Quick update

It's been a very busy day and I'll have to write more and add pictures later. A quick 'teaser' of an update. We're on our way to Princess Louisa Inlet, one of the best cruising destinations on this coast, so we keep being told. Five thousand foot cliffs, thundering waterfalls and reversing tidal rapids await us over the next few days.

On the way, we've stopped at the little town of Egmont, pop. 300ish. Just a few miles further up the Sechelt (sea-shelt) Inlet are the fastest tidal rapids in the world. The Skookumchuck Narrows (skookum - strong, chuck - salt water) are where two hundred billion gallons of water squeeze in or out of the Sechelt inlet every six hours. It produces tidal streams up to 16 knots, and a series of rapids and whirlpools that have to be seen to be believed. We hiked through wonderful forest for three miles to be there when the ebb tide was running strongly and it is a wonder to behold. You don't mess with the Skookumchuck, that's for sure.

Back here in Egmont, we've had the luck to arrive in time for 'Egmont Day' (I'm an egmonster, say the t-shirts) . A whole day of activites, a parade, food and fun for the kids and us grown ups. Issie came joint first in the sack race, Max played frisbee and rode a skateboard, I got roped into a canoe race and Gesa took many, many photographs. The salmon, corn and salad dinner was $6 each.

Activity was centered around the Egmont Community Hall which is an interesting old building. You look at it and wonder when it was built. And then we find out that it wasn't built here, it was the recreation hall at an old logging camp a ways up the inlet. Egmont bought it for a dollar and it was cut in half, floated on two huge rafts of logs and dragged down to Egmont, then pulled up the hill and put back together. And it turns out that it was all done by the grandfather of the guy I ended up paddling a canoe with out around the island.

I love places like this, how can you not, the way they take visitors in their arms and wrap you up as if you were family. We'll be back, and next time, we'll practice paddling a canoe.....

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