The Big Move - Part 1

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Well the first part of the Big Move is now thankfully behind us - we've successfully moved the first batch of boxes from my grandmother's place in Vancouver out to my parents' place in Bamfield, on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Having packed the moving van to the point of overflow the previous day, we rose early on the 14th to catch the first ferry of the day (affectionately dubbed 'the red-eye' by my Dad) out to Vancouver Island, where we consequently made the long journey west to Bamfield. And what a journey. You know how bad it is just moving house from one suburb to the next? Well, think of that, except instead of a 10 minute drive down the road on nicely maintained suburban streets, picture a seven hour journey, hemmed in between towers of collapsing boxes and including a 2.5 hour stint on a very rough, dirt, logging road, riddled with deep potholes, rocks, boulders, speeding four-wheel drives and monstrous logging trucks, through a seemingly infinite cloud of dust, with projectiles of gravel and stone flying up everywhere. Adding to this, at frequent intervals, the road had undergone a process called 'washboarding' - needless to say, when going over these particular patches, the intense vibrations transform your body into something akin to a human jackhammer.

Somehow, though, we made it to Bamfield relatively unscathed, although the dust bath had left the van looking like some kind of swamp monster ;-). Bamfield, a small, relatively undeveloped village perched on the southern edge of Barkley Sound (facing the Pacific Ocean), was as beautiful as ever. We were even graced with sunshine - somewhat of a rarity here, between the frequent bouts of rain and summer sea fogs. We did not have much time to relax, though - we spent the rest of the day carting loads of boxes to my parents' house on Burlo Island. This was easier said than done, as Burlo is only accessible by boat - luckily, Dad's new tinny was well up to the task.

That night, as our previous tenants had not yet fully moved out of my parents' house, we ended up finding a spot off the side of the road and sleeping in the back of the van. Not the most comfortable of experiences, especially since there was not enough floor space for all four of us to lie lengthwise. Instead, we had to arrange our bodies in a complicated and contorted criss-cross pattern, with each person's feet on another's chest. Any 'toilet visit' in the middle of the night involved crawling over three other bodies in the dark to the escape hatch, usually kneeing them accidentally in the head/ groin on the way, and then tumbling out to the swampy ground below where, of course, it was now raining and teeming with biting insects. To top things off, Dad's snoring had the bizarre effect of making the guage on the boat fuel tank near my head rattle in rhythmic vibrations, amplifying the sound loudly until it resonated throughout the entire interior. I don't think any of us got much sleep ;-).

The next morning, we went for a brief outing in Dad's boat to Grappler Inlet, where we saw a bear and her young cub. The cub was incredibly cute - it scampered around like a little piglet and kept climbing bushes for fun - it is weird to see a bear cub dangling from flimsy branches way above your head in the treetops ;-). We then drove back to Vancouver, stopping for a quick look at Cathedral Grove on the way - an ancient stand of old-growth forest in the centre of Vancouver Island. The trees were simply amazing - giant and majestic. Apparently, most of Vancouver Island used to be like this - it is sad to think that this is all that is left after decades of logging and plundering.

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Photos

Beautiful Burlo Island
In Bamfield, west coast of Vancouver Island

Freezing on the Ferry
Us on the way over to Vancouver Island

Back in Bamfield
Hmm, disturbingly, I've just realised I'm wearing exactly the same shirt as in the equivalent photo we took when we were here 2 years ago ;-).

Indian Pipe
A rare saprophytic plant with no chlorophyll

Walking Among the Giants
Ancient trees at Cathedral Grove

Quin Pigging Out at Whisky Creek
Best icecream stop on all of Vancouver Island ;-)