Canadian visit 2017: Salt Spring Island BC

Monday 31st July 2017

The avid readers of this this blog will realise I jumped a date. Today is the real 31st July. We prepared all our luggage ready for the trip and did it in such a away the cases were balanced in weight ready for the flight home. We spent the rest of the morning in Dot's garden then after lunch she drove us to the airport to collect our car. It was easier to collect it here as this is where we'll return it to next Saturday. We said our goodbyes to Dot and thanked her for a lovely weekend then went and found our car hire firm. It was such an easy procedure and within twenty minutes we'd done the paperwork, walked to car park and found our car. We loaded it up and set off for Swartz Bay to catch the ferry to Salt Spring Island. We purchased our ticket drove to our lane and waited. At 3:00 pm we set off on the Skeena Queen to Fulford Harbour. We arrived and drove up the hill to the church where we were to meet Darlene O'Donnell who would show us the way to the her windmill. On the way up the hill I thought the car was a bit sluggish, when we stopped and I smelled a funny smell then I realised why, the hand brake doesn't automatically disengage as my own car does. Oops. Darlene drove up and met us and took us into her home and after a brief chat we went to the windmill and it's stunning view. Having sorted ourselves out we then took a trip into Ganges were we purchased some provisions, had a meal and returned home. We sat on the deck watching the sun go down and was joined by Darlene. She is such an interesting person to listen to and can trace her ancestry back to first generation Canadians. After Darlene left we sat a little while longer in these splendid surroundings.

Tuesday 1st August 2017

We were awake early so we made tea and just sat on the deck. Later Val prepared breakfast with eggs that couldn't be fresher, Darlene keeps chickens on her small holding adjacent to the windmill. Again this meal was taken on the deck. We just sat enjoyed the peace and quiet and the sunshine and before we knew it, it was lunch time. I don't know what happened to elevenses. After lunch we went for a drive, first to Drummond Park which is the other side of the water to where we are staying. Here is a memorial bench to Bill's late cousin Tim O'Donnell, husband of Darlene. Bill took a picture of the bench and of the view it affords while sitting on it, right across the harbour to the windmill. We then drove down to the harbour proper to have look at the quaint little shops there and also to familiarise ourselves of the procedure when we leave on Saturday. It was lovely walking around and in one or two shops it was like stepping back to the 1960's.

We left Fulford Harbour and drove into Ganges. Ganges is named after HMS Ganges the last sailing ship of the Royal Navy to patrol these waters between 1857 and 1861. In Centennial Park there is a cairn and a bench made from the captain's gig to commemorate the fact. We also discovered the Salt Spring war memorial is located here too. We had lovely walk around this town visiting the market and one or two shops before sitting on a bench in the park. Today was more humid so the heat was a bit oppressive. We then discovered the Tree House Cafe and went in for a cold drink but the food being brought out looked so appetising we decided to stay for dinner. We then returned to the car and drove back to the windmill. We sat on the deck with a drink and just caught a glimpse of a seal before it dived underwater. Hopefully it'll come back for a photo op.

Wednesday 2nd August 2017

Another lazy morning, our seal turned up again but it's obviously camera shy for no sooner had he made his appearance he disappeared back into the torpid depths in search of fish. We spent all morning just lazing around the windmill. In the afternoon, Tina the wife of Darlene's son, Bill's cousin Keith came and met us. Together we all drove to the Salt Spring cheese factory where sheep and goats cheese is made. After a few samples we drove back to Fulford dropped Tina off and the remaining three went to Burgoyne Bay to see the welcome totem poles which Darlene, because she can trace her ancestry back to the natives, had the privilege to unveil last year. It was a beautiful spot overlooked by Mount Maxwell. We followed the dirt tracks back to the highway and drove to Ganges where we had dinner on the deck of Moby's pub overlooking Oyster Bay. After we'd eaten we went up to a park to see the bay from a better vantage point. Then back to the windmill where we relaxed watching a beautiful sunset. It's been another wonderful day with temperatures up in the low 30's

Thursday 3rd August 2017

Sat on the deck watching the haze burn off the harbour while we eat our breakfast looks like another hot day is in the offing. No sign of the seal this morning. We were expecting visitors in the afternoon so we decided to go for a drive and explore more of the island. We headed out through Ganges to Vesuvius Point then onto Southey Point which is a bit of a misnomer for its the most northerly point of the island. We then headed back south and managed to find the cheese farm on the south east part of the island. We went there not for the cheese but the wonderful ice cream they dish up. We then returned to the windmill and awaited our company. Trish, Bills cousin arrived with Darlene and soon after Trish's daughter, Amanda, and her husband Glenn turned up. It was lovely meeting them all. Trish after 22 years. They stayed a while and after the obligatory photo shoot they returned to their homes. We sat on the deck enjoying the solitude when we saw two seals swimming in the harbour, again they didn't want to be photographed and dived deeper into the sea.

Friday 4th August 2017

Our last full day on Salt Spring Island, indeed Canada as a whole. Another lovely day by 10:00 am it was already 20 degrees. We sat on the deck watching the cormorants perch on the poles in the harbour drying their wings. Then we decided to go for a drive. This time we opted to go up the east side of the island. Not sure how high we climbed but the the temperature at Ganges, which is sea level was 27 degrees at the top of the hills in the north of the island it dropped to 22. We arrived back in Ganges and discovered the Oystercatcher bar where we sat on the deck for a meal. It was an interesting location for not only did we overlook the marina with all its luxury boats but we were also at the end of the "runway" for Harbour Air float planes. Watching them take off and land was fascinating. We then drove back to the windmill and sat on the deck when we were joined by another of Bill's cousins Keith, Darlene's son and his daughter Carmen. Again it was lovely just chatting about different things. Another photo shoot and they said their goodbyes.