11th Day - from Vancouver Island to the Sunshine Coast.

April 18, 2023

Actually, we thought there was nothing left to impress us. The forests, the lakes, the mountains, the sea, the beautiful hotels with great views .... all boooooring. And then comes today ....... 😱

But let's start at the beginning ...

After checking out of our hotel, we drove towards Comox to take the ferry to Powell River on the Sunshine Coast at 9:55 am. We had already booked the crossing from Germany, and since everything works perfectly with the ferries here, we were soon in our lane and shortly afterwards, we got on the boat with the car. Since the journey to Powell River takes about 90 minutes, we first got 2 hot drinks ☕️☕️ from the onboard café and then enjoyed the rest of the journey sitting comfortably, once again very entertaining through the beautiful island world of British Columbia until we reached the dock there.

Since our next ferry at Saltery Bay according to our documents was already an hour later and we still had 30 minutes of driving time until then, we zoomed off directly. As so often in life, the old wisdom also applied here, "those who can read have a significant advantage". Because when we arrived at the ferry terminal, the very nice man at the counter said that the ferry was not at 12:30, but at 15:50. We simply misread the information 🤦‍♂️. After asking where we came from, the nice man quickly called his equally nice German colleague, who was obviously pleased to be able to speak her native language again. After a little chat and since we had so much time, we drove back to Powell River to get 2 cappuccinos in a very nice coffee roastery, took a short walk on the beach, and admired totem poles.

Back in Saltery Bay, we passed the remaining waiting time, among other things, by observing a bald eagle 🦅, as it circled directly above our heads.

Shortly afterwards, we finally set off and our ferry headed towards Earls Cove. It should be briefly mentioned that the weather today was much better than announced👍🏻. However, now it gets cheesy .... Not only did we sail through a landscape that was a mix between Norwegian fjords and the Alps, but when we discovered a huge waterfall to our left that plunged about 200 meters into the depths, a rainbow 🌈 suddenly appeared above the water and in front of the snow-covered mountains, making the whole scenery totally unreal. It was an indescribable spectacle.

When we finally arrived in Earls Cove, still blissful about what we had seen, we continued to our new accommodation for the next 2 days.

So, could someone please pat me on the back for a moment 😊💪🏻. I just have a knack for good hotels 😅.

The Painted Boat Resort is the place here and we have a suite that is at least 100 sqm, beautifully furnished, with 2 bathrooms, a fully equipped modern kitchen, and a terrace with a large grill. And all this right on a bay overlooking the marina. Actually too good to be true.

It goes without saying that the food and service were first class in the hotel restaurant "The Lagoon", where we had made a reservation some time ago. And the fact that we ate the whole time with a view of the marina and at the end watched 2 seals splashing around, took the kitsch factor of today's day to unparalleled heights. What a day!