Moving from Brown’s Bay to Nanaimo

Days 30 and 31, May 25th and 26th, weren’t very eventful in a blog way. They were days of short drives and another family visit, but we ended up in Nanaimo for an in-depth look at a bit of the city. We really had a hard time pulling ourselves...
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Ripple Rock RV Park, and hiking the Ripple Rock Trail

Having quickly settled in at Ripple Rock RV Park the previous afternoon, Day 29 of the trip (May 24th), was Cathy’s day to just enjoy the sun and the boats going by in Seymour Narrows. I did a lot of that as well, but also spent a few hours...
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A visit to Alert Bay and the U’mista Cultural Centre

We had almost given up on seeing Alert Bay, but decided to try again on Day 28 of the trip, May 23rd, before heading south. The ferry Bowen Queen approaching Port McNeill dock at 08:20. Normally the smaller Quadra Queen II is on this run, but she’s out of...
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Furthest-North Vancouver Island – San Josef Bay

Visiting Ronning’s Garden was wonderful, but the primary destination for the day was San Josef Bay, a hike of about 5 km round trip from the end of the road leading from Port Hardy. The last few miles to Cape Scott Provincial Park were on the smallest road yet....
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Vancouver Island’s northern-most show garden, Ronning’s Garden

Our longest excursion of the trip was the plan for Day 27, May 22nd. Cape Scott is the furthest northwest point on Vancouver Island, and while we wouldn’t get that far, we’d get close. And on the way, we’d visit Ronning’s Garden, a unique historical attraction. I’m breaking the...
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A look at the history of Coal Harbour – whaling and war

My niece and I went for a wander after visiting a 1944 DC-3 wreck near Port Hardy, and ended up discovering more World War II history at Coal Harbour. The first place that Bobbie wanted me to see, for future reference when looking for a campground, was the Quatse...
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Exploring the historic Suquash Coal Mine near Port Hardy

After a fabulous morning on the water at Port McNeill on Day 23, May 18th, we still had plenty of exploring time, so hiked in to the historic Suquash Coal Mine near Port Hardy. Bobbie started this tour by showing us the “World’s Largest Burl” – that is actually...
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A morning of fishing and bald eagles at Port McNeill

In the early afternoon of Day 23, May 18th, we made the 28-km drive from Telegraph Cove to the Cedar Park Resort at Port McNeill. We had reserved a 5-night stay months ago, as my niece Bobbie lives in Port McNeill and had a list of amazing places that...
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