Postcard home (part 2)

Continuing the journey

Day 6: This was a traveling day as we were moving from Vancouver to Vancouver Island. We took the ferry to Nanaimo and then drove north up the Island to Campbell River and took a second much shorter ferry to Quadra Island. The weather was really wet, so good that we were travelling rather than wanting to be out doing something!

Day 7: As the tide was out we walked around the shore line from where we were staying in Heron Bay to Rebecca Spit. Rebecca Spit is a Marine Provincial Park area which is 2km long with lovely sandy beaches on both sides. The beaches are covered with drift wood - well logs - which have fallen into the sea from the logging industry and wash up on the shore. The weather was still a little overcast, but did brighten up. We had taken a picnic lunch with us - and had plenty of choice over where to sit!

The narrowest part of the spit  - just a path way in width 

Looking back across the bay 

Day 8: A bit of a quiet day, we just visited a local farmers market and craft market in Quathaiski Cove and spent time relaxing back at our accommodation at Taku resort. In the evening we had a BBQ

Day 9: Canada Day!

A much brighter day! We had planned to go Kayaking for the day. We met with our guide Tony and got kitted out,  and because we had all done some kayaking before we were able to get going fairly quickly. It was a really lovely relaxed day, paddling and enjoying the great outdoors. We went across to Rebecca Spit, around the Breton Islands, then across Open Bay where we had lunch, around Heriot Island and across Heriot Bay and back home.

We saw a whole host of wildlife - seals, bald eagles, sea otters, deer and lots of sea creatures along the exposed rocky intertidal shores. In particular there were loads of these purple starfish (Pisaster Ochraceus) commonly known as Ochre Star.

Lunch stop Open Bay

Lovely lunch laid out on a log!

Getting going again 

In the evening we walked to Herriot Bay Inn and had fantastic salmon burgers. Then watched the Canada Day firework celebrations across the bay on Rebecca Spit.

Day 10: Travel day again, leaving Taku on Quadra Island, back to Vancouver Island and the journey south to Victoria.