Saturday on Vancouver Island.
The previous evening we hadn't any luck trying to book ourselves on a whale watching tour. Unfortunately with these types of tours, it's weather & people dependant. We knew that would be the case so we made sure we were in the area long enough to make it happen. It was another of those "meant to be" situations because the weather was a bit ugly that morning. Overcast, a few showers & windy. Not exactly good whale watching conditions.
With no whale watching on offer the backup plan to fill in the day was to explore nearby Strathcona Provincial Park. We didn't know too much about it, but we took the risk & went for a drive.
About 20 kms out of Campbell River the road stared to follow along the bank of Upper Campbell Lake (above). The weather wasn't helping, but I imagine the scenery is very nice on a good day. The area seems to be more set up for fishermen & other boaties. It wasn't until after we'd crossed between Upper Campbell & Buttle Lakes that we were actually in the provincial park. It was fairly noticeable as the logging activity suddenly disappeared & the type forest changed.
There are a number of short hiking trails in the park including the one to Lady Falls (below). The trail winds through some wonderful temperate rainforest (above). The influence of the warm Pacific Ocean currents prevents Vancouver Island from being hammered by the bitter winters that much of Canada is exposed to. This allows the forests on the island to thrive.
Lady Falls (above & below) was easily worth the walk despite the inclement conditions. 
The weather started to close in even more so we left the park & headed back to Campbell River. On the way back we stopped at the Salmon Hatchery on the edge of town. Not surprisingly we saw many salmon in the crystal clear waters leading away from the hatchery. The one thing that stuck in my head was the smell of rotting fish. Once the salmon spawn, they die & float down stream only to wash up on the bank or be picked up by scavenging birds & other animals. It's all part of the cycle when the nutrients are returned to the land.
By the time we arrived back in town the wet weather had gone leaving us with the late afternoon to wander along the waterfront of the marina. 
There were a few of the local residents inculding gulls & a harbour seal.
I drove up to Elk Falls where we were the day before with the hope of seeing bears again (Kerri wasn't feeling up to it). It was around 5pm when I arrived at Moose Falls & sure enough, there was 5 o'clock Charlie. 
Charlie was going about his business, fishing salmon out of the pond.
The light was better than the previous evening & I was able to get much closer to him.
He wandered off after a while, but not long after a second bear appeared on the other side of the falls (below).
When I eventually came back to the hotel, Kerri was feeling better & was at the water front taking some photos. We walked all the way to the end of the marina. After a bumpy start the weather had turned around which was a good omen because we'd booked ourselves onto a grizzly watching tour the next day.
We had dinner at a very nice seafood restaurant in front of the fishing fleet. It was so nice to have fresh seafood after a couple of weeks in Alberta 1100 kms from the ocean.
With no whale watching on offer the backup plan to fill in the day was to explore nearby Strathcona Provincial Park. We didn't know too much about it, but we took the risk & went for a drive.About 20 kms out of Campbell River the road stared to follow along the bank of Upper Campbell Lake (above). The weather wasn't helping, but I imagine the scenery is very nice on a good day. The area seems to be more set up for fishermen & other boaties. It wasn't until after we'd crossed between Upper Campbell & Buttle Lakes that we were actually in the provincial park. It was fairly noticeable as the logging activity suddenly disappeared & the type forest changed.There are a number of short hiking trails in the park including the one to Lady Falls (below). The trail winds through some wonderful temperate rainforest (above). The influence of the warm Pacific Ocean currents prevents Vancouver Island from being hammered by the bitter winters that much of Canada is exposed to. This allows the forests on the island to thrive.Lady Falls (above & below) was easily worth the walk despite the inclement conditions. The weather started to close in even more so we left the park & headed back to Campbell River. On the way back we stopped at the Salmon Hatchery on the edge of town. Not surprisingly we saw many salmon in the crystal clear waters leading away from the hatchery. The one thing that stuck in my head was the smell of rotting fish. Once the salmon spawn, they die & float down stream only to wash up on the bank or be picked up by scavenging birds & other animals. It's all part of the cycle when the nutrients are returned to the land.By the time we arrived back in town the wet weather had gone leaving us with the late afternoon to wander along the waterfront of the marina. There were a few of the local residents inculding gulls & a harbour seal. I drove up to Elk Falls where we were the day before with the hope of seeing bears again (Kerri wasn't feeling up to it). It was around 5pm when I arrived at Moose Falls & sure enough, there was 5 o'clock Charlie. Charlie was going about his business, fishing salmon out of the pond.The light was better than the previous evening & I was able to get much closer to him.He wandered off after a while, but not long after a second bear appeared on the other side of the falls (below). When I eventually came back to the hotel, Kerri was feeling better & was at the water front taking some photos. We walked all the way to the end of the marina. After a bumpy start the weather had turned around which was a good omen because we'd booked ourselves onto a grizzly watching tour the next day.We had dinner at a very nice seafood restaurant in front of the fishing fleet. It was so nice to have fresh seafood after a couple of weeks in Alberta 1100 kms from the ocean.
