I awoke this morning to a beautiful sunrise over Shawnigan Lake.
Karina made the most incredible pancakes I have ever tasted in my life… It was starting to become a great day already!
More chopping after breakfast…
Julius and I took a drive around noon to “The Quarry”. According to local lore, this was the site of an old limestone quarry. At one point, the miners struck an aquifer and water rushed into the quarry. The water continued to flow, filling the area and forming a deep man-made lake. Here is the result of the flooding:
The water was deep, but incredibly warm and crystal clear. It made for an excellent swim! Julius was astounded that he was swimming in a lake, in Canada, in October!
After our swim, I dropped Julius off at the house and said goodbye to my host family. Staying with Kevin and Karina was an amazing experience and l hope to be back soon :).
My next destination was East Sooke Park to meet up with Kate and Sandy for a hike. Our timing was off, so I ended up hiking to Iron Mine Bay (off Pike Road) alone. This spot had perfect spots to view the ocean.
From the rocky peninsula:
From the stony beach:
From a small rocky island:
In front of that same small rocky island…
As this next photo suggests, daylight was fading quickly…
Not wanting to get lost in East Sooke Park in the dark (where mountain lions take up residence) I decided to get back to the car.
I rushed toward Sooke to find a campsite for the night. I didn’t go TOO quickly though – I still had time to stop and marvel at the sunset.
I eventually stumbled upon Sunny Shores campground, outside of Sooke. Like any campground in darkness, it was a little spooky. However, the staff was very friendly and even gave me firewood. My evening consisted of pitching the tent, cooking rice and beans, roasting marshmallows for desert, dish-washing and poking aimlessly at the fire until it was out.
Andrew Namespetra's Travel Blog 