It turned out that Bella shook off what was ailing her and we were able to skip the vet visit. We had our sights on Nahwitty (SP) Lake. There is camping and it is within 20 km of where the amazing History Channel Show “ALONE” was filmed (seasons 1,2, &4).
The road to this gem also goes to Winter Harbor and the amazing Cape Scott Provincial Park. So, being undaunted, we drove two hours (70+ km) on a logging road to get to the very end of the end. So cool! The town of Winter Harbor ain’t much to speak of. Clearly 80+% of the traffic comes from the sea. There are many fishing guides, so that must drive the economy. But I need to describe this little Canadian backwater to you. There are perhaps, 1/2 mile of road in the whole town. Two “trailer parks” (not really for the vacationing set if you know what I mean). A BIG marina with lots of boats, a few 4x4 parked outside the “resort” and a general store.
We parked at the lot near the end of town (its the only lot, you’ll find it). There was a cheery couple sitting at a plastic table with a bright Canadian Flag umbrella. They were most cheerful and clearly wanted to chat. The most pressing topic (at 12:30 in the afternoon) was that the store (owner of the lot we were parked in) didn’t open until 2pm and that the proprietor was NOT FRIENDLY. They mentioned this several times. And for a CANADIAN to speak such - we were wary of staying to browse. After touring the town (six minutes - seven if you check out the docs) we left town. Glad we came - glad we are leaving!
Note - there is a free campground at the town’s entrance. It’s nice and it was also empty.
We headed back to our original destination. Glad to have the serene solitude and gorgeous lake. [Funny story.We tried four different camp sites before going back to the one we started with. A luxury (there were only two other campers) and I guess it denotes that we are choosy and willing not to settle. We will likely spend five days here - so should be fun!
I would also like to mention Cape Scott. It sounds INCREDIBLE. We may head up there for a day (remember, we have to almost totally pack up to do this with a truck camper), but it sounds amazing. There are only tiny roads that get there, and two LONG trails (a weeks worth of backpacking) that traverse the length park at the tip of Vancouver Island. We are not sure we will go on this trip (dogs are no longer allowed as wolves have become “a problem”). I like Bella, but what a great story that ending would make….. Just kidding, Marci…
If you are adventurous (and we are giving this some serious thought for the future) there are national (or Provincial Parks) in the ocean here. Some are islands, others are just places for kayaking and canoes. WOW!
GOOD/BAD/UGLY
GOOD: We were smart and spent the fifteen minutes it took to get to Port Hardy and fill up with gas. Thinking about this up here is pretty important. You can go a LONG way before finding any.
BAD: Winter Harbor is cool, but there are about three things to do. Not sure if the town store adds a third, but we weren’t willing to find out.
UGLY: Driving almost 300km on a logging road is a boogger. It is worse when the locals drive 60 kmph like its a highway. There were several close calls and it is unnerving in a camper that cant stop quickly.
No comments:
Post a Comment