5,150
km
Ahoy!
I have not posted in quite some time as work has kept me busy over
the last month. But I have gotten up to a few interesting things such
as a few hikes up Mt. Gardiner on Bowen Island, and a hike up Lynn
peak.
Today
though, I am just on my way back from the Sunshine Coast. This
weekend I decided after a long work week to take some time and tour
up to Pender Harbour to check out where my dad's family would
vacation to while living in Vancouver. Also I really wanted to do
some camping and just relax out of the city, the weather was right,
so I took my opportunity early on Sunday morning and caught a ferry
from Horseshoe Bay to Gibsons.
To
find my way up to Pender Harbour on Sunday took a great deal of
patience as I meandered my way up the coast. It took me a total of 4
rides to get from Langdale Ferry terminal to Madeira Park, but I
embraced it with stops along the way and lots of time to take in my
surroundings.
One of
those stops was in Roberts Creek with a gentleman named Masih and his
mother. They drove me down to the small town of Roberts Creek which
was a unique little town. The town itself grew with an influx of
draft dodgers during the Vietnam War, and these days it still
resonates that vibe, despite a lot of new comers to the area.
At the
foot of the actual creek, there are some beautiful beaches that get
hit with tons of sun. most interestingly, between the carpark and
the beach there is a giant Mandala painted on the pavement. Annually
the town and visitors from around the globe gather to paint this
massive piece of art with each small section telling a different
story from a different individual.
For
some cool aerial shots and more info on the Roberts Creek Mandala
visit http://robertscreekmandala.org/
After
Roberts Creek I found my way up the coast to Halfmoon Bay, another
small seaside town with a neat historic general store, where I
stopped to pick up some supplies. While waiting on the road for rides
at several locations including Halfmoon Bay I was able to take
advantage of bountiful harvest of blackberries from the side of the
road. So tasty!
When I
reached Madeira Park, I took a walk about town and adventured down
the road south a bit until I found a great place to camp just off the
rocky ocean shore. The view was great and I even took a cold swim in
the morning to freshen up. I didn't linger in the water for long as
it was so cold!
The
next day I moved on back down the coast to Smugglers Cove Provincial
Park. It was free to camp at the park in the designated camp spots
and I was the only camper there. The park does not offer an extensive
trail network but for the trails it does have it offers amazing views
of the ocean. While wandering amongst the massive Douglas Fir trees
and Arbutus trees in the forest you will find many great views
overlooking the cove and the Georgia Straight.
Historically
the park gets its name from the infamous smuggler and pirate Larry
Kelly whom used the cove to hide out and smuggle Chinese workers to
the United States for 1$ person. It is also said that during the
prohibition the cove was used to store barrels of liquor destined for
the USA.
My
only qualm with the park was how busy it was, here is a lot of day
time foot traffic from the sail boats moored in the cove and locals
driving up for a forest walk. Though once 8pm rolled around the park
was quiet and only a few people were seen after that. After dinner I
took a hike up to the northern point of the park where there are
plenty of great rock outcropping's to watch the sunset from.
In the
morning I enjoyed a massive breakfast right on the water overlooking
the cove, and made my way back out to the highway and eventually back
to the Langdale ferry terminal.
Overall
for a short three day trip I saw a lot of the Sunshine Coast and its
people. The people that gave me rides were of all walks of life.
Locals of young and old, retirees, and folks only recently moved to
the area. These folks were all kind natured and full of helpful tips
and stories(Including a 20 minute ride filled with all the local
Sasquatch stories). These people are a testament to how beautiful and
welcoming the Sunshine Coast is!
W
