Courtenay
Trip Start
Aug 19, 2005
1
21
57
Trip End
Jun 12, 2006
Courtenay,
British Columbia,
Canada
Thursday, October 6, 2005
The Canadian Thanksgiving is for a different reason to the American Thanksgiving and is for giving thanks for a successful harvest.
I arrived in Courtenay just after 2.30pm after getting the 9.15am bus that morning from Victoria. We had a stop at Nanimo and I got to visit Tim Hortons (just next to the bus terminal). A friend of Michelle's collected me from the bus as another friend was after going into labour that morning and Michelle (who was on strike - illegally) was on babysitting duty. I joined her until the new Dad arrived home.
Back at her house we grabbed a much needed coffee and waited for Greg to arrive home. Greg was after sitting a 6 hour exam that day and was a little tired but we did go out for dinner. On the way home we collected their mail. It is an interesting system. They are considered to be living on a country lane and well there is a big steel box with lots of small boxes that their post is put into. If you have a bigger parcel than that will fit in it then there is a key for another box - it was very exciting as there was a key in the box that night..... They really don't live that much out in the country and other houses that are out in the country, well they have their mail delivered straight to their driveway...
Saturday was a nice chill day with a visit to the local community of Cumberland, had a huge brunch and went back to Courtenay and Comox and did a little wandering. That night we went to Campbell River for Thanksgiving Dinner at Jen and Lyle's house.
A big tree in a forest
They were only married 2 weeks and Jen's Mum and Dad were around too. Dinner was yum!!!The following day was an even more chill day. We baked Pumpkin Pie and went on the old highway to Parksville where Greg's sister Tara was hosting Thanksgiving Dinner. On the way we stopped with a couple of their friend's who have a farm and we got a tour. Thanksgiving (the duck) was in the process of being plucked when we arrived.
A Baseball game and another turkey dinner later and we just about had room for pumpkin pie....mmmmmmmm.... homemade was good - especially as I oversaw its making....
The following day well by the time I packed and showered and had pumpkin pie for breakfast it was lunchtime and Michelle was driving me to Nanaimo for the ferry to Vancouver. We stopped at a Park on the way down that has an old forest.... wow the tress we so big and tall and it was great to see the untouched forest with the new and old growth.
A stop at Tim Hortons for a quick bite and off to the Ferry terminal.... there was a bit of a queue. I had arrived just after 4.30pm for the 5pm ferry - usually in plenty time but as it was Thanksgiving weekend there was a bit of a wait. The 5pm ferry had sold out just after 3pm and I had a ticket for the 7pm. The ferry was packed and well I did manage to get on a city bus on the Vancouver side(only $2.25) which dropped me only a couple of blocks from the hostel.
