We left home at 9 am heading north up the Malahat Highway. We stopped at our favourite bakeries for cinnamon buns. True Grain Bakery in Cowichan Bay for Keith and The Garage in Duncan for me, where I like their sweet potato and ancient grains bun.
We arrived in Lake Cowichan late morning. We’d never been there before but heard about it from friends. It didn’t disappoint! The lake is huge and scenic, surrounded by rolling hills and the water is warm! It reminded us of Lake Okanagan.
It’s popular to rent a tube and float down the Cowichan River. We saw a group with a “Cooler Carrier” full of beer in tow!
The north island is timber country. There was a steady stream of logging trucks on the road. A Museum in town has old trains that carried logs to the mill and a “Molly” car that carried the loggers. Trains haven’t operated in Vancouver Island for over 30 years.
We continued north, stopping in Chemainus, a cute little town which is home to giant wall murals. We hadn’t visited there for over 10 years!
We drove out to Englishman River Falls. I’d camped there 30 years ago with my daughters. I remembered being in awe of the huge Douglas Firs swaying in the wind around our tent. Such good memories!
We finished off the day at our hotel on the beach in Parksville. People were swimming and paddle boarding. The ocean is warmer here than in Victoria due to the narrower channel between the island and the mainland. We had a lovely dinner including the original “Tim Bit Dungeness Crab Cakes” while watching seals frolic in the ocean! Delicious! 😋
The end of a full day exploring old and new places! Walking a labyrinth and watching the sunset!
Stepping off the Edge 
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