On the Road Again 2015 Interim #7

I went to Hornby Island for a few days. There are two things about the trip that seem to stand out for me. One is that it is a very pretty island with lots of beaches, extraordinary views and nice people. Secondarily Hornby is incredibly hard to get to and from if you don't have money and a vehicle.

Friends from Hornby had invited me to visit them a number of times. As much as I wanted to visit, getting there always seemed to be too much of a hassle. However as they were in Vancouver on Sunday and heading back through Nanaimo, it seemed to be too good of an opportunity to be missed.

I ended up spending a couple of hours at the ferry terminal at Nanaimo. It is, quite frankly, not that interesting of a place to spend a few hours in or around - except for the people. The terminal was quiet for an hour and then as it came close to when the ferry was docking/leaving things got a bit more exciting. It was specifically interesting to watch people running towards the ticket terminal with seconds to spare. It was even more interesting to watch their faces as they found out that BC Ferries' policy of people needing to be there ten minutes before boarding time was being enforced. Some of the people who had missed that cut off time by well over ten minutes were so angry. They would tell anyone within earshot how unfair it was that they were not allowed to board. I wondered to myself if these were the same people who complained when the ferry was running late.

In spite of the entertainment provide by these unjustifiably angry want-to-be passengers, I was glad when my hosts-to-be texted me saying they were just about to disembark and where was I waiting (any comment as to my inability to text quickly or accurately would be woefully inaccurate no matter how many words I used to describe my fumbling).

Buckly Bay is about 90 minutes north of Nanaimo. It is a small harbour whose only function is to provide a brief home for the ferry that goes to Denman Island. While that ferry uses diesel oil to power its way across the narrow channel, by next year there will be a ferry that is winched across using a thick cable. From the little I have read about the proposed ferry, the users of the present system wish that some other community were used for the experiment.

During the short 15-20 minute ride across the channel, all of the locals get out of their cars and continued the conversations that started while waiting for the ferry to load. Then they get back into their vehicles, disembark - drive across Denman Island which takes ten or fifteen minutes, get on another ferry for an equally brief ride and then disembark again. The whole trip takes just another an hour. I suspect they spend at least a third of that time driving or loading and unloading. If one doesn't know anyone, or is not brazen enough to ask for a ride, one could easily be stuck on Denman Island for an extended period of time. As far as I could see, there was little to do see or do on Denman Island. It is just a flat little island that is stuck between Hornby and Vancouver Islands. Of course there could be more to it, but I did not see it.