Last weekend the sun was shining, the leaves were turning, and like the summer my friends and I decided it was time to take a vacation from Vancouver. We'd never been to the Sunshine Coast, a stretch of land north of Vancouver accessible only by boat, so it seemed like a good place to go. We woke up at the crack of 9 and caught the 11:20 ferry to Gibsons.

 

The sunshine coast is another beautiful stretch of British Columbia where the mountains meet the water. We started at Gibsons and headed slowly north, stopping periodically to bask on a beach, admire the views, and generally enjoy the trip. The weather cooperated and we were provided an amazingly clear, sunny day. We found a place for a coffee on a dock in a quiet cove and had lunch in a roadside snack shop. You can see our route more or less here: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=vancouver,+bc&daddr=egmont,+bc&sll=49.539469,-123.991699&sspn=0.980282,2.993774&ie=UTF8&ll=49.510944,-123.568726&spn=0.980854,2.993774&z=9&om=1

 

We noticed when we disembarked the ferry that the return boats left at 6:20 and 8:20 PM, and decided to try for the 6:20 return. When we made Madeira Park, we decided to continue our tour and opt for the later ferry, abandoning the attempt at making it back to Gibsons by 6. We continued to Egmont and then made the 4km hike to see the Skookumchuck rapids, which are supposed to be some of the strongest rapids around. Tidal flows fill and empty the Sechelt Lake by turns, creating a roiling torrent replete even with whirlpools. Unfortunately the best moment to see the flow was at 4 and we didn't arrive until 6, so we missed the greatest part of the show. After a brief respite and a bit of kelp-watching, we retraced our steps to the car and drove back to catch the ferry, spirits aglow with the wonders of the day.

 

Unfortunately we were not in time for the ferry: we arrived half an hour before the ferry left, but there were already too many cars ahead of us. And it was the final ferry of the day. Suffice to say our spirits sagged at the return to Gibsons, the search for a restaurant open at 9 PM on a Sunday, and the search for a hotel. Spirits were none to high the next morning at 4:45, either, as we rose to catch the ferry, go home for a quick shower, and race to the office....

 

They say it's the journey that's important, not the destination, right?