GABRIOLA ISLAND

The aim of our visit to Gabriola Island was to swim, go clam hunting and kayaking in the hope of seeing a killer whale or two, unfortunately plans don’t always work out the way they are supposed to.


The advertisement for the beach cabin we booked stated that the cabin was located on the beach. Well that wasn’t quite correct as we had a road separating us from the beach which was rocky rather than sandy.


Never mind, Tammie and I went for a swim in the late afternoon. The water was refreshingly cool. The cabin was basic but had all we needed to enjoy our stay. We had a quiet night at the cabin and made our plans for the next day.

During the night Mother Nature decided to intervene by sending a might north-westerly wind to whip up the waves and blow the tops off the trees. The sound of the wind awoke me at dawn and I walked or should I say was blown down to the beach to see long lines of whitecaps and waves pounding the shore. I knew that there would be no water activities that day.


So kayaking and the beach was out, perhaps we could still go clam hunting. No that was quickly ruled out when the landlord informed us that you needed a permit to hunt clams. Damn!


All that was left was to explore the island by Jeep. The drive around the island took around half an hour. There was minimal traffic on the road so it was a leisurely drive. We decided to check out the petroglyphs that Gabriola is famous for.


Petroglyphs are basically carvings that are carved into rock. It is believed that the petroglyphs on Gabriola were carved around the 15th century or earlier but this is open to conjecture.

Most of the petroglyphs were discovered in the 1970’s. Casts were taken of the originals and those casts are now displayed at the Gabriola Museum. The originals are kept hidden away for safe keeping. There are some originals that are available for viewing and they are located in a bushy area behind a church on the island. We were lucky enough to see both sets.

The images appear to be both mythical and factual. Whales, birds, people and fish share space with winged creatures and serpents. Experts believe that some of the petroglyphs were used in ceremonies whilst others were used to record day to day events.

We had an early start the next day to catch the early ferry back to Vancouver Island. As it usually turns out the wind had stopped blowing and the ocean was calm. We thought that we had left early enough to get a good place in the ferry line up and we were dismayed when we turned up to find a long line of cars already waiting.

We were more forlorn as the line started to move and we spied a sign posted to a pole stating that this point marked the last car to board the ferry. But the line kept moving and soon only a few cars from boarding the ferry. Surely we wouldn’t be the last car to be stopped. Our luck held and we made it aboard with two cars to spare. We were on our way back to Okanagan Falls, via Harrison Hot Springs.
We needed fuel when we landed in Vancouver Island so I pulled into a gas station. Whilst there two young girls approached the car and asked if we had a doobie to sell. Now I must admit to my ignorance and having no idea of what a doobie was but from the guffaws of my son’s in the back of the Jeep I quickly gathered that it was drug-related.

I said to the girls, somewhat harshly do I look like someone who would be selling a doobie? They just smiled at me sweetly, thanked me and walked away.
I wasn’t sure if I should have been angry or happy at their request. I chose to be perplexed.

 
 
 

FERRIES

Instead of driving all the way back to Tsawwassen which is just over the border in Canada we decided to catch the ferry to Vancouver Island from Anacortes which is halfway between Seattle and Vancouver.

The ferry left at 8:15am so we had to leave Seattle before six in the morning to ensure we were there in time to catch the ferry. Unfortunately for us it was a chilly foggy morning which wasn’t really conducive to travelling in an open top Jeep. We all froze on the trip especially the boys who were in the back and had little protection. The sun only poked its head through the fog as we reached the ferry terminal.

It was only a short line up and we didn’t have to wait long to board. The strange thing was that we boarded the ferry without clearing US Immigration and Customs. So they had a record of us entering the country but none of us leaving. I just hoped that this wouldn’t pose a problem the next time I entered the States.

The ferry was comfortable and sold a mean clam chowder which helped to warm us all up. The view was fabulous as the sun was now out in full force and the sea sparkled and the numerous islands that we passed shone.

The two hour trip to Sidney on Vancouver Island passed quickly and we were soon on our way off the ferry. We did pass through Canadian Immigration but it was just a cursory look at passports.

Our next goal was to find the ferry that would take us to Gabriola Island, our destination. Our GPS led us astray as we selected the quickest route which according to the GPS included another ferry crossing. It was a great idea in practice but not if the ferry isn’t due for another 45 minutes when you arrive. All we could do was back-track and rush for the terminal.

We just missed the ferry so we headed across the road from the ferry terminal to a small mall where we were able to watch the last 25 minutes of the world cup final. As we headed back to the Jeep I patted my pockets to find my wallet and soon came to the realization that I didn’t have it with me. I must have lost it when I made a purchase in a department store.

I rushed back to the store to find the cashier who served me missing. Then I spied her at the end of the store, hunched over writing. As I got closer I saw my wallet on the counter beside her. Relief! The cashier said that I must have dropped my wallet and a woman picked it up and handed it in. What a lucky fellow I am as the money was stuffed with not only Canadian dollars but Australian currency and Euro’s.

After a scolding from Tammie we boarded the ferry for the 20 minute trip to Gabriola Island. The island has a permanent population of 5,000, but this swells to 10,000 in the summer. We had book a cottage by the beach and were looking forward to a couple of days of exploration, swimming and kayaking.