Monday, June 18, 2018

Nootka Island, Part One

After a long dry spell, wouldn't you know it, rain fell as we left Vancouver Wednesday morning to board the ferry at Horseshoe Bay.
As with all things, practice is the key to success, so although we are no experts on ferry crossings, this time we knew the pitfalls to watch out for, making darn sure we were in the right lane this time.
I have no idea if there was a handy sign on our previous trip, but we sure knew to look for it this time! We kept double checking ourselves and sure enough as we drove on the ferry, this sign indicating Naniamo confirmed we were doing everything just right.
Ferry travel is the bomb folks, with wide comfortable seats, along with huge windows for gazing at the passing scenery. While I'd looked forward to having brilliant blue skies for the crossing, it was not to be as we left the mainland.
Looks pretty ominous to a Floridian, but the further we rode on the Queen of Oak Bay,
the skies began clearing, if only for a little while. This journey of 90 minutes was not nearly as windy and chilly as our previous crossing to Vancouver Island two weeks ago.
There was smooth sailing and we arrived in Nanaimo, disembarked, and had a very short drive to the Coast Hotel where we were really surprised to be booked into the honeymoon suite on the 14th floor, overlooking the harbor.
The crazy jetted bathtub, and cozy robes, were both put to use once we returned for the day and why not? Although not newlyweds by any stretch of the imagination, every girl loves a bubble bath, don't they?

Bruce took a little nap after we dined at the hotel restaurant, and you don't have to guess what I did, do you? It involved a rain jacket, which was maybe not the smartest move on my part because even though I was wearing a hood, it did a number on my hair that I'd counted on looking good for days. It did not.
I won't show you much of what I saw because this post would go on forever, but I can report that what I saw was cute, with loads of artists shops, and even a fabric store! Neither of us can remember who told us the hotel restaurant was good, but whoever it was, does not seem to have the same standards, that is for sure. What did happen though was that Bruce asked our server for recommendations for dinner, which we followed, leading us to a cute little restaurant called The Nest. Upon hearing the name, I was sold! Because we'd eaten a late lunch, and found the restaurant in the early evening, we did not order much, but what we did was delicious, including this dish of filet with baby Yorkshire puddings.
Thursday morning we awoke early and decided to head out for our drive to the float plane. This involved a major highway, 19, which runs North and South on Vancouver Island. We'd been told that the journey to Gold River, where we would board the float plane, was 140 miles and would take 3.5 hours.
Math wizards amongst you will recognize that 3.5 hours to cover 140 miles is a mighty slow pace so something must be up. What was up was, once we got to Campbell River, we went west on Highway 28 where there is not a stretch of road that is straight! Oh my gosh was it something! Here's a video that someone else took if anyone has extra time on their hands, and wants to see it in action.
Not for the feint of heart, that's for sure! As there were so many twists and turns in the road, and no place to pull off I might add, I can't be sure, but I think it was soon after this bend that we spotted a BEAR alongside the road!!
Oh my goodness, my first ever bear sighting!! What next? Well, I'll tell you what next, or better yet, I'll show you what we saw when we finally came to the town, had lunch at a pottery studio/cafe, and got back on the road for the final stretch.
Whoa Nelly!! Beautiful, right? By now, Bruce was more than ready to just get there, and who can blame him? Certainly not me, so when we passed by a view pullover I did not beg him to go back, however, soon enough, there was another spot where I shot the photo below of a beautiful waterfall rushing down into the river below.
Did I tell you that there are millions of trees? Same goes for rocks, more of which I saw on this trip than I have in my lifetime. Are you enjoying this so far? I hope so!

I will admit seeing the fog in the mountains before takeoff was a little unnerving,
however, I reminded myself that they are more than familiar with their landscape and how that affects their ability to fly.
Waiting for the other passengers to arrive was made easy because there were dozens of hummingbirds to watch in the interim. Never have I seen the likes of this before.
Are you keeping count of the new experiences? All of them unexpected, making them even more exciting, and I'm leaving out the elk Bruce saw in the woods on the way!

Six people fit in the plane, including your friends, the Pecks, who sat in the back row..
Wearing headphones to block the noise, the 15 minute flight was easy as pie. Looking down there are dozens of islands and more trees than can be counted.
We were shown to our comfy room, along with the other 14 guests that were there for this grand adventure.
Wondering why I've made such a mess on the empty bed? Before leaving I mentioned to Bruce that never once have I gone anywhere without forgetting something. And what did I forget this time, pray tell? My extra camera battery!! Never a good thing for someone who can't keep her finger off of the shutter button!

Dinner was to be served at 5:00 in the communal dining hall, followed by fishing. Yikes, we are really doing this! The food was very tasty, and throughout our stay, more plentiful than anyone could possibly eat. Prior to dinner, the afternoon was spent in getting to know the other guests, as well as a tiny bit of exploring for me. Tiny is the operative word here because it is mostly trees and rocks, rocks, and more rocks.
That said, that's one hell of a tree, isn't it? The curious thing here is that it really is all rocks and how trees grow from it with virtually no soil is one of life's great mysteries.

What does the lodge look like? Pretty cool is what it looks like, sitting on deep pilings in the volcanic rock.
During dinner the guide assignments were announced, so after bolting down our food, we clothed ourselves in rubber and met Dan on the dock.
Neither Bruce, nor I, have been on a boat in the ocean before, knowing nothing of what to expect. The 23 foot boat has a big engine and goes darn fast is what we found out pretty quickly, leaving the lodge behind in short order.
Good grief, what a landscape!
When I asked how far we would be going, Tim, the owner, said not more than six miles. As we blasted through the waves, bumping around, I kept wondering, "are we there yet?, just like a kid. It was surprisingly quiet so we could hear Dan perfectly as he pointed out some landmarks, one of which are these caves. (fishing pole in photo!) You have to wonder what Captain Cook and his men, the first Caucasians to come to Nootka Island, thought when they saw this.
Bruce has had some fishing fun in the past, twice going to the Boundary Waters with a group of friends, but that was always freshwater fishing. Ocean fishing is a whole 'nother ballgame. Once we had mostly stopped, and I say mostly because the entire time while trolling, the boat was moving, not to be unexpected, or so I learned, as that is the definition of trolling! Anyway, eventually Bruce caught a fish which turned out to be a Sea Bass. As I did not have a fishing license, and no interest in fishing, I was merely a spectator. Following the first catch, he soon brought in a Rock Fish, the likes of which look like this.
Dan, who I came to call "Dan the Man" before we left, deemed these too small for eating, at least by us, however he suggested that he throw them back and he was 100% sure an eagle would come swooping down for the treat. Now we are talking!!!

Because we were on the West coast, I felt sure we would have a killer sunset, which did not really materialize, however, it was nothing to complain about as we finally headed back towards the lodge.
True to his word, as we drew nearer to the lodge, he spotted an eagle in a tree and tossed the fish over while I had my camera ready to shoot like mad. Except, on first try, the eagle missed it! Then missed it again. This was all happening around 9:30 PM, so not ideal as far as light is concerned, but I was able to get one decent shot of the action.
Then onward to the cove, ending a VERY memorable day.
Small boat and a big ocean and somehow I was not afraid. Who knew?

This will continue.....

yours truly,

Gail

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