We head out of Nanaimo for Telegraph Cove.  Arrive there early afternoon.  Beautiful day, warm and sunny.  After lunch at Telegraph Cove we talked to some kayakers and decided to head out.  We launched and paddled to a creek where we camped in the woods behind the rocky beach.  We set up our mess area at the beach on the large logs washed up high.

The next morning we awoke to rain and howling winds.  Cold rain and wind tore through our campsite.  We huddled in our tents - we had traveled for days to get here and this was our greeting!  After a breezy breakfast on the beach, we decided not to paddle to the bight.  We hung out around camp.  Orca whales passed by in the afternoon.  We bathed in the fresh water of the icy creek because we would not have another chance for a few days.

We met a couple of other kayakers, John and Larry.  They had camped next to us and were headed to the Indian Islands Group.  We joined up with them the next day for the paddle across Johnstone Strait.  John led the group, he turned out to be a paddling animal and we asked that he slow so we could keep up.  A seal played tricks with Dale, surfacing near his boat and startling him.  We passed other kayakers at a point that was made challenging by the rushing tide.   Arriving in the group, we found campsites in a beautiful cove of small islands.  Dale's Thermarest sprung a leak that night and he slept on rocks. 

The next day was very nice and the four of us paddled over and visited the old Indian village and took a tour with Tom, the local guardian.   Dale wished for some crab and Tom brought fresh Dungeness crabs to our campsite later that afternoon.  We ate crab (and only crab) that evening, in the light rain that had started in the late afternoon.  We ate our fill.  John had brought two-way radios and we used them to keep in touch.  We called Larry and John and they came over and ate what they wanted.  We sent what was left with them to a group of kayakers camped near them.

We made the long paddle from the Indian Islands Group back to Telegraph Cover by starting early at a high tide.  We hugged the islands until we were ready to make the long crossing over Johnstone Strait.  Picking up "the tank" we drove to Port Hardy and checked into a hotel and were soon at the restaurant having a good meal.  We cleaned and dried out our gear and did laundry.  Dale stepped on my sunglass that evening and broke them.

Between Dale's Thermrest and the weather, the outing on Johnstone strait was not as long as it could have been.  However, it was time to move on and we decided to head to Tofino.  Tofino is a very popular place in the summer and we knew we might have trouble finding a place to stay.  Arriving in Tofino around 2AM, we circled town a couple of times and were greeted by a "blue light" special.  The local police told us the place was booked, so there was no use looking for a place to stay.  But if wanted, we could sleep behind the city park.  So we pulled around the park, and, after being tucked in by the police, we slept in the tank.  I cannot say enough nice things about the Tofino police or about Tofino itself.  The next morning we checked with the lodging information and found a legitimate place to stay that night.

One beautiful day in Tofino was followed by one completely fogged in.  Not wanting to start a trip in this weather, we decided to head for the San Juan Islands.  We catch the last ferry and end up on Orcas Island where we sneak into a campsite late and sleep (again) in the tank.  One reason we had rented such as large vehicle was to use it as a rolling condo, but we wished it had a suspension system!

A morning jaunt to the top of Mount Constitution provided fresh air and great views of islands and water.  We head to Orcas for breakfast and catch the ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.  There, we head for the county campground where Dale has once been campground host.  He manages to pull a few strings and gets us a campsite although the place is booked.  We rent a double kayak and paddle the Haro Strait.  Orca whales played in the waters.  The winds were calm and the water of the strait lay perfectly still, so calm and smooth.  The sunsets are awesome. 

After a few days on San Juan we caught the first ferry back to Seattle.

Morning paddle to village

Indian Islands campsite view

San Juan campsite view

San Juan sunset