By Chris Millikan
BOARD-WALKING AMID TENT-CONDOS
The short ferry ride crossing Howe Sound from Horseshoe Bay proves a relaxing start to our whirlwind road trip along BC’s scenic Sunshine Coast.
Our stop in historic Gibson’s Landing reveals founder George Gibson, whose statue surveys the pretty harbour where he came ashore in 1886 when his ketch Swamp Angel blew off course. Sipping coffees at celebrated Molly’s Reach, my husband and I fondly recall shenanigans staged in this eatery throughout the long-running Beachcombers television show. Minutes later, we discover Persephone, its workhorse salvage boat on the adjacent corner.
Many are attracted to this area’s dynamic art scene. Road signs trumpet artisans working in glass, fabric, clay, gems, wood, stone and paint. Others, like us, tramp into this coast’s evergreen forests. Along Chapman Creek trail we encounter whimsical faces on fallen logs and stumps, charming wood spirits carved by an anonymous artist over twenty-five years ago. At Davis Bay we stroll the promenade to its landmark wooden pier, watch anglers catch sand dabs, bullheads and Dungeness crab…and imagine kite flyers, sandcastle builders and swimmers filling the sandy beach in summer.
Just up the road, Sechelt is festooned with soaring clan totems, named for the Shishalh band. We enjoy strolling a waterfowl conservation park at Sechelt Marsh before lunching at a pub overlooking sparkling Porpoise Bay. Awaiting halibut and chips, the manager points out the water activities entice visitors to stay in the unique lodgings here, grinning, “…no hotel chains ’round here!” Afterward we bask in million dollar views from our welcoming B&B above magnificent Sechelt Inlet
Savouring gourmet breakfasts, we continue to Halfmoon Bay for more hikes and a swim. Over luscious seafood dinners, our hostess describes how today’s Rockwater Resort evolved from an early fishing lodge by adding this fine restaurant, upgrading cabins and creating breathtaking hillside, ocean view tent-houses linked by forest boardwalks. She whispers, “Joni Mitchell stayed in cabin 11, composing a new album while her nearby home was built.”
Off again next morning, we wind through Pender Harbor, Madeira Park and Ruby Lake to the peninsula’s northern tip. Some hike the trail from Egmont to the formidable tidal rapids at Skookumchuck Narrows, but we cruise from its docks into royally named fjords, deep U-shaped trenches carved by glaciers ten thousand years ago.
CHAPMAN CREEK CARVINGS
Captain Tim highlights points of interest during 30-nautical-miles up Jervis Inlet. Seals snoozing on a tiny island prompts discussion of their envious diet. “Only deep-water fish like lingcod live here,” he notes. White-shelled oysters lie strewn along the low-tide shoreline, numerous blue buoys mark prawn traps and distant floats identify a fish farm.
In Princess Royal Reach, Soda Creek’s cascading Falls electrify us with sheer vertical force; within minutes we sight red pictographs on a rock face, perhaps marking an ancient fishing spot. Surefooted natives once scaled these craggy slopes, hunting goats by chasing them over steep cliffs…
A narrow passage allows entry into spectacular Princess Louisa Inlet where snowy peaks and dozens of silvery waterfalls surround us. We learn that Princess Louisa Marine Park was ‘a gift from Mac.’ Homesteader James MacDonald passed his remote property to the preservation society he created and ultimately to the province, protecting it in perpetuity.
Docking alongside two sailboats and a floatplane, we gaze in wonder at the many scarlet jellyfish undulating in crystal waters below. A woodsy trail leads us through towering cedars to a sandy point where we investigate famed Chatterbox Falls up close, finding its thundering waters more a roar than a chatter!
Homeward bound amid sunny scenery, we reflect on life along the laid-back Sechelt Peninsula, wishing for additional time there!