Out In The Wild

Rules

I glance over at a dog taking a dump on the grass while the owner makes no effort to retrieve the pet waste. 

"Some folks think they're out in the wild when it comes to cleaning up after their pets," Frank says.

I nod my head in agreement.

This morning, we are at the Buckley Bay Road Rest Area, a hidden gem between Highway 19 and Highway 19A. It is well maintained and has plenty of rules governing it. For example, we stayed the full night in Big White across from the sign which stated the 6-hour restriction. In the precious morning hours of Sunday, November 8, we boiled some coffee and took a saunter over the gravel path to the viewpoint. 

Our point of view is that we full-time RVers are a clean lot, in general. Although, there were a few bits of trash strewn around, the lookout benches were tag-free.

Sweet flowers curbside

Along the path, we stopped to admire a few flowers curbside still in bloom, hanging on to the last bit of the fall season. Nearby, a magnificent large-leaved tree showed off small fruit which hung precariously, nearly ready to release their grip and fall to the ground.

Fruit-bearing tree

Among the precious flora and fauna, stood a man-made metal lamppost covered in man-made graffiti, and a rock just outside the outhouses was altered with a silhouette of a person.

Mystery message

Mystery silhouette

Susan on the Viewpoint path

Our sight from the point was filled with a panoramic layout of the Buckley Bay Ferry facility to Denman Island, the Strait of Georgia, and Denman Island.  Wafting over the aroma of our brewed coffee held securely in capped containers, were the fragrances of wet leaves, decaying short and long grasses, invasive plants, and tree bark. As we stood among the magnificence, we absorbed the sounds of cars motoring up Buckley Bay Road, the brash broadcast telling of the ferry about to depart and a few voices wafting up the hillside in our direction but too low to make out what they are saying.

View of Buckley Bay Ferry Terminal

Our destination today is the library in Courtenay, located a memorable twenty-minute drive north of Buckley Bay. With earplugs in place, we sit among the chatters and absorb whatever we are reading, writing or exploring on the Internet. We highly recommend that you get a library card throughout your travels. The facilities are a clean and safe environment with well-maintained washrooms and kind folks at the front desk.

Tip No. 2: Don’t lug stuff you’re not going to use.