August 11-12, 2014 – Campbell River, BC (continued)

We woke Tuesday morning to more sunshine and a forecast of much warmer weather – Yeah!  This is the first time we have been able to wear shorts since we left Nanaimo.  After a delicious breakfast of toast with cocoa honey we took advantage of the great weather and headed to the Mt. Washington Ski Resort.  We rode the chairlift to the top of Mt. Washington to do some hiking.

We started on the Sea View Trail and got a nice view of some lakes in Strathcona Provincial Park which is adjacent to the ski area.

Farther down the trail we got a great view of the Discovery Passage and the mountains on mainland British Columbia.

After we finished the Sea View Trail we headed up the Top of the World Trail which goes to the top of Mt. Washington.  After a short ways Nancy decided to not continue as her knees were hurting so Rex headed to the top alone.  He had a beautiful view of the ski resort below and the beautiful mountains in the distance.

We met back at the chair lift and rode it back down the mountain.  About halfway down was the “bra tree” - we have seen a hat tree and a shoe tree but this tops them all.

When we got to the bottom we had a great lunch at Ted’s Bar & Grill in the main lodge.  This is the beautiful view from the deck while we were eating lunch.

After lunch we drove a short distance to Strathcona Provincial Park which was designated in 1911 and is British Columbia’s first Provincial Park.   We hiked the Paradise Meadows Loop Trail – about a 3 km hike.  This is a beautiful trail mostly on a boardwalk so it is handicap accessible.

We had to stop and wait for four birds that were eating in the trail.  They finally flew off and we were able to continue.

We crossed this beautiful little creek a number of times.

This beautiful little pool was at one of the creek crossings - we could see some small trout swimming around.

This was a beautiful short hike and a great way to end the afternoon.

After dinner we rode our bikes along the path to the end of the spit.  A sign along the trail was about the Tyee Pool and the Tyee Club.  When the Salmon are running the fishermen jostle for the favored positions on the Tyee Pool in hopes of catching one and gaining membership into the Tyee Club of BC.  The Tyee Club was formed in 1924 and club rules dictate that the salmon must be caught from a boat that is being rowed or paddled.   The gear, a single hook (barbless since 1998) attached to an artificial lure and 20 lb. test line, represents a significant handicap when your quarry is a salmon weighing over 30 lbs.  Tonight there are only a few boats fishing the Tyee Pool – other nights we have seen 15-20 boats.

There are a couple of nice parks along the spit with lots of benches to sit and watch the boats on the Discovery Passage.   Just down from the RV Park is a First Nations cemetery with many of the graves marked by totem poles.  These totem poles were beautifully carved and painted.

There are no cruise ships scheduled to pass by tonight but, hopefully, we will get to see one tomorrow night.

Wednesday was another beautiful sunny day and we drove a short distance north of Campbell River to Elk Falls Provincial Park.  On the way to the overlook and suspension bridge we could see the upper falls.

Then we caught sight of the suspension bridge which hangs 64 m (209 ft 11.6 in) above the Campbell River canyon floor.

Rex walking across the bridge – Nancy even managed to get across to take this picture.

What a great view of beautiful Elk Falls from the middle of the bridge.

Another spectacular view from a different viewpoint.

After enjoying the waterfall we hiked a couple of short loop trails – one followed the Campbell River upstream from Elk Falls.  There were many small waterfalls and lots of rapids along this section of the river.  This beautiful pool in a calm section show the emerald green color of the water.

Deer Falls was the last waterfall we saw before the trail looped back up the hill towards the parking lot - a lot smaller than Elk Falls but just as beautiful.

When we got back to the parking lot we headed west to the north entrance to Strathcona Provincial Park.  We stopped and ate a picnic lunch beside Buttle Lake.

Across the road from our picnic area was a short loop trail to Lupin Falls.  The trail wound through a beautiful, mossy old growth forest.   Another beautiful waterfall.  

There were lots of other trails in this area but after hiking yesterday and today we are both tired and decided to go home.  We need to do some grocery shopping and start getting ready to leave Campbell River tomorrow. 

Cody has started putting weight on his sore leg – Yeah!  He still limps and when he walks fast he doesn’t put weight on the leg but when he is standing or walking slow he uses his leg.  We saw a float plane land in the river estuary out our back window.  We really enjoyed our time here in the Campbell River area.  We feel like we have just scratched the surface of what there is to do here and will have to come back to see and do more.