Beth and I left Ohio in August 26 of 05. Flew to Seattle and stayed one night. Went to Pike Street market, loved the Virginia Café on Virginia Street. Quirky locals hangout, nose rings and tattoos galore.
yellow for driving ... red for ferry trips ... orange for kayaking
We took the Victoria Clipper passenger ferry to, of course Victoria BC on Vancouver Island.
I could spend a lot of time in Victoria. Big city with a small town feel. Easy to walk around town, felt safe even at 2:00 am. We met up with little sister Darlene and brother-in-law David in Victoria for the night. They had picked up our SUV that day. We picked up the kayaks the next day and took a 6 hour drive time trip north to the working mans town of Port McNeil.
Port McNeil was our base of operation for a couple days of kayaking out of picturesque Telegraph Cove.
Two long days of kayaking off of the Johnston Straights, prime Orca territory.
One warm beautiful day, one rainy cool day. Eagles! A Dall's porpoise at first mistaken by me as an Orca! Spouts in the distance! NO Orcas!
The next day we were off to Gold River which was a several hour drive over mostly gravel roads. It was a fun drive filled with pine mountains, valleys, wooden bridges over streams and beautiful lakes (and many stops to enjoy the sights).
We were able to put in at the junction of Gold River and Nootka Sound.
The sound is like a fjord 100 miles in from the Pacific. It was very calm water, everything was damp and mossy. I went up into the Gold River while the others were readying for launch. The river was narrowing as I came around a bend. Trees were crisscrossing the river. An eagle flew from left to right low across the clear water 100 feet in front of me. I was awestruck. The remainder of the paddle revealed small hidden waterfalls, clear streams with fish, sea planes coming into the sound.
Huge drops of rain bombarded the calm water and distinct layers of fog moved in. It was most certainly another world.
Very early the next morning we began our two day adventure through the sound, into the pacific to a native village at Kuyquot and back. We were abroad the working ferry Uchuck III.
We unloaded at logging operations, villages, lodges & fish farms along the way. Very stop was greeted by a large turnout. We were their only scheduled contact with the outside world each week.
Along they 10 hour trip we saw many black bear, minke whales, gray whales and humpbacks too. Eagles and otters were everywhere. The weather ranged from party sunny and nice to driving cool rain and back.
You may have heard of Luna. Luna is a solitary Orca that has shown desire to continually interact with people. The plans to reunite Luna with her pod were sidetracked when the local native tribes became convinced Luna was the reincarnation of their recently departed chief. A big ruckus ensued with the tribe now in charge of Luna's well being. As we passed, a boat came out to keep Luna from being molested by us. There are strict rules about outsiders and Luna.
Here's a picture of Luna from the web and a link to a story. We weren't able to get very close.
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5234015
We stayed on the reservation that night. The generator was turned off one hour after dark but the wood stove supplied pleasant light for excited recounting of the day.
On the way back just as we entered the pacific again the sun came bursting through the clouds to illuminate the surf.
The trip back was much shorter without all the stops of the previous day.
We were planning our next adventure as we returned to Gold River. We had three unplanned days to go where ever we desired. We were thinking the dramatic coastal surf town of Tafino. It would be a 6 hour drive. Several friendly passengers suggested we try Quadra Island and stay at a place called Heriot Bay Inn. We are in their debt.
www.heriotbayinn.com/contact_us.html
Quadra Island was a two hour drive due east and a 10 minute ferry ride. Half way there we got cell reception and found they had two room available at $89.00.
They said they would hold our one night request until we arrived. Even our check in was fun. The Inn was staffed top to bottom with enthusiastic, friendly folks. The room were small and recently renovated. There was a large bright restaurant with plenty of outdoor seating too and it had a small bar! We didn't realize a big breakfast was included in the room price!
There was a cool gift shop, an adventure center and a pub. Ah yes the pub. The pub was large, had weathered wood everywhere, pool and darts.
I was by myself. A grandmotherly, silver haired Norwegian sat next to me at the small bar. I started a conversation with "Tell me something I should know about Quadra Island that most people don't know." She thought for a while and then said "It's all F**ked Up!" I considered and ask "How so?" She just repeated.
I thought it best to bother her no more with my questions. Done with that I thought but not so lucky. She ask me if I was there to hear "Duffy" perform that evening. So I ask here about Duffy and got a civil answer.
She then pointed over her shoulder and said that fellow "George" plays with Duffy. I said "Oh, the guy in the red shirt?" She looked at me like I was the village idiot. She stood up and said "NO, NOT HIM! The guy sitting at the damn table!!!"
Evidently my response of "Well how the H E L L was I supposed to know" did the trick. She went to the patio with a scowl but not another word. A funny thing is she reminded me of my Swedish mother who would never ever say a cuss word.
I retold the story to the group. My wife and sister went out to have a look at her. They could not get over the resemblance to mom. They goaded me into joining them on the patio and approaching her in a request for a photo opp.
All the locals were keeping a close eye on the goings on. We sat on either side of bizzaro mom with our arms over her shoulders. Immediately after the shutter click mom said "Now get the hell out". The locals and we erupted in howls.
Duffy was fantastic that night. I stayed until the last song of the last set. The pints flowed all night as did the bs with the locals.
Duffy played a Doors set that was the best I have ever heard. Someone in the band had composed original music that could have been written by Jim Morrison himself. It was like hearing a lost and then found Doors cut. I loved it but no CD was available. (caveat emptor: I had had at least 10 pints of grog. My ability to judge music may have been impaired. Impaired like my kayaking skills on our next day early morning paddle!)
Rosin, a lovely young lady at the Adventure center, gave us great advise on where to paddle and what we might see. The center offers good bikes and kayaks for rent, fishing charters, whale and bear watching trips and general island advise.
Our morning paddle was good and long. We took lunch. It's a good thing Rosin had warned us how quick the tide came in and out. We still almost had to swim for our boats after our lunch break.
Here is how it was getting ready for the morning paddle.
That night in the small bar we met Susan. She overheard our disappointment at not having seen Orcas. She brought Captain Nick over to us. He took us out the next day on a state of the art whale watching boat. During our trip we, answered a rescue request at tourist rock
Saw a hundred inspiring pacific whiteside dolphins.
And most wonderful of all saw dozens and dozen of Orcas close up. Nick had ferried us all the way up to the waters off of Telegraph Cove and there were the Orcas. Exactly where we had been just days before.
As you might have guessed, our one night stay turned into three. I will always want to return to the Heriot Bay Inn on Quadra Island. It was such a wonderful surprise to stumble across.
I would go back in a second. I'm thinking arrival by sea plane would be ideal!
We took a ferry to the main land the final morning on Quadra. Then a couple hours drive to a shortcut ferry, a stop at Buchart Gardens and back to Victoria.
Our last full day in Victoria meant shopping and pubbing. One friendly clerk ask me if I had heard the couple in line in front of me. They had related details of their trip. She went on in depth about their returning here from California for their 25th anniversary. Where they were staying and many more details.
I tell you this because the next pub we visited was also visited by the happy anniversary couple. We sat at the bar next to them in the seats we had occupied a week or so before. They couple were talking to another patron, Dave, as we sat. They smiled at us and nodded.
Beth knew nothing of my conversation with the clerk. She was almost as shocked as they were when I immediately said to her, "Beth do you know this is their 25th anniversary?" They ask me how in the heck did I know that. I would not say but went on to reveal many of the details of their trip and life in California. Everyone's eyes were bugging out at me. It took several pints for me to divulge the source of my intimate knowledge. They had been PUNKED.
The happy couple, us and Dave from Ireland.
They told us of their difficult trip through customs. He was suspected of being a cocaine user. They were separated and grilled for a couple hours with passports and drivers licenses being temporarily confiscated. My knowledge of their lives was of extra concern to them in light of there brush with the law. We all laughed and drank.
I highly recommend a visit to Victoria. It's a very cool city.
A ferry ride back to Seattle the next days, a revisit to the Virginia Café and a smooth flight got us back home without incident.
What a wonderful trip it was. We got back September 8th.
93 Bowers HUD info link
yellow for driving ... red for ferry trips ... orange for kayaking
We took the Victoria Clipper passenger ferry to, of course Victoria BC on Vancouver Island.
I could spend a lot of time in Victoria. Big city with a small town feel. Easy to walk around town, felt safe even at 2:00 am. We met up with little sister Darlene and brother-in-law David in Victoria for the night. They had picked up our SUV that day. We picked up the kayaks the next day and took a 6 hour drive time trip north to the working mans town of Port McNeil.
Port McNeil was our base of operation for a couple days of kayaking out of picturesque Telegraph Cove.
Two long days of kayaking off of the Johnston Straights, prime Orca territory.
One warm beautiful day, one rainy cool day. Eagles! A Dall's porpoise at first mistaken by me as an Orca! Spouts in the distance! NO Orcas!
The next day we were off to Gold River which was a several hour drive over mostly gravel roads. It was a fun drive filled with pine mountains, valleys, wooden bridges over streams and beautiful lakes (and many stops to enjoy the sights).
We were able to put in at the junction of Gold River and Nootka Sound.
The sound is like a fjord 100 miles in from the Pacific. It was very calm water, everything was damp and mossy. I went up into the Gold River while the others were readying for launch. The river was narrowing as I came around a bend. Trees were crisscrossing the river. An eagle flew from left to right low across the clear water 100 feet in front of me. I was awestruck. The remainder of the paddle revealed small hidden waterfalls, clear streams with fish, sea planes coming into the sound.
Huge drops of rain bombarded the calm water and distinct layers of fog moved in. It was most certainly another world.
Very early the next morning we began our two day adventure through the sound, into the pacific to a native village at Kuyquot and back. We were abroad the working ferry Uchuck III.
We unloaded at logging operations, villages, lodges & fish farms along the way. Very stop was greeted by a large turnout. We were their only scheduled contact with the outside world each week.
Along they 10 hour trip we saw many black bear, minke whales, gray whales and humpbacks too. Eagles and otters were everywhere. The weather ranged from party sunny and nice to driving cool rain and back.
You may have heard of Luna. Luna is a solitary Orca that has shown desire to continually interact with people. The plans to reunite Luna with her pod were sidetracked when the local native tribes became convinced Luna was the reincarnation of their recently departed chief. A big ruckus ensued with the tribe now in charge of Luna's well being. As we passed, a boat came out to keep Luna from being molested by us. There are strict rules about outsiders and Luna.
Here's a picture of Luna from the web and a link to a story. We weren't able to get very close.
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5234015
We stayed on the reservation that night. The generator was turned off one hour after dark but the wood stove supplied pleasant light for excited recounting of the day.
On the way back just as we entered the pacific again the sun came bursting through the clouds to illuminate the surf.
The trip back was much shorter without all the stops of the previous day.
We were planning our next adventure as we returned to Gold River. We had three unplanned days to go where ever we desired. We were thinking the dramatic coastal surf town of Tafino. It would be a 6 hour drive. Several friendly passengers suggested we try Quadra Island and stay at a place called Heriot Bay Inn. We are in their debt.
www.heriotbayinn.com/contact_us.html
Quadra Island was a two hour drive due east and a 10 minute ferry ride. Half way there we got cell reception and found they had two room available at $89.00.
They said they would hold our one night request until we arrived. Even our check in was fun. The Inn was staffed top to bottom with enthusiastic, friendly folks. The room were small and recently renovated. There was a large bright restaurant with plenty of outdoor seating too and it had a small bar! We didn't realize a big breakfast was included in the room price!
There was a cool gift shop, an adventure center and a pub. Ah yes the pub. The pub was large, had weathered wood everywhere, pool and darts.
I was by myself. A grandmotherly, silver haired Norwegian sat next to me at the small bar. I started a conversation with "Tell me something I should know about Quadra Island that most people don't know." She thought for a while and then said "It's all F**ked Up!" I considered and ask "How so?" She just repeated.
I thought it best to bother her no more with my questions. Done with that I thought but not so lucky. She ask me if I was there to hear "Duffy" perform that evening. So I ask here about Duffy and got a civil answer.
She then pointed over her shoulder and said that fellow "George" plays with Duffy. I said "Oh, the guy in the red shirt?" She looked at me like I was the village idiot. She stood up and said "NO, NOT HIM! The guy sitting at the damn table!!!"
Evidently my response of "Well how the H E L L was I supposed to know" did the trick. She went to the patio with a scowl but not another word. A funny thing is she reminded me of my Swedish mother who would never ever say a cuss word.
I retold the story to the group. My wife and sister went out to have a look at her. They could not get over the resemblance to mom. They goaded me into joining them on the patio and approaching her in a request for a photo opp.
All the locals were keeping a close eye on the goings on. We sat on either side of bizzaro mom with our arms over her shoulders. Immediately after the shutter click mom said "Now get the hell out". The locals and we erupted in howls.
Duffy was fantastic that night. I stayed until the last song of the last set. The pints flowed all night as did the bs with the locals.
Duffy played a Doors set that was the best I have ever heard. Someone in the band had composed original music that could have been written by Jim Morrison himself. It was like hearing a lost and then found Doors cut. I loved it but no CD was available. (caveat emptor: I had had at least 10 pints of grog. My ability to judge music may have been impaired. Impaired like my kayaking skills on our next day early morning paddle!)
Rosin, a lovely young lady at the Adventure center, gave us great advise on where to paddle and what we might see. The center offers good bikes and kayaks for rent, fishing charters, whale and bear watching trips and general island advise.
Our morning paddle was good and long. We took lunch. It's a good thing Rosin had warned us how quick the tide came in and out. We still almost had to swim for our boats after our lunch break.
Here is how it was getting ready for the morning paddle.
That night in the small bar we met Susan. She overheard our disappointment at not having seen Orcas. She brought Captain Nick over to us. He took us out the next day on a state of the art whale watching boat. During our trip we, answered a rescue request at tourist rock
Saw a hundred inspiring pacific whiteside dolphins.
And most wonderful of all saw dozens and dozen of Orcas close up. Nick had ferried us all the way up to the waters off of Telegraph Cove and there were the Orcas. Exactly where we had been just days before.
As you might have guessed, our one night stay turned into three. I will always want to return to the Heriot Bay Inn on Quadra Island. It was such a wonderful surprise to stumble across.
I would go back in a second. I'm thinking arrival by sea plane would be ideal!
We took a ferry to the main land the final morning on Quadra. Then a couple hours drive to a shortcut ferry, a stop at Buchart Gardens and back to Victoria.
Our last full day in Victoria meant shopping and pubbing. One friendly clerk ask me if I had heard the couple in line in front of me. They had related details of their trip. She went on in depth about their returning here from California for their 25th anniversary. Where they were staying and many more details.
I tell you this because the next pub we visited was also visited by the happy anniversary couple. We sat at the bar next to them in the seats we had occupied a week or so before. They couple were talking to another patron, Dave, as we sat. They smiled at us and nodded.
Beth knew nothing of my conversation with the clerk. She was almost as shocked as they were when I immediately said to her, "Beth do you know this is their 25th anniversary?" They ask me how in the heck did I know that. I would not say but went on to reveal many of the details of their trip and life in California. Everyone's eyes were bugging out at me. It took several pints for me to divulge the source of my intimate knowledge. They had been PUNKED.
The happy couple, us and Dave from Ireland.
They told us of their difficult trip through customs. He was suspected of being a cocaine user. They were separated and grilled for a couple hours with passports and drivers licenses being temporarily confiscated. My knowledge of their lives was of extra concern to them in light of there brush with the law. We all laughed and drank.
I highly recommend a visit to Victoria. It's a very cool city.
A ferry ride back to Seattle the next days, a revisit to the Virginia Café and a smooth flight got us back home without incident.
What a wonderful trip it was. We got back September 8th.
93 Bowers HUD info link
