On to the "Big Island"; Vancouver Island - Parkville, Cowichan Bay, Sooke, Port Renfrew

September 02, 2014

On to the "Big Island"; Vancouver Island - Parkville, Cowichan Bay, Sooke, Port Renfrew

We reluctantly leave Quadra Island and take the ten minute ferry back to Campbell River and head south, stopping in Parkville on the way down to Cowichan Bay. The folks we met hiking our first week on Quadra live near Parkville and recommended the sand castle competition, so Donna and I stopped for an hour or so and walked around through the sand sculptures. This is an international judged competition and is for "professional sand sculpture artists", so very high quality - I have included pics of three of the 20 something sculptures.

We arrive in Cowichan Bay and are treated to lamb steaks on the grill at our friend's Pip and Derrick's home on the Cowichan Bay estuary. While we are here I do a kayak around Cowichan Bay, while the ladies bounce around town, and Derrick plays in the annual church golf tournament - afterwards we "hang with the Anglicans" at a post golf tournament party at a beautiful home on a bay. Hanging with the Anglicans is actually a lot of fun and we feel very welcomed. I particularly hit it off with a 90 year old retired Anglican priest (Lou) - we were just heading into a most interesting religious discussion when it was time to go - so we need to return at annual golf tournament time next year to pick up where we left off.

We also did a day long drive with Pip and Derrick that included taking in the fine arts festival in Sooke, a picnic lunch at the ocean near Sooke, driving up the southwest coast to Port Renfrew, and then back across the island for a great pub dinner near Ladysmith. A very fun and varied day.