Rain?!

Prideaux Haven to Okeover Landing

Distance traveled:  16.8 miles

Travel time:  2 hrs, 35 mins

We’ve been so lucky on this trip! This morning was the first time we woke to rain, albeit so light it only qualifies as mist, not real rain. But the forecast said it would last most of the day, and that’s what happened. We pulled the anchor at 9:30. Even without windshield wipers on the flybridge, we still drove from the top, the mist was so light.

A long (8 miles) side-trip down Malaspina Inlet and Okeover Inlet wound through tiny islets and shoal rocks.

There were more than a dozen kayakers out in groups of 2 and 4, enjoying the well-protected waters.

An official campground with tent platforms and outdoor furniture perched on the shoreline, with a number of tent campers in sight, probably the kayakers.

As we passed Grace Harbour, a posh marina and resort, several dozen larger, nice homes, each with it’s own private dock, came into view.

This rock outcropping in the middle of Okeover Inlet, obviously a favored seal haul-out, is charted as being 13 feet above the water at low-low tide, so here at almost high tide it was growing as we watched, and must be a bit underwater at highest tides. The seals were attentive to our presence, but not frightened away as we kept some distance.

We don’t know, but guess this may be a service boat for some of the many fish farms that line parts of the shore.

Arriving at Okeover Inlet, we learned there’s actually a ROAD!  We left our bicycles at home as we were told there’d be nowhere we could ride them (true), and haven’t gone for a jog since we left Campbell River three weeks ago. So despite the light drizzle, a run was next up on the agenda, albeit shorter than when we jog at home as we haven’t done much exercise in the past month, and the hills here are remarkably steep. But it felt good to work the old muscles a little, and we were able to take a hot shower afterwards as running the engine heats the water aboard. There’s no electricity or water on these docks in this tiny, remote place. We’re the biggest boat here, for sure.

We ended the day, as recommended by friends Aaron and Julie with whom we spent time recently in the Octopus Islands, by having dinner at the “Laughing Oyster”, just uphill from where we’re docked. Remember: we’re out in the middle of “nowhere” (though we learned it’s only a 30-minute drive by care to Powell River from here). But we wouldn’t normally expect to find a truly fabulous restaurant out in the woods. Surprise!

The food was as good as any we’ve had anywhere in Seattle, and the chef and his wife own the restaurant and live next door. One of their daughters and her husband are renowned opera singers in Paris, Montreal, Amsterdam, New York and more. The other daughter was our waitress tonight, and is studying medicine in Montreal. Who knew you could find such gems out here in remote countryside? Oyster appetizers and seafood entrees were divine.

And above: our view from our table; not bad, eh? Sweet dreams.