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USA/Canada Program
Rolling the Islands of the Salish Sea
Photo essay: Rolling the Islands of the Salish Sea: Chemainus
Sidney to CHEMAINUS (50km, 30mi) (plus ferry ride)
Points of interest: Sidney, Swartz Bay, Salt Spring Island, Japanese, Sikh
and Hawaiian heritage, St Anne’s Church, Chemainus
Sailing through the Canadian Gulf Islands on BC Ferries.
From
Swartz Bay, you arrive on Salt Spring Island at Fulford, a settlement with a
couple of shops and a ferry dock. The neighborhood's historical site is St Anne Church, founded in 1880, dedicated in 1885. The adjacent cemetery has Hawaiians,
African-Americans, and Japanese, reflecting the early multi-racial composition
of the citizenry built-up the
island in the late 1800's. It is a rich history that seems to have been largely lost in Salt
Spring Island's rush to commercialism.
It
doesn't take long to begin to understand the rural-progressive contemporary
character of Salt Spring Island. The signs along the road announce;
"pesticide free golf coarse", "organic hops", "free range chicken eggs",
"environmental farm", "rural yoga center", "artist studios" and so much more.Salt Spring Island has over 60 bed & breakfasts, another 60 self-catering cottages, uncounted campgrounds, resorts, hotels and inns, more than 40 residential art studios and various specialty farms (organic, cheese, lavender, vineyard (below left), llama (below), aquafarm, etc). The community event board on the Fulford Community Center reads simply "True Love" (below right)
In some sections it seems like every other house had a shingle out front
promoting some kind of good or service. The one to the left stood out
because it was creative, utilized a bicycle and was non-commercial.Staying with the bicycle theme for just a moment: To the right, the touring group's bicycles are parked under a tree in Ganges, Salt Spring Island, while we picnicked out on the lawn.
Ganges
is the commercial hub of Salt Spring Island, though maybe not the spiritual
soul. The architecture is faintly western facade over strip-mall modern
structures.
Between the buildings are wide streets dominated by automobiles.
Outside of Ganges, most of the roads on Salt Spring Island are narrow, but the volume of cars sufficient to erode away at the otherwise idyllic ambience. To their credit, with only the rarest exception, the drivers on the island are extraordinarily courteous and patient to bicyclists and pedestrians. The sign on the left, with the skidding bicycle is new to me and a bit of a hoot.
Don't jump to
any conclusion that Salt Spring Island is out-of-touch with contemporary
culture. Salt Spring Cinema, which sets up at the Central Hall (built in
1896) (right), was introducing the local population to "Harry Potter and Deathly
Hallows 2" at the same time the rest of the world was seeing the cinematic
release -- the summer of 2011.
Besides bicycling, another popular activity in the Canadian Golf Islands is kayaking. There is probably a company on every island that can set you up for a tour of several hours, an overnight, or a multi-day trip.
The photo (right) is of picking blackberries in the morning, but these ladies didn't restrict themselves to morning hours for plucking the succulent morsels. The cry "BLACKBERRIES" was heard at all times of the day, at which time all other activities (namely bicycling) ceased and they were back reaching and arching into, or hopefully, slightly over, the foliage. The blackberries ripen at the end of July and last for about a month.
On the west
side of the island Vesuvius fulfills the role that Fulford serves on the south
end -- it is a ferry dock, cafe and a few adjacent shops.But all is not well in paradise. Both near Fulford Harbor and Vesuvius, the large, old pubs are shuttered (right). On Salt Spring Island, if you want to share a brew with some friends, and want it served to you, you'll have to head to Ganges.
Georgina Point Lighthouse
In 1967, BC Ferry passengers saw what they claimed to be a mermaid sitting on
rocks at the entrance to Active Pass. Reports indicated that the mermaid had
long blonde hair, the lower body of a porpoise and was sitting on the rocks
eating a salmon. Photos taken by a man in an aircraft support the ferry
passengers' description. The best that I could manage was seal hauled out on the
rocks at Georgina Point. If you have better luck you can see orcas passing
through.
Mayne Island Japanese Garden
The
Mayne Island Japanese Garden was developed to commemorate the Japanese families who
settled on Mayne Is. From 1900 to 1942. The Japanese community eventually
comprising a third of the island's population. They provided more than half of
its economy. With the
outbreak of hostilities with Japan they were forced to leave in 1942. The school closed for lack of students. With their properties expropriated and their possessions sold very few returned to the island, yet close friendships were
maintained and still endure. These friendship led
to the
creation of the Japanese garden which was created
by
volunteer and donations. The garden includes a pond, lanterns, bridges, paths
and dozens of varieties of plants.
There
must be a very health deer population on Mayne Island because you can't seem to
take an early morning or late afternoon ride without seeing at least one, and
more likely a half dozen, of the animals.
Sunset and sunrise on
Active Pass from Mayne Is.
Crofton, BC
"Each day approximately 25 million cubic meters of exhaust gases leave the
Crofton paper mill, carrying with them roughly 1500 kg of fine particulate
matter, 4500 kg of sulphur dioxide, 2500 kg of volatile organic compounds, 2500
kg of methanol, 1000 kg of hydrochloric acid, etc. The plume also contains some
of the most dangerous substances known to life: dioxins and furans, chlorine
dioxide, formaldehyde, lead, and hexavalent chromium." (Source: Environment Canada's National Pollution Release Inventory (NPRI)
2003; data supplied by NorskeCanada.)
Just
north of the Crofton paper mill, the land transforms back into bucolic nature.
The landscape mostly alternate between farmland and forest. The entire
area was logged recently enough that there are no grand forests in the area, but
the trees are starting to get some height and form a green canyon for the road.
Chemainus mural
Chemainus
is known for its historical murals. The project was started in 1982. There
are now more than 35 murals and 13 sculptures depicting the towns history,
economy, ethnic diversity, cultural activities and civic leaders.
One
of the lodging options in Chimainus is the Horseshoe Bay Inn, established in
1892 -- complete with the "Shoe Pub." This road house, with the exception of
the electricity, CRT television and some indoor plumbing, looks and feels like
it has hardly been change since, which is good.
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