30 Miles to Vancouver...

As we have said a number of times, our plans are only ever written in the sand at low tide...  We had planned to leave Campbell River on Monday, but the weather forecast changed and it was lousy weather, so we decided to stay an extra day.  Shelley really wanted to see the Elk Falls Provincial Park, so we hired a taxi to take us and bring us back.  We were quoted $15 each way, but it turned out to be much more than that.  The driver was nice enough to only charge us $45 total...  The meter said it was closer to $60....  Buyer Beware!

We arrived with clouds but no rain.  As we walked along we met the nicest people who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary...

Just after we got to the falls the rain started... and boy did it rain! By the time we got home we were soaked but happy...  what a beautiful place...

The next day we left and made short hops down the mainland side of the Georgia Strait, then the Malasapina Strait.  The closer we get to Vancouver, the more expensive everything gets...  The second night we anchored near Madera Park in Pender Harbor.  There wasn't a house anywhere for less than a million dollars!

It is getting colder and colder, so Shelley and I stopped at a nice thrift shop and got some (warmer) name brand designer clothes for pennies on the dollar!  You gotta like thrift shops in expensive neighborhoods....

Yesterday with 30 knot winds on our nose we slowly made our way to Gambier Island in Howe Sound, about 30 miles from Vancouver.

Our plan is to arrive in Vancouver on October 1st.  We will hang around here until then.

Today we gathered all our strength and went for a 4 hour hike to a place called Lost Lake...  Well, it is still lost, as we never actually found it but had a great hike...  We realized that it is almost a year since the accident and this was the first time we really exerted ourselves in this way...  We are both a little sore and tired but we made it!  Here are a few pictures from our hike today...

The whole time we were walking along I had The Five Man Electrical Band song, "Sign, Sign, everywhere a sign..." in my head...  I wonder why?

This is CLEARLY a Canadian sign...  look closely at the lower right corner.... lol...

More Soon!
Cheers!

Making Our Way Down Vancouver Island...

The day we left Port McNeill, we discovered they are the holders of the World's LARGEST Burl!, Who knew?  A Burl is is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner. It is commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch that is filled with small knots from dormant buds.

After departing Port McNeill we continued our journey south.  Our plan now is to try to make around 30-40 miles in a day with the current and wind in our favour.  Sometimes easier said, than done.  The tidal range around these parts can be almost 20' (6 meters) and the currents (especially in the narrow parts) can get going up to 16 knots!  Add to that the season is changing and there are significant winds and rain more often that one would like.

We stopped in a place called Telegraph Cove, which today is a tourist stop with accommodation, food and a lovely whale museum.

  

Planning has become the most important part of our day.  We took 4 days to travel 100 miles to Campbell River where we are docked at the Fisherman's Wharf.  There is a big marina just north of us, but the price is double what we are spending here.  The people here are friendly and the facilities are clean and well cared for.  Just not very fancy.

Across the street we found a marine supply store who caters mostly to the commercial and sport fishing fleet.  Their knowledge and prices are a welcome relief from the marine stores we have encountered in this part of the world.

We are in an area where stern tying your boat is frequently done.  This is when you anchor close to shore and run a long line from the stern of your boat to a tree (sometimes a chain) on shore, then back to the boat.  By doing this you can get more boats in tighter spaces.  We are now the proud owners of the rig that we need to make this happen.  We purchased the rope and hardware and were given the spool for free!  We now have 300' (100 metres) of 1/2" "polysteel" line ready to go...

The scenery here in British Columbia never disappoints...  Even in the areas where there has been clear cutting of trees, they seem to re-forest very quickly.  There is a logging strike on at the moment, so commercial traffic on the water is apparently much less than usual.  Seeing these rigs underway is an awesome sight, especially when you consider the narrow areas and currents they work in.

Campbell River is a a small town with about 35,000 people.  They call themselves the "Salmon Capital of the World".  They are apparently famous for the Tyee Salmon they catch here. They are also closely connected to the forest industry and tourism seems to be important to the folks here as the town is spotlessly clean and everything that doesn't move has something painted on it...

We did another provisioning yesterday and this morning we visited a great local market where be bought some nice veggies, eggs, and honey...

We had nice weather for the first two days here, but today and tomorrow look pretty yukky, so we will likely stick around until we get better conditions.  Our daughter Kelly lives in Vancouver which is about another 100 miles south and we hope to see here over Canadian Thanksgiving which is the second weekend in October.