island adventure 1 - getting there

We're just back from the most fabulous two-week jaunt to two B.C. islands—Salt Spring and Vancouver Island. I'll be sharing some of our discoveries with you over the next couple of weeks. Today come with me on the ferry ride to our destination—Long Harbour on Salt Spring Island.

Tuesday morning August 14th is beautiful, sunny and warm (right in the middle of our summer's longest hot spell). We board the Queen of Nanaimo in Tsawwassen 10-ish looking forward to our three-plus hour island hop (this ferry services the Gulf Islands only).

As we pass close to the islands we see all sorts of mansions, houses, and cottages. I daydream about what it would be like to live perched on the cliffs of an island, able to watch the sea moods from morning to night, tranquil to stormy, blue to black.

Our first stop is Sturdies Bay on Galiano.

The sea traffic is relentless. We can always see something drifting, motoring, sailing or chugging by.

At our second stop—Village Bay, Mayne Island— we watch otters kibitzing in the water.

Otter Bay on Pender Harbour has a lovely open waiting area. It's full as we approach, but, not surprisingly I guess, deserted when we pull away.

The boat itself is large, well-appointed, and not at all crowded. It has a restaurant, coffee bar, gift shop, plus other stuff. We mostly roam the decks, startling at the ferry's horn blast almost every time, even though the captain announces a warning on the PA system.

At last we make our way down Long Harbour into the ferry slip. Back in the bowels of the ferry we wait for it to dock and our adventure to begin.