Day 1.....Saltspring to Campbell River

The day started off with dense fog on the Island and we made the 9.10 ferry to Crofton. Took the Old Island Highway through to Courtney stopping off at the Crown and Rose in Bowser. This little pub is an old favourite even though it probably saw better days in the 1920's......grilled cheese and chips seem to be the food that powers a car trip. After a short way on the new highway we turned off at Black Creek and followed the old road through to Campbell River. This town is known as the Salmon capital of the world and it's setting is really quite beautiful with views of the Coastal Mountains on the mainland and Quadra Island quite close by. This town was built on the logging industry mill and the fishing that is very popular. Despite hearing about how rough neck this place is we were pleasantly surprised. We stayed at the Best Western Austrian Chalet slightly out of town but right on ocean with a view of the lighthouse on Quadra and a promenade that hugs the seashore. The odd girl at the odd restuarant here said that they had sole on the menu and since I know that is Mum's favourite fish I managed to coax her out for dinner. We took a little stroll on the waterfront and saw a marker for the 50th parallel.....which made me realise that we are further North than Winnipeg and made me happy for the Pacific Ocean nearby. So all in all it was a very peaceful and calm day from dense fog through to a sunny afternoon.