I enjoyed our time in Canada, and we’ve decided we’ll return to Vancouver Island at some future date to catch the places we missed. After Campbell River we traveled to Port Alberni where we stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast called Cedar Wood Lodge.
Stamp Falls
Our hosts were originally from Utah but were very knowledgeable about their new home. They suggested we visit a local beauty spot called Stamp Falls Park. We heard the magic words salmon and swimming and off we went. Mr. Munro swam with the salmon and took a few photos, although they were hard to catch on film because they moved so fast. The water was too cold for me. I was content to watch the salmon leaping from the water and to soak in the scenery. The fish ladder that the salmon use to navigate the falls was fascinating and we watched their struggles for a long time.
Gabriele – if you’re reading this you’ll laugh because we had dinner at the Little Bavarian Restaurant. It’s very popular with the locals and the people at the B & B booked for us. We were lucky enough to get a cancellation and had a wonderful meal. It seems quite a few Bavarian people settled in British Columbia and Washington. The food was yummy and it was easy to see why it was so popular.
On the way to Victoria we stopped at Coombs to view the Goats on the Roof. There’s a wonderful food market here where you can buy all sorts of delicious treats. The roof of the building is covered with grass and several goats graze up there during the summer, much to the amusement of the tourists. The goats were shy when we were there but I did glimpse one.
We also visited a town where all the buildings are painted with murals depicting the history of the area. They have some very talented artists. And thanks to our B & B hosts, we stopped off at Cathedral Grove where they have some very large Douglas Fir which were over 300 feet high and very old.
Victoria is beautiful, albeit touristy. The harbor is pretty and the parliament buildings look like a castle. At night they are lit up with hundreds of lights.
We ended up going whale watching. I’ve been fascinated with orcas or killer whales since I wrote an orca shifter story a few years ago. We spent about an hour with a Transient group of orca. They’re the ones that eat seals, whales, birds and other animals rather than fish. They travel from place to place unlike the Resident orcas. This particular family group had a new calf – about two days old, according to the naturalist onboard. Because of this they moved at a slow pace and didn’t do any deep dives. We also saw lots of fur seals and seabirds. It was a fun outing and much more rewarding than the bears!!
At the moment we’re back in the USA at Crescent Lake in Olympic National Park. We’re staying at Log Cabin Lodge and our room looks over the lake and forest clad mountains. Before we went into dinner several deer were grazing in front of our room. It’s a real slice of heaven and you can bet the story ideas are popping. We walked into the main lodge after reading about the depth of the lake – over 600 feet in parts. I was muttering about the Loch Ness Monster and we sighted a painting and a small card about the local sighting of a strange monster in the lake. Obviously I’m not the only one with a vivid imagination!
