Q.B. = Qualicum Beach

Sunshine Coast 2013

the gang

For the past few years, we have spent the Labour Day weekend with 2 other couples (Evie and Kevin, and Elke and Paul), at a townhouse in Whistler. Evie, Steve's sister, thought it would be nice to change locations this year, and to move the dates to avoid the long weekend traffic. Well we set off to discover a new long weekend retreat. From the Gulf Islands, to Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast were all in the running. The property didn't need to have much, just: waterfront, sleeps 6, indoor plumbing and a bar-b-que, not a difficult task for our rental finding guru, Steve. Once again he came through with our new favourite beach front getaway. 

Our little secret.

The cottage is on the waterfront, just a few minutes north of Sechelt, on the Sunshine Coast. Allowing extra time for the ferry line up, it took 3 hours to get from home to heaven. While the property was a rustic cottage, it had everything we needed. It wasn't long after our arrival that we made our way down the beach stone path to the edge of our Mecca, the water. The purchase of water shoes from Walmart for $7.00 was the best money we have ever spent. The beach was a combination of small pebbles, to larger smooth rocks, but with the water shoes, and $3.00 air mattresses from Target, we were in our element. The water was cool, but by the end of our stay, it began to feel like bath water. Upon arriving home, we realized we have no pictures of any of us frolicking in the surf. 

Evenings were spent collecting drift wood for our fire. Here we watched the sun set, the stars come out, the cruise ships slide by and the shooting stars shower us. The fire was also our dessert, as we perfected the smore. We started with the classic and progressed through some new variations using brownies. It was all a sweet treat. Now just what to do with the left over marshmallows.  

Friday we went north on the peninsula to discover the Skookumchuk Narrows Provincial Park.

This park was established in 1957. Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park provides trails and viewing areas for visitors who wish to experience the awesome power of incredibly turbulent tidal rapids. On a 3 metre tide, 200 billion gallons of water flow through the narrows connecting Sechelt and Jervis Inlet.

The difference in water levels between one side of the rapids and the other sometimes exceeds 2 metres in height. Current speeds can exceed 30km/hr. The rapids are famous for their spectacular whirlpools and whitewater.

Skookumchuck Narrows

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/skook_narrows/

It is an hour north of Sechelt and then once in Egmont, and then it is a 4 km hike to the narrows. When looking at the rushing ebbing tide, it is hard to remember that it is not a river flowing in front of you, but the tide going out from the Sechelt Inlet. Our next trip would be to see the flood tide flowing in; it is an early morning or late evening event. 

Our Beach Walk

By the evening fire

So back at the cottage, we spent our time on the variety of beach chairs, in and out of the water, walking along the shore, and enjoying great food and company. It turned out to be the best of our weekends away, and we are already planning to come back. You can, with any luck, view the pictures at the following link:
http://flickr.com/gp/vernandsteve/5d6wvQ/

Okanagan Getaway

Bridal Falls

This past Victoria Day weekend, we passed on the ferry and border line ups and headed up to the Okanagan. We took the slow way with stops in Bridal Falls (a short hike up to the falls), Manning Park Lodge for a quick break and a snack, shopping in Hedley, gas in Keremeos, lunch in Penticton, and finally our B&B. The Eagles Nest is located in Carrs Landing, about 20 minutes north of Kelowna. The B & B was wonderful, with a fantastic view down the hill to Lake Okanagan.  We settled in and tested out the hot tub, which was great after the 6 hour drive. Our hosts had recommended many restaurants in the area, and we settled for the local pub which was right on Wood Lake. The food was ok, but it was a great location, and close to our B&B. 

The next morning, after a big breakfast of eggs benedict, we headed up to the top of a hill. From the view point, we could see Lake Okanagan, Wood Lake and Elison Lake. It was well worth the effort. We were lucky as we misread a trail sign and were about to head back, but along came another hiker, who pointed out our mistake. 

The afternoon took us to 3 wineries: 50th Parallel, Gray Monk and Intrigue. Our lunch was at the small OK Patio Cafe. It is part of the Lake Country Museum. The lakeside location made for a great lunch before we tackled the Gray Monk winery. 

View of Lake Country

At all three wineries, we were met by very accommodating staff who showed off their wines and further educated us. We discovered Pinot Grigio, as well as Gamy Noir as well as an expensive bottle of Pinot Noir, which we are saving for a special occasion.

After our winery tours, we stopped in to buy some cheese and crackers, and headed back to the B&B to enjoy the first bottle of our cache. Our dinner later that evening was in a Greek restaurant and then a stroll along Wood Lake.

Enjoying our wine

Sunday took us into Kelowna for a wander through the Mission District and then on to downtown. The waterfront was alive with weekenders and the weather was perfect. We picked up Subway sandwiches for a roadside picnice, but there were no pull offs along the Okanagan Connector, so we found our own just outside of Merrit. From there it was downhill home after a great weekend away.