My bride and I recently returned home from a weeklong motor trip around the north end of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. [In total, about 850 miles.] This northern tip of the largest island on the west coast of both North and South America is a jewel - a 'must see' gem of unimaginable beauty. The forests are different hues of green mixed with an appropriate amount of yellow and near-orange colours. Amid this grandeur, run rivers and streams and babbling brooks that are crystal clear, unimpeded by manmade pollutants. For instance, at Gold River, the river that transects the small community, the water is clear and free of particulate matter often seen coursing through other waterways. The story there is that Gold River can bottle its pristine river water for commercial use by people interested in drinking only the best of the best - the river water is that clear and clean.
Although myriad photographs were taken of this Canadian beauty, none attest fully to the splendour that is God's creation. To stand amid the giant trees - firs, hemlocks and cedars - and look with wonder at their magnificence is to be in awe of God's creation. While it might be said that God's greatest creation was [is] man, man pales mightily when compared to the colossal sentinels of the forest.
Stand amid these giants and look fondly upon the various streams as they tumble amid rocks on their way downstream to a waterfall that itself tumbles and rumbles as it cascades over the lip of yet more rocks on its downstream journey. To do so, is to savour a moment of pleasure among greatness; a sort of natural unction.
While in Gold River, we stayed at the Gold River Chalet, a renovated motel/hotel that is owned and managed by a courteous couple who go out of their way to make their guests welcome. Not all the motels/hotel overseers that I have stayed in do the same willingly. A future visit to Gold River will include a drive a few miles distant along Highway 28 to board M.V. Uchuck III to explore historic Nootka Sound. The motor vessel's route is along the beautiful Nootka Sound to where Captain Cook first landed in 1778. Travelling farther, visitors can take in the azure, Pacific Ocean from Yuquot [Friendly Cove] the summer home of the Mowachaht people, proud whalers and the first to greet Captain Cook. [Some years ago, while an intrepid reporter, I took that voyage; it was during the re-enactment of Captain Cooks' arrival at Friendly Cove.]
Back on the highway to Campbell River, where we turned northwest and headed for Port Hardy. There, a unique 'critic' sign met us. On the waterfront facing all who motor into the town is a large, wooden carrot with a small bite taken out of it. Next to the carrot is a sign that chastises the government for its tardiness in completing Vancouver Island highway from Victoria to Port Hardy. According to the sign, the first 'promise' - the carrot that was dangled in front of the North Island settlers - was uttered in 1897 and, after repeated 'dangling carrots,' was completed in the late 1970s. Port Hardy is the southern terminus for the BC Ferries Inland Passage to Prince Rupert.
In Port Hardy, we stayed in Hamilton Bed and Breakfast with hosts Lorne and Betty. The highlight of that visit came the next morning when our host took ourselves and two other guests [one from Switzerland and the other from Germany] to a nearby field. There, Lorne offered a pair of resident eagles fresh chicken legs. For the male eagle, a leg was tossed into the air and immediately the eagle swooped down and flew away with the leg firmly clenched in its talons. For the female - older than the male - the chicken leg was tossed onto the ground a mere 15 or so feet from where we stood. The female flew silently down and snatched the leg in her claws without faltering. Those of us with cameras - digital - tried to capture these feedings but the eagles were a bit too swift; I ended up with a less-than-perfect shot of the female and the male was too far away when I finally located him in the camera's lens. The point is that these resident eagles were willing to exhibit their grace and swiftness as we stood within a few wingspans of them. Again, one more example of God's creations and how beautiful they are.
The next stop on our sojourn was a side visit to Port Alice. This rather small town was on its last legs when the local cellulose plant reopened recently. The plant aside, the geography that surrounds this community is in keeping with the overall beauty of the North Island. Although small, Port Alice is a must visit when in the area.
From Port Alice, we retraced our route to the Inland Highway [#19] and then onto Port McNeill. Among several sites to visit there is the world's largest burl. This giant of the forest is housed in a shed that measures - by guesstimate- about 15 feet high and equally that measurement wide. A photograph of my bride standing next to the burl shows that she is about one-third as tall as the knotty growth. We overnighted in C-Shasta Bed & Breakfast - "hospitality from the heart" - with hostess Caroline. As with the Hamiltons in Port Hardy, we were treated well and the breakfast was generous and tasty. What more might one ask of one's hostess?
As our travel days were becoming limited, our visits to Telegraph Cove and Sayward were limited - no overnight stays. Telegraph Cove is the home of a well-maintained whale museum that combines research with its exhibits. A visit to Telegraph Cove is a visit into history - the spot is named as being the farthest north on Vancouver Island that the telegraph system ventured prior to World War One. A read of the village's brochure reveals that "one visit to this quaint village snuggled along the shores of a cover, and you'll understand why Telegraph Cove has been cited by Style Weekly Travel's as one of Canada's Top 12 destinations for outdoor adventures and sightseers." Many of the village's buildings are built over the water on pilings. Several plagues describe the area's history and highlight some of the buildings along the boardwalk.
A quick side trip to Sayward was more to see where my brother lived a couple of decades ago than to learn something about the hamlet. Although Sayward is touted as being a "friendly, full-service community with many recreational opportunities available" we did not take advantage of them. The town is situated at the mouth of the Salmon River and was established in the late 1890s. It is the home of Sgt. RandAlly, the world's largest cypress [yellow cedar] tree.
Our time touring North Vancouver Island came to an end when we returned to Cedar, south of Nanaimo and our 'jumping off' spot.
The loveliness of this region of British Columbia cannot be captured in mere words; it has to be experienced. To visit and gaze at the wonders that are God's creation is to admit that God is the Creator. Those who deny God's existence and who cling to a theory that there is no God are fools who don't know that they are.
Religion aside, a visit to the beauty of Vancouver Island's northern region is a must for anyone who marvels at natural settings and who enjoys the tranquility of Mother Nature as she surrounds us with all that She has to offer. Mother Nature is, after all, the fulfillment of God's promise.
Bob Orrick is a retired private tutor of English grammar, literature, poetry and Canadian history to off-shore youngsters. His pupils hail from such places as Taiwan, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and Venezuela. He was previously in international marketing, was a ministerial assistant to a provincial cabinet minister, spent a few years as a reporter then editor of a community newspaper and enjoyed a career in the Royal Canadian Navy.
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