May 2017 – JaksTrips

To Vancouver Island

May 30th

Up early and left Whistler just after 7.30. Drove to the ferry at Horseshoe Bay. We didn’t know what to expect as ferry can mean so many things but the Queen of Oak Bay was a huge ro ro. Spacious inside. I rang home while we waited to embark. After an hour and a half in the mist and rain we arrived at Nanaimo.

The Island is surprisingly big! We stopped to look at Cathedral Grove which is a tourist stop full of very old and large Douglas Firs and cedars. Despite being near the road and popular, it was peaceful in the old forest.

On to Ucluelet where we first bimbled about on Wya beach, the first time I’ve seen the Pacific Ocean. The sun came out for us. We are staying at the Canadian Princess. My room looks onto the harbour, nice boaty view. But it smells a bit damp.

Up the road on foot to a posh fish and chip van so that’s what I had. It was nice but the guy was oddly grumpy because I didn’t want 2 pieces of fish. It came with tartare sauce and some salad. I tried a root beer but it was so vile I had to tip it out. Back to the hotel where I hopped over my balcony and into Sally and Joy’s for a quick regular beer.

Whistler

29th May

Mireille had to get the tyre on the bus fixed so 10 of us did a walk on our own. The tourist map is a hideous piece of rubbish and isn’t even oriented to north. Too many cooks to “lead” the walk made it a not particularly good experience for me and I felt irritated. However we walked to Lost Lake (we did find it) and then Green Lake and saw a seaplane sea. Get it?! And a helicopter take off which was fun.

I think I still feel very numb and have no tolerance at all for bossy people or those who tell me what to do when I haven’t consented to that. I’m sure this is all part of the grieving process but it doesn’t seem unreasonable going forward.

M then took 8 of us to Cheakamus lake for swimming. It was fiercely hot. I didn’t go in the water except for my feet. I was always the one who took the photos of Chris when she was swimming. There were some annoying young people with a boogie box and some others who weren’t controlling their dogs very well. First instance of selfish behaviour I’ve come across in Canada.

I’ve learnt that there is no ground floor, the ground is floor 1. Most confusing. In BC they do have number plates on the front. The switches are still upside down!

I did go for a swim in the hotel pool which I had to myself. Lovely. Then out for a wander, mainly to get something heavy duty to deal with my bites. Back to shower and apply the hydrocortisone. This doesn’t work either, same as antihistamine. Nothing actually relieves the itching.

I still wanted to eat at the crepe resto that turned us away last night but it was shut. So instead had an excellent salad at La Cantina with lots of green leaves, rice, refried beans, toms, wedge spuds and more. And a Whistler lager, all for less than £9.

Whistler is a very new town, mostly built for the 2010 Olympics. Sort of a mix between Chamonix (ski focus) and Gran Canaria (tat). Hotel is nice and will be even better if the baby next door goes to sleep, it has cried now for nearly 5 hours. There are a lot of Americans here and they are very loud also. Baby has stopped at last.

Road to Whistler

28th May

Off early for long journey through a variety of terrain. First stop at Helmcken Falls, very impressive drop.

Several stops on the way, roadside stops usually have long drop loos, some nicer than others and some have water. Lunch just past Kamloops overlooking the lake. On the edge of gold rush country. Very dry, sagebrush.

Back into snow capped mountains, stopped to wet our feet in a lake. Very hot and air con in bus not working but ok with all the windows open.

I have been a very tasty 5 course meal for what appears to have been an army of mozzies and Smidge didn’t work for me at all. Back to the Deet then. There are very few unbitten parts of my body.

Stopped at Lake Joffre, busy Sunday pleasure spot, snow walk to lake despite huge degrees of heat.

Whistler, we are in Aava hotel, v swish. Whistler itself is horrible, plastic town purely for young skiers. Such a shock after being out in the wilds.

Out with Joy and Sally, after a black lager (just don’t) and a couple of false starts we had some good Italian food in Pizzeria Antico I had a sausage and meatball antipasti and we shared a huge salad.

Helmcken Falls

27th May

Breakfast on my balcony enjoying the peace.

Off up the road a little way to the canoes. We got a good level of information about what to do. Steph and I opted for a red boat and I went in front. We crossed Clearwater lake and went up the side then back across and down to the jetty. My first time in a canoe and I loved it. Steph was great at instructing and we got on fine with the boat. I know the others were laughing at us but we enjoyed ourselves. A couple of hours was fine for the first time as it was quite hard work. We could see the mountains and the lake was pretty calm, lovely, I want to do it again.

Back to the lodge. Quick lunch, went to see the horse riders set off, they got a lot of training too, in the blistering heat. Chris, Geoff and I set off through the forest after them. Following in the steps of horse poo. We went up to a trapper’s cabin, no trapper in it thankfully. Back via golf course and a cold beer at the club house (small shed with a table outside) thanks Chris.

Today I put cream on my mozzie bites, layer of sun protection, layer of insect protection. A cocktail of chemicals ingested through my skin, uck!

Laundry in my room but wished I had used machine as nothing will be dry. Went next door for a drink with Joy and Sally and Norman, James and Natalie.

Dinner of schnitzel and chips and a traditional beer. Ok, not as good as other meals.

Alberta whisky with Joy and Sally in bar on big sofas. The whisky a blend but ok.

Steph steering from the back of our boat

Mount Robson

26th May

Early start for a long day on the bus. Mireille filled up the bus and several of us used the well appointed loo in the garage, gone are the days of a stinky hovel at the back, this was lovely! Into British Columbia and the clocks had to go back an hour.

We stopped at Mount Robson for a 9 km walk to a lake under this impressive mountain (3954m and highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies). Cool at first but then warmed up. Back to the visitor centre where we all had a picnic lunch at tables in the sun. I had an ice cream as well.

It was a long time on the bus and it got hotter and hotter, up to 30 degrees. We stopped a few times to have wees and stretch our legs at rest stops. Eventually arrived at Clearwater, first stop the liquor store then the supermarket.

Next stop a short way on was for Spahat falls, very big. Then a bit further again and we reached Helmcken Falls Lodge. I was expecting more wooden logs but instead it was a thick shag pile! Freshened up, bought satellite internet access. Barbecue under cover listening to cicadas. Chicken, aubergine, courgette, cous cous, also marinated tofu. Mireille played her accordion to us.

This is as far as we go into the wilderness and it does feel like the back of beyond.