormy weather. This trip would have otherwise ended long ago…

The skies were fairly clear the second morning of our stay at Jason’s, and we were getting a bit stir-crazy, so we decided to go for a hike in Seal Bay Nature Park that encompasses the woods behind his house. He warned us that the trails can be tricky and to be careful so as not to get lost. We carefully chose our route on the main trail, which seemed like the safest option, and headed off for what we planned to be an hour or so.

Some seriously tall trees here.

No idea how this car got so deep into the woods.

Lots of fungi around due to all the rain.

Well…guess what? We got lost! We came out on a back road that we hadn’t seen on the trail map and had no idea where we were. Luckily, thanks to Jason’s warning, Al had brought his GPS. Unfortunately, it navigates roads, not trails, and it told us it would be a 3.5 mile walk back. And, of course, it had started raining again (ugh)! Al wanted to delve back into the woods, but I took action by flagging down the second car (driver of first one totally ignored me) that came by. Can you believe that his intended destination was within 2 blocks of where we needed to be. What are the chances of that? I was extremely grateful and happy to be back in haRVy a couple of hours later than anticipated.

After restocking our food supplies and a great lunch at Jason’s friend Ben’s cafe (The Hut on Duncan Avenue) we were back on Route 19A heading south along the shore.

We followed a few dead ends that were scenic…

Could almost be New England, eh?

And finally followed a sign to the marina at French Creek where we paid $5 to park overnight next to the estuary of the creek.

Breakfast view where we watched all sorts of birds cavorting about.

Would love to know the story behind this unique place AND its owner.

Just one of many interesting things strewn around the yard.

The next day we spent the better part of the afternoon walking around the harbor area of Nanaimo, one of the larger cities on the island. We ran across an enthusiastic group of astronomers that were viewing a partial eclipse of the sun in-between breaks in the clouds. They were happy to let anyone look through their telescopes and share their viewing glasses.

Seaplanes are everywhere on Vancouver Island, but we hadn’t previously seen many luxury yachts.

Our next stop was in the charming little town of Ladysmith (great name, don’t you think?). Here’s a photo of their much more laid-back and picturesque harbor.

The next day we were headed to our final west coast destination of Port Renfrew. After traversing the island on a beautiful but narrow winding road surrounded by some pretty stunning fall foliage, we were ready for a hike out to Botany Bay.

We didn’t like the looks of the campground at Port Renfrew so we took a left turn on the coast road and found a fantastic little campground at an active surf spot called Jordan River. The whole scene reminded me of SoCal beaches back in the 60’s, beach shacks and all. Just needs some nice soft sand to cover all those rocks.

Our last stop of any consequence on Vancouver Island was in the area of Sooke where we took a walk out on the lengthy Whiffin Spit that provides protection to their large beautiful harbor. We also drove up the Sooke River to view a few late season salmon trying to make their way to their spawning grounds. We settled in for the night at “Sunny Shores” where it rained (again) for nearly 24 hours straight.

Sunny Shores harbor

No idea what this used to be, but it was covered in slime like I’d never seen before.

The owner of this fishing vessel didn’t yet know where his boat had been blown in the storm.

Whiffin Spit from East Sooke Regional Park.

Yet another hike – with a bit of sun at the end!

Iron Mine Bay in East Sooke.

We are now “Back in the US, Back in the US, Back in the US of A” after a pleasant ferry ride across the Strait of Juan de Fuca aboard the COHO. We enjoyed our time in Canada, but it is expensive (over $5 per gallon of diesel, 12% tax on nearly everything, $30 camp sites) and getting cell coverage and Internet access is a bit of a struggle. We do, however, hope to see more of British Columbia and Alberta next year!

The more remote section of Vancouver Island north of Campbell River is cleverly referred to as North Vancouver Island, which is where we headed next. While camped roadside just beyond of Campbell River, we were rousted out of bed for the first time ever. Fortunately the security guard (we think that’s who it was anyway) knocked on our window fairly early (around 10:45), so we weren’t too out of it yet. As soon as he drove away we started up haRVy and stealthily moved to another boondocking spot a couple miles down the road. There goes our perfect record. Oh well, I suppose it was bound to happen eventually.

The drive north on Route 19 along the shore and over/through the mountains is extremely scenic. Heavily wooded mountains that reach right down to the sea and up to the sky are a sight to behold, but difficult to capture in photographs as the views are so vast. Click on panoramic below for a slightly better look.

Port Hardy, the region’s largest town, is located at the northern end of the paved highway. This road, which was not completed until the 1970’s, has some history to it, as indicated on this interesting monument in Carrot Park. If you can’t read the inscription here, click on the photo to view it larger. If you still can’t read it, hold your control button and plus symbol down simultaneously to blow it up further. If you don’t know that little trick already, you might find it useful.

While doing some online research on the Carrot Campaign, I came across the World Carrot Museum (who knew?!) website that (of course) features this monument, including the inscription. Scroll about halfway down their home page to view it.

Not letting the previous night’s roust dampen our enthusiasm for boondocking, we boldly parked right in the Visitor Center parking lot overlooking the bay. While I was preparing dinner, distant sirens drew nearer. Soon a firetruck turned into our parking lot and headed right towards us, turning abruptly off just a few feet from the side of haRVy (really – see photo below!). What could this be about, I wondered!

Somehow a small fire had started under the abandoned house right behind us. The whole town, including the police and fire departments, now knew where we intended to camp, but once the fire was extinguished we never saw another official. Seems they are a bit more relaxed about such things up here.

Northern Vancouver Island is loaded with carved wooden signs, totem poles, and monuments. This tradition links to the indigenous First Nation  inhabitants of the area. Descendants have proudly taken up the craft (trade?) once again.

The weather was not very cooperative, with quite a lot of wind and rain, but we managed some interesting outings between the worst spells. One was a drive out to historic Fort Rupert, the site of a former Hudson Bay Company fort. The site today is a Kwakwaka’ wakw village where visitors can see native carvers working on totem poles or other artwork and traditional crafts. We only saw one carver working, but we did see a lot of their finished work all around the village, most notably in the cemetery.

Log earmarked to become a memorial totem pole.

This log is destined to become a carved canoe like the finished one below.

I have learned to love their nature-inspired artwork.

While walking along the estuary, we witnessed an interesting natural phenomena. What do you suppose all these seagulls are so excited about?

We had not yet been lucky enough to see salmon swimming up river to spawn, but here the dead carcasses were being washed back down the river where the gulls feasted upon them. Not quite the same type of experience… actually almost kind of gross, until you realize that the remains of those fish are feeding many different types of wildlife and even the surrounding soil and flora.

Lumber is BIG business in these parts. Evidence of that fact is everywhere – speeding logging trucks on the roads, clear-cut scars across mountainsides, and log sorting operations in the bays and waterside lots. Even with all that logging activity, it is unbelievable how many mature trees still stand all across this vast island.

A bit further south at Port McNeill we had hoped to take a ferry to Alert Bay on Cormorant Island. The oldest community in North Vancouver Island, the Cormorant Island fishing community was an important trading center for early residents in the area and has been the traditional home of the Namgis First Nation for several thousand years.

We were informed that the usual ferry was not running due to construction work on the new terminal. That meant we could not take haRVy over and camp overnight as planned. We decided we would just do a long day trip over to see the highlights, so we camped nearby and got up at the crack of dawn to board the first ferry. The ticket seller informed us that high winds were expected that would likely cancel afternoon crossings, which would strand us on the island without a place to stay. Seemed clear to us that visiting, Cormorant Island was just not to be at this time, so we headed on down the road to Telegraph Cove instead.

This tiny sawmill and cannery community was important to the development of the North Island and has a rich and colorful history. From 1911 when the first telegraph operator took up residence in Telegraph Cove this little cove has been a unique part of Northern Vancouver Island. The resort, which maintains the boardwalk village in as close to original conditions as possible, was closed for the season, but we were still able to walk around the picturesque site. At the end of the dock we were surprised and happy to find the Whale Interpretive Center open.

Check out those whale jawbones standing in the foreground!

Our next detour off the main highway as we headed south took us into Sayward. However, the best surprise appeared just past the village at the end of the road. Kelsey Bay, with its quaint 6-space campground overlooking the Inside Passage captured our hearts immediately. We stayed for two nights, but never got to see the place with any sun shining. We just might have to return someday, but I understand that you must book a campsite a year in advance!

Panoramic view from campsite. Click image to view larger.

The wharf (above) at Kelsey Bay was once the southern terminus for the B.C. Ferries Inside Passage route until 1978, when Highway 19 was extended north to Port Hardy. It is now a convenient stopping point for sport fishing and eco-tourism. Fresh seafood is reportedly often available from one or more boats tied up at the wharf. We saw none of that activity during our off-season visit.

We are the only campers here during our stay.

No anchor? Just tie the boat to the nearest log.

These tiny little boats are used to sort and move logs.

This truck (and a dozen more like it) was off-loading baby Atlantic salmon from an onshore hatchery onto the waiting ship for transport to the offshore farming pens.

Four old ships were brought here to serve as breakwaters for the log booming grounds and the small boat harbor.

This one, the SS Cardena, served as the flagship of the Union Steamship fleet on the BC coast for three decades.

Safety is no longer provided by these glasses.

We had a very enjoyable and informative visit to the Museum at Campbell River before driving another beautiful windy road (Route 28) into the interior to visit beautiful Buttle Lake in Strathcona Park. Once again we are the ONLY campers in the campground that has over 75 sites!

Just a glimpse of the lake from our campsite.

All the sites in the BC Provincial Parks are as pristine and level as this one. America’s National Parks should take note.

A little hike around the lake between rain storms.

Another obligatory selfie.

Absolutely nobody else around…

Plenty of mushrooms though. Think these are edible?

Panoramic of Buttle Lake.

We are now back in Jason and Sunday’s driveway (thanks again guys) in Courtenay waiting out yet another massive rain storm. It looks like we might get a bit of better weather over the next week before we head back to the United States mainland. We are keeping fingers crossed.

After our boat ride on Barkley Sound we headed back to the east coast of Vancouver Island to beautiful Qualicum Beach. While we were parked beach-side for dinner we got to witness an unusual full moon rise between the clouds over the bay. That is mainland British Columbia across the water.

The next morning we moved down the beach a bit for breakfast and a walk along the shore. The shot above was taken there. The photo I didn’t get was of the Bald Eagle we watched snatch a piece of fish from a flock of gulls…darn it.

We really felt comfortable in the Qualicum Beach community where we spent some time walking around the charming downtown area, accessing free Wi-Fi at the seemingly brand new library, and having a unique lunch at Rawthentic.

A bit further north along the coastal route we boarded a ferry at Buckley Bay, which took us to Denman Island. A quick drive across that island to another ferry and we were off to our destination at the end of the road on Hornby Island – Ford’s Cove Campground.

There is something special about what are referred to locally as “two-ferry islands.” (In our case it actually took three ferry rides to reach Hornby Island, when you count our trip across from Washington State to Vancouver Island.) The additional effort required seems to attract a more interesting sort of visitor and resident. The serenity and scenery are worth it.

This view is back towards the big island from the porch of the general store (below) at Ford’s Cove. We were pleasantly surprised to find many healthy and ethnic food options here plus fresh pizza slices and cappuccinos! I was disappointed that the art gallery, which features work by several local residents, was closed during our stay. They only open on weekends in October, the price we often have to pay for traveling off-season. Oh well, at least I got to window shop.

These campground girls supplied us with farm fresh eggs. Might they be Rhode Island Reds?

The store and campground overlook a funky marina in which the boats are packed in chock-a-block so most can’t get away even if they want to. I do have to say, however, that I wouldn’t go to sea in many of them anyway. You will see why I say that in the photos below.

Inside the wheel house

Looking across three decks

Just the necessities onboard…

Doubt these sails have seen the light of day recently.

The distant view looks quite nice though.

Signs that there is much more going on here in-season.

As the tide went out some very interesting rock formations were exposed.

We hiked a coastal trail from the campground…

Took a couple of rides around the island to visit a few beaches…

And some interesting neighborhoods…

Tanks of water are strategically placed around the island for fire-fighting purposes. Most have been painted by local artists. This one was obviously done as an homage to Andy Warhol.

A rather unique roadside egg stand

On our way back we spent a little more time on Denman Island.

Downtown… food, liquor, gas and mail… what else do you need, right?

Our lunch time view

Home Sweet Home ?!?

A look back at Ford’s Cove.

Once back on Vancouver Island, we drove to Courtenay where we stayed with my brother’s wife’s sister’s son, Jason, who we met briefly seven years ago at my niece’s wedding. He was a bit surprised to get my phone call, but welcomed us warmly. He, his wife Sunday, and son Ishan graciously shared their driveway and washroom facilities with us for two nights. Even better than that – they invited us to share the Canadian Thanksgiving Holiday with them and a group of friends at Al’s chalet at Mt. Washington Alpine Resort.

We wish the weather had been better (rain and fog) during our visit so we could have enjoyed the natural beauty of both areas, but the company and meals were a deeply appreciated treat. Thank you all for sharing your homes and holiday!