Shortly after arriving at Outer Shores Lodge, I asked Scott if there was an agenda or schedule that would be followed each day and he answered that each morning at breakfast he would come up with a list and time for activities based on the day’s weather, tides and people’s interests. We would be free to join in or do our own thing. A show of hands was needed for certain activities that were limited by gear availability or space and those were repeated throughout the day so all 13 of us could partake if we wanted (e.g. kayaking, boat outings). I really appreciated the easy-breezy and casual-ness of it all! It immediately relaxed me.
Each day went something like this:
6:30 am Cold breakfast (granola, yogurt, fruit bowl) was set out by the beverage station (always stocked with coffee, tea, cold beverages and 3 jars kept topped up with homemade cookies!).
8:30 am Hot breakfast is served.
Morning activities
12:00 pm Lunch is served.
Afternoon activities
At some point in the afternoon, delicious snacks (like Outer Shores Lodge’s flapjack bars!) magically appeared at the beverage station.
5:00 pm Appetizers were laid out. Did I mention the cold drinks at the beverage station included beers and coolers as well as soft/non-alcoholic drinks? Wine was also available upon request.
6:00 pm Dinner is served, with a choice of two wines. Usually accompanied by Scott entertaining us with some of his vast knowledge of the area and its history, plus some suggestions for our group as to how the following day could unfold, activity-wise.
Evening – various activities depending on weather, availability of people (e.g. outdoor talks on the night sky, musical entertainment or subject experts brought in, etc.).
Some people started their day at the property’s natural cold plunge pool (bottom left corner), followed by a visit to the Lodge’s steam shower or hot tub.
Shore Walk – the first morning Scott took us on a low-tide walk right outside the lodge, showing us the natural wonders at our feet and explaining the tidal eco-system in funny and immediately graspable ways.
We saw so many beautiful sea stars on this walk, as well as many crustaceans and other sea life.
Kayaking – The Lodge has 6 kayaks for guest use. A guide must accompany you if you want to leave the inlet (insurance requirement); otherwise you can take them when you like and explore the inlet on your own.
The Lodge supplies its guests with 12 foot Delta kayaks, for our kayaking pleasure!Some of my group getting ready to leave the inlet and go exploring. We saw a mama black bear and 2 cubs when we visited a salt marsh! I didn’t take any more photos as I’d forgotten my waterproof phone case for this trip and was getting a bit nervous I could drop/lose my phone.
Snorkelling – the Lodge provides a full range of gear for snorkelers who didn’t bring their own. All 13 of us geared up and went into the water at the same time – from the youngest among us up to the octogenarians!
Here is a photo of (almost) all of us, ready to explore the underwater world just a few steps away. Sara Ellison is in the front wearing the red weight belt (her husband Jon Willis – fellow astrophysicist and snorkeler – is behind her). Photo by Scott Wallace
Here’s some underwater footage I shot with my GoPro. There was a bit of wave action pushing me around!
Still smiling at this point – started to feel queasy from all the wave action shortly thereafter so I headed to the nearby kelp forest, where it was a bit calmer (next video).
Some video of the crabs hanging out in the kelp.
Lucky me! Sara Ellison photobombed my video. Maureen Scott took this gorgeous photo of a nudibranch. Note to self: need better camera and free-diving gear!!!
As this post is getting a bit long, I will stop here. To be continued in the next: Night skies, boat tours, hiking etc.!
Last month, we celebrated Thanksgiving at my little place – my first (and hopefully not the last) formal-ish dinner since I moved to this property. I was a little worried about people’s comfort – squeezing 5 people around a small round table, but it all worked out.
Thanksgiving for my family is not about the fairy story of the Natives helping the invaderscolonizers white Europeans survive and sharing food with them and everyone co-existing happily ever after. I think that’s more of an American thing. I don’t know what the origins of Canadian Thanksgiving are. Maybe we saw what our neighbours were doing and thought: Hey, an autumn feast is a great idea but let’s move it up so it’s not so close to Christmas, OK? I dunno. For us it’s a simple celebration of the season’s bounty and feeling thankful for all that we have – food on the table, a warm house, friends and family.
The table set-up.
I had invited Donna and Richard to join Jemma, Kevin and I for dinner. Of course Bowser was there – and I had cooked the giblets from the turkey just for him!
But first, appetizers!
Bowser: Did someone say cheese? Photo by DonnaClose-up of appetizer tray I put together.
I’m so glad I invited Donna – not only because she is a great friend, but because she remembers to take photos!!! 🤣
And she brought her fabulous homemade cranberry sauce (pictured above with the gravy and the cut up turkey). I couldn’t steal find the recipe on her blog so you’ll have to ask her for it, if interested! Photo by DonnaThe sides: Mashed potatoes made by Jemma and Kevin, stuffing flavoured with sage and onions from my garden, squash from my garden, and green and yellow pole beans from my garden. Celebrating the harvest in a very personal way! Photo by DonnaI didn’t make a trifle this time, but I did make a loaf of our favourite rustic bread. Two desserts also graced the table: a gluten-free pumpkin pie (and the best I’ve ever tasted!) from Wild Poppy Bakery in Ladysmith, and gluten-free Oreo cheesecake bites (made by me from a recipe in Costco magazine – basically the same as Donna’s recipe here). Photo by DonnaAnd here’s proof we all fit around the table. Photo by Donna
Please check out Donna’s post here, where she blogs about another October celebration – Halloween!
And please feel free to join us, either in the Comments or by joining the Link Party, or both!
Photos taken the same weekend as last Sunday’s post.
The rain just kept on coming – non-stop for 3 days! We were lucky to not have to go anywhere and to not experience any flooding. Unfortunately, a lot of people on the mainland were flooded out by the atmospheric river.
But for us, it was a couch potato weekend, for sure. My daughter sent me these photos of their Sunday morning with Bowser.
Lounging on the couch, slowly coming to life on this rainy morning.Mommy is amusing herself by styling Bowser’s hair.Bowser does not look very amused.Going down for another nap is his defence maneuver, I guess! 🤣
Hopefully you have drier weather where you are and can get off the couch!
How indeed? Literally and figuratively. After all, I have never gone away on a experiential vacation like this alone before – I’ve always had a friend (or two) to join me. See here and here for my last one, with my friends Joanne and Judith.
It started with this book….no wait…it actually started waaaaay back in my ocean-deprived childhood in southern Ontario. When I would read picture books about exploring the tidal pools of the sea shore, and the gorgeous, strange (to me) sea life to be found in and around those waters. That led to me trying to replicate the experience in the many lakes and rivers in my home province. It wasn’t summer unless I was in the water somewhere, exploring the shoreline with my kiddie-version mask, snorkel and fins. Mom had presciently signed me (and later my sisters) into swim lessons as early as humanly possible, so she could rest easy while I disappeared into the water for hours on end, only to come back ashore when my stomach begged for food.
Now that I’ve gotten settled on Vancouver Island I’ve been thinking about how to explore the rich (and cold) ocean waters of my new home, safely and year-round. Snorkelling in Barbados is great fun, but what about the other 50-ish weeks of the year, hmmm?
As I was saying, earlier this year I came across this book one day at my local grocery store:
Can you hear the choir of angels singing? I can.
If you are at all interested in exploring the rich waters surrounding Vancouver Island without having to invest in uber-spendy scuba lessons and gear, this is THE BOOK you need. Sara covers gear, safety and destinations around the island in a way that is easy for even a relative beginner to this type of snorkelling like me to understand.
In the summer (I think), I came across a Facebook page in my online travels, called Snorkellers of BC and immediately signed up. I’d been living vicariously through enjoying seeing what people were posting about locations and their underwater finds. I’d done a few snorkels with the grandkids at local beaches and a river by this point, but none of the locations from the book as my garden chores (amongst other things) were keeping me ashore. Note to self: design Garden 2025 to be better able to withstand my absences!
Then I saw a fabulous post – loaded with stunning underwater pictures of marine life – from someone who was staying at a place called Outer Shores Lodge, in Bamfield. I googled Outer Shores Lodge so fast I didn’t even register that the poster was THE Sara Ellison until much, much later. And that is when I came across the description of the upcoming Stars and Sea Stars featured lodge stay, and I was hooked! Snorkelling AND learning about the night sky?!? Yes, please!
After a few email conversations with the lodge’s very personable owner and host, Scott Wallace, I was booked. And counting the days until my departure in early October. I had decided that this trip was going to be my 65th birthday gift to myself – after all, it is kind of a momentous birthday, isn’t it? 😉
The drive from Port Alberni to Bamfield was pretty spectacular, and I only came across a couple of other vehicles on my journey along this newly-paved logging access road. I felt like I had it almost entirely to myself. No cell service, and my GPS had no idea this road existed… but it was well-marked and the day was fine so I wasn’t worried. Only a short couple of weeks later during an atmospheric river event, 2 people lost their lives on this road when they were swept (in their vehicles) into the then-raging Sarita River – a sombre reminder to respect the weather because Mother Nature ultimately rules, especially on the remote areas of this land.
View of the Alberni Inlet from the Bamfield Road.
After a relaxing 90 minute drive (3 hrs in total from my house), I arrived in East Bamfield and brought my luggage and gear to the dock, as instructed. Here I met most of the other guests (aka my new best friends!) for this stay, as we awaited Scott’s arrival with the Zodiac, to take us to the lodge. You might notice in these posts that I tried to take pictures that didn’t include my fellow guests whenever possible as I didn’t want to encroach on anyone’s right to privacy or make people feel otherwise uncomfortable and I wanted to use the photos for my blog later, natch!
Bamfield Map, at the dock. The lodge is located at the the tip and left side of Aguilar Point.Captain Scott pointing out West Bamfield as we head to the West Bamfield dock and then the short walk to Outer Shores Lodge.My first view of my home for the next 4 nights.
I was paired with a very lovely lady from Chemainus as my roomie for our stay. Our room was large and consisted of 2 parts. Upon entering the room, there were twin beds in a little nook directly across from our bathroom.
Dark and cozy sleeping nook. The beds and bedding were top quality.Well-appointed with heavenly-smelling soap, shampoo and conditioner from Saltspring Island Soap Company. Plenty of hot water too!
A step up from the sleeping nook led to this amazing area of our room!
My roomie decided she wanted to sleep in one of the bunks (Can you blame her? They are magical!), and I decided to take over the twin bed area.This was the view from our room.
I’ll end this post here. Stay tuned for the next one(s)! I promise they will be much less wordy and much more visual as I show you some of the wonders of the lodge and area.
Last weekend we experienced an atmospheric river. Did that stop us from heading out for walkies? Not on your nelly! Did we get drenched? Absolutely. Did we have fun? Absolutely. Did Bowser need to be wrapped up and snuggled, post-drenching? Absolutely!
Bowser loves to be rubbed down after a wet walk – he actually runs towards the towel I have hung up in my entryway for this purpose – and then he loves to be wrapped up in a soft blankie and cuddled on the couch. Our little Obi-Wan Dogobi.Trapped by The Force…er…Bowser’s superpower of cuteness! Luckily I can still work my phone’s camera with my non-dominant hand. Even Jedi knights need to recharge. It wasn’t long before I joined Bowser in a post-rainy walk snoozefest😉.
Last weekend was Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, and it was a glorious weekend for walking along our usual routes. Many leaves had fallen due to recent wind and rain events, and our walks were a feast for the senses. The crunch of the leaves, the fresh smells of the earth and the vegetation, the feel of the sun warming up our bodies – it was everything to be expected from October walks in the woods.
Bowser surveying his kingdom.Meanwhile, I was looking for and found lots of these beauties!My favourite, scruffy little beauty.Bowser across from the roots of the Magic Tree.Happy dog, happy life…especially in October.
I’m linking up this post with Dawn’s for her 2024 Walktober.
We hope you are having a great weekend wherever you are, and that you are able to enjoy being outside.
I was away last weekend, having a fabulous time in Bamfield (more about that to come on ye olde blogge!). While I was away, my daughter sent me this photo:
The Green Man and His Green Dog
This photo perfectly captures the spirits of both my son-in-law and Bowsie, I think 😁.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend (if you’re Canadian), and a wonderful plain ol’ weekend if you’re not!
Bowser here. Oma is away again (ALREADY?!?!), swimming with sea stars or some such thing. I’m sure she’s gonna tell you all about it when she comes back home. WHEN, OMA, WHEN?
In the meantime, here are some cute pictures of me:
After a walk in the rain.Just laying around at Oma’s.With my new favourite ballie. I haven’t been able to get the squeaker out yet, which is amazing the rest of my pack. They are desperate to find more of these wonder ballies.
At the end of August, I had the good fortune to travel to Prince Edward Island. You can read more about that trip here. While on PEI, our hosts had booked us into The Table Culinary Studio for a very special evening (extra special because it was also one of our hosts’ birthdays!).
The Table is in a re-purposed church.A lot of smiling faces around our table, already anticipating a wonderful evening (and we were not disappointed!). The open kitchen is in the background. The owner took our picture.A somewhat daunting array of cutlery greeted us, surrounding the night’s menu. At The Table, a menu is created each week based on consultation with local farmers on what is at its peak right now. The menu is retired at the end of the week and those creations are never repeated again (no matter how piteously the patrons beg!).Like the menu says, the meal is going to be a love letter to Canadian food and wine. Everything we ate was grown in Canada. For example: since black pepper does not grow in Canada, roasted and ground alder cones were used instead; in place of vanilla, an extract made from sweet clover was used to flavour the night’s dessert. All of the restaurant’s food-providing partners are listed on the back, and even a link to the music coming through the sound system!Chef Hunter created a special playlist, featuring artists from PEI (an island blessed with an abundance of musical talent!).Chef Hunter Guindon – who told us the story behind every morsel we were going to enjoy, as the evening progressed. There’s birthday boy Ted, on the left.He knows it’s gonna be a good night, as he’s been here before!The interior of the menu tells the story of the venue, and lists the nights offerings, including the optional flight of Canadian wines (which I selected, naturally 😁).The delicious first course: striped bass caught the previous night by the Chefs Hunter Guindon and Alex Bevan-Baker. Alex also creates beautiful pottery and the bass is resting in one of his stunning bowls.Second course: the best damn tomatoes I have ever eaten.Third course: gorgeous on the eyes, and even better in the mouth!Fourth course: mouth-watering scallops with tiny turnips – amazingly delicious.To accommodate Brenda’s shellfish allergy, the chefs provided a gorgeous salad for her fourth course.Fifth course: (probably my favourite of the night) mushrooms, bacon and ricotta on toasted bread with a bone marrow aioli. Divine.Sixth course: the pork loin – my least favourite, sadly. I found the herbs a bit overpowering. But then the bar was set amazingly high. I still ate almost every bite, though 😉.The dessert course: in another one of Chef Alex’s beautiful bowls. I love apple desserts and this one was absolutely delicious, no surprise there! In the background you can see more of Alex’s pottery being displayed plus a board holding all of the previous weeks’ menus.The Table was featured in an episode of the Amazing Race Canada. I haven’t watched this show (don’t have cable). Have you seen this episode?
This concluded a most special evening and a unique dining experience! It was made even better by sharing it with our hosts and two other lovely women (who I met for the first time that night). If ever on PEI, I recommend getting a seat at The Table!
Please let my co-host Donna and/or myself know what was on your plate lately, in the Comments or by using the Link Party, if the spirit moves you!
P. S. For those of you who might be concerned that I went to PEI and didn’t mention eating lobster (cough*Bernie*cough 😉), a lobster roll was What’s On My Plate for my very first meal on the island! Lobster is not my favourite sea food I think its over rated TBH, but I did partake regardless, as one does. It was pretty good – I ate all the lobster meat and most of the fries. No room for the roll, though.
Back on “my” island, back to the usual routines…including daily walks with the star of Ye Olde Blogge:
Every walk starts out this way.Leaves are piling up on the trail.These guys are popping up in the woods again.Dried leaves everywhere we go.And I mean EVERYWHERE 😁.Even though the temperatures have dropped, our walks are still thirsty work.And every walk still ends the same way too!
We hope you are enjoying the change of seasons this weekend.
