On the weekend I went on an overnight trip to the Octopus Island Marine Park with 3 others from our kayak club. We started from just south of Surge Narrows on the east side of Quadra Island. We had to wait until the current dropped a bit before we could paddle through the narrows. This is Kathy waiting in a back eddy watching the guys "play" in the current.
This is the little island that we camped on. It's in the Octopus Islands but just south of the marine park.
Our kayaks pulled up on the rocks for the night.
There was a really low tide the next morning. There was lots of beautiful seaweed clinging to the rocks.
The starfish were trying to stay out of the sun.
This was looking east from our island to Waiatt Bay on Quadra Island. There is a trail from Waiatt Bay to the west coast of Quadra Island at the end of Small inlet. It is the narrowest part of the island. There are some people working on widening the trail to make it easier to portage kayaks and canoes. It would make it a lot faster and easier to get to the Octopus Islands and you wouldn't have to worry about going through Surge Narrows.
It's a beautiful area. A lot of boats visit the park and tie up in the bays for the night. We counted 9 sailboats and yachts in one spot that was very sheltered.
We were lucky with the weather. It was pretty windy on Saturday but fortunately it was quite calm on Sunday. We even had the current with us heading home. A nice change from paddling against the current and wind the first day.
:D Ü :D BEAUTIFUL........GORGEOUS..............I'M PACKING MY BAGS NOW!!!!! :D Ü D
Well maybe in a few years......house is being shingled, etc., etc. I prolly will stay here and enjoy it for a decade or two.
Hey, you can always come out and enjoy it on a holiday, right?
That is true! Ü
Thanks Jeanne. Yes, it was a great trip. We didn't really have enough time though. There are so many places to explore in the area. We decided next time we'll stay for a few days.
Thanks Christine.
Sandy, those are awesome photos and exquisite scenery. My kind of trip. Was just imagining being there. ...sigh...
It really is a neat area. A group of us spent Canada Day paddling in the area south of Surge Narrows. That's me with the flag on my boat.
Of course we had to stop in at the Surge Narrows Store on Read Island. In the bay near the store are a couple of really neat float houses.
Surge Narrows Store is a funky little place. They sell a bit of everything.
The other old buildings on the dock look like they're ready to fall down.
The window in the store has some crystal ornaments hanging in it. I bought one a couple of years ago with a cat on it.
Speaking of cats. The owner of the store has a lovely fat cat that likes to rub up against your leg.
When we got back to the cars a Swallowtail butterfly landed on Heather's hat. I think it was looking for food and wasn't having much success finding flowers in the bush. I didn't seem to care how close we got.
Doesn't that make a fine decorative pin! :) Reminds me of the Butterfly Gardens in Victoria. The cat, on the other hand, reminds me of myself, when I stretch out. I wonder if she's old too. Fine looking photography, Sandy. Thanks for sharing. :Donna
night owl
great pictures of the west coast..
always loved to go to Victoria area when we go to BC.
haven't been for awhile but someday we will go back,
I just love the mountains and the ocean
Wilma
Thank you so much for sharing your outing with us Sandy. :)
Thanks Wilma. I grew up here and after living in the interior for 4 years I realized that I had to live near the mountains and ocean. I love it.
Sandy
Oops! We must have crisscrossed there Pam. You're welcome. I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested in stuff that wasn't garden related so I'm glad you're enjoying them.
I think our forum is whatever we make it. There's native plants in your pics anyways. ;) It isn't like Gardenweb where we have to be exactly on forum topic.
Hey....that's right, there's lots of flora and fauna. LOL
Sandy WOW !
That looks like the perfect place to find some Peace.
I have only Kayak'd a few times and it was a lot of work especially when the wind was blowing, you must have a healthy body to do this in the ocean. Thanks for sharing.
Ann
Yes, it is lovely and peaceful when you're paddling, especially when you hit one of those days when it's flat calm. It doesn't happen too often on the ocean in our neck of the woods though. It's so nice when there aren't too many other kayak groups in the area and you can pick a campsite that's private.
It certainly gets tiring when you're paddling against the wind and more so when the current is against you. We tease the fellow in the club who plans and leads most of the trips because invariably we're paddling against the current. I learned my limit the hard way so I make sure I don't go on destination paddles where you have to paddle for more than 8 hours. Eight hours is nothing on a calm day but it's a killer when the wind and current are against you.
This message was edited Jul 20, 2005 5:32 PM
Sandy those are great photos and a great sharing of your trip, thanks for that from those of us (me included) that live the outdoors vicariously through others.
You're welcome Linda. I'm so glad you enjoyed them. I'll be sure to share more in the future.
Wow! Wish I could do that. and be there. Great adventure, thanks for showing us your pictures.
Great pictures Sandy! No comment on homesickness. Maybe I'll send pics of our wagon train trip next week IF I get my camera to download the pics that I can see on there. No one seems to know how to fix it.
Love, Sis
Thanks Pat, I was hoping you'd see them. So you still haven't figured out why you can't get the pictures to upload to the computer. What a drag.
