The Labour Day long weekend saw Ad and I off to Gabriola Island. From home to the island took two busses, two ferries and a cab in between. Once we arrived at our B&B, we felt truly away from the big bad city. Once checked in, the owners, Ben and Jen Ford, asked us to please close the big white fenced gate when coming and going, so that the deer don't eat the flowers! Yep, we were certainly removed from city life at this point.
We headed out for a cycle tour of the area on bikes. This proved more challenging than expected as the map didn't quite show ALL those hills up and down! As fit as Ad is, he couldn't get passed the (much) poorer quality of the rental bikes and though free, not too useful for a long trip. I wasn't as concerned with the bike as much as getting over some of those grades! We did manage to visit the tiny 'downtown' consisting of a few shops, a supermarket and bank. And, the Definitely Different Garlic Chocolate man, yes, he concocts chocolate made with garlic! His products are also sold in Vancouver on Granville Island. He also sells minced garlic, fresh garlic and assorted chocolate bars with fillings all seemingly yummy. I fell in love with his Definitetly Decadent bar, deep Belgian chocolate with dark chocolate truffle. 50 grams of chocolate bliss…Ad actually enjoyed the garlic/chocolate combination more than I did!
As evening approached, we decided to live the local life: hitchhiking. Thumbs up for a good portion of the weekend, this was something I hadn't done since I was a teenager vacationing on Martha's Vineyard with my family. Dinner at Surf Lodge, with sunset, to celebrate our 6th year of wedded bliss. That ride over consisted of two hitches, one in the back of a pick-up truck. Quite exhilarating late in the afternoon sun.
Our next decision was to look into renting a scooter for exploring the (entire) island the following day. Jen phoned Lance at the scooter (and as it turns out, auto) rental place and we had two scooters brought to the B&B the following morning after what would be several scrumptious home-made breakfasts! The plan worked out brilliantly. We were out on those things from 10 AM until sundown, close to 8 PM. Maps in hand, we headed to the main attractions of the island, including Malsapina Galleries (lovely and huge surf-shaped sandstone formations at the northern tip of the island), several thousand-year old petroglyphs, on a trail close to the church on the opposite end of the island. After a picnic lunch close to the 'ruins' AKA the Petroglyphs, we were off to Drumbeg Provincial Park/Beach. Lots of colourful tidepools and bright late-afternoon sunshine. We topped off with some liquid fuel at the Silva Bay Marina and Restaurant. We then continued from the South Road to the North, spotting three deer in the Islands Trust Nature Reserve. We cut our scooter motors and watched the deer, quite curious creatures, eventually leap out into the woods. Early dinner at Suzy's, the local spot for decent grub, and a sunset close to the B&B at Descanso Bay. We were wiped out but at least this afforded a lovely way of island touring, without a car.
The next day we rented a kayak for the day and were off, charts in hand, to explore neighbouring (tiny) islands in the area. We took a picnic lunch in our dry bags (also loaned to us) and this involved a short stay at Pirate's Cove. We headed out in time for the tide to allow us a tiny bit of beach left from which to push off! After returning the kayaks and thumbing it back to the B&B, we had by this time made friends with the other couple staying at our place. An American/German couple with many similarities to our backgrounds and past! The owners were out for a few hours, so we ordered pizza and stayed in with the couple dining al fresco and chatting over travels and life. As Ben and Jen arrived home, homemade chocolate chip cookies and coffee were on the agenda. Not a bad way to round out the day!
Monday morning saw us eating gourmet omelettes (and by far the largest omelette I've ever eaten) and getting a lift over to Twin Beaches for some beachcombing and relaxation before the afternoon ferry crowd. We found hundreds of purple starfish clustered together on the rocks, between the rocks and in the tidepools. Enormous jellyfish and many sorts of sea anemones were hanging out in their respective tidepools and a heron was out fishing for lunch. We made a picnic of fruit and leftover pizza slices on a picnic table close to the beach. There was time to explore the second tiny shopping centre of the island, Twin Beaches Shopping Centre. This consisted of a tiny café, bookstore, liquor shop, clothing boutique and two places that were closed, a tatoo parlour and an accounting firm.
The four days went by all too quickly and before we knew it we'd already boarded our first ferry towards home. The second ferry was very crowded, the last day of summer before start of school. Once back in downtown Vancouver, it was quite a shock in difference between that quiet island laid-back life and street noise. We'd definitely recommend the Holly Tree B&B on Gabriola and soon, as the owners are planning on moving to Ucluelet next year and building yet another home with a B&B.
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