After a few days visiting family and friends in Vancouver, we headed across the Salish Sea on the Horseshoe Bay-to-Nanaimo ferry and then drove to Port Renfrew via Highway 18 and the Pacific Marine Road. Along the way, we stopped to check out some of the sights, including the Cowichan River, where the bigleaf maples were still sporting their fall colours.
It’s a scenic drive from east to west across the island, with streams and small lakes along the way. Fairy Creek, the site of a recent campaign to protect an area of old growth forest, flows into Fairy Lake and then the San Juan River just east of Port Renfrew. The Fairy Lake campground has some giant old-growth spruce trees, and the surrounding rainforest is quite magical - like a fairyland, as the name suggests - with moss-covered trees and lush vegetation.
We were greeted by a congregation of (what I believe to be) glaucous-winged gulls as we crossed the San Juan River and entered the village of Port Renfrew.
After a meal at the Renfrew Pub and a good night's sleep in our lodgings, we set out to do a some exploring. We discovered Botanical Beach Provincial Park, which has trail access to two sites along the ocean: Botany Bay and Botanical Beach itself. It's also the northern end of the 47-kilometre-long Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. At the trailhead, we were greeted by another Steller’s jay, no doubt hoping for a handout. Named after German naturalist Georg Steller, the Steller's jay is BC's provincial bird. In the Coast Salish dialect Hul’q’umi’num’, I learned, it's name is skwitth’uts.
The trail winds down through another forest rich with plant life: fungi, ferns, mosses and even a few stubborn, late-season salal berries.
I’m sure it’s old hat for coastal folks, but I’m always in awe when I get to be next to the open ocean, watching the breakers as they crash on to the shore.
At Botany Bay, I followed the rocky shoreline to a small cove where several harlequin ducks were feeding among the ubiquitous floating stalks of bull kelp.
There was a whole other world of life in the numerous tide pools, with hermit crabs, chitons and sculpins among the many other flora and fauna that call these pools home.
The tip of Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula is directly south of Port Renfrew, and is visible in the distance.
It felt so good to spend a serene afternoon on the seashore, reawakening our primal connection to the ocean, allowing ourselves to be mesmerized by the waves rhythmically rolling in. We stayed until the light began to fade and then, somewhat reluctantly, made our way back up the trail and headed back to our accommodations.
Stay tuned for Part 3 - Sombrio Beach, Victoria and Gabriola Island.
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Almost 50 years ago, on my first visit to Canada, I was visiting Botany Bay. This visit, along with travelling the Banff-Jasper Hwy, along with the easy-going and friendly attitude of Canadians, was what made me decide to immigrate to this country. Thanks for bring back fond memories. I’m looking forward to the next instalment.
Tobias Jenny