From Powell River to Lund and Sechelt
It’s now the evening of June 22, but I’m continuing to back-date the posts about our cruise-based trip as if I had posted them as we were travelling, which I was unable to do. This post covers June 11th and 12th, and the final one will be about the final two days.
On June 11th we drove from Powell River to Lund to have lunch with friends, then south to Sechelt for a two night stay. This map shows our route, totalling 157 km. For an interactive version of the map in a new window, click here.
Edie Rae’s Cafe in the hotel (The Old Courthouse Inn) had a wonderful vibe, and we were very pleased with the breakfast, which was included inn the price of the room. Our server was notably excellent.
Edie Rae’s embodies respect for a woman who spent her life in Powell River, and a love story – perhaps that’s a large part of what gives that vibe. A double-sided postcard tells a bit of her story, and the story about the large photos that hang in the cafe.
This is the most striking of millworker Frank Dixon’s photos of Edie Rae Olson, shot 71 years ago. Fourteen-year-old Edie Rae the tomboy. She must have been a very special person to many people.
After breakfast we went back to our room and packed. From there we could see part of the Powell River Floating Breakwater, created with the hulls of ten concrete ships that had been built during World Wars I and II. On my last visit I got a closer look, but I’d love to take a boat out to them.
We arrived at Lund about 40 minutes before our lunch date so we could explore a bit. The first thing I wanted to show Cathy was the monument at the End of Highway 101 (I mean the Start of Highway 101! 🙂 ).
There are a few interesting and photo-worthy ruins at Lund.
The plan was to have lunch at The Boardwalk Restaurant on the opposite side of the harbour. The place with the lights on and the big OPEN sign hanging. So we walked over to get a good table on the deck.
However, we arrived to find that it was closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for a couple of weeks yet (this was Tuesday). Cathy apparently felt trapped 😀 , but I was just disappointed, as after my last visit I said “The Boardwalk Restaurant was overall the best fish and chips experience on the coast.”
Another excellent ruin, along the boardwalk.
It’s a lovely walk back into town.
The Resort was also closed, so we went to a wonderful arts and crafts shop I’d been to. There Cathy found a lovely bracelet for our dear friend who is also our house-sitter and dog-sitter when we travel.
We ended up at Nancy’s, and had a really nice leisurely lunch with our friends. 🙂
I had hoped to see friends at Saltery Bay and check our their new RV setup, but the ferry was just finishing loading as we arrived, so we pretty much drove straight on, and at 2:30 were on our way back to Earl’s Cove. The Quadra Queen II was docked beside us at Saltery Bay.
A look back at the Saltery Bay terminal.
Another comfortable 50-minute sailing on the Malaspina Sky.
We got to Davis Bay, south of Sechelt, and checked in to the Oceanside Hotel. At 4:40 I posted the next photo on Facebook with the comment “Our home for a couple of days.”
That bench on the beach walkway right in front of our room was a nice place to sit and watch the world, though the traffic was pretty heavy at times.
It’s a lovely, well-maintained property, and there’s an excellent restaurant, Joe’s on the Beach, adjacent – we went there for another fish-and-chips dinner.
A perfect evening for a stroll along the waterfront…
…and out to the end of pier.
I love the carving that’s been added to the old pilings 🙂
As I was walking back towards shore, I noticed that each of the planks on the pier was sponsored and has a plaque. I stopped to read some, and this is the first one I saw: “Tom Byrne. The Bard of the North.” Tom was the Parks Canada interpreter at the Robert W. Service cabin in Dawson City for many years. Starting in 1990, I always stopped with my tour groups, and in about 2000 I built a Web site for him, to sell his cassettes and VHS tapes. He had a cabin in Dawson for the summers, and a home on the Sunshine Coast for the winters. We became good friends over the years, but Tom died 5 years ago, on November 19, 2019. I was and am still moved and deeply happy that he came down to the pier that evening to say hello 🙂 You can see an hour-long video of Tom Byrne’s show at the Robert Service cabin in about 1995 here.
We started off the next day, June 12th, with breakfast at Joe’s on the Beach – in my case, smoked salmon Eggs Bennie. Yuuumm!
We spent the day puttering around Sechelt, with the big event being going to Bricker’s Cidery where we did a tasting and browsed through the little craft fair being held there. Cathy found a ceramic sign that just had to come home to my bee garden.
I didn’t take any photos during the day, but our evening stroll was too perfect to not share.
Cathy even shot a selfie to remember this perfect evening.
The next day, we would return to Vancouver for another one-night stay, then would fly home.
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Good day Murrster, never been live on the Sunshine Coast but through you I have been, just watched the video of Tom at the cabin and what a performance and performer he was, magic is what he brings to the cabin for the people visiting Dawson City, the poems and historical details of Roberts life combined was a emotional history lesson through poetry. The chosen poems are the classics that will ride on forever, thanks again eh old sourdough 🍻
Thanks Paul. Having Tom pop down to say hello on the pier at Sechelt was a special experience – he was one of the Colourful 5%ers for sure, and affected a whole of of people in positive ways 🙂