Into the Wild: Vancouver and Vancouver Island

The period in between our decision to move to Southeast Asia and the travel I primarily want to write about wasn’t the stuff that exciting blog posts are made of. Given the timing for our lease, we had to nervously move out of our apartment before Andrew’s new contract was signed. He then abruptly flew to Singapore in early June while I moved in with a friend, all the while pretending that things were normal at work. (“Nothing much, how was your weekend?!”)

For the rest of the summer I lived out of a suitcase, wrapped up at work, and planned an international move. Conversations with Andrew were rapid-fire logistics sessions while I ran to the subway in the morning. There were low moments. After an epic day of moving my stuff out of Brooklyn and white-knuckling a car with taped-on mirrors through cross-Bronx traffic, I made it to my parent’s house in New Jersey only to realize that I was locked out, and they were in Florida.

These long, anxious days of phone calls with banks and Googling “how to sell a car poor condition” were made better not just by my incredible friends, family, coworkers, and long-distance husband, but also by the knowledge that the first stop on the way to Singapore would be Vancouver Island.

Andrew’s uncle Kevin and aunt Joan live in Comox, and we’d had this trip planned with both of our families for almost two years. Rather than cancel the reunion, we decided to make the most of our existing plan and reunite in Vancouver, using the vacation as a time to say bon voyage to our families.

After packing up my two suitcases and a backpack (!) and hopping on a plane at Newark, my parents and I arrived late on a Friday night in Vancouver. Andrew had arrived earlier in the day via Hong Kong, and his parents and godmother had come up from Northern California. We had really hoped for my brothers to join on this trip as well, but sadly, the timing didn’t work out. I am the weakest link of the Rakowski siblings when it comes to the great outdoors (also in the hard sciences, musical ability, and homebrewing, among many other things), but I tried to do them proud.

We spent the first full day sight-seeing in Vancouver, a city I’d traveled through a few times on the way to Whistler Blackcomb for skiing, but never explored. It seemed very liveable and picturesque, though the traffic was awful. I spent the day walking around the marina and exploring Stanley Park with my jet-lagged husband and his family, while my parents went to the gorgeously renovated Museum of Anthropology to check out the totems. They pretty much haven’t stopped talking about how great it was, so I need to check that out next time.

The next morning, the whole crew woke up early to catch the ferry to Nanaimo and caravan to Comox. I have a rather checkered history with travel by ferry, but the Straight of Georgia was calm and I spent most of the time trying to spot orca (no dice). On the drive up to Comox, our car made a stop at Cathedral Grove to see old-growth forest. Some of the largest trees are just a short walk from the road, which made for a perfect travel break. After finally reaching Comox, we arrived at the lovely Red Propeller Guest House and found that it was next door to a lama and alpaca farm. How did this go unmentioned in the VRBO listing?! I was in heaven.

Oh also, there was a view.

At dinner that night, we all discussed a game plan for the week, mostly based on Joan’s suggestions– she’s an island native and knows all the best secret fishing holes. I also want to take a moment to acknowledge that Joan is the coolest person I’ve ever met, though I’m biased as she’s a fellow Dryden “outlaw.” Joan’s a pint-sized expert angler, drinker of whiskey, outdoorswoman, and EMT. I was completely sold on this entire trip to Vancouver Island when we met the weekend of my wedding.

The next day was rainy and cool, but we decided to press on with our plan to go salmon fishing in the north island like a bunch of hard-boiled locals (though only Joan fell into that category). A couple hours of driving north brought us to the stunning Eve River, where the pinks were jumping, but sadly not biting. We did see about five bald eagles, which was exciting enough for me. A more intrepid crew returned later in the week and not only had better luck fishing, but spotted some bears on the shoreline including a cub.

We spent that night in Kevin and Joan’s cabin near Elk Bay, which is to say, in the middle of absolutely nowhere. We were hours from the nearest town and THEN a full hour down dirt logging roads (20 clicks, according to Joan). Most people only access this area by boat or sea plane. It was absolutely awe-inspiring to be somewhere so remote and peaceful. We ate our consolation pork chops (no salmon) around a campfire and watched the lights from cruise ships glide up the straight.

The next few days were spent back in Comox, where we watched the Olympics, picked berries, went on beach walks, grilled on the patio, and harassed the llamas next door. Andrew and I also spent a memorable morning mountain biking with Kevin and Otis WhitePaw in Cumberland. Let’s just say I stuck to the roads, and even then, was covered in bruises. I’d like to try it again, though I probably won’t look as cool next time.

The big remaining highlight of our trip was a wildlife watching boat trip out of Campbell River, about an hour north of Comox. I’ve been whale watching before, and if my reference to being a poor ferry passenger before was any clue, my memories are not happy ones. I think our whole group went in with low expectations– maybe we’d see some seals? how much Dramamine should we take?– but this wasn’t your grandma’s whale watch off P-town, kid.

First of all, the entire trip was in an inflatable Zodiac boat, which puts you right on the water and is actually a lot more comfortable. I didn’t feel sick at all. It’s also better for spotting animals, since it is easy to maneuver and fast on the open water. Second of all, you have to wear a dry survival suit in a Zodiac. Not only do you look like an astronaut, you are nice and warm out on the chilly water.

Just after hopping into the Zodiac, our guide Leif got a call that an orca pod was minutes away. We raced over and immediately saw them checking out the cliffs, where seals can sometimes hide in the crevices. After following the orcas down the straight for about an hour (read: 1,000 fin shots on my camera), we were rewarded with the rare sight of an active hunt! The pod split up to attack a group of seals from two sides, and the calm surface erupted into splashing and jumping. You know you’re seeing something good when your guide starts flipping out. We were maybe 100 meters away from the whole thing.

From there, we cruised over to a remote bay to check out a humpback mother, her nursing baby, and an “interloper” male whale. It was totally unlike seeing humpbacks in the open Atlantic ocean because the water was like glass– you could really observe them, not to mention SMELL them when they exhaled through their blowhole, which is connected directly to their stomach.

Once we regained our appetites, we made a stop at Stuart Island for lunch (population: 12), and then enjoyed more up-close-and-personal encounters with seals, sea lions, eagles, and a Harbour porpoise. Each turn around an island led to a more beautiful view than the last, though my favorite area was Bute Inlet. The day-long trip ended up being one of the best experiences I’ve ever had doing something “touristy” during a vacation.

Our last day, we said our goodbyes to the Drydens and together with my parents, Andrew and I reversed the drive-ferry-drive back to Vancouver. My parents were flying out the next morning, so it was nice to relax at their hotel for a few hours before heading to the airport for our 1 AM flight to Hong Kong. Our last meal in North America? Sushi.

I feel like Vancouver Island isn’t really on the map for East Coast tourists, but it should be. There’s so much to do and it’s just stunning, like a National Park without the crowds. It is a lot of travel even after arriving to Vancouver, so give yourself a full day for local travel on either end if you are taking the ferry. You can also fly into Comox. I can’t wait to make a return trip and check out Tofino, on the island’s west coast. In the meantime, I’ll be dreaming of those days I actually needed to wear a fleece.