Discovering Vancouver Island

 

With Ron and Anita Fownes

 

First Gig of the Season - North Island

 

 

We left on our first RV trip of the 2006 season from Victoria on May 9. The weather was promising for an up island jaunt.

 

Our first stop was at a favourite of ours, Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Campground. Campers will be impressed with the major upgrade to the washrooms at the Campground. Formerly the washroom facilities sported cracked cement floors, leaking toilets, taps that never shut off, and ugly non-fitting doors. The upgrades include a tasteful decor of pastel mint green walls, new tile flooring, auto-flush toilets and state of the art vanity sinks and plumbing. The shower heads are water saver regulated and the stalls are inviting and spotlessly clean. Kudos to BC Parks! The $21.00 per night fee seems more appropriate with these improvements.

 

Our first destination Quadra Island, a Gulf Island 35 kilometers tip to tip! The 10-minute ferry ride from downtown Campbell River to Quathiaski Cove cost us $13 return for the vehicle fee only. We were travelling on a “free senior's day”.

Leaving Campbell River

 

From the ferry landing we took the Cape Mudge Road to the southern most tip of the island. Historic Discovery Passage separates Tsa-Kwa-Luten Lodge & RV Park at Cape Mudge from Campbell River. The Cape Mudge Lighthouse nearby, staffed and operational, is near the site of the original native village visited by Captain Vancouver in 1792. 

Cape Mudge Lighthouse

 

West Road led us to Heriot Bay Inn and RV Resort where we chose one of the 50 grassed full-service sites for our three-day stay. Cost was a mere $15 per night while the amenities included free showers, laundry facilities, a pub, restaurant, gift shop and for the more adventuresome, kayaking and whale watching tours.

 

 

Heriot Bay Inn and RV Resort

 

With the Cortes ferry wharf at our back door step, the next day, we left the van behind, loaded our bikes on the ferry, and headed for Whaletown on Cortes Island. The 45–minute ferry ride cost $7 return. Bike riding the Gulf Islands does bring limitations on what one gets to see, based on how one can handle the hills. We missed reaching the popular spots like Manson's Landing, Smelt Bay, Squirrel Cove and Carrington Provincial Park. A return trip, with a vehicle, presents itself.

 

On the second day of our stay, we targeted Rebecca Spit as our biking destination. We dressed lightly, as our experience of a walk the night before, indicated we would be in hilly terrain. Our round trip was 15 kilometres and included a “look see” into the We Wai Kai Campsite, which featured about 50 forested sites affording privacy from one site to the next. The campsite provides no serviced sites, however, there are pay showers, a Laundromat, flush and dry toilets with a sani-station and water taps. A provincial boat ramp is near by.

 

Rebecca Spit is a popular spot for picnics, walking, biking and just sitting on the shore amidst the driftwood watching sailboats, barges and the shimmering, gently lapping water with the backdrop of snow-capped mountains of the Mainland.

 

Heading back along West Road to Heriot Bay, a turn off at Buker Road leads along a pleasant rural country road that ends at Marshwood Estate Winery. One could easily spend an hour wine tasting and taking in the pastoral setting of this delightful spot. We came away with their award winning Cranberry fruit wine and an Ortega wine.

 

We couldn't leave the island without stopping at Café Aroma, an expresso bar that offers breakfast, light meals and coffee beans by the pound.

 

We share the 70-kilometres on Highway 19 from Campbell River to Sayward, with logging trucks heading for Elk Falls Lumber mill in Campbell River.

 

One kilometre east of Highway 19 at Sayward Junction, we checked in for a three-day stay at Fisherboy Park. The fee is $21 and includes full service water and electricity. . Services such as laundromat, showers and sani-station are also available. The store, which provides liquor sales, groceries and souvenirs, is open 10 hours a day.

Viewpoint Seymour Narrows

 

The following day we exercised our bikes the full distance to the Village of Sayward, 11 kilometers from the junction. It was warm, bright and sunny and we were advised from the local folk we met at Charlie's Place (where we breakfasted) that the route would be hill-free.

 

We crossed over the Salmon River and rode through the Village of Sayward, passed the village office and the Salmon River Wildlife Reserve where ducks floated with the river current. In this park-like setting is a local community non-serviced campground. Cost per night not posted, however, registration is required at the Village of Sayward office next door.

 

Our ride terminated at Kelsey Bay, formerly a ferry terminus until 1980, where a lone gift shop was open for business. Behind the shop is a very small campground, within view of the fishing wharf and Timber West Forest Corporation operations. Timber West is the largest owner of private forest lands in western Canada. The breakwater consists of abandoned rusted ship hulls from cargo steamers and unused ferryboats.

 

Homeward bound, we sought shade in the local cemetery and later stopped to quench our thirst at the Cable House Café. The café, built from metal cable used to haul logs, includes a collection of logging artifacts and memorabilia.

 

Left with only one day left before heading home, we made our way to Ralph River Provincial Campground in Strathcona Park. To reach this campground, where the Shepherd Creek joins the Ralph River which then flows into Buttle Lake and Upper Campbell Lake, one travels the 54 kilometres from Campbell River on a curving, winding, paved two-lane route. Opportunities abound for photos of snowy-topped mountains, the lakes, and Dogwood trees, however, pick your pullout spots as mining trucks from the Westmin Mine share the road.

 

Camping fee is $14 per night, like many provincial campgrounds, basic services only, that means a water pump and pit toilets. We chose one of only three campsites along side the high flowing river. Fewer than ten other campers, who seemed to prefer the view of Buttle Lake rather than “our river side” location, occupied the 76-site campground. We walked the two nature trails for that “woodsy feel” – Shephard Creek Trail and Wild Ginger Trail.  Ninety minutes will cover these two trails at a slow amble.

 

That night, the stars shone luminously in a clear sky. Day eight, the following day, we travelled homeward, somewhat reluctantly, as the weather was idyllic for RVing. Responsibilities at home beckoned but our first taste of the RV season was indeed perfection.

 

The tourist centres have several excellent guides titled “Discovery Island” and “North Island Guide” and a map directory of “Northern Vancouver Island”. Ours was a short junket and there is much more for us to explore in the very near future, including some varied hiking opportunities in Strathcona Park.

 

Anita and Ron Fownes reside in Victoria, British Columbia, The Island RV Guide would like to thank Ron & Anita for the Rv story.