We felt we were really spoiled by Princess Louisa Inlet - how could we top it? We returned to Pender Harbour for a last hurrah with Linda and Ed before they headed south to meet guests, and we headed north to Desolation Sound.
We hiked through a nice wooded trail...

...and ended up on a small road where we met a woman herding her two Labrador retrievers into her truck. A young black bear was about 50' up her cherry tree and the dogs were going crazy. Evidently this bear likes her tree and will spend much of the day in it - eating and napping. I wasn't able to get a good photo, but it was interesting to see. We made sure to talk loudly on the hike back through the woods.
Pender was pretty, with loons calling in the early morning, hummingbirds, and bald eagles.

From Pender we cruised up into Desolation Sound - somewhat of a misnomer since it's popular with boats from the Seattle and Vancouver areas on vacation.  But it's a big place with lots of nooks and crannies, and harbors big enough for everyone. 
Our first stop was Grace Harbour - a beautiful spot. We hiked up to a fresh water lake, and came upon this old logging bulldozer abandoned in the woods.

Nothing beats a walk in the woods... and we love the tall cedars, spruce, fir, and arbutus trees, and the lush ferns in the understory.

We've also been enjoying exploring by kayak. We see lots of starfish clinging to the rock walls, and they don't seem to mind being high and dry when the tide goes out.

Take a look at Princess Louisa Inlet on Google Earth - it's up a series of fjords that reach deep into Canada's Coastal Mountains. Accompanied by ONE FINE DAY, we made the long 50 mile trek up to Princess Louisa - a place only accessible by boat or seaplane - and it was well worth the trip. When I say fjords, I mean mountains that are 4500-7000' tall that plunge straight down into water that is a thousand or more feet deep. 

You can see how tiny the boats look in the lower right, just to give you some sense of scale, though the photos don't capture the grandeur. White ribbons of falling water are all around, 60+ waterfalls when the snow melt is at its most active in the spring. We spent a glorious three nights on the park dock there, though you can stay longer and anchor in a few spots near other little waterfalls. The water is very deep so you just drop an anchor and a lot of chain close to shore and stern tie to shore. We definitely plan to return more than once!

As you can imagine, there is no cell service or TV signal way up here, but it's good to savor the beauty without distractions.

While Linda and I paddled kayaks, Jim and our friend Ed went on a long hike up to the trapper's cabin high up the mountainside. Along the way they found some nice huckleberries and wild blueberries...

...though they were exhausted by the very vertical scramble.

Such a special place deserved a more formal touch for dinner, so we set a proper table on the park dock with our buddy boat friends. To top it all off, Linda and Ed served crepes with sauce made from the berries for dessert.

 We met some nice people including one couple with a 1972 wood DeFever, pictured next to us below.

We'll return in the spring when Chatterbox Falls is roaring!

We crossed the Strait of Georgia from Vancouver Island (where the city of Vancouver is NOT) over to the mainland (where Vancouver IS) to explore British Columbia's Sunshine Coast and Desolation Sound.  About 50 miles NW of Vancouver (the city, not the island) is one of the areas where a narrow cut causes violent rapids and whirlpools to form when the tidal current is at its strongest.  Friends recommended a little marina where we could tie up and hike to an overlook to watch Skookumchuck Rapids (aka "the Skook"). 

But first, we had to head north up Agamemnon Channel towards the area where the Skook occurs, and turning the corner into the channel was just breathtaking.  And of course a bald eagle flew across our path, just to add to the dramatic view.

Our friend Laurie from grad school came up to visit us, and we had a great time exploring some of the Gulf Islands.  We all enjoy photography so we had to spend a long day at the famous Butchart Gardens near Victoria.  It's an amazing place with many different types of gardens, including a stunning rose garden...

The Gulf Islands off Vancouver Island are very pretty, and we've spent a wonderful three weeks exploring small towns and hiking various parks.
There are a lot of new things we have to get used to out here, such as logs.  There is a lot of logging and log handling along the Inside Passage, and a lot of logs get loose.  They can be quite large and you don't want to hit one!

Another new thing to get used to and to watch out for are seaplanes.  They are everywhere, with scheduled flights to/from small towns as well as frequent visits to many other harbors.  We have learned to keep a sharp eye out for seaplanes landing when we're out in the dinghy since they are pretty quiet when they land.  Taking off is a noisy affair so we get plenty of warning.

Planes land in the same channels that boats use, and we've seen them take off and land fairly close to us or other boats.  It's just how things are done around here, and everyone seems to deal with it without much fuss.  Some time we'll take a flight on one - it looks like so much fun!
Last week we anchored in Tod Inlet so we could visit the famous Butchart Gardens near Victoria.  They have a nice dinghy dock for boaters to access, and we got a kick out of the sign on the end of the dock...

A little something for everyone - how thoughtful!
Tod Inlet was a beautiful spot that felt very remote, despite being about 10 km from downtown Victoria.

We had cocktails with some local boaters and they warned us about some troublesome otters in the area.  Just as a precaution we closed the side gate to the boat, and it was a good thing since the otters had a big party on our swim platform and in our dinghy overnight.  We never heard them, but they left fish guts and other smelly messes for us.  We used to think that otters were cute, but after cleaning more fish guts off our swim platform again this morning they are Public Enemy #1!
The Butchart Gardens were stunning, and we spent a very long day photographing the incredible variety of flowers around the property.  We're feeling more like locals now - we bought annual passes for the Gardens since we plan to winter in nearby Victoria.  I'll post more about Butchart Gardens in the next blog entry.

This summer we're cruising in British Columbia between Vancouver Island and the mainland.  Here's a map of Vancouver Island to give you a better idea of where things are.  Vancouver Island is 290 miles long by 50 miles wide at its widest, and it's biggest city - Victoria - is the capital of British Columbia.  Victoria is about 90 miles as the crow flies from Seattle.

Right now we're in the area circled in blue - the Gulf Islands, and in about a week we'll head across the Strait of Georgia to Desolation Sound (circled in yellow), and then we'll head north to the Broughtons (circled in orange) in later July and August.
It is very beautiful out here, with temperate weather, mountains, and tons of islands to explore.  The tidal range is about 10 feet in the Gulf Islands, so that means a lot of water is moving through some narrow spaces between islands.  There are some places that you can't transit unless the current is slack.
Logging is still a big industry in coastal BC so there are always logs in the water.  Some are quite large and we always have to keep a sharp lookout. 
With so many islands there are two primary means for people to move around - by ferry or by seaplane.  Ferries are everywhere, ranging from the 550' behemoths that run between Vancouver and Victoria or Nanaimo... 

or the much smaller ferries that run among the small islands... more things in the water to keep an eye on!

And just to add to the fun, seaplanes take off and land all over the place, especially in harbors with towns.  We had a thrill watching some take off and land right around us yesterday!

Wildlife is all around us - so far we've seen otters, bald eagles (daily), guillemots (sea birds), and lots of harbor seals like this one, sunning on a rock at low tide.

We are surrounded by mountains, rocks, and very tall pine trees.  When the air is clear and dry we can see snow-capped mountains on the mainland, and the combination of the sea air and pine smells so good.

We're really enjoying hiking, exploring, and learning about our new cruising grounds.

After weeks of hard work, Jim finally got the new diesel fired heating system finished and working well.  We enjoyed being "stuck" in the lovely town of Sidney, but we were ready to officially start our Pacific Northwest cruising adventures after years of dreaming and months of preparation.  For the next few weeks we are cruising in the Gulf Islands - an area on the SE side of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.  Later this summer we'll move north to Desolation Sound and the Broughtons.

We cast the lines off on Friday, headed to the fuel dock to stock up on diesel for the big boat and gas for the dinghy, and then we cruised to South Pender Island, part of the Gulf Islands National Park.  On the way to South Pender we saw two bald eagles harassing a gull, and they eventually drove it down to the water.  It was surprising to see the eagle actually land in the water - it didn't float  very well, but it was able to take off without too much trouble.  We see bald eagles every day, as well as harbor seals (they're shy), otters, and various sea birds.

We met up with our new friends in South Pender, launched dinghies, and headed ashore for some hiking.  We read that the view from the top of Mt. Norman was worth the climb and we decided to dinghy to the nearby marina for cold beer and some dinner afterwards.

We had a great time, but the hike turned out to be much more challenging than we thought.  The view was definitely worth it though, and we could even see the snow-capped Olympic Mountains across the Strait of Juan de Fuca 50 miles to the south.

On our way down the mountain we had a nice view of the harbor, and we watched a number of seaplanes land and take off.  Seaplanes are a very common way to get around out here, and there is scheduled service to many of the islands throughout the area.

The weather has been glorious - bright sunny days and just two short rain showers in the last two weeks.  The thermometer says mid-high 60's, but if the wind is light we're comfortable in shorts and t-shirts.  The weather is very changeable though, and we're learning to just dress in layers.

We're also learning to pay attention to the big tidal swings, since we had to beach our dinghy to get ashore.  Our dink weighs about 550 lbs, so if the tide leaves it high and dry we will have a long wait until the tide comes back to re-float it!  Our planning paid off, and we had no trouble.  We saw a lot of these little crab shells on the beach near our dink - left over from the crabs molting (shedding their shells to grow larger). 

The next day we headed to Saturna Island and walked up to check out the little winery (decent!), and then moved to another anchorage recommended by friends for some light hiking.

We are almost finished installing the new heating system, and we should be able to start really cruising by the middle of the week.  But if you have to be "stuck" somewhere, the town of Sidney on Vancouver Island is a terrific spot.  There are little shops, restaurants, several bookstores, cafes, a coffee shop on every block, grocery stores and even a West Marine all within easy walking distance of the marina.  Since we're new to the area and we don't know anyone, having such a nice town for walking has been a nice diversion when we need a break from working on the boat.

We are finally able to settle into life back aboard our floating home after a great road trip across the country from corner to corner - 14 states, over 4000 miles (we took a few detours for fun), and two trips into Canada (one was accidental and brief).  We are in Sidney, BC for about 2 weeks to un-stow everything, re-provision, and finish the last bit of the diesel heating system installation... and then we will start really cruising here, after years of dreaming.

To backtrack just a bit - we took the ferry from Vancouver (on the mainland) to Victoria (on Vancouver Island) a week ago, and that alone was an impressive operation.  The ferry is 560' long and carries 2100 passengers and 470 vehicles for the 90 minute ride.  The views were gorgeous as we cruised between rocky islands.

The next morning we got up early to check on the EUROGRACHT's progress, and headed to the big breakwater at the entrance to Victoria Harbour to watch her approach.  I confess that I had to wipe a few tears from my eyes when I saw the ship and our boat once again.

Two tugs came out to meet the ship to help her turn around and back into the berth.  As she got closer and began to turn we could see ADVENTURES clearly, and she looked great!

Since we were aboard the ship for the offloading we didn't have a great angle for photos, but what matters is that the process went well and by 0930 we were underway once again.  We took a slip right in downtown Victoria for the first 2 nights, and were right in front of the historic Empress Hotel and the Parliament building - Victoria is the capital of the Province of British Columbia.  Every night Parliament is illuminated by lights - such a pretty sight right from our boat!

Yesterday was a big day - we watched the EUROGRACHT - the 450' freighter carrying our boat and only home ADVENTURES arrive in Victoria harbor.  Interestingly, Jim's dad happened to be on a cruise ship that just happened to be in Victoria for a port call yesterday too!  So all three of us watched the EUROGRACHT dock, and we got to meet the Loadmaster who is handling the offloading process.

Once Customs finished their inspection of the ship we were allowed aboard so Jim could lower 6 antennas.  We needed to do this so the lifting bars clear everything on top of our boat.  It was very exciting to see our boat again, and she looked great except for some grime from the ship.

Today was the BIG day - and we were first to be offloaded.  We drove to the port and boarded the EUROGRACHT, met some of the stevedores, reminded the Loadmaster that ADVENTURES is our only home, and then we stood off to the side with our hard hats on to watch the crane and crew work.  It was a relief to see the lift go smoothly and to see our boat set gently back in the water!