As most of you know, our last trip story is always devoted
to Kudos and Other Things. The Kudos go to people that helped make our trip
special, and Other Things includes things along the way that were note worthy
but didn't make it into one of our other stories.
Other Things West
Travelling in the off season meant not hiking in the
mountains of Alberta and BC because of too much late winter snow. However,
beachcombing was the best because at any one time there was only one or two other
people on the same beach. The experience of beachcombing Vancouver Islands windward
side is priceless. Also, the highways were generally quiet and made for a
relaxed 3700 km drive.
We saw lots of animals along the way. Marlene's count,
Mountain Sheep 39, Deer 34, Elk 5, Whales 2, Eagles 2, Deckster and many Otter
friends, a number of Seals, and a Wolf. We appreciated the sightings except for
one. When coming around a curve in the dark while returning from Salt Spring
Island, a deer was standing on the center line blinded by our lights. The anti
lock brakes helped us maintain control and we miss it by about 2 feet. I've
never had an accident with a rental vehicle before, and this event was too
close for comfort.
Lastly, travelling in Canada is a great experience. It gives
you a much better feel for who we are, and how diverse the country is. We think
all Canadians should probably do more of it, and that includes ourselves. When
I was a kid, our family drove much of Canada.
At that time, the roads were only 2 lanes, and there were steep
truck slowing hills, but today they're a pleasure to drive.
Kudos
Orca View Cottage - Gladys, the owner, met us as planned to
introduce us to her place. She was very pleasant and her place fit us to a tee.
One of our previous stories was devoted to Orca View and the longer we stayed, the
more comfortable we got. We saw not only Deckster and his otter friends often,
but also seals swimming and ships sailing by daily. Thank you Gladys for
letting us rent your place; it's truly a gem. If you're looking to spend a
little time on Vancouver Island, we recommend Orca View Cottage. Gladys can be
reached by email at imi1939@telus.net.
BC Ferry Service - the BC Ferry Service reminds me of the
train system in Switzerland and much of Europe. I think it's best described as
on-time to the minute, efficient, and no doubt, built on continuous improvement
of their processes. We took 4 trips using 3 different ferries and the
experiences were picture perfect.
John and Nicki on Salt Spring Island - when I contacted John
a few months ago, I was somewhat hesitant and wondered how we would pick up
after so many years. They helped make the seldom-in-a-lifetime experience
wonderful, and we'd like to do it again.
Bob and Wendy - friends also from many years ago. We had
hopes of renewing our friendship but Bob was ailing. Thanks go out to them for
making the difficult decision to not get together for fear of us catching
whatever he had. Catching something while on the road is one of our great
fears.
Lastly - thank you
for coming along on this trip. We always enjoy sharing our experiences with you,
and hope you'll join us again.
