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British Columbia, CanadaEscape
There are plenty of signs pointing to all destinations seaward and we
let out a whoop of delight, finally spotting our port of call. Tim and I are
escaping to the Sunshine Coast via the Langdale ferry. The attendant tells us
the next ferry leaves in about an hour, so we settle in for a little wait and
another cup of java from the thermos. The Sunshine Coast is part of BC’s
mainland but only accessible by ferry, leaving the area relatively untouched by
the scourge of the nearby metropolis. The weekend before, Tim and I had lazed around the house thinking we should
get away. We perused the Tourism British Columbia’s Vacation Planner, a free
magazine stuffed with travel info and tips for touring around BC. The
Recommended Scenic Drives section intrigued us. A car trip was just the ticket
for a weeklong jaunt for the two of us. Dubbed ‘Circle Tours’ by Tourism BC, we chose a trip to start and end at
Horseshoe Bay, just 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver. Travelling up the
Sunshine Coast to Powell River, we would head west across the Strait of Georgia
to the Comox Valley on the northeast shore of Vancouver Island. Then winding
southward along the Island’s shore, our tour would end in Nanaimo and cross
the waters back to Horseshoe Bay. A circle, you see, well sort-of an oval but Ragged Oval Tour
isn’t all that catchy. I really like the tour’s focus on ferry travel. Passenger ferries, carrying people and vehicles, are an important link for people to travel from the lower mainland of BC to Vancouver Island, Prince Rupert and all points in between. I live on BC’s coast and treasure the wonderful opportunity to sightsee while onboard. As the ferry powers through the open water, I always marvel at the magnificent vistas of pine plugged mountains and seagulls gliding on the winds above wide expanses of dark cobalt ocean. BC is a truly beautiful province. |
It’s 8am. For over two hours, North Vancouver’s rush hour traffic has
trapped us within its lair. It is little better once we reach the Horseshoe Bay
ferry terminal. BC’s entire lower mainland seems to be trudging lemming-like
towards the sea. We whip around various ferry line ups with torrents of liquid
sunshine distorting our vision.