BC ferries

[pdedse]

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.

So you DO live in houses made of snow....I knew it.
On Monday, we got up early to pack the tents and other gear so that we could make the 8am ferry that leaves Powell River and would take us to "the Big Island"...the other one, Vancouver Island at Courtenay.



The morning started a bit cloudy and the crossing looked a little less happy than those of the other days with the bright sunshine.





A little difficult to hold the panorama shot steady with the strong breeze, but I love the wide open-ness of these ferry crossings:


We bumped around here and there in Courtenay before heading south on hiway 19. Nanaimo was going to be our stop for the night and after the 2 nights camping, we needed a hotel break. Jeff teaches a few online courses and had to check in with students so we needed a reliable connection.

Most excellent report, pdedse. Wonderful photos.

Thanks, Cormanus...I always enjoy yours...when's the next one?
After some 45 minutes on 19, we headed west on 4...Jeff wanted to take me to Tofino on the west coast of the island, but it was about 170 kilometers, and then we'd have to ride it back and a bit more to Nanaimo, making for a long day. And we new we would have a long ride home on Tuesday. So once we road past Cameron Lake:



...we started talking and realized both of us were a bit tired and didn't feel like riding all the way to Tofino. We made it to Port Alberni, had lunch, then road back to the lake, set up the hammocks, swam for about 45 minutes, then laid out for awhile. Made it Nanaimo by 5 and found Gina's, a funky Mexican / Tex mex restaurant. The food was good after the camp meals.