I started my Monday with my usual early walk and did a little more exploring of Port Hardy. It is a charming little real town with naturally beautiful environs.
The sky looked a little dicey but we were heading south and the forecast was decent. We took a quick peek at Port McNeill also which is a similar type of small town. 
From there we headed down island as far as Qualicum Bay. We had found a campground that was first come first serve and our intention was to grab a spot and then go explore Denman and Hornby Islands. Here is what you should do if you want to do the same. Start early! I take full responsibility for poor planning as I have only been to these small islands in the offseason. Apparently, a lot of people like to visit in the summer and if you are going to pay the $76 ferry fare (both ways to both islands with 2 people and vehicle) then you don't want to rush like we did (rushed and then waited in ferry line ups).
My goal was for us to picnic at Tribune Bay Beach. It is for sure one of the most beautiful beaches in the province and actually puts me in mind of Hawaii minus waves and coral. These 2 little islands offer much more to see and if you can stay a couple of days that would be an even better plan but I kind of blew it on this trip.
Wee ferries shuttle everyone back and forth. The ship from the main island to Denman is drawn along a cable. The last ferry leaves Hornby at 6pm which means if you are in line, you will get off the island. The problem is that the line can be long. I was told on one summer evening, 110 cars were waiting and it took until 10 pm to get everyone ferried. That's what I mean by starting early!
Back to our campground which had some good things and some less impressive things to be said about it!
First of all, right on the Strait of Georgia so it was beautiful. It was not expensive for a no service tent site at $25 and wasn't booked up like every other campsite on V.I. Less impressive was the fact that the main building, the only place with showers, was closed from 7 to 11 (no, not 11 to 7) which meant I took my morning shower under a cold water tap in the middle of the campground. Secondly, a no service site did not even come with a picnic table!
We suck at camping and for your amusement, here is a partial list of things we forgot for our one-night tenting adventure; pillows, disposable plates etc., batteries for the air mattress pump, a table (to be honest, it never occurred to me) and enough blankets (it was cold). If you camp fully self-contained, this would be a great place. Somehow we survived and when we both had to get up and use the washroom at about 3 am, we had the most amazing view of the Milky Way possible.
Surprisingly, this is a post with no food pictures! Before we left home, we grilled up some Filipino style pork skewers which we ate with rice or pita. We also grilled up some mushrooms and broccoli and made a sort of salad with them. That ended up being what we ate for our rushed picnic and our dinner. We did remember snacks!
I promise more food pictures tomorrow!
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