Boy, Girl and Ribsy's weekend camping adventure started off smoothly. They arrived at Bamberton Provincial Park near Mill Bay (campsite #10), well before sundown, and prepared themselves with food, supplies and lots of rest for the Saturday ahead.
The only problem was, they didn't know exactly what Saturday had in store for them. Boy and Girl hate to make reservations for the ferries, much less reservations for anything (that includes restaurants, new movie releases and campgrounds). What's the point of a Getaway van if they had to reserve a spot to park it each night?
Looking at the map, they decided to make a break over to Saltspring Island, a haven for the soul-searching artiste, organic hippie or budding cheesemaker.
They drove past Cowichan Bay, Maple Bay and Providence Farm to Crofton to catch the short ferry over to Vesuvius Bay.
Bye bye Crofton, bye bye Crofton pulp and paper mill...
Now Boy and Girl each hadn't been there in years, and the character has seemed to change somewhat. Ganges, site of the Saturday market, was overflowing with people. Traffic jams clogged up the core. Throw in a horse carriage or two, loads of vehicles looking for an elusive parking spot, scores of tables and narrow sidewalks, and you've got yourself a seaside village turned madness. Absolute madness.
Ribsy didn't care much for Ganges, or Salt Spring for that matter. Dogs were banned from the Saturday market. And he didn't find a single off-leash area on the entire island. He was troubled to see that a former provincial campground, Mouat Park, had turned into an empty, overgrown frisbee golf park. Boy did take the opportunity to assess Ribsy's agility potential - watch the trials.
While there were people happy enough to pet him, Ribsy didn't feel that Saltspring was entirely inviting to dogs - he couldn't even sniff out a pet store amongst all the newly sprung commercialism.
Ribsy did enjoy the quiet tranquility of Beddis Beach. Windswept and rocky, there were many interesting spots along the shore to sniff at.
And the stunning views offered at the top of Mount Maxwell did impress them, even though Boy and Girl would not let him off leash for fear of losing him.
After escaping the throngs, the trio found respite at Garden Faire Nursery and Campground, a wonderful lush oasis on Rainbow Road. With drive-in and walk-in campsites, the cleanliness and privacy of the grounds won Ribsy over. Pets were very much welcome, including...
Q-Tip, Ribsy's next-site neighbour. Named for her softness, Q-Tip was oblivious to Ribsy's growling and barking. She simply rubbed her nose against his, giving him a tender lick of approval. That shut up Ribsy for a few seconds. He finally relaxed when Q-Tip returned to her site when her owner came back.
A wonderful sleep and the Sunday always meant sad news. Sad to return, sad to know that Monday's a work day. They caught the morning ferry back to Schwartz Bay, not before stopping off at the Embe Bakery one more time for their delicious croissants and fresh-brewed coffee.
Boy was thrilled when they 'happened to' have in on a Model Airshow taking place off Island View Road, featuring all sorts of high-performing planes and jets of all shapes and sizes. One man and his jet even flew up all the way from California to participate in the show.
The final stop was made at Island View Beach, where Ribsy relished in his usual maniacal running and scooting and splishin' and splashin' along the beach. He did sustain a few nasty cuts on his paws though as he indulged in heron- and horse-chasing among the barnacles.
Overall, Ribsy gives Salt Spring a passing 2.5 out of 5 ribs.
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