More of Vancouver Island

After our two nights on Campbell Lake we drove on to the west side of the island to Tofino and spent the night at the Green Point provincial campground there. The next day we drove down to Ucluelet, the other town on the west side but spent most of our time walking on Long Beach and then at the Amphitrite Lighthouse in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. After some brief shopping at Ucluelet we drove back to the east side, stopping at the Cathedral Grove of old firs, and ending up at a designated RV site in Chermainus, just short of Victoria.

Crossing the island, a recreation site on the way to Tofino

Sculpture at a Tofino city park

Totem take on a whale tail?

Part of Tofino harbor

Familiar Pacific northwest sight

Great meal at the Schooner, Tofino

We really liked Tofino...everything but the fog

Largest private berry patch ever, so far

Next day, on fog-bound Long Beach

Surf City

Also bi-valve and mollusk city

Down to the sea in kayaks, too

Moving right along, past Ucluelet (not pictured), on the Wild Pacific Trail

Toward

The not-very-famous Amphitrite Lighthouse

Going for a Heisman pose, but the paparraza didn't seem
to get it...

Wild indeed

And scenic, when the fog momentarily lifts

Now driving back across the mountains to the east
side of the island again

Douglas, as seen recently in the VanDusen botanical garden

Very shallow roots, these big trees

We'll see much bigger ones soon, when we get to
California

On To Vancouver Island

Much as we enjoyed Vancouver, it was time to move on. Our crack Northern Lights predictor app had forecast a decent chance of seeing the Lights from this area the next two nights. We needed to locate a good viewing point, a long northern view, and little or no cloud cover. From our AI chatbot, we divined that Vancouver Island would be a good choice, and, specifically, the Miller Creek Recreation Area campground, just south of Lake Campbell. So we drove on from our campground north of Vancouver city to the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal and rode the Queen of Cowichan to Nanaimo on the island. Another hour's drive brought us to a beautiful campsite on the the lake.

From the sites we visited, and driving around much of Vancouver,
we decided it was a pretty neat place...distinct neighborhoods, interesting
architecture, etc., and worthy of future consideration...

Aboard the Queen of Cowichan

A smaller ferry, bound elsewhere...the ferry traffic reminded us a
bit of Norway...

Looking back to Horseshoe Bay...Vancouver has one of the great
scenic backdrops...big mountains right down to the sheltered bay

Our campsite at Miller Creek, on Campbell Lake

Vicki preparing one of our better steak dinners

The view to the north, Campbell Lake

No Northern Lights yet

Now we are down on the lake, in our camp chairs, eagerly scanning
the horizon

Midnight...nothing going on except us noting how cold a breeze can
feel at 50º

Still nothing...at 2am, yawning and shivering, we retire to the camper

Next night, having broken out our arctic gear and feeling somewhat
warmer, we are dozing off by midnight, losing interest in the Northern
Lights project...something for night owls perhaps...

Vancounver's VanDusen Botanical Garden, 2

More from our day, August 31st, at the VanDusen botanical garden, Vancouver...

Love black leaves, flowers...this one with black berries too

Hoodathunk you could grow hibisci at latitude 49º north?

Departure, by George Lundeen

Planted for the garden's opening, 1975

Going strong

As in Douglas Fir

Do not stand under this tree

Mapplethorpe specimen

Trying to look hungry, thirsty, lonely; approaching the day's wedding

Alas, we were not invited; nor could we have dinner, as planned,
at the VanDusen restaurant

Most interesting sculpture/water fountain ever, so far