Roadside snaps

Tahsis. Malaspina Lake. Bull Lake. Oyster River. Quadra Island. Rebecca Spit. Gold River. Leiner River. Roberts Lake. And more; I've been there this past week, on an unexpected vacation with family. And now I'm home and starting to sort photos.

Miner's lettuce, moss, ferns, by the side of the Leiner River trail.

All along the highways there are these signs: Elk, 8 km. Elk, 45 km. Elk, Elk, Elk. I've been watching and have not seen even one. Until last week, along the Tahsis highway, a mother and her calf were crossing the road as we came around a curve. By the time we'd stopped, they were in the bush, but I got a quick photo as they turned to watch us from behind the trees.

A poor photo, but I'm happy.

Unidentified lake beside the highway to Tahsis.

Mushrooms next, I think.

Home!

We're home again, exhausted, sunburnt, broke, mosquito-bitten, and lugging suitcases packed with dirty laundry, but having forgotten my big thermos of hot coffee in the motel; all the evidences of a great vacation. We must do it again next summer.

It's time we were home, though. Life here has been going on without us too long. A spider has set up shop in the bathroom, the raccoons have been pawing through my garden. and slugs have eaten Laurie's swiss chard. And an unidentified cocoon has opened in our absence to release a beautiful moth. I'll take photos tomorrow, in daylight.

It's good to be home!

Sunset, Oyster Bay

Update: I forgot to add this. The damaged anemone has been recovering, regenerating the lost half of its mouth and tentacles. It came home with us, and survived the trip beautifully. More on this later.

Sundown over the Strait of Georgia

The old, familiar places ... We're in Campbell River, in the same motel we've stayed in twice before, settled in as though we had never left.

After a long, hot day, breakfast at the ferry landing in Tsawwassen, lunch at an unnamed beach just out of Qualicum, antiquing near Bowser, an accident in Union Bay ( Laurie gashed his leg badly on the car door, and I had somehow left the first aid kit at home) and a forced stop in Courtenay to buy bandages, it was so heartening to see the familiar names slip by: Black Creek, Miracle Beach, Oyster Bay; delights to look forward to this week. And then, supper at "home", and afterwards, a limp down to the cliff top to watch the sun go down, as usual.

Misty blues of sky, water, and hydrangea.

Black treetops against a patchy, streaky sky

Multi-hued clouds

I never tire of this view; "our" snag, the curving coastline, and layers of pale blue mountains.

We sat on a bench watching for a long time, just listening to the silence; a whisper of breeze in the evergreens, a murmur of waves on the beach; nothing more. Heaven!

One other event in the day; we passed a pod of orcas in mid-channel, too far away to see more than moving black spots, but the camera has better eyes, even through dirty ferry windows.

Orca and marker float. No, he's not playing with it.

A Skywatch post.

Unforgettable Jervis Inlet

Thank you, all, for your good thoughts for my grandson. The surgery was postponed for a day, but it is finally done, the surgeon says it went fine, and my grandson is resting peacefully. Now, I think, I can get back to normal life. (So will he, but it will take some time.)

So: back to the vacation series (alternating with current wanderings and visitors). These are from Saltery Bay, on the Sunshine Coast.

We arrived too early in the morning for the ferry, and went instead to Saltery Bay Provincial Park, a couple of kilometres back up the highway. Although it was past 9 AM, the water still had that hard-to-describe, but unforgettable, morning clarity, transparent at our feet, cool blue farther out. A light mist softened the distant hills. It was so quiet that tiny sounds stood out individually; a wavelet on the rocks, voices across the water, the whisper of a breeze in the evergreens.

The boat launch, blue water, and Laurie.

Swim gear drying on the edge of the boat launch.

The road down from the highway ends at Jervis Inlet, where there is a day-use picnic area. Campsites are in the next bay, closer to the ferry landing.

At anchor in the bay.

Mist and people standing in tiny boats.

Out fishing.

A hint of things to come

Day Two; the weather continues beautiful, and we spent an hour on the wharf, upside-down most of the time, with our heads down piling wells, taking photos of these:

Anemones, worm tube, and something tiny and orange. A lucky shot taken blind with my underwater camera.

I'll save the other underwater photos for editing on the screen at home.  But while we're upside-down, we may as well look at some boats, above the water:

The "High Maintenance, Too", out of Oregon

Unidentified, flying either the Canadian flag or the Jolly Roger.

"Our Patience". Another time-hog?

We've decided to stay another day; there's another beach we want to explore, and a second-hand bookshop, an art gallery and a pottery. I always thought of Powell River as a pause on the way to the Island, but I think I was blind.

Having a great time!

After a day of ferries and sight-seeing, and an amazing sunset, we're happy, but soooo tired!

Trout Lake, Sunshine Coast

We're heading for the wharf and a few beaches tomorrow.

Mini-vacation coming up!

It's been a stay-at-home summer for us, so far. We've been busy with gardening and family events; our two weeks on Vancouver Island kept being put off, and here we are, in mid-August, with September rains on the horizon. We've decided to reduce the two weeks to three days, and cut the distance in half; we'll dawdle up the Sunshine Coast, antiquing and sight-seeing, spend a couple of nights in Powell River, and wander on home again.

In Powell River, waiting for the ferry last year, we discovered a treasure trove on the underside of the wharf, but had to dash off to board the boat. Weather permitting, that's where you'll find us next Wednesday; half standing on our heads on the Powell River wharf.

Large anemones. They came in several colours.

Kelp (Tanner's?) crab. We saw several, all large.

There were several kinds of jellyfish, too. And fish. And, of course, the blue, blue water and bright boat reflections.

I am really looking forward to this!

Can't keep my eyes open

When this vacation is over, I'm going to sleep for a week.

Seaweed "lawn", at low tide on our beach

We're exhausted, and loving every minute of it. Now I'm going to bed; there's an even lower low tide tomorrow morning, that we must, must, must catch. Goodnight!

Going offline

We're off!

Kid and toy, Stonewater Motel, Sunshine Coast, 2009

We probably won't have internet access until tomorrow night or Saturday. See you then!

Thunder River viewpoint

On the Sunshine Coast.

We'll see it tomorrow. Rain or shine.

Tomorrow's route in yellow. Two ferry crossings. The next day, in red: one ferry crossing.

And no, I'm not packed yet. That's today's job. That, and delivering my aquarium full of hermits and their friends to be babysat (babysitted? crabsat? critter-sat?).

Anticipation

Two more days, and we'll be on our way north.

View, muted and cooled through a ferry window. Near Horseshoe Bay. 2009.

Sailboat, off Earl's Cove.

Arriving in Powell River.

I can hardly wait.

Dreaming of summer

I'm still sorting photos. Yesterday, they were the leftover Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast batch from last summer. We're planning to go back this June ... I can hardly wait.

Earl's Cove, around the corner from the ferry landing.

Resting at anchor.

Lovely shimmery water. Oyster Bay area.

View from "our" motel with "our" snag, and a strange cloud. Is that a flying saucer or a straw hat?

Three more months.

Heat wave, remembered

Such a short time ago ... It's raining now, has been at it all day. I'm wearing a sweater and have the heater on. But in that last week of July, every day was hotter than the one before. In Powell River, waiting for the ferry, I was dizzy and headachy from the heat; we were drinking salt water and draping damp cloths over the car windows.

We had over an hour to wait, lined up alongside monstrous trucks with heat waves floating above their engines. Ahead, though, beside the loading dock, was a wharf with boats and blue water. It looked cool, so we abandoned our makeshift shade and walked down the pier.

Shimmering waves.

It was cooler down there. Marginally. But the sun was glaring off the white boats and bouncing off the water. Our eyes rejected the light; so did the cameras. At least, we could wear sunglasses. And squint.

White-out.

Tank on the shore. One of a pair.

Red and black boat, detail.

Red is not the most comforting colour on a hot day.

Reflections work better; the light dims.

Light patterns reflected from the water to the hull of a boat. With rope.

The gas station, detail. Too hot at the moment for music.

Laurie challenged me to read this sign, using only the reflections.

Can you?

(Hint: look at the previous photo. No, the original is not there. It's overhead.)

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Missed opportunity

I almost bought this dog in a garage sale in Campbell River. He was huge, floppy, soft and smiling, and fresh out of the washer and dryer. Three bucks, they wanted.

Take me with you! I don't bark!

I bought a red and blue throw to substitute for the one I forgot to pack. The happy doggy stayed where I found him.

I should have gone with my whim. Claimed I was buying him for the grandkids, or something.

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We hurried; now we wait.

Sunshine Coast, Day two, Leg one: Earl's Cove ferry landing.

The Lower Sunshine Coast is connected to the mainland by two ferries, at the north and south ends. We pay to get there, about $35 for the car, but leaving is free. (If people had to pay to leave, maybe they'd just stay put, move in and put down roots.)

Our route to Vancouver Island included three ferry trips: from Horseshoe Bay to the Lower Sunshine Coast, at Langdale, off again at Earl's Cove, connecting to Saltery Bay on the Powell River peninsula, and then from the town of Powell River to Comox on Vancouver Island. We spent a lot of time at ferry landings.

We took the second sailing at Earl's Cove, getting to the landing at 9:30 AM, and loading at 10:30. An hour to kill, but the morning was cool and there was plenty to see.

Morning shadows, on the way to the ferry.

Earl's Cove.

Waiting for the ferry.

Squiggles on the water.

Unidentified weed.

Hawkweed.

A flowery bush.

Barnacles and reflections.

A handy map.

With mermaid and octopus.

Good to know.

And a saucy robin.

Finally, here she comes!

Our ferry here was the Island Sky, a smallish boat, carrying only 125 cars. (BC Ferries fleet, for comparison.) The trip takes just under an hour.

Next: water, rocks, and lichen.

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