BC ferries

[GoldOxide_imp]

Man, very nice excursion pdedse. Glad to read you made it happen.

Thanks GO...I hope my Canadian friends will forgive my ignorance; example, when we were planning this trip, I looked just once, maybe twice at a map of British Columbia. I was imagining little infrastructure and few people. I don't know why, I just never really explored the area online. But the ferries were full, the roads were beautiful, lots and lots of people about. And with good reason, as the bays and mountains were just gorgeous.

It's gettin' closer.

Nice shots pdedse.

It looks like it, right? Those three shots were at the same time...just playing with the 40x zoom of my Canon sx740 point n shoot. Nice camera for $300 I think it was.
Leaving Earl's Cove and heading for Saltery Bay...my friend's GS and the CB packed in with bicycles and other vehicles:



From upper deck


The wonderful thing about the ferries is that you have a break from riding and can have lunch or other meal while you cross. No need to look for a supermarket or restaurant. Very enjoyable with nice cool to chilly breezes even though it was quite warm on land.
I can't recall if it was 1 or 2pm when we got to Saltery Bay...we wanted to do a second night of camping and Mermaid Cove was almost too soon after getting off the ferry. But it looked inviting and as hotels and campgrounds were nearing capacity, we decided to take a site as there was still room. Got to see a bear cross the road earlier in the morning and the campground manager said another one visited the campground the night before but didn't cause any mischief. Still, we were advised to hang our food from a high branch.

The beach was only 200 meters from our spot and after getting things set-up we headed for the cool, welcoming waters. There were divers just finishing and as Jeff and I are both certified, we asked if they were available the next day, but alas, that was their off day. They thought a few moments about making an exception but realized they had family committments. Next time. There's an underwater mermaid that you can scuba to, and they said there are abundant fish and other creatures to see. I brought a pair of swimming goggles and could see purple star-fish, a few jellies and other creatures among the rocks just off shore.



The ramp is so that divers can just walk into the water at high tide and start their dive...no boat necessary.


Today, this was as good as the diving was going to get:


Jeff is checking in on his family as they have lots going on back home:

He and his wife will be heading back to BC tommorrow, Thursday, just a week after our trip started. They are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary. So a lot of this trip was to scope out things for their trip.

Thanks GO...I hope my Canadian friends will forgive my ignorance; example, when we were planning this trip, I looked just once, maybe twice at a map of British Columbia. I was imagining little infrastructure and few people. I don't know why, I just never really explored the area online. But the ferries were full, the roads were beautiful, lots and lots of people about. ...
Maybe easy to forgive. Canada's population is less than California, so perceptions can be distorted, but thankfully not.

Ah crap, my roof is melting again. Gotta find some more snow to patch it.