Pender Island (North and South), Saltspring Island, Maine Island, Saturna, Galiano and Gabriola Island are the largest of this group of islands. Some of the smaller islands include Texada, Hornby, Denman, Quadra, Cortes, Thetis, Valdes, DeCourcey, Mudge and Lasqueti. There are approximately 200 gulf islands, some so small as to be invisible on most maps and many that are uninhabited and accessible only by private boat, or kayak.
Saltspring is the largest of the gulf islands with a population of over 10,000 year-round residents, a large population of sheep and deer, and the occasional bear. It is the most populated of all the islands and is home to many artists, musicians and sculptors.
Ganges, on Saltspring, is one of the largest towns on all of the gulf islands and is a popular destination for boaters. This busy town is where most of the businesses are located. On our visit, we stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast and watched as orcas cruised through the off-shore waters below where we were staying. Sea lions are occasional visitors to the island as well. We were surprised to discover there are eight lakes, 22 beaches and 225 farms with beautiful rolling pastures on this island.
Gabriola Island is another of the gulf islands dotting the western coastline. The rugged shoreline and sandstone beaches almost ensure that beachcombing will be a wondrous adventure. This island admittedly is my favourite and I have written further about it in this blog.
Pender Island has many high bluffs where one can enjoy the early morning sunrises and also have a good view of the orcas as they pass. Babies frolic with their mothers as they swim in what seems like a procession. Once while visiting friends there who live on one of the high bluffs, neighbors further up the beach phoned to say the orcas were on their way. At this particular time, there were so many, it took almost half an hour for them to pass. It was a wonderful sight.
Saturna has few walk-out beaches and many high bluffs. We found the views to be great but the swimming was limited. We did find a lovely beach but the climb down to it, and worse, back up didn't encourage us to go again. Maine Island has a lovely Japanese garden that is worth checking out, and Galiano is a lovely place to visit with nice beaches. On a visit to Hornby Island, we found a clean sandy beach where clams were plentiful but knowing nothing about clam digging, we looked for the largest ones. Taking a pail of these delectable creatures to the home of friends in Campbell River, they informed us that instead of the melt-in-your-mouth clams we had been anticipating, these large ones would be tough as old shoe leather and were definitely only the soup-making variety.
Each island has its own history, culture and attractions. To truly get the feel of each island, it is important to allow at least a full day or two to explore so as to see it in the way it should be seen.
No comments:
Post a Comment