The BC Ferry system is driving my itinerary. Not a bad thing. On Thusday, I'll be a walk-on passenger for the 11-hour ferry from Port Hardy to Bella Coola on the B.C. mainland.
Because my days prior to that voyage are no longer dedicated to mountain hiking (see 7th Post), I've decided to rely on the BC ferries to explore the close-in islands and waterways.
So here I am on Quadra Island. It's just a 10 minute ferry from Campbell River. But it's another world. It's quiet, island-slow, and beautiful. First Nations people still own much of the island.
The Heriot Bay Inn on the eastern shore is an eclectic mix of everything for BCing You travelers.
Yes, there are lodge rooms. A couple of cabins. RV hook-ups. And tent-camping -- that would be me -- on the waterfront overlooking a small marina. Campsite neighbors Dave and Helen have been coming here -- to the same site -- for 25 years of R&R, fishing, and playtime with family and friends.
The Inn also has a pub and a dining room with -- whoa -- live music and patio dining. I skipped the pub, opted for patio dining, and enjoyed a same-day fresh sockeye salmon that was prepared nicely undercooked, my preference. Two bald eagles soared over the patio as the sun sank lower towards the horizon. Heaven. Also heavenly is the wi-fi access, the hot showers and... the on-site laundry room. I'm due.
Today was an unusually windy day according to local weather-watchers. So I drove the 3kms to Rebecca Spit Provincial Park, looking for sheltered shore. Bingo. I found a postcard-perfect bit of wind-free beach where I swam and soaked up the sun -- temperatures there still in the upper-20s'-C. And I watched the tide creep in as I ventured deeper into the darkness of Stieg Larsson's 'Girl With the Green Dragon Tattoo.'
Total surprise: a seaplane landed not 200 meters from my beachfront perch to off-load some Very Important People who transferred by motorboat to a very large (70ft?) vintage motor yacht which then promptly departed in the direction of Cortes Island to the east. A remarkable day in which I did next to NOTHING but stroll, sit, swim and soak it all in. Bliss.
I'll spend one more night on Quadra, then back to Vancouver Island tomorrow, heading north, ever north.
