Courtenay – Comox

We were disappointed by this smoky development as it is common to see whales (orcas and humpbacks) and dolphins in this area. During the crossing you couldn’t see any land either and you should be able to see all the surrounding islands. In addition to being smoky the temperature dropped significantly as the sun wasn’t visible let alone providing heat.

We found our way to the B&B in Comox, not too far from the ferry terminal. It is situated overlooking an estuary, hence the name Estuary House. You can see and hear geese and ducks often but unfortunately there is also a busy road right in front, so we hear that too. However it is comfortable and has a good breakfast included, the first we’ve had this trip. (another big difference from travel in Europe) We walked into Courtenay the first evening and found a delicious Greek supper. Walking home was a bit uncomfortable along that busy road after dark and no sidewalk.

The next morning we picked 2 local attractions to visit: Nymph Falls where we would hopefully see some salmon running and Seal Bay on the ocean where we hopefully would see seals. The smoke remained fairly thick today but slightly improved from the previous day. However it was still cool out with no sun to warm us, glad we brought along Canadian cycling gear.

We had some trouble finding the falls as we experienced the classsic problem with having 2 GPS units telling us 2 different ways to go. The official Garmin which is operated by the official navigator/stoker in the back kept telling us to turn around while the small unofficial unit in front led us down a forest path complete with roots, large rocks and finally a barricade saying no entry. At that point the captain wisely decided to listen to the official navigator and actually turn around. The official navigator reminded the captain that he had taught her years ago to always trust the terrain and not the map if there is any doubt.

Once we turned around and followed the instructions we easily found the falls we were seeking.

The falls were spectacular but sadly not a salmon to be seen, only dogs.

The next destination was Seal Bay which we found without too much trouble. We had one small mechanical problem but my reliable bike mechanic managed to fix it without much trouble.

Once we got there we had to hike down a forest path to get to the beach, more off roading, however a beautiful place to be.

Sadly we didn’t spot any seals at Seal Bay, but did see several river otters and herons so not a complete loss of a day for wildlife.

We headed back to the B&B after our circle tour of the Comox area. We managed to get home just as it was starting to rain. We had planned to ride into town for dinner but the rain was coming down hard so we opted for pizza delivered via Skip the Dishes, stayed dry and filled our bellies.