Into the Comox Valley

The stretch of highway between Port Hardy and Campbell River is reminiscent of the drive from Fort McMurray to Grassland when we first moved north. There are trees on both sides of the highway and not a lot of views.  There was one particular stretch, just north west of Campbell River, where the historic snowfall of several weeks ago sent hundreds of trees down to earth and onto the highway.  Our waitress at the restaurant said that everyone from Port Hardy travels with a chainsaw at this time of year. If you find yourself stopped by a tree, you just cut it away and carry on. On Monday morning, a highway crew was doing just that: clearing off all the debris that was littering the shoulders and ditches. Combined with the mist, the trees leaning over the highway made for a great picture.

We went into Campbell River on our drive to the Comox Vallery to grab a coffee. Instead of using the newer Inland Highway 19, we chose to take the old Island Highway that follows the coastline. It has a maximum speed of only 80 km per hour, but as we were in no rush, it was perfect. We enjoying the drive and got to see a side of Campbell River that we hadn’t seen previously. While neither of us could see living on the Island, we could understand why many people would aspire to hanging their hat near the water in Campbell River. It is truly beautiful.

When we are exploring a new destination, I’m usually at the wheel and Heather at the iPhone, navigating. Our next AirBnB spot was in the forest near a river in Comox, but it can be tricky to find.  Down an old dirt road and through a patch of rain forest we found our A-frame cabin in the woods. It is part of a property that has a main cabin (where the owners live) and a few smaller cabins. While civilization is a mere five minute drive away, you feel like you’re absolutely surrounded by nature. Here are a few photos of the cabin and the nature that surrounds it.

These hosts offer a collection of books and games for guests. Heather and I played many games of Boggle and a classic grid game. She beat me every single time. We had to find ways to amuse ourselves as the property was having lots of Internet issues. The wet snow has played havoc with fibre optic cables.

“I can’t wait to get on the program,” has been our rallying cry this whole vacation. We’ve thrown caution to the wind, diet-wise, and will jump into Phase 1 of the Ideal Protein program the moment we return to Okotoks. As new owners of an authorized Ideal Protein clinic, we want to experience the protocol together so that we can be better coaches for our clients. 

We will spend four nights in the cabin down by the river before going into Nanaimo for one night and one night in Vancouver before flying home on Sunday. I get the sense that we are both going to be ready to jump back into things after a two-week break from reality.