Vancouver Island

Saturday 4 th August

We have just returned to Port Alberni after a four day camping trip to Strathcona Provincial Park in the north of Vancouver Island about 250km north of Nanaimo. Lynne and I took the Camper Van courtesy of Michael and Darlene and it served us very well.

Buttle Lake

The campsite was at the southern end of Buttle Lake on the banks of the Ralph River.

A Stella Blue Jay waiting for breakfast

The site was surrounded by giant Cedar , Alder and Douglas Fir trees with undergrowth of Huckleberry, Kinnanick, bunchberries and sword fearns to the extent that we could not see the neighboring sites. Facilities were limited to drop toilets, benches and tablest plus a fire place each.



The lake was surrounded by 6,000ft mountains with the odd patch of snow still holding out under the summer sun.

Lynne with one of the many trees felled to clear the walking track.

We passed the time with walks through pristine forest where fallen trees are left to rot and form new soil for the constantly changing undergrowth. At times we would come across a stream glistening green under the patches of sun that forced through the high growth.



A visit to the upper and lower Myra Falls was a real treat. Millenniums of slow wear by the constant flow of water had carved large and small pockets where still water provided a drinking pond or a whirl pool in which large logs circled aimlessly while waiting for the next high water to escape.



The upper fall was reached via one hour walk up through the forest and I was pleasantly surprised to find a couple at the fall who had spent some time teaching in Adelaide in the 1970's. 

Another day we drove out to Gold River to visit the Upana river caves but lost our way and gave up after having only visited the town and small port where logs were being formed into log booms to be towed to ports south.