Week Four

We continued our exploration of Vancouver Island, which, due to its unique glacier geography, required many ferry rides.   After a week on the island, we emerged from their quiet, slow pace of life to the shock of a very vibrant, crowded but still beautiful Vancouver.  (If you're viewing this in an email, click here for a better viewing experience.)

Magic (forest) carpet ride

Cumberland was one of my favorite little towns so far.  It used to be called Dodge City because it was completely lawless once the coal mines died out.  In the past decade or so it's experienced a renaissance thanks to mountain bike trails, and people now come from all over the world to experience them. The trails are perfectly maintained (although I really wish they could remove all the roots as well as the rocks - alas, the trees need them)  by a large cadre of volunteers.

One of the trails, all of which have whimsical, artful flourishes

The first day we didn't quite understand that you're supposed to ride the access (logging) roads up and then take the flowy, challenging trails down.  I was about to give up riding altogether because climbing up those rooty, narrow, twisty-turney trails was killing me.  Then Dennis had the "aha" moment, and the fun started in earnest.

Hand-hewn logs were used to create a bridge over the canopy.
Dennis actually did this several times while I took pictures; it was
all I could do to walk my bike across without panicking...

While at the local brewery, we met the geniuses (and the
laborers) responsible for the trails.

If you ever want to meet people, have a set of large matching dogs and/or drive a converted Sprinter van.  It's the ice breaker whenever we walk down the street or sit down to eat, and it leads to an enjoyable conversation connecting with strangers.

And if anyone is looking for a business opportunity in Canada, open a van conversion business.  They haven't quite hit the market here as in the U.S., but this type of travel is what they're all about.  As soon as we open the side door of the Sprinter, people just walk up and start asking questions.  I bet we give 3-4 "tours" each day.

Cumberland didn’t have any remote camp areas, so we stayed in this cute little cottage on a working farm.   It was run by a young couple, both acupuncturists, and they were growing herbs for both their business and to sell. 

Our van was almost bigger than the cottage

These were their donkeys, which had our dogs totally…cowed.

They must take their German food very seriously.

Lakes abound. Notice the tree growing through the table.

After leaving Cumberland, we set out in search of a more wild experience (which means we drove 3 hours in the back country).  Lake Khartoum was so beautiful we decided to camp along its edge.

Another American tourist greeted us upon arrival, then
returned with a friend the next morning.

How to make happy hour even happier 

Coffee (my other favorite beverage) as the morning mist dissipates

Arriving in Vancouver after the remote peace of Lake Khartoum was a jarring culture shock.  It’s a beautiful city, but there are so many people and cars compared to the island.  We stayed in a high rise, 33^rd floor, which was a different experience for both us and the dogs.  I would love to know what the dogs were thinking when they would walk into a tiny room (the elevator), wait a minute, then exit in a totally different place.  They seemed non-plussed, which surprised us.  

Vancouver from our 33rd floor apartment

Vancouver has a serious, very evident opioid problem.  The only nearby green space for the dogs was a park full of homeless people, reached by streets that were also replete with wandering souls  - and they absolutely LOVED our dogs.  My path there and back would lead to very long, disjointed conversations with them, and it was heartwarming to see the joy our dogs and interaction brought to their worn down faces.  Leaving them to continue on my way was equally heartbreaking.

The love of a dog makes the world a wonderful place

The best way to explore a city is on a bike.  Note the
parade of "bleu" celebrants post World Cup victory.

Unlike the container contents, our dogs arrived tariff free

The dogs were desperate for a swim and some exercise, so we took them to the nearby port.  Only after they emerged did we notice the sign which said the water was unsafe for swimming.  Based on their smell, it was an accurate assessment.  Maybe I should have suspected something when I saw the "Spill Response" boat docked nearby.  Time to leave for greener, cleaner spaces...