Pemberton to Cortes Island (Day 53)

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Day 53 ( July 14, 2011)

Looking back at my last post I need to say that the BC leg of this trip has been far better than we could have anticipated. Let’s start with the farm in Pemberton, which we arrived at the last day of June.

Rootdown Farm is co-owned by three young and energetic women named Sarah, Simone and Nikki. They have university educations related to agriculture, though I can’t remember the exact title of the degree. Last year was the first year of real farming on this property and their progress is nothing short of impressive. There are two large crops on each end of the property with every type of vegetable you can think of. They also have chickens, newly-acquired pigs and one of my new favourite dogs, Buster.
There’s so much to say about this farm, but what stood out the most for me as a wwoofer is the incredible hospitality and concern for our well-being. We started at 10am, though the girls began their day much earlier, and worked for 5 hours a day with lunch in between. The meals they cooked were always so creative and healthy which made farming seem like the least we could do. On Canada Day we had a camp fire and cooked sausages on a pitch fork (really cool) while conversing with some guys from Seattle and somewhere in Vermont who were visiting Sarah.

Even though we stayed for only six days they insisted we take a day off. Maude, a 19 year old city girl from Montreal was also wwoofing in order to improve her already impressive English so we all jumped in the car and drove about 40km on a dirt road to the top of a steep hike towards Keyhole hot springs. After some major searching we finally found the spot. Along the edge of a white rapids river there is boiling hot water that runs down the rocks, and people have cemented stones together to form pools as well as taps which can be turned on and off to regulate temperature. One pool was above the river by 10 feet or so and was as hot or hotter than a hot tub, and the other pool had a border directly along the river so it was luke warm. Needless to say we had a blast. Maude is so fun to be around and this experience with her was one of many good times. Gotta get some pics up on facebook but am a 15 minute hike from the car which contains camera wires and stuff.

The last night at Rootdown the girls prepared all kinds of pizza and we had a massive feast. We were sad to have to wake up the next day and hit the road. I admire them so much for their work ethic and selflessness. I’ve gained such an appreciation for the food we eat because so much goes into it. I’m sure we’ll be back to Rootdown someday.

The next four days of our journey were absolutely insane. I knew I would love Vancouver before I got there but had no idea how much.

After a few hours of driving we made it to the city and were immediately in awe. The girls at Rootdown gave us some contacts at the UBC Farm so we made it a priority to stop by. We needed to see the rewards of the tireless efforts many people have made to get that farm going. It is directly off of the established campus so the land is valuable (~$250 M), and investors tried to make it a generic housing project. Luckily people like Andrew Rushmere recognize the dire need for agricultural research and helped convince the school to allow the project. Going back to the pictures on my camera there are blueberries, a children’s garden, a maya garden, a harvest hut, chickens, honey bees, and many other crops, to name a few signs captured in one of the pictures.

After an afternoon of exploring UBC, some of Stanley Park and downtown Vancouver we met up with Andrew, a friend of Justin through his master’s program. We grabbed some food to bring back to his place and relaxed by the pool. Andrew lives with his parents on the West End in beautiful house overlooking...everthing. We were all tired so we took it easy and planned out our next day of hiking and evening of city-life. The timing couldn’t have been better. The city was putting on a free three day festival in Stanley Park celebrating the its 125 year anniversary, which showcased some of BC’s best musical talent as well as various sporting events and children’s activities. Long story short we headed to the city that Friday night and got to see The New Pornographers perform for free. The show was fantastic as well as the light show that accompanied it, and being one of Canada’s most popular bands internationally I’m so grateful to have seen them live.

The next day we had big plans to see the city and after checking out Cypress Mountain where some of the Olympics took place we decided to rent some bikes. We started by doing the coast of Stanley Park, which is massive, and then seeing the view from Lionsgate Bridge (Lionsgate Studios based the name on the bridge title). After that we went into the city and saw where the Canucks play, where the Lions play, and a lot of infrastructure from the Olympics. Having Andrew as a tour guide enhanced the experience for sure. We returned the bikes shortly after 5pm and hoofed it towards Stanley Park to see the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra perform many classics under the warm sun. It was so inspiring to see people of all ages gathering for such a powerful performance. The more I think about it the more amazed I am with this luck we’ve been having. Vancouver definitely exceeded all of my expectations. Andrew and his family treated us so well and we’re forever grateful.

On Monday, July 11th, we began our journey to Vancouver Island by catching the 10:30am ferry. Once on the island we stopped in Nanaimo for lunch before continuing up to Cumberland to stay with Peggy and Noel. Peggy is the daughter of my lovely Grandmother’s best friend Jean Lafontaine, and upon hearing about our journey she offered her contact information so we could have a place to stay while waiting to hear from our next organic farm. This was so much fun. Peggy took us for a walk through Cumberland while telling us some of its mining history. They served homemade burgers with toppings such as crispy bacon, acocado and Peggy’s corn relish. I’m pretty excited to add this to my arsenal when I begin to cook for myself again.

Later that night after some more great conversations we watched Second Hand Lions with Robert Duvall, Michael Caine and the little dude from The Sixth Sense and Pay It Forward. Definitely an enjoyable film which reminds you to stay young at heart.

The next morning we woke up, ate breakfast, talked for a bit then headed to the ferry(s) to go to Cortes Island. We had been told by Kohlev of The 12 Tribes (associated with Little Mountain Farm in Winnipeg which we wwoofed at) that Cortes Island is a must if we’re exploring the Gulf Islands so we had been planning it for a while.

Here’s some blind luck for ya. Turns out a spiritual mentor and great friend of Justin is visiting this island and told us some farms we could visit. One of them was Channel Rock, which has much more than the mind blowing gardens they boast. Here’s a blurb from their website:

“ At Channel Rock, you’ll live close to the earth and sea and sky. Located on a spectacular 140-acre conservancy of mature forest and mossy bluffs along a long expanse of breathtaking coastline, Channel Rock is a living example of sustainability. The facilities have been artistically constructed with all natural materials, carefully harvested from the surrounding area, and ring the extensive permaculture garden and heritage orchard. Drawing from what the land itself offers, Channel Rock is completely off the grid, and relies primarily on solar power. This protected place offers us the opportunity to viscerally sink into a hopeful vision of a sustainable future and offers us a new definition of luxurious that is far more nourishing in its earthly elegance. ”

I’m finishing this blog post from here, but have already compiled way too many experiences for one post so will make time while I’m here to reflect. Thanks for reading. I miss you all so much and am looking forward to seeing you when I do.

Love, Ryan.

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