Rob-n-Hild, oot and aboot eh? Sorry - 2022

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Nanaimo - Campbell River (328 km. 4:38 hours. Max elevation 160)

The drive from Nanaimo to Campbell River was quick and smooth. We enjoyed seeing snow-capped mountains again - one of which is a glacier, but we couldn't tell which one.

Our target was to hike Elk Falls just west of Campbell River. As always we also had a goal to not drive back the same way we came, so we took the quick route 19 going north and enjoyed a more scenic Oceanic Route 19a going south.

We parked Mary Jane at the BC Hydro info kiosk and had a drink and a snack before heading out. The trails were well-marked and meandered through old growth forests with huge huge trees. It was fun to arrive at the suspension bridge with many viewing points of the big waterfall.

They weren't kidding, it is a suspension bridge and it shakes with every step. Some other tourists were not braving the shaking bridge, but we did make it to the other side and back again. The photo shows Rob making his way back across the bridge. The other photo shows the bridge from a distance and the huge drop down to the river below.

Everywhere we went there were big and old trees growing - not leaving much light for plants below. Moss was growing on everything. Some big-leaf maple trees seemed to be completely covered in moss. A forest ranger we spoke with said that tree growth is not restricted by the moss, and it helps keep moisture for the trees.

Many trees had fallen over and sometimes it was not feasible to move them out of the way. Therefore they were often cut in half to make room for hiking paths. Rob stands in the photo to show just how big the tree was. We studied the tree rings and could see how fast the tree grew at the start, and then gradually slowed down. This tree had not burnt down whereas others were quite blackened by fire. We read information about big fires in 1902 as well as in 1938.

The river opened up into many beautifully-coloured pools of water. It was very tempting to go for a swim, until you felt the water temperature.... brrrrr.

The main tree species in this park were Douglas-fir, Western red cedar and Western Hemlock - and the the odd moss-covered big-leaf maple tree. The ranger also explained to us that in these temperate rainforests, trees and soil holds enough water for a week. So it doesn't take many weeks of drought before trees start dying.

We also learnt that this is an important salmon river for Steelhead and Chinook. With the hydrological dam the natural movement of gravel down the river has stopped. This makes it harder for the salmon to spawn. Therefore they use a skyline bucket with winch system (replacing helicopters) to place extra gravel in the river so that it gets transported with flood waters.

Locals and visitors gather each year to fish salmon with the hope of achieving membership in the Tyee club. To earn this honour one has to catch a 14 kg salmon!

We had made the plan to make our usual picnic lunch at Dick Murphy Park just north out of Campbell River. It is a fantastic spot for a picnic. We had sandwiches, milk, hot tea (again!), and yoghurt. For our Norwegian readers you will be amused that we re-used the pieces of paper originally separating our cheese slices to also separate our pre-prepared sandwiches (see photo). In Norway we use these all the time because we bring packed lunches all the time. The pieces of paper are called "mellomleggspapir" ("in-between-paper")!

While at Dick Murphy Park we were so busy watching a seaplane taking off that we missed a whale swimming by. Two ladies pointed this out to us. Doh! After lunch we drove slowly from Dick Murphy Park to Ken Forde Boat Ramp (10 km). While we stood there chatting with a visitor from Vancouver - the whale swam by way far out to sea! He was far away but flipped his tail for us. Sadly Rob didn't see it in time, but we approved the "spot a new species" because the Vancouverite was there to make sure Hild didn't just make it up....

The fellas joined us for lunch - as usual with their endless nagging about bananas. We have a feeling that they saw the whale that we missed, but they failed to alert us to the sight... typical!

Just south of Campbell River along route 19a we stopped at the 50th parallel marker. Always a good photo opportuity with this kind of thing. We also spent some time trying to spot that whale we missed.

We loved looking at an artist's skillful work converting driftwood into animals. See more at their website: www.driftedcreationsart.ca/.

The rest of the drive back to Nanaimo was scenic for sure. We also enjoyed seeing more agricultural land and many sheet, horses, cows, and goats. Back at the hotel, we nipped out for more milk (!) and some groceries to prepare dinner. Yummy. Energy for another fun day of exploring tomorrow. On our grocery-walk we explored more of Nanaimo harbour: a petrol station only accessible by boat, and a very posh condo building with HUGE balconies overlooking the harbour and not quite in our price range (2 bed + 2 bath. 1100 sqft. CAD 725,000). One can but dream.

May/June 2022

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