On the Road Again 2015 Interim #8

My three days in Hornby were delightful. There was an upstairs room in the charming little house that I could have slept in but I choose to sleep out in the front yard in my tiny bivy sack. It rained a bit the first night, but the other two nights were warm with thousands of stars twinkling, visible  between the leaves of a big old maple. It was amazingly quiet - with the exception of some unusually raucous crows, and a mother and her baby calf bawling over their forced separation, I could lay there for an hour in the morning and not hear a sound. It was quite delightful.

It must be a generational thing but my hosts who are of a similar age to my son and his wife, are not early risers either. They have managed to train their10 week old baby to follow the same sleep patterns as my West Coast grandchildren follow. Late to go to bed and late to rise. I kind of like it in that it gives me an hour or two in the morning to read or write without others puttering around or me feeling the need to be social.

While on Hornby I went for a number of walks to the nearest "beach" or just down the road for 45 minutes because I was curious as to what was there. There were, while not enough blackberries on the bushes beside the road for a meal,  enough to satisfy my craving. The air was warm, sometimes veering towards hot, but there was always enough of a breeze to make it feel comfortable.

The first night my host and I went to a winery just down the road where there was a reggae dance. Reggae is not my favourite type of music but the crowd was into the music and it was fun to watch the folks dance. There was a young man who joined the band with his trombone.  I don't know if trombones are a usual reggae instrument but this kid was good and well worth listening to. As we drove home we talked about this specific musical genre, why it is important and how it has been carried around the world. I still don't get but I do appreciate the energy that it generates.

On one of the days we walked along a nature trail that followed the cliffs. Looking out in between the trees one can see Denman Island and then further on, Vancouver Island. It is interesting to note that while Hornby Island is quite hilly and of course Vancouver Island has whole mountain ranges, Denman Island in the middle is as flat as the proverbial pancake.

Hornby Island, while it is home to approximately 1500 permanent residents, is far busier than that. Hornby is a major tourist destination. What few stores and restaurants there are are focused on collecting as much money  possible in the few summer months. There is of course that love/hate relationship between the locals and the residents. The two food stores, the paved roads, the frequency of ferry service and the income of many of the residents is a direct result of the visitors and their willingness to spend money. The fact that the beaches, the roads and the stores may be busier than one would like is a small price to be paid compared to all of the benefits.

Hornby Island, like some of the other Gulf Islands has created an image of itself that it sells to outsiders. It is an image of being somewhat laid back, relaxed, perhaps almost hippy like (this laid back relaxed atmosphere extends to having a nude beach). The tourist love it - perhaps because it is not really an act at all. Hornby struck me as a place that was pretty laid back.