Port McNeill

Ellen

We began our day at the early hour of 4:30 to shower, pack the last few things in the car, and leave by 5:30, which John pushed to 5:20. We were to the border in two hours and waiting at the ferry terminal at Tssawassen by 8:47, coming to a stop at the front of the line, just as the 8:45 ferry pulled away. Don't get me wrong; we didn't miss our ferry. We were planning on the 10:15 ferry. We just overshot our "get there with a little cushion" timing.

After stopping at a sporting goods store in Nanaimo for bear bangers, which had been recalled from that store, we finally got out of town, heading for Port McNeill. It took us nearly five hours from the time we left the ferry dock. We stopped in Port McNeill for dinner at Gus' Pub (John had a Southwest chicken salad and me a turkey sandwich), and then went a few miles north of town to Cluxewe, a small resort owned by First Nation people. We had a delightful cottage with a full kitchen and a great view. We watched the sun set and turned in early.

                            John enjoys the cottage porch as the sun sets at Cluxewe.


We were up at 7:00, and after showering, I made scrambled eggs and ham with toast. By 8:00, we were heading for Telegraph Cove about 10 kilometers south of Port McNeill. The fog was so thick there was a mist in the air and everything was wet, even the chairs under the porch. We hoped for the fog to clear for our 11:00 launch.

John

Trying to be positive, I will leave the B.C. ferries wait and the six hour drive to our night's stay for another post. At least our brakes were operating properly. Our cottage at Cluxewe was nice. It was small, warm, dry, clean, and had a kitchen. Even our neighbors chipped in helping make our short stay enjoyable by providing me with entertainment. They were a bunch. Probably three generations that were staying in a cabin two sites from us. The younger couple had two small dogs which they kept on leash and tended to regularly therefore not breaking any rules stated by the many posted signs in the area.They all seemed nice and loved their wine and beer. It must have been a family reunion because their conversations were catching everyone up on the latest activities each had been involved. They listened politely to each other's descriptions and through the conversation dance each had a turn to discuss their own recent activities. 

While the dogs were playing, the bunch moved in and out of their cabin and I saw two huge eagles land in a tree next to their cabin. One landed high and appeared to be watching the dogs playing on the grass in front of the picnic table. The other eagle landed lower and disappeared behind the fir boughs. The branch dipped from the extra weight. I watched for a few minutes as the movement of people slowed. Everyone was inside the cabin probably dishing up dinner. Suddenly the fir boughs opened and the branch moved quickly upwards as the huge eagle left its perch and dove toward the smaller black and white dog. The dog sensed the attack and leaped up to snap at the diving eagle. The eagle smartly withdrew its extended talons and flew off. The young owner stepped outside with a plate and beer in his hands just in time to see the eagle flying away. He had no idea of how close he came to finding his puppy with a broken spine. Anyway, that is how I remember our trip to Port McNeill and our stay at Cluxewe. Cool.