Now we are at the Dolphin Resort where the wedding took place. Below are pictures from the deck of our cabin looking over the Discovery Strait. As you will see in most of the photos, Vancouver Island is a land of lush vegetation, vast beaches, stunning mountains and beautful forests.
Some of the beautiful gardens at the Dolphin.
The pergola on the beach where the ceremony took place.
After the wedding weekend, David, Jeremy, Halina and I stayed with our friends Heather and Murray in Courtenay on Vancouver Island, about 45 minutes south of Campbell River. Below we took a day trip to Quadra Island. Here we are having lunch at Harriot Bay.
After lunch we walked down Rebecca's Spit which led to this beautiful beach at the tip.
The next day we took a trip to Tofino on the west coast of the island. The drive is a spectacular journey through the mountain pass. Below is a picture from Cathedral grove where there are some of the only old growth trees left - trees well over 500 years old.
We stopped at this river to stretch our legs and walk on the rocks.
We stayed at Middle Beach Lodge in Tofino. Here is David resting on the bed in our cabin. Jeremy and Halina had the loft above us.
View from our cabin deck.
Beach beside the lodge.
Halina and I went on a whalewatching expedition. Our boat driver and guide is from this first nations village across from Tofino. When the tide is out cows graze in the tidal flats. He said this has been happening for hundreds of years.
After Tofino, we went back to beautiful Courtenay to Heather and Murray's place. Jeremy and Halina went home to Toronto.
We went for a walk on the trail by the estuary when the tide was out. Wherever you look in Courtenay there are spectacular mountain and/or ocean views.
Heather and David at the Estuary in Courtenay
David and I went on a Courtenay art tour. One of the stops was in Tintown. It is a neighbourhood in the city where all the buildings are sided with tin. The ground floor is commercial/business spaces with a few art galleries and the second floors are residences.
Quite a few artists have their studios here and/or live here. I took the picture of this door because I liked the way the purple and green brightened up the tin. Rebecca Meilleur makes art out of old rusty car parts. Her dad was a mechanic and she grew up with car parts all over the place.
The pictures below were from Miracle Beach, part way up the island between Courtenay and Campbell River. When we arrived the tide was out. The view of the very large tidal flats, the ocean waters and the mountains across the strait was spectacular. The herons were a beautiful addition as well. The ground had rocky parts, grassy parts, shells and mud. It was hard to believe that a few short hours before the whole thing was under sea water!
In Courtenay, everywhere you turn you see snow capped mountains. One of the largest is Mount Washington. We took a drive up the mountain as far as we could and then a little hike. We had to cut our hike short because the trail was covered with fairly deep snow.
A few days before we left Courtenay, we took a day trip with Heather and Murray to the Sunshine Coast, an hour and twenty minute ferry ride over to the mainland. Murray grew up there and had a home there for many years. He was going over to tend to his beehives that he keeps at his friend Rick's place. I fell in love with Rick's place. It is way back in the bush, a fairly big property where he keeps a garden, fruit trees, laying hens and other animals. He has a cabin that holds his ping pong table at which weekly games are held. His house has floor to ceiling book shelves, filled with books of all kinds as well as a small room that holds his record and cassette tape collection. Rick has made hundreds of scupltures out of found objects that dot his property.
Rick and his wife's house
The largest clematis flowers I have ever seen.
Heather and Rick
David and Heather under the leaf covered front porch
Our last day in Courtenay was the warmest day we had, around 28 degrees C. We started the day at the farmer's market in Courtenay - a great community market with food, music and plenty of people watching. While David and I sat in the shade we met Carolyn and Ross Walton who live in the area. We soon found out that they used to live in Smith Falls where Ross taught school. Carolyn is a award winning travel writer. The clinker was that Ross has been to Flower Station. He asked about the store there, which is now the outfitters. Can you believe that?
Melodie, Carolyn and Ross
We then spent the afternoon on the beach in Comox, a twin city with Courtenay. A naturalist, who has expertise in ocean plants and animals led a walk on the tidal flats. It was one of the lowest tides of the year so she offered to take people out to explore the plants and animals. What a stunning place and a great experience. Below are pictures of the beach. There were many Bald Eagles dotting the shoreline and, as everywhere on the island, the view of mountains in the distance is spectacular.
So then we went back to Heather and Murray's, got our stuff together and headed for the airport for Whitehorse.
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