Couldn't have planned it better. Serendipity works!

I was writing about our vacation trip up the Sunshine Coast and over to Vancouver Island, when I hit a major roadblock; from that one beach in Campbell River, we have hundreds upon hundreds of photos. Scenery, rock formations, seaweeds, birds, watery critters of all sorts, Laurie knee deep in the waves, trying to keep the camera dry while he photographs an elusive Melibe leonina ... (Note to self: next camera must be waterproof.)

I've been sorting every chance I get. And now, back to the beach.

We took the ferry from Powell River to Comox in mid-afternoon. By the time we were in the vicinity of Campbell River, it was supper-time. We were tired, hot, and hungry. We stopped at the first motel we saw with a "Vacancy" sign. The Edgewater. It was a small building surrounded by trees, two stories, with only 8 units, one with an Office sign on the door. Nothing fancy; no decor whatsoever, gravel driveway, flower pots hanging low from the overhang, one of which gave Laurie's head a hearty clout. But the price was right; almost half what we had paid at the Stonewater on the Sunshine Coast. And the room was non-smoking and clean. It would do.

We didn't discover the beach until the next morning. And then we decided to stay put for the rest of the week.

Tomorrow; the rocks. But for tonight, here's a pair of hermit crabs.

Small hermit in a pretty whelk shell.

I like those knobbly legs and pincer.

Hermit crab # 2. Yes, he's in there.

Checking out the territory. Cautiously.

"Looks safe enough. But I don't like this sunny rock."

And he scuttled over to the edge and dropped out of sight.

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Here be moths.

Out of the cities, the population of many-legged critters increases, both in number and variety. At the Stonewater motel, that first night, I noticed the moths around the deck lights after dark; after that, I took to doing morning and evening "bug runs".

The Stonewater is moth heaven. In the mornings, the back and side walls were dotted with sleeping moths and the spiders that grow fat on them.

I haven't had time to identify these moths yet. That job will keep until we get a few rainy days. To give an idea of the size, most were photographed on the siding; 4-inch boards, about 1/2 inch thick. A few were 'way up under the eaves. I had to take the photos on tiptoe, with the camera at arm's length. The motel doesn't provide ladders. I missed some interesting moths jammed into corners along the fascia boards.

Brown and white spots. A medium-sized moth.

Update: Lophocampa argentata, Silver-spotted Tiger moth. Thanks, Eddie!

A nice rusty red. Quite small.

Update: Choristoneura occidentalis complex. Thanks, Bob Patterson!

A very similar moth, maybe the same species, but a more sedate brown.

This one sits with the wings spread wide.

Update: Eupithicia. Thanks, Seabrooke! (See comment #3)

So does this. I don't know if it's the same species, or just very similar.

A tiny, cute little guy.

Same species, greyer moth.

A nice pattern, wings completely overlapped. High up along the fascia board.

(Carpet moth)

Another one sleeping at the top. I love the zigzag pattern on the wings.

Lettered or Glorious Habrosyne. ( I love these names!)

Small moth in a long brown cloak.

One of the Torticidae.

This one sleeps with its head against the wall, wings folded together and held on a 45° angle.

Update: Oligocentria pallida.

Pointy moth. Very small.

Update: Eudonia rectilinea.

This one was flying around in the morning. I caught it on the deck railing, under a glass.

Another white moth, quite a bit smaller.

Update: Little White Lichen Moth, Clemensia albata. ShotgunEddie, again.

The palest of pale greens. Sleeping head down.

Update: Pale Beauty, Campaea perlata.

Pretty moth. I had to look at it for a while before I realized that it's holding the abdomen up and curved away from the wings.

Update: Eulithis xylina.

I was too late to get a good look at this one. Nice feathers, though.

And the rest of the Stonewater spiders (and a couple of other bugs) can wait until tomorrow.

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The search. And the finding.

The Sunshine Coast, Day one, Leg three, mid-afternoon:

It was time to stop dawdling about and start the search for a place to spend the night. We had not booked accomodations, wanting to be free to change plans on the spur of the moment. So here's where we tested the practicality of the idea. Could we find lodging at the height of the tourist season, in prime tourist country? Or would we end up sleeping in the car in a pull-out?

Just past Half-Moon Bay, a sign read, "Secret Cove Resort;" the arrow pointed down the hill. Down we went. Down and down and down, very steeply. At the bottom, a gate, a half-built, half-occupied housing development, and a view. We parked.

The Secret.

We walked down the rest of the road. At the bottom, a large building sported two signs: "Pub" and "Closed". It looked more abandoned than closed.

Boathouses in Secret Cove

(Looking this up on the web and Google maps, later, it seems that this is/was the site of an exclusive resort; if it is, it's gone bust.)

Back to the highway. It follows the coast for a ways, then turns inland, into the deep forest. Green, green, green. No motels.

Twenty minutes later, a signpost promised "Information." Just the thing! We turned down Madeira Park road, went around a bend and saw a riot of colour; flower gardens on both sides of the road, a tourist information booth in the centre of one.

Red, pink, yellow, white, orange, green. And full sunlight.

Behind a patch of daisies, this wooden gardener carried a hoe and bucket. Someone had recently provided him with glasses.

A friendly girl in the information booth told us of a resort nearby, on the shore. "It is a bit pricey, though," she said. Were there other places, more reasonable? She looked down her charts and mentioned one, also a resort, a few minutes drive down the highway.

"What's the price range there?"

She didn't know. Reasonable, she said. Ok, we'd try it.

First, the washroom. I came out to find Laurie taking photos of the wall outside, decorated with flowers with labels in two languages. English and Spanish, a rarity here.

The art work was obviously done in two stages, by different artists. Four are named; Mary, Don, Walter, and Mother Nature. "Wonderful halflings," they call themselves.

Down the road, we found the resort. There was a room available; one only, smoking, and at twice the price we were prepared to pay. Back to the car and the highway, discouraged, hot, and a little tense by now.

And just a few curves more, and there it was: Stonewater Motel. With a beautiful sign, "NO VACANCY". And the owner was cheerful, the prices reasonable. Yay! Barely supper time, too! The plan worked!

The motel is so new you expect the paint to be tacky still. Each unit has its own porch and opens onto a park-like yard. Inside, there's a fully-equipped kitchen, except for the lack of a microwave; we were able to cook and eat our own supper in comfort. If there's anything else missing, it's the eventual build-up of details; the can of Comet under the sink, the extra hook they will decide is needed in the washroom, the road maps in the drawer under the TV (instead of the fridge and stove instruction manuals there now).

The bones of the peninsula; rock outcropping in the lawn.

Ready for a good game. There's also a hammock for less active guests.

We came back here on our way home. In the morning, I brought a hose from the lawn and washed the car. Later, as we loaded the last items in the back seat, this little frog jumped in with them. He must have been basking in the wet shade underneath. I caught him in a wet towel I was planning to drape our cool water with.

Pacific tree frog, on towel.

Cute, isn't he?

What else (and why I want to go back) we found at the Stonewater, next post.

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