Island Time

I was very excited as we boarded the ferry for Vancouver Island. I could see the mountainous land mass across the strait and was eager to get there. Ah, but the ferry has a calming effect. You can't make it go any faster, so you might as well sit back and enjoy the ride.



This BC Ferry was huge, and not only carried large transport trucks in the belly, the upper floors had a cafeteria, cafe, and a gift shop in the middle while the rows of padded seats and the odd computer desk hugged the large windows. No whales this trip, just several sea birds and the island coming ever closer. I was surprised to see snow, as I hadn't even known Vancouver Island had mountains, never mind ones big enough to be snow capped.




 Turns out, it has a lot of mountains, which is why most of the people living there are located on the lower south-east side.  Hwy 1 is the main road that runs from Nanaimo to Victoria and, despite the highway designation, has intersections and stoplights all the way along to accommodate the numerous smaller communities.

Everything is lush and green, and everyone's garden is blooming. Exotic flowers even grow wild on the roadsides on the way to Victoria.


Victoria itself is like an old lady that hasn't yet realized that those "youngsters" that drive cars have taken over the place.  Much better to park the car and walk, not only passing the bumper to bumper traffic, but enjoying the views and buskers, too.






So we walked, and biked, and stopped at the small but lively Fisherman's Wharf during our downtown Victoria time. We enjoyed the city.  It was bicycle friendly and very dog friendly. Not always a combination that works. But in the case of the Seaside Trail it meant that the bicycles were relegated to share space with the cars while the walkers with their off-leash dogs got the paved trail. I appreciated the recognition that the drivers gave the bikers. Truly appreciated, trust me.


The downside of the Victoria area is the newer definition of B.C.:  Bring Cash.  Even the tour guide at the Parliament Buildings said that tourism is now the province's biggest industry. That means everything "touristy" is expensive - and so much in this part of the island is created for tourists.

We did our share to bolster the local economy. It was easy to leave a lot of money at Butchart Gardens - not only for the steep entry fee, but also for the well-placed ice cream stands. It's a good thing for our waistlines that there was also a lot of walking involved.

We left the southern end and wandered the coasts, visiting the smaller towns.  Every one had a unique story to tell, but they all showcased the community efforts that went in to making a difference in each town. Whether it was painting murals on all of the downtown buildings, maintaining the walkways along the coast, or being a volunteer for events, each resident of the smaller communities pitched in and were obviously proud of their results. Even a city as large as Campbell River had a small town feel.


The west coast differed from the east only in the size of their surroundings. The most western Pacific coast has bigger trees, longer beaches, higher waves, and wilder forests. The rocks off shore are sharper, the tide pools on shore are deeper. And the mountains are closer. This tends to bring the fanatics: the surfers, the long distance bikers, the West Coast Trail hikers. And little old me, just wanting to see everything.



The best of everything I saw? The west coast tide pools. Far removed from the shallow pools I had seen before, these are deep and rocky and hold so much life and colour. Starfish can be pink or orange or grey or purple. Some have five legs, others as many as 20. Green anemones turned the tide pools into watery gardens. And reclusive crabs scurried under the closest rock, and then argued with the one that had gotten there first. I spent hours watching the inhabitants while hubby fished the surf for supper. I risked life and limb clambering over the sharp rocks at low tide trying to find the pool with the most starfish. We found 30 in one crevasse before the tide turned and we were driven inland.


We had thought that two weeks was enough time to see the island. In the end, there are still places on our "to see" list that we didn't make it to. There wasn't enough time to get to the north end, or the fishing villages on the deep inland fjords. And hubby is promising to come back to do the challenging West Coast Trail, preferably without me.  The only thing we have time for now is the calming ferry ride back to the mainland.

W