Saltspring ⇒
Christine and I decided that we need a little bit of couple time, so we planned a quick trip to Saltspring. Initially, we just wanted to go for the day, but the ferries don't work well for that, so we decided to stay the night. We hunted around a little and found the Cusheon Lake Resort. Not a bad little place for $94/night. Free hot tub and canoeing and a view of the lake from the porch. I think they are called "rustic cabins"; small but cute with horrendeous decor!
We started our journey on the 11:45 sailing from Tsawassen to Long Island. Travel time is an hour and a half. Our first destination was the weekly market down by the water in Ganges. All the local artisans bring out their wares, along with various other foods and items. We found two things that interested us. The burritos (we were starving!!) and the cheese. We bought a small block of basil-flavoured goat cheese...mmm....nummy! After the market we sauntered around Ganges for about an hour and then headed off to find our quaint little cabin. A quick stop at the tourist info booth and we on our way.
After checking in, we attempted to go for a hike up Mount Maxwell to the viewpoint. But before we ventured up, we needed a few supplies for our evening festivities. First stop, the liquor store for a nice bottle of wine. Then for action items, a deck of cards and a corkscrew!! To complete the evening plans, we acquired some fudge from Harland's.
Our errands done, we headed up Mount Maxwell. The drive up is pretty slow and the gravel rode has many pothols and ruts. But eventually we made it to the view point. Quite the view!! We hiked around the top for a while and then went down. By then we were quite hungry, so we trooped over to the Oystercatcher for some dinner. They make excellent Bellini's there! We started with smoked salmon and artichoke dip and of course, our Bellini's. Christine ordered Lobster ravioli with lemon and herb sauce, and I order Maple Grilled Wild Salmon. Her meal was excellent, while mine was, unfortunately, merely average (the salmon was over-cooked and dry and the vegetables were plain). Thankfully she couldn't finish hers so I did get to try some. Wow, that may be my new favourite seafood dish.
We spend the rest of the evening drink our wine, eating our fudge and playing some high-stakes, championshiop cards. A very lovely evening was had by all.
Unfortunately, we had some dinner plans the next day, so we had to force ourselves onto the 8:30 (!!) ferry from Long Harbour. But, the weather was great and views, as usual, were spectacular.
Ahhhh....nice to get away.