Did you know that a Loonie is a Canadian $1 coin and that a Toonie is their $2 coin? I am not making this up! And, if it hadn’t been for our need to have coins for showers and laundry while we are in British Columbia, I would not have known this! How cool is it that the national coinage of Canada has such fun names?!
Canada is a magnificent country. While we have visited many times over the past three decades, this year is our first for camping in Canada. Last summer as well as earlier this summer we were in Ontario, the eastern part of Canada whereas this trip has brought us to the more rugged, more rural, and more mountainous western side of the country as we make our way to Lund, BC. We crossed the border near Bellingham, WA, stopped in Squamish for three nights, then two ferry rides later, we were on our way to remote Lund. (the second ferry left from Earl’s Cove, in case you are wondering)
We are camping in Lund for two nights; tomorrow in the early afternoon (Sunday) we will meet the guides who are taking us to Klahoose Wilderness for 4 days where John will be fulfilling one of his (three) photography dreams–to photograph grizzly bears in their natural habitat fishing for salmon in pristine rivers. We will be with 5 other people, and the photography workshop guide as well as a First Nations leader who will share stories of the rich cultural history of the land as we travel by small boat to the Great Bear Rainforest. Along the way, we can expect to see whales, eagles, puffins, seals, sea lions, and of course, grizzly. I will be the only non-photographer on the trip. Also, I am not a fan of boats, let alone small boats, so this will be a very interesting time for me, in a different way than for John.
Lund is a charming spot on the map. It is so very small, so quaint and picturesque. Lund is at the end of the Sunshine Coast Highway, formally known as Canada 101, right on the bay. People who fish for a living come and go from the small port as well as taxi people to small surrounding islands; there is one bakery that serves utterly divine savory and sweet freshly baked items, one hotel, one open restaurant, one small catch-all grocery store, and the one campground at which we are staying.
On our early morning walk to the bakery, which is literally 150 feet from our campsite, we saw a large, fresh pile of bear poop! While we did not hear a thing last night, even when we got up to pee, it is surely humbling to know we are among real wildlife! The poop is very likely from a black bear, not a grizzly–lest you worry, dear reader! There are berries and wild apples growing all over this area, so plenty of food for the black bears…
I have done laundry this morning, John is out making photographs on the docks while I write this blog post. We will hike right from camp later this morning to a lake about 4 miles from here. Later, we will pack up the clothes, personal items, and camera gear (not me!) that will come with us to the wilderness island. I, as a master kitchen planner, have managed to make meals that have practically used up all of our perishable foods, and we will finish up the fresh food with dinner tonight, then lunch tomorrow. Notice I didn’t mention breakfast tomorrow, because…we will be back at Nancy’s Bakery! Shop Local! Support Local!
The Klahoose Wilderness Lodge is on First Nation People’s land, it is intimate and apparently high end. They pride themselves on their Sustainability Certification, offer locally made organic soaps and body wash, and fresh gourmet meals. Oh my, what a treat this will be! Stay tuned for an update, after we return, next week! xo
