San Jo

When we first arrived at Bryce and Myra's, they were giving us suggestions on what to see and do. They both agreed heading out to Cape Scott Provincal Park was a must. After tossing around possible options in the park, we decided a 2.6 km easy walk in to San Josef Bay, where there would be tent sites, bear caches, and compost toilets, was the winner. We'll tackle the 26 km hike to Cape Scott next time! 

And it seemed as though we had made a good decision when at dinner one night Myra said, "Did Bryce tell you San Jo is where we got married?" Umm, what? I guess if you and 120 of your closest friends are willing to drive 2 hours on windy, bumpy roads, then hike 45 minutes through the forest, it must be a pretty special place.

Our adventure to San Jo definitely ranked number 1 in our North Island adventures, and that's saying a lot given all of the amazing sites we explored. 

Our two day excursion started where else but  the Port Hardy grocery store, to buy what other than a tomato, a bag of chips, and a 6 pack of ... danishes. Being well supplied (again mostly from Myra's pantry), we started driving west on the road to Holberg. Bryce gave us driving instructions: pull over for experienced locals (faster drivers), use the pull-outs when you meet a logging truck, watch for potholes, make sure you have a spare in case you get a flat, and the 60 km will probably take about 1.5 hours. Holy crap - maybe we should drive the excavator if its that bad!

Along the bumpy, gravelly, dusty way, we found the stops Myra suggested. The Shoe Tree was the first. It's a massive tree with piles of shoes on and around it. It was started many pairs ago when a hiker, returning from Cape Scott, nailed their mud soaked, irrepairable hikers to the tree. This tradition kinda caught on and now Google maps even recognizes it. A snazzy pink Crock caught Gayle’s eye, but unfortunately there was no mate. Sad 😔. 

Thank gosh Gayle’s tears had dried by the time we arrived at the Nahwitti trailhead as we had a massive Sitka Spruce to find. After about a 10 minute walk and 100 beautiful trees, we found it. Pictures don't do it justice. This tree was massive, and as it towered above, it had such a powerful, calming effect. It truly was magnificent.

We clamoured back to the car, passed through Holberg, and carried on to find Ronning's Garden. Back in In 1910, Norwegian settler Bernt Ronning established a homestead near the uncompleted San Josef Wagon Road. While most local settlers eventually abandoned the area, Ronning remained until the early 1960s, hunting, trapping, fishing, and clearing over five acres of rainforest. There, he built his house and created a dream wilderness garden using exotic seeds, cuttings, and plants ordered from around the world. It was wild to find daffodils, rhododendrons, and monkey puzzle trees in the middle of nowhere!

Our next stop was the penultimate - the Cape Scott Provincial Park parking lot. We were a wee bit shocked by the 30+ vehicles, and optimistically convinced ourselves they were not destined for San Jo Bay. We hoisted up the loaded back packs, honestly dropped our $10/person camping fee in the slot, and hiked down the trail. Forty-three minutes later we were greeted by an expansive sand beach that skirted a gorgeous bay. Hello paradise!

There were several available tent sites available, so we chose one with a sheltered fire pit, a table, and a fantastic view of the ocean. We did manage to reno the site with a few upgrades: bench seating, extended table, dry firewood, and a well positioned tarp. Bear Grills would be proud!

That afternoon we explored the sea stacks, but the real prize came the next morning when we were able to investigate the tidal pools and Beach Two at low tide. Myra had tipped us off, so we felt a bit like locals when we spotted and named green anemomes, sea stars, limpets, barnacles, and rock fish. That feeling rapidly faded as I scrambled over a rock, looked up, and saw a black bear about 20 m away. Trying to be calm, I told Paul, grabbed my phone, and snapped a quick pic, as Paul called out, "Hey Bear", like Bryce told us to do. We stood our ground, facing the bear, as it slowly ambled toward the shoreline, and what seemed like toward us. Pretty sure my heart rate was 150 bpm, but to be honest, the young bear wasn't interested in us. If anything, it was annoyed we disrupted its breakfast hunt.

We explored the shoreline some more, collected fresh water to filter, carved our spoons, and of course ate our egg and chip sandwiches and danishes. On our drive home, we made a celebratory stop at the Scarlet Ibis in Holberg, the most remote pub on Vancouver Island. If you're ever in the area, get the chicken wings and fries. Seriously, they were no joke.

Our trip to San Jo was a definite highlight of our explorations on Vancouver Island. And unlike the road biker and SUV we passed on the way home, we avoided the dreaded flat tire. 20 km/h paid off!

A Moment in History

For one of our final adventures we decided to hike to the wreckage of Dakota 576 which crashed in 1944.

We drove about 15 minutes to the end of highway 19 - close to the ferry terminal that leads off to Prince Rupert. From there it's a moderate 30 minute hike up a road and then rooty up hill trail to the crash site. 

The plane and its three crew were on a training flight in poor weather conditions and missed the airport. Soon after they ran out of fuel and crashed into the side of the hill outside of Port Hardy.

When arriving at places like this, I am always struck by the emotional impact.  First, the plane is huge and remarkably well preserved - it immediately so feels out of place. It’s hard to describe having conflicting feelings of instant sadness and wow “this is cool” at the same time.

As we approached we saw a small cenotaph that identifies the Airmen and some details about the incident. It’s shiny stainless steel and sits in stark contrast with the weathered industrial aluminum shell of the fuselage.

Learning the names of 2 service men who died made me reflect on the tens of thousands of people who served during the wars and other conflicts. Many, like these two, never made it to battle, but took risks so great that it’s hard to even imagine.

We explored the wreckage, identifying the various wings, engine parts and tail fins. Each step a moment in time. Having been at another crash site few years ago, it was had not to compare.  We were happy that this one has not been plundered even though there are many small pieces that could easily have been carried out. 

A view from the side over the wing

From the back (tail wing missing)

Although the destination ended with some somber thoughts, I was glad to have experienced them and reminded myself of why we should all be proud to be Canadians. 

This is what the Dakota 576 would have looked liked in 1944.

Stories We Haven't Told You - BC Edition

It's our tradition to save a few short stories for you and pack them into one post. Here are the mini-stories from North Vancouver Island.

The Views Never Get Old

Everywhere we go we see hills, mountains, water and trees. It's really quite incredible - everything seems huge! We've mentioned the view from our trailer already. Just a we think we've seen it all - we find another angle and see a different perspective. This has been a very special part of this trip  

Egg and Chip Sandwiches

So it all started when we left home. We were only home for 4 days and had tried to use up what was in the fridge. We decided to boil the last of the eggs and pack up the last of few slices of bread to take for lunch while travelling. During our stopover in Calgary we peeled the eggs and mashed them onto the bread. We, somehow, acquired a bag of chips and boom - Egg and Chip sandwiches - Goooourrmey! Since Connaty farm has 18 happy laying hens (See below), we have loads of eggs and we've learned that Egg and Chip sandwiches are even better with a few slices of tomato. OMG. We'll not publicly admit how many times we have made them.

Grocery Stores

Let's start by saying there is lots of food to eat here. Bryce and Myra are so generous! But we never fail to end up in a grocery store. And for those of you that know us well, we love looking for grocery store deals. It’s a little embarrassing. We are ecstatic to report the IGA in Port McNeill has a reduced shelf - that is where we scored up half price lunch danishes not once, but twice! And we are the proud new holders of the Save on Foods membership card in Port Hardy. I mean, the salty caramel ice cream was only $4.77 for card carrying members!

Bryce

Our host, Bryce, deserves his own story, that's for sure. A 55 year old father and husband who flies water bombers to fight fires is just the start! He is a history buff and remembers everything. He tells stories from 30 years ago with so many details, you'd think they'd happened yesterday. He makes learning his life and never sweats the small stuff. He loves to surf, fix things and think about trees! He didn't graduate from high school, never went to college and he hosts school groups on his farm to help young people learn about the natural world. If you ever get a chance to meet him, you should.

The Chickens

Every dawn begins with a synchronized, feathered stampede as our 18 hens greet us the moment our boots hit the descending stairs. They march in tight, noisy formation to the door, loudly demanding to know what’s for breakfast—completely oblivious to the fact that they’ve eaten the exact same scratch for the last three years.

They crowd us like a group of grade one students until we feed them. We have a few clear favorites, starting with our resident "Broody Hen", who requires us to skillfully and carefully remove her off her treasured eggs with the stealth of an Indiana Jones swap. Then there's "Brown Chest," our resident escape artist who gracefully maneuvers through the fence line to the sweet, grassy hillside freedom beyond. After topping off the water bucket, the dependable "Pail Drinker" jumps up for her morning slurp. Gathering the the morning's bounty is the best part. Because these eggs are as fresh as it gets, we’ve been eating them at an alarming rate. The reality? We still haven’t gotten any better at peeling them when boiled. 

A Tale of Two Islands

After a little over a week of  "work" we had banked enough time to take a couple of days off. (Our WorkAway program asks for 20-25 hours of work per week.)  Bryce and Myra have generously insisted that we take time on nicer weather days to explore so we've worked some longer days to make up for it - not that Bryce or Myra care at all. 

On Wednesday, after feeding the chickens and gathering eggs, we packed the car with camping gear and food we raided from Myra's pantry and headed off to tour a couple of nearby islands. The east coast of Vancouver Island is dotted with small towns that have ferry service to many islands in the Queen Charlotte Strait. We made the 50 minute drive to Port MacNeill, grabbed a little more food (ok, mostly just chips), parked and walked onto the ferry to Alert Bay. (Honestly, we just made it - not enough experience reading ferry schedules, I guess).

The ferry service is routine, consistent and a normal part of life for Islanders. School children, commuters, travelers and service trucks travel back and forth daily. The 8:25 ferry had about 20 cars and a few pedestrians.  It was only about 9C so we opted to sit inside hoping to see some sea life over the next 40 minutes. 

Our destination was Alert Bay, a small fishing village and gateway to Cormorant Island. It is the home of the 'Namgis First Nation and members of serval other Kwakwakaʼwakw bands also live on the island. Our primary goal was to explore the U'mista Cultural Centre, as it was touted as an excellent experience by several people. 

It was amazing! Built on the site of the former St. Michael's residential school that operated until the 1970's, U'mista shares the history, culture and traditions of the First Nation's people. We were able to learn so much about the Potlatch ceremonies - which were banned in Canada from 1885 to 1951. In 1921, community members were jailed and the ceremonial masks, clothing and other items were confiscated by police in a raid. These items have been since returned and the Potlatch ceremonies, which are held in the "Big House" continue to be part of the community today.

After U'mista, we had time for a short hike to the board walk in a bog that we learned was created by a damn. (A failed attempted to provide a consistent water source for a fish cannery.)  We stopped briefly at the visitor's centre to get a post card and the very informative host told us so much more about the buildings along the shoreline. We walked back to the ferry terminal to catch a ride back to Port MacNeill, where we hustled to get the car and jump back on the ferry which was headed to Sointula on Malcom Island.

Sointula was founded in 1901 by a group of Finnish settlers who had been working in the coal mines in Nanaimo. They formed a company and made a deal with the BC government to settle Malcolm Island. Their leader inspired them to create utopian cooperative community that shared everything. (Today, we'd probably describe it as a cult.) By 1905 the operation went out of business and the leader left with some of his followers. Many of the original settlers remained and the community has a strong and proud Finnish heritage. Many Finnish people come to visit the island each year!

After landing we had lunch at what seemed like the one picnic table in town - in front of the post office. I am sure we were a bit of spectacle eating our sandwiches outside with our toques on!  After a stop at the visitor's centre to get some local details, we got a coffee and warmed up a little. (the only coffee shop / restaurant closed at 2:30). Undaunted by the cool, wet weather, we found ourselves on a long hike in the woods to a lake and managed to avoid the rain. 

Mal's Bog - Mal was Finnish, we ate a Danish - close enough?

We camped at Bere park on the north side of the island. Our goal was to have some whales come and say hi, but none of them got the memo so they missed us. We had another wonderful hike and found a whale viewing research station on the beach. 

The night was wet and cold - nothing like packing up a wet tent at 8C! Expecting rain, we visited the Sointula museum which has much of the history of the town and island. The community is now strongly arts focused with galleries, visitors and lots of retired folks who are taking on the slow island life. The oldest Coop store in Western Canada still operates there today. The rain stopped long enough for us to have another hike, but we got back too late for the coffee shop and ended up in the library as we waited for the ferry ride back to Vancouver Island.

We had a very nice two days of learning and hiking. We were quite happy to be back home in our warm and dry trailer - exhausted from not working!

Yes, We Are Working

Given that we've told you about hiking, kayaking, goose adoption and very little about our "work", you might have gotten the impression that we are secretly on vacation. Compared to Amazoonico and our normal lives we are definitely working at a much slower pace, however, there is always work to be done here.

One of our first jobs was to prepare some barrels to plant fig trees. The goal was to raise the temperature of their roots by potting them and putting them in a sunny and protected area. For us, this meant drilling drainage holes, making soil (compost, top soil, peat moss, lime and perlite), adding gravel and landscape fabric, raising and levelling the pots and transplanting the figs. We check the little trees every day and they seem to be doing fine in their new environment.

Another task was to plant about 400 nut trees in a nursery. Gayle helped Bryce with the digging and planting while I built cages to keep the birds and squirrels from digging up the nuts. Together, we secured the cages and closed up any possible access points. We now wait for the Walnuts, Monkey Puzzle, Burr Oak and Sweet Chestnut to start to grow. Bryce will find a place to plant them (probably as part of his partnership with local schools or as "graffiti" on some recently deforested land). 

Our biggest job so far was to ready the "middle" garden for planting. It's about 40 m long and 15 m wide and has been covered with plastic for the winter. We removed the tarps and spread some smelly compost and lime to restore so nutrients. Bryce used the tiller on the tractor to grind up the the garden while we removed rocks. Then we began some hard shoveling to trench the garden to create paths. At the end of the day we covered the garden with plastic again (black side up) to cook any seeds that might want to grow. Hopefully we'll help plant it in a week or two.

Most recently, we've updated our rock picking certification after Bryce spent a few hours knocking down an old pile of dirt, roots and rocks. Some rocks were so big that it took only 4 of them to fill the tractor bucket! Don’t worry, Gayle is a tank and handled them on her own!  The highlight was getting to operate the excavator! That was fun and sooo frustrating at the same time!

How To Poop at Connaty Farms

So many people were asking, so here it comes. Welcome to installment number 3 (you may be familiar with "number 2" - highlights from Ecuador) of our ongoing "How to Poop" series. Today, we’re taking a deep dive into the rustic glamour of the composting toilet at Connaty Farms on North Vancouver Island.

Forget what you know about dark, scary outhouses. We’re talking about an architectural marvel that puts your powder room at home to shame. Ok, that's a lie, but it sounded good.

Scenic Vibes and Sky Lights

This isn’t just a toilet; it’s a boutique experience. Featuring:

• Shingled sides for that classic West Coast aesthetic.

• Transparent roofing for "sky light effects," because why shouldn’t you be able to track the movement of the clouds while you... concentrate?

• A live soundtrack: Crows debating in the overhead trees and chickens down the hill loudly announcing their own "deliveries" (mostly eggs).

Initial Impressions

Upon arrival, the local wildlife had staged a coup. The spiders hadn't just moved in; they’d decorated. There was so much spider poop on the seat that it looked like they’d missed the hole entirely.

However, after a brisk encounter with some Lysol and a bit of "get out of my office" energy, the spiders have been relocated, and the throne has returned to its former glory.

No Water, No Flush

The compost design is a masterclass in low-tech efficiency. It features a pee trap that expertly syphons off "number 1," while—thanks to the laws of gravity and careful butt positioning—"number 2" drops satisfyingly straight down.

When the deed is done, don't look for a handle. Just grab the scoop and cover your contribution with a sprinkling of peat. It’s basically like being a giant cat, but with better scenery.

And there is no skimping on the essentials here. We’re talking quality Costco toilet paper and compostable wet wipes. Your backside deserves the executive treatment.

It's A Wee Bit Quirky

Even a palace has its quirks. If you're heading up for a morning session, keep these three things in mind:

1. Knee Room: If you have the legs of a professional basketball player, you might find your chin resting on your knees. It’s an intimate seating arrangement.

2. The Blackfly Fan Club: For some reason, the local blackflies are obsessed with the white seat. Whether they like the porcelain-colored plastic or your particular "white seat" remains a mystery, but expect an audience.

3. The 6 AM Wake-Up Call: At daybreak, that seat is... crisp. Nuff said.

Pooping at Connaty Farms is more than a biological necessity—it’s an outdoor adventure. It’s a place where you can commune with nature, dodge a few flies, and appreciate the simple joy of a well-aimed "drop" into the peat.

We haven't asked what happens when the poop chamber is full. Guess we'll be leaving that experience for the next work-aways. 

The Wild Goose Chase

On Wednesday we were keen to begin our day with our first round of morning chores. We'd been "trained" the day before and agreed with Bryce that we would take care of feeding the chickens, gathering the eggs and feeding the dog, Saxton, each morning. Since are now experience zoo keepers this was well within our areas of expertise (or at least experience!)

At about 8:30 we descended the stairs to the chicken pen to find Bryce already there! We were a little disappointed that he beat us to it (and that we had failed one of our first assignments).  We said good morning and we quickly learned that Bryce did not feed the hens. He had only come to drop off a gosling that Myra, his wife, had found on the road on the way to work. It was a lost little soul that was wandering on the side of the road and Myra picked it up and returned home to leave it in Bryce's care. 

One of the hens has been "brooding" lately so Bryce thought that since it's usually sitting on eggs she might sit on the little gosling as well. Seems Mrs. Hen was did not take to the squirmy little thing and flew the coup after a few minutes. The gosling spent the rest of the day in an incubator to keep warm. The new plan was to try to find a goose family to adopt him. 

After work, Gayle and I took a walk along the shore. Within seconds we saw the perfect candidates. Goose, gander and 4 little goslings swam up the river and landed on the shore across. Mom in the front and dad watching from the back. We noticed that there was another pair of geese on the shore as well.

We quickly hopped into the kayak and paddled across to see if we could find a nest. By the time we reached the shore we could see the family of geese in the trees and they didn't seem to be moving. We decided that it was time to take action and encourage an adoption.

We hustled back to the farm to share our idea with Bryce. He was all in so we rushed to the shed and put the little orphan in a box, loaded him in the kayak and started paddling.

We reached the other side and there were no geese to be found! Dang! We searched up and down the shore and found nothing. We aborted the mission and put our little orphaned friend back into the incubator.

As the afternoon turned into evening we checked numerous times to see if the goose family reappeared. They did not.

After dark, when all the chickens were in the coup, Bryce tucked the fuzzy gosling underneath the brooder once again. After 20 minutes things looked good so Bryce went back to the house.

The next morning the gosling was gone. Seems that hanging out with 18 hens was not it's "thing". It would have been an easy escape for it to get to the river and if the little goose family that lives close by heard him chirping along the shore that might have just picked him up. We'll let you know if we see a family with 5 little ones. 

Our New Home

Any time we go to a Wwoof or Work Away or Volunteer experience it takes a bit to get used to our new surroundings. While it's always a little uncomfortable at first, we find joy in figuring it out.

Here are some things that we are experiencing right now that we wouldn't be at home:

1. We live in a fifth-wheel trailer. It's our tiny home on wheels! It's older and surely not road worthy, but it's in good shape and has everything we need. There is a little quirk to get the hot water heater to work and the door doesn't shut easily. We've had a few cute little spiders (all spiders in Canada are cute and little compared to Ecuador!) In addition, we'd been advised by Bryce that we might get some mice so we set a few traps. One of them has disappeared. We haven't sorted that out, YET! And finally, the toilet...I'll definitely leave that one to Gayle as it's likely that she post a third installment about Number 2.

2. There are stunning views. We are located on a hill above Coal Harbour which is on Stephen's Bay. We can see the main wharf, the crab and prawn boats, float planes and mountains! The tides move in and out about every 6 hours so our view of the bay is never the same.

3.  There is wildlife everywhere. We see harbour seals almost every day and the deer are very tame. There are bald eagles, pine martens, sea otters and there was even a bear across the river from us. Our trailer is "inside the fence" which protects us (and the chickens) from invaders.

3. We eat breakfast in our trailer and lunches and dinners are with Bryce and Myra and sometimes their family. Bryce has a brain that is completely full of stories and local knowledge that he shares willingly. He and Myra have homesteaded this place from scratch and have travelled all over the world. Eating meals with them is always a fantastic learning experience. 

4. Our morning routine now includes feeding 18 chickens and Saxton the guard dog. We also gather the eggs and play with Saxton who lives with the chickens. From what we have seen, he takes his job very seriously and raises the alarm when any potential threats come near.

5. I make coffee in this thing.

6. And, from the "it's a small world" category, Bryce and Myra have an AirBnb Rental house just below us. It is currently be rented by a fairly famous Canadian Youtuber - Shane Kimber. We had a chat with him and discovered that Gayle has actually shown one of his videos in her class!

Working Away?

Our first official work day as WorkAways on May 4th arrived with an uncharacteristic beautiful forecast of sun and temperatures of 26C, so our hosts, Bryce and Myra told us to take the day off. Is that even a thing if we hadn't worked yet? Obedient and eager to please, we agreed, and drove off in search of the Tex Lyon trail head near Fort Rupert.  We were ready to explore the rugged coastline of the north shore of Vancouver Island.

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Hike 1: The Tex Lyon Trail

After a month of up and downs through the humid Amazon rainforest, we figured we were invincible. The "difficult" rating on AllTrails surely was nothing we couldn't handle.

Within five minutes, we were wedged inside a rock crevice, hauling our out-of-breath selves up a vertical wall. The trail didn't just have "sections"; it had "ropes of desperation." We puffed past the 2km mark only to find a sign essentially saying, "Good luck, the maintenance crew gave up here."

It was only when the undergrowth began to swallow us whole that we re-read the hike description. It wasn't a 7-kilometer hike. It was 7 miles. One way.

While Paul’s knees began a formal protest, we did find a stunning lookout. Islands dotting the foreground, snow-capped mountains in the distance—it was the kind of view that makes it all worth it.

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Hike 2: The Blinkhorn Trail

By day four, we’d managed a staggering two days of actual work. Naturally, the forecast called for future rain, so Bryce gave us the "get out of town" nod again. At this rate, we’ll be fired for over-relaxing.

After a tactical supply run in Port McNeill—where we secured our lunch essentials: bread, tomatoes, chips, and half-price Danishes—we hit Telegraph Cove.

I like to think of myself as an "aware" hiker (others may call it 'nervous' or 'panicky'). Bryce assured us there were "only" black bears around here, but the local sign for "Grizzly Tours" suggested otherwise. I had just managed to lower my bear-radar when we stumbled upon a pile of scat so fresh it practically had a heartbeat. New radar level: MAXIMUM.

The trailhead warned of "downed trees." In Ontario, that’s a twig you step over. In BC, a downed tree is a multi-story apartment complex made of bark. We crawled under, over, through, and eventually retreated to the beach to bypass these wooden monsters. It wasn't hiking; it was an untelevised episode of American Ninja Warrior.

After about 2 hours we reached the island link at low tide (purely by "expert" accidental planning) and scrambled across to the final lookout. We were greeted by:

1. Two very curious and playful sea lions.

2. A tide pool gala of sea urchins and limpets.

3. Three pine martens who played tag around us while we ate our "gourmet" tomato and chip sandwiches. They were delicious, just in case you were wondering. 

If there is one thing we’ve learned about North Vancouver Island so far, it’s that the trees are bigger than big, and a "difficult" rating doesn't lie.

After our return to the car, we did enjoy our half price danish treat and agreed that we’d take "obediently" skipping work for that any day of the week.