Walk With Me – Exploring the Surroundings on a Rainy Day

Just as quickly as the multitudes of volunteers appeared, they vanished again once their time with us was over. Of course there were lots of emotional good-byes, and even a few tears were shed. It’s amazing how close you can get in such a short time, but then again there is a similar mind-set that brought us together in the first place. Anyway, as Sunday rolled around there were only Anna and I remaining, feeling a bit lost in the kitchen, which had been such a bustling hub of volunteers just a day before.

Trying to make the best out of our day, we decided to explore the area, maybe ride over to Coombs or to Cumberland. But first we both had to do laundry, so we combined it with an extended WiFi breakfast at the café next to the laundromat. Once we were all done and back at the property, it was starting to rain. Not too heavily, but in any case we didn’t feel like going for a bike-ride. Instead, we walked along the railroad tracks to visit the nearby trestle bridge Anna kept hearing about. It wasn’t as big as the famous Kinsol Trestle I wrote about in another post, nor is it made entirely out of wood, but it wasn’t more than a 30 minute walk either, something easily done in rainy weather.

I had crossed this trestle a couple of times last time I was here, but for Anna it was a whole new experience. Especially walking on the railroad ties, with the abyss shining through the gaps, no railing whatsoever, and the steady rain making the wooden ties all slippery left a deep impression. Having made it safely to the other side, there was no reason for taking the same way back. Instead we walked on towards the highway, which looped back to where we came from. Along the way we passed by the Qualicum First Nation campgrounds, where two large wooden statues reminded us of the interesting story of the Qualicum people: The tribe had been virtually wiped out in a war with one of their neighbors, with only one man and one woman surviving. These two individuals brought the Qualicum Nation back to its current size of 128 members. With such an impressive feat, one may overlook the fact that all members are related.

By now the rain was picking up into a heavy downpour. We kept walking back along the road, getting properly soaked. To make up for the discomfort on the outside of our bodies, we decided to put something tasty into them, and were glad to see that the taco stand was open. These tacos came highly recommended, as Tony and Susan both said they were very delicious. Tidal Tacos, as they are called, were indeed tasty, though nothing close to what you'd expect in Mexico. And for the natural building nuts: check out the awesome cedar shakes on the outside wall! Since there was no dry place to sit, we took our order to go, and decided to go somewhere to warm up.

The options were limited, but given the circumstances we figured out what to do: we walked back to the laundromat where it was fairly warm, took of all our wet clothes, and put them in the dryer with the rest of our quarters. We kept our undies on, so no-one could accuse us of creating a scandal. Though we  might as well have gotten fully naked, as nobody even came near the laundromat. Outside the rain was approaching the cats-and-dogs category. 

Once we put on our dry and warm clothes again (such a joy!) going out into the rain was the last thing we wanted to do. Where would we go anyway? Back to the property, where the only shelter awaiting us were our tents or the kitchen? We were not too keen on that. Instead, we ran across the street to the roadhouse, to enjoy a pint of brew in a warm and dry place, and maybe wait for the rain to stop. It was a Sunday afternoon, but the place was just hopping! All chairs and stools were taken, and the dance-floor was packed with people dancing to the upbeat country-blues and rock-n-roll delivered by a band that was as interesting to watch as the patrons. Granted, the average age might have been around seventy, but that did not diminish the general liveliness of the place. So what’s the secret that gets geezers out to party like it’s 1969 (quite literally)? That’s right: a meat raffle, offered by the generous efforts of the local Lions Club chapter. Given the chance I also bought a ticket, and just as we decided to buy our second beer, my number was called out! Whooo-hooo! So once the party was over (closing with Spirit in the Sky at 7 p.m.) I got to take home a 2.5 kg of ground beef.

The rest of the evening was marked by more rain, and in the end we did finish the day sipping hot tea in the kitchen, huddled in blankets. But all in all, we could look back at quite an eventful day, ultimately enjoyable, in spite of the rain.