Exploring Nanaimo – boats, planes, beaches, and a foster pup
Days 32 and 33, May 27th and 28th, were Cathy’s final days travelling with us. She had to fly back to Whitehorse to get back to her job, so we planned a couple of low-key days of wandering around Nanaimo. Also, though, I had finally made arrangements to visit...
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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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Hiking to the crash site of RAF “Dakota 576” near Port Hardy, BC
We had planned to take a ferry to Alert Bay, but fog changed our plans. The site of a 1944 plane crash, of a DC-3 known as “Dakota 576”, became our morning destination. When we woke up on Day 26, May 21st, dense fog enveloped our camp site at...
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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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