island adventure 3 - Fulford Harbour and Ruckle Farm

Wednesday, August 15th dawns sunny and beautiful. After breakfast in the Breakfast Room of our motel (continental breakfast included in our room cost), we set out to explore more of the island. (You may notice that our two stops today are of interest to those of us of a certain age—yes indeed, saved especially for my Tuesday seniors post.)

Fulford Harbour

We wander down to Fulford Harbour (one of the islands three ferry terminals). Ferries from Fulford go to and from Victoria on Vancouver Island.

The map, above, describes Fulford: "Colourful, bohemian Fulford has a spirit all its own. Its eclectic architecture and funky shops and cafes are well worth a visit..."

Written on the wall (bottom): "Why are bees so important to our planet?"

Sort of recalls the hippie days, doesn't it?

 Ruckle Farm

From Fulford we take Beaver Point Road and head toward Ruckle Provincial Park.

A historic map we buy at the Fulford General Store (where the old Underwood is on display) tells us that the park came into being when Gordon Ruckle sold his family's 1200-acre farm to the B.C. government in 1972. The land was declared a provincial park in 1975. However, there is still an old farm site to explore, complete with buildings set up in the pioneer way (though you have to peek in the windows to see the interiors).

Here are some of the farm buildings. (Turkeys are the farm's main inhabitants now. We overhear a little girl whining to her mom, "Too much poo!" In other words, watch your step!)

 We can go into the barn and see things without the glass obstruction. Here are a few curiosities.

When it comes to the farmhouse, I get so carried away with photographing the interior through the windows, I forget about the outside of the house. Here are a couple of exterior views I found online:
take 1
take 2 (a panorama)

I feel like a peeping Tom as I go around poking my lens into every window I can find! I love the way the house is set up—as if the family has left and simply not come home, but could at any minute.

I can't help but feel curious about the people who once lived here. For those of you who share my curiosity, here is a family portrait.

That's the end of our trip down nostalgia lane but not the end of Ruckle Park. We'll see more of this pretty spot in the days ahead.

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.