All good things have to end, sadly

After our rather wonderful month in Canada, the time had come to return home. Annoying and unwanted but there it was in the diary - an upcoming flight booking. That had been fun to arrange mind you. Going from Vancouver to Heathrow was wildly expensive (70% more) compared to a flight from Seattle which is under a three hour drive from Vancouver. That isn't explained by a lack of competition on the routes, mainly due to the drop in UK - USA travel in the Trump era it seems.

We'd found a more convenient and way better priced trip though. Westjet from Comox to Calgary, then Calgary to Heathrow with the same airline. The only drawback was a LONG layover in Calgary but so be it.

Getting to Comox from Martin and Inge's house is quite a trek:

Yes, a whole 6 minutes in the car says Mr Google. It actually took more like 5. We had a coffee in the airport and said our sad farewells and several huge thank yous  then boarded the little 737 to Calgary. The misery of heading back was tempered by some wonderful mountain and snow views on the way:

but rather added to when a further 90 minute delay to our connecting flight was announced. Over 8 hours in Calgary airport was not tempting. We did some digging and found the inbound plane that we needed was going to be mega-late:

Over 3 hours late leaving Spain, wonderful. We found a nice enough restaurant to have some lunch in then settled ourselves into the lounge to wait things out. Luckily Westjet decided on a plane swap so we were "only" 90 minutes later than planned boarding the plane. That was a pain though, the lounge closes at a fixed time no matter how many delayed flights there are or people in the place. Flying is such fun.

Luckily the flight and crew were good, we had a rampantly gay Senior cabin crew man who made the most wonderful announcements, often invoking his "poor old Grandma" to encourage us to do what he wanted (like not stealing the blankets - something that hadn't even crossed our little minds). Arriving at Heathrow was a mixed bag - actually they pitched up on the belt very quickly to be fair but then we went into the Costa coffee place to wait for Anne who was kindly giving us a lift to Hythe. Drinking a very average coffee with a seriously over-day pastry at three times the price we had been paying in Canada was a harsh reminder of UK life.

Still, we were chauffeur driven back, unpacked, caught up with the Toddlers and the crew's brother  and happily collapsed into bed that evening to not sleep.

As well as boring things like dentist appointments, we had some fun. We collected Izzy by meeting Anne again at a local hostelry. She had Barney with her too - he belongs to a friend of hers and likes to photobomb whenever possible:

 Back in Hythe, Izzy was treated to a much needed but in her eyes unwanted groom:

At least we could see the eyes now and know when she was planning some badness. We finally headed back to the poor neglected boat but to borrow a line from The Full Monty film "for one night only". The good news was that the heating worked just fine. The bad news was that we needed it.

Butchart gardens and Chemainus

After dropping off our overnight gear and a small mountain of food onto Martin and Inge's boat, we went for a walk along the Nanaimo waterfront. Sometimes, in a foreign country, you think that you've entered a parallel universe. We felt that driving through the Rockies but it became even more obvious passing the local yacht club:

Somehow the space - time continuum seems to have been distorted there, allowing the club to boast that it has survived right up to 2031. We didn't feel any disturbances walking past and our watches / phones stayed on the current date so perhaps it was a temporary aberration. Once the club had the banner printed, maybe they thought they should use it?

A little overhead walkway to some buildings told you what you were heading for:

Seaplanes would not be a  typical mix in the UK of course. Restaurant, bar and probably tattoo parlour being more normal. Or Turkish barber shop with dubious ownership and merchandise. Still, they were right, the seaplane terminal amused us (well, the captain) a lot. This little video shows one of them taxiing around:

The video footage of take off and landings was not good enough to share - they carelessly did that beyond a sensible range for the phone camera's capabilities. Great to watch live though.

Back on board, we admired the Selene mugs that Martin and Inge had inherited with the boat:

bemoaning the lack of Nordhavn equivalents on our craft. We were then treated to dinner afloat and yet more of that excellent home made carrot cake. Being spoiled was getting to be the norm and, worryingly, we were getting too used to it.

The following day, we went by car and ferry to Butchart gardens. Martin had said "it sounds a bit lame but it isn't". Other friends had told us it was a must see. Bernie (remember him, the man with the Dunkirk little ship Mimosa?) even commented that we had to go. Wow. They were all totally right. Converting the old quarry into a riot of colour, ground levels and trees / shrubs / plants must have taken some vision:

and the instigators never got to see it as it matured either. Quite stunning in detail, size and scope:

with the flower beds being changed out for each season to give different colours and experiences. Amazing. We could post so many images but just go and look at their website for yourself. See, not everything is spoon fed these days.

The big fountain was a relatively recent (1964) addition but well worth it. Watch this video to see why:

Since Halloween was approaching (remember the Home Depot scary display?) there were plenty of pumpkins around, adding to the floral display adorning the old tractor:

The link to the indigenous people was displayed:

with impressive poles:

Being boating types, we had to walk down to the waterfront area and got this peek through the hedges to the small inlet and moorings:

It looked even more tempting as a spot to bring your boat to when we got down to the waterside itself:

An amazing place and we're so glad that our hosts made the big journey to take us there. It was a bigger one on the way back as the ferry that cuts out a big looped drive around Vancouver Island was going to be full. The wait time would have been excessive, so the big (but scenic) looped drive was the way home. We stopped in Chemainus for dinner and a look around. The town kind of reinvented itself after a huge sawmill closed by having artists produce lots of murals on the sides of local buildings. Look at this link - Wikipedia for more info.

the murals represent the history of the place and really are quite something to see in the flesh. You will just have to make do with images on a screen though:

This big panorama showed the logging and sawmill history very graphically: 

all the way through to shipping the lumber out by sea:

Before that, the indigenous people:

and grim reminders / commemoration of the local folks who fought in World Wars:

There were some old pictures of particular UK interest. This massive tree , requiring two trucks to transport it:

became a huge flagpole in Kew Gardens, London. After walking around the town admiring the many murals open mouthed, we visited a great Vietnamese restaurant that kept our mouths busy once more and rounded off the day rather nicely. 

Trees, wildlife and boat time

We had the fun - yes it really was fun - of a trip to Canadian Tire. They do sell tires / tyres but loads and loads of other stuff too. Proper place for sad folks like the captain to wander around and spot useful things. We went to get some oil and a couple of filters for the Dodge RAM truck which had been whimpering gently and then less gently for an oil change on the last couple of days of our Airstream trip.

As the weather was not being kind, we took the truck to the Cessna's hanger and nosed it in, under the wing of the plane. Good spot to do the oil change. Only the height of the running boards prevented anyone bar an anorexic gibbon from reaching the oil drain plug.  So, back to Canadian Tire, a couple of ramps were purchased and we were then tooled up for the job. Oil and filter changed, air filter changed, we felt that we'd earned lunch. Men of a certain age can easily convince themselves black is white if they try of course.

Our morning and evening routine at the house was very wildlife focussed. These guys regularly roamed through the garden, keeping the grass tidy: 

and well fertilised too. The highlight was watching the hummingbirds at the special feeder, stocking up on the sugar and water combination ready for the winter. This video was typical of their antics:

They amused us for ages. 

We had a trip to the shops for critical supplies and saw another example of the anti-Trump feelings being put into action:

Returning to the house we stopped in a local pub place for lunch - which was good. The crew needed a pit stop and found the strangest ever solution to having a small space, a normal sized toilet and a large door:

When it closed, not everything was on show but....

A visit to a very special forest area let us see some very elderly trees:

that varied between huge and enormous:

The crew, of course, is sylph like. Where they have fallen in storms, you get some terrific patterns and shapes:

It was a most atmospheric walk, sights, sounds and smells. Very special. As was dinner that evening (another Martin masterpiece) topped by the carrot cake that he produced in parallel. Our assistance was limited to ingredient prep stuff, he had rightly assessed our skill set. The end result was pretty wonderful:

That evening, Inge returned from work and although she was tired from a long day of flying and being flown, she managed to stay awake for long enough to catch up which was most kind of her. We put most people to sleep way quicker. 

The next morning we were off on further travels. A stop at the Airstream dealership to check on some warranty work that was planned resulted in looking at a different trailer with a nicer layout. The salesman called it "3 foot-itis" - the benefit of the extra space a slightly longer trailer gives and the flexibility in layout that offers. Not to mention an extra axle. Temptation indeed. Martin and Inge left the place with lots to think about. We, on the other hand, were sold on the idea of a swap - spending other folks cash is so easy it seems.

We then headed to see their new boat. Having sold Malaspina, their Nordhavn 47 that was UK based, they found a well maintained Selene that lived in a boathouse which was also available. Yes, a private boathouse in a marina that was just big enough and we do mean just:

Perfect for winter weather protection. Here are the happy Selene owners:

with a little bit of the rail mounted BBQ intruding into the picture. Apologies, we were all in a bit of a hurry to get to the next part of the adventure.....

Vancouver Island from the land and air

Martin's hosting continued rather well. The weather was a tad overcast but that didn't stop us from visiting the local marina and seeing how lifejackets (OK personal flotation devices) are just sitting in the open, not secured and ready for kids to use:

We tried to imagine how long they would last if that was in a UK location. Our guess is that they would be listed on eBay within a day. It was strange to see the fishing boats and pleasure craft intermingled on some of the pontoon areas. We can only begin to imagine the smell and level of ensuing bird poo. We had a few nights in Brighton many years ago when we were dumped onto a fishing boat berth. Cleaning up afterwards was not fun.

After some marina and local areas wandering, we were taken to the nearby Courtenay Airpark. Was Martin trying to get rid of us early? Nope, no commercial flights from there. It was to see their hanger and Cessna. The captain duly drooled over both and this stunning Beaver floatplane sitting outside:

Apparently it had a "moment" and was subject to significant repairs, now in pristine condition. The Airpark has both a runway and an area for floatplane launch and recovery. Martin and Inge's Cessna was a floatplane but now lives permanently on wheels. Too many logs floating in the river, tricky insurance etc were reported as the reason. 

A visit to the hardware store for some critical items  allowed us to see how seriously some folks take the whole Halloween thing. Or at least, how seriously the retailers take the profit opportunity:

Many were animated as per this video clip:

and this one too:

We were told that the store put up with a busload of kids being delivered just to admire the display. Whilst we were there, it was mainly retired kids having fun with the merchandise. The store staff were tolerant with us though.

Just along the road from their house is a guy who is a talented and inventive metal worker.  Here is the display outside his place:

The detailing is incredible - even down to fitting lights:

One of those strange hobbies that brings amusement / wonder to others.

After another Cordon Bleu dinner from Martin's fair hands, the weather had perked up a lot and so we were able to take advantage of it and give the Cessna an outing. Well, not "we" - Martin of course. We just helped open the hanger doors:

to reveal the very cute Cessna:

Yes, Martin looks cute too, we know, unlike the captain:

Fired up:

fuelled up, the crew was loaded into the back seat ready for her first ever flight in a light aircraft:

The fixed grin is probably due to her prior comment that "Martin is the one guy I would feel comfortable with flying one of these". (For those who don't know him, Martin was a Canadian Air Force pilot, then flew for Cathay Pacific based in Hong Kong ending up as a base captain on Airbus 330 / 350s) . Captain Rae, the owner of the Nordhavn 47 called Albatross who is a confirmed Boeing pilot type calls Airbuses "Poxy Frogbuses". We guess that he would approve of the Cessna yoke, no hi-tech fangled side sticks here:

Our trip was tremendous. The expert local guide showed us the many islands in the area and we could only gawp in awe. As you can see from the screen, it was a "free expression" trip, no specific flight plan:

The many islands and inlets make the area a boating paradise with stunning views and vistas from the air:

Heading back, we passed through Comox airspace, here are the runways of the joint military / commercial airport:

Getting permission from the air traffic controllers to pass through their airspace was remarkably simple as the place has very few flights each day. Along the coast you also get an aerial view of Martin and Inge's house:

For those who are tempted to buy it, you will be getting the second one from the right on the clifftop. Wonderful setting.

There was a plan to land at an airfield on the mainland for lunch but the cloud base over the hills there prevented it. Well, prevented taking off again which would have been inconvenient in the extreme. So, our trip looked like this on the navigation tablet:

but way way better in real life. It was one of those "never expected to see or experience that" days. the crew loved it too, recognising Martin's quiet competence and feeling very comfortable on board. Truly unforgettable stuff.

Heading for Comox and being pampered

During our last night in Nairn Falls campsite it rained. Rather a lot really. You could listen to it hammering down on the roof of the Airstream and that was quite comforting in a strange way. We kind of wanted it to stop before we headed off in the morning though and it did oblige, sort of.

We hitched up the truck to the trailer in almost dry conditions and headed off for the run down to the ferry terminal. This is how Mr Google sees it:

only we stopped off to the south of Whistler to empty the grey and black water tanks at the handy refuse station. All very quiet there - no queue, no fuss. We were becoming old hands at this, just as the skill would no longer be needed. Story of the captain's life really.

The trip down to sea level had. obviously, to be mainly downhill. Sure enough it was and in some stretches of the road it felt more like driving down a river. Loads of water was coming downhill with us and from time to time on steeper downhill stretches of road, we took advantage of the ability to brake the trailer a little bit more to keep it stable. A strange concept for Europeans who are used to over-run brakes on trailers that do exactly what they want to when they want to. The North American system which is electrically controlled, not just through a big spring in the trailer hitch, gives you controllable options. That was good to help the stability of the rig - of course there are benefits and drawbacks to both systems as regulated by local laws. 

We were in plenty of time for our ferry and decided to stop at a nice spot for a while to admire the view (the rain had stopped) and relax. The last bit of the journey was truly whacky. This is how, coming south, you approach the ferry port:

Yup, a long run past it, then a strange loop off the main road and back up north. At first we thought Mr Google had blow a few chips and was going crazy or been hacked by the Russians / China but no, it has the strangest approach to a ferry terminal we've ever seen. Having followed the route and getting almost a priority check-in thanks to our overall length, we joined the ubiquitous queue. You will see that the Horseshoe Bay ferry port is no grander than any other:

The crossing was fine though, here is a borrowed image of the large ferry:

and the view from the window as we headed into Vancouver sound and across to Vancouver Island:

The coffee on board was, as you would expect, average. The pastry offerings fell into the same category. The space and seating were fine though for what was classed as a full ferry. We'd booked a specific sailing thanks to advice from Martin and Inge ages beforehand and are glad we had. They were quoting wait times of over 4 hours for possible space on another ship.

Here is the route across to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island and Mr Google shows the timing spot on:

Owing to a mix of rain and dodgy decision making about a turn off, we missed going into the Nanaimo car wash area that had a bay big enough for us to pressure wash off the truck and Airstream. As it turned out, that was not a bad thing as more rain showers meant we would have messed it up again as we headed up the island to Comox. A quick fuel stop there to brim the truck ready for hand back and we duly arrived chez Martin and Inge. Only Inge was off working - flying her helicopter around the north of the country in the kind of territory you see on wildlife programs, so poor Martin had to entertain and feed us. He did both royally.

If you fancy a rather nice pad on Vancouver island then their place is up for sale, it  looks like this:

and comes highly recommended by us. As does Martin's cooking and hosting..

We had safely returned the truck and trailer to their home base after the most amazing time, seeing and exploring places in a way that we never ever thought would be possible. Somehow it didn't feel like the end of an adventure though as we had a week ahead of us to catch up with our hosts and see some of Vancouver Island.