Hello to South Sound from a bit further north. We’re out wandering in BC again this summer and thought we could share a few pictures of small adventures, if only so we don’t have to feel guilty every time Steve complains about not having material for the next Ship-to-Shore.
There are bears in this country. These two were looking all fuzzy and cuddly on the beach. We weren’t fooled. It happens that these two look exactly like the two bears in a Be Bear Aware poster that is published widely along the BC coast. Maybe they all look alike. From a great enough distance, I think they all look like sheep grazing on the grass. Maybe I need glasses.
The fishing has been mostly good, but this wasn’t a good day. When my mouth is bigger than the fish’s mouth, the fish goes back in the water.
At Higgins Pass, N:52d29m W:128d44m, the tide book and the chart promised a 3-foot high land bridge across the pass. They lied to us. We did our best to walk across what, during high tide, is a marginally navigable waterway, but gave up when the current swept jellyfish by my ankles. We did manage to get the attached proof that SSSS has been to Higgins Pass. The only fixed evidence of humanity here is a rumor of a guardian pole carved by the Kitasoo Indians. We never found it, so we couldn’t ask for official recognition or reciprocity. The residents left evidence of their passing in the form of deer and wolf tracks, but never showed themselves to us.
At Ocean Falls we asked about reciprocity, there is an Ocean Falls Yacht Club, but they weren’t interested. The town has about fifty year-round residents, and a significant portion of their trade balance comes from visiting cruisers, most of whom belong to one club or another. The town’s moorage rates are still a bargain. To be fair, Royal Vancouver, Seattle, Olympia, and South Sound are all represented here tonight, and we all pay the same rate.
We wish all well in the South Sound. Take care of it for us; we’ll be back in October.
Tycho and Kathy