Up at 7 at the crack of dawn only to find Erde gone. She had used her snout to open the back door of the tent to sit outside in the cool air. The tent is so well insulated, it apparently got too stuffy for her. Erde does what Erde wants to do. Fortunately, she no longer wanders like in the old days. The bonding part of this trip must be working, or maybe the food upgrades she is managing to finagle out of me.
Two staff members at Way Point, David and Gregory, stopped by to chat. Why me? I am the only tenter in the place, and one of onky three patrons. Regardless, fantastic people, but I can say that about everyone i met on this journey. The resort is owned by the Ucluelet tribe, one of 14 nations in the territory.
I spent the morning hiking around the beach, and scouting out the best campsites for my future visits. The one i had was terrific, but I learned that i could have done better.
Went into Ucluelet for some fantastic baked goods at the Barkley Cafe and some coffee, and to do my laundry right next door. Great set up to work in while i waited for the laundry to get done. Needless to say, most of the time was spent talking with people about Erde and the Defender. No one wants to learn about me. Then again, I am the Defender and Erde, and other such things or creatures.
Amanda, the chef at Barkely, made this fantastic vegan cabbage brown rice soup which i could not resist for lunch. See photos for more details.
While i worked on one side of the Defender, a Defender 119 pulled up beside me. See photo for details.
Erde continues to draw comments from everyone who passes us. Warms my heart. What i continue to tell people though is that her disposition is even better than her looks. What a fun, sweet dog she has been and still is.
Arrived at les and Sue's ecological reserve, Good Karma Spring, at 5:30. Luke, their beautiful black dog, came by to visit, or maybe retrieve the bones Erde swiped from him. He left, but not empty pawed -- i gave him a half dozen of Erde's treats. About 10 minutes later, I saw him crossing a clearing about 30 feet away from us and wondered why he was walking so strangely and had put on so much weight from the treats i gave him. And where was his nice blue scarf, i wondered. well, as it turns cut, it wasn't Luke at all, but a black bear, who hovered around the site until he or she was sure there was nothing there worth staying for, except maybe Erde. Erde, in the meantime, was on full alert the whole time, letting me know where the bear was watching us from. Thank you, Erde.
Had an absolutely fantastic dinner with Les and Sue. I am sure the two of them would not object to any reader's willingness to exchange a week of work for another week of camping or cabining out in this heavenly reserve they built, and i mean built.
I am sitting here now in their little cabin writing this, looking out the window with the full moon in complete view. What a sight. Why i can appreciate the full moon in this setting more than at home, i can only speculate.
Tomorrow we head down to Victoria for the 4pm ferry to the good old USA, home. My journey is far from over, but there is a certain sadness that i will be leaving behind the absolutely fantastic roads, nature, campsites, dogs, people, and all the wild creatures we encountered or who encountered us here.
Photos...
The inside of our tent, absent me. Just imagine living in this space for 34 days (so far). The truth is, i feel cozier in here than in my condo at home, not in spite of the bears etc. outside, but because of them --- bears are predictable creatures, among other things. A campsite -or condo- without bears is a campsite without a soul. The astronauts who flew to the moon had more space than i do in my tent or Defender and they traveled on for 10 days or so.
At the best coffee shop around for hundreds of miles (the Barkley Cafe) in Ucluelet, a Defender 110 pulled up next to me while I sat on the other side of mine writing. The owner came and went without stopping by to chat. Defenders are so rarely seen, such meetings usually include long chats and story swapping, but, nope, not here. Maybe he chatted with Erde. Maybe the driver was a dog.
Amanda the chef etc. at the Barkley Cafe writing down her recipe for me for her Grandmother's meatless cabbage brown rice soup. Clearly, the most delicious non-hime cooked meal on the trip. The recipe is below for anyone who wishes to make it and invite me to try it. That's Amanda's dog Ruby and her right are and her Grandmother Eleanor on her left.
The recipe
Defender and Erde taking a break at beautiful Kennedy Lake
Les and Sue's beautiful dog Luke. Without the scarf, he could easily be taken for a bear, and i did, but the other way around. Erde found all of Luke's bones he had hidden and chomped away right in front of him. She did not learn that from me.
Les and Sue at home in their absolutely fantastic home in their equally fantastic ecological wonderland, Good Karma Spring, which the two of them built from scratch themselves over decades, while raising three kids. Speak about a Canadian Swiss Family Robinson.
Ed and Erde, On The Road
P.S. Sorry for any errors in this message or posting. The iPad spellcheck is not known for its attention to detail.
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