Always hard to leave Cortes Island...

We had dinner on the deck of our favourite restaurant, surrounded by flowers.

The view from the Floathouse Restaurant in Gorge Harbour

 

We were the last car on the ferry; they had to pull away from the dock a few feet to get the ramp up without hitting our bikes!

Old Schoolhouse gallery on Cortes

Fish sculpture outside the building

This old school, with wood floors and big windows, is now an art gallery

We enjoyed a show by three Cortes artists; the theme was seaweed


 

Backcountry bike race

Yesterday we both went in the Bike Race on Cortes; I did the 5 km one and Brad rode the long one, up steep rocky roads, through mossy glades, mud, skinny single track with rocks and roots and over narrow bridges in the forest. The winner did it in 59 minutes on a single speed custom built bike.




The start of the 5 km race for "kids and mellow adults!"

Brad in the blue shirt at the start of the 18 km race

Sunset from Smelt Bay Cortes Island

The only trouble with sunsets is that it's hard to stop taking photos; thank heavens for digital cameras!
The herons had priority on the rock; if a seagull was on it and saw a heron coming in to land it quickly took off.

We were way at the end of the sandy beach; Quadra Island is on the horizon, with Vancouver Island beyond. Two herons flew back and forth; we also saw kingfishers and diving ducks.

Beautiful Cortes Island BC

We've been enjoying cycling, beach walks and camping on Cortes Island; we haven't been here for a few years - from home it's almost a full day and three ferries...

Looking across to the Whaletown pier from the ferry as we arrive

Flowers in the Hollyhock garden