We tendered from the ship to the pier. Everyone was nervous about this after the last tender fiasco in Juneau. In fact one tender did break down while transporting passengers to the pier. Our excursion was to Cathedral Grove and then to Coombs Market. When we arrived at the pier there were people dressed in period costumes to welcome passengers. The RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) eventually showed up wearing their signature red tunics.
Our first stop was at MacMillian Provincial Park to visit Cathedral Grove, also referred to as Vancouver Islands “Big Tree Heritage”. It is a forest of century old Douglas fir trees in an endangered ecosystem. The provincial park was established to preserve the trees and protect them from any future attempts at logging. The only evidence of man’s presence in the grove is where chain saws have been used to clear trails and pathways for tourists and local visitors to view the trees. There are a couple of loop trails that wind their way through the forest past some huge trees. Some of the oldest trees are 800 years old and measure 250 feet height and are 29 feet in circumference or 10 feet in diameter. The Cameron River borders parts of the trail. The rippling sound of the creek/river adds a sense of tranquility as you stroll past these magnificent trees.
One interesting fact about Cathedral Grove is that some of the scenes from Star Wars were filmed there. The unusual looking forest with giant trees was a good backdrop for some of the action scenes. Unfortunately the use of pyrotechnic effects and trampling of under growth by the production crew had a long lasting detrimental effect in some of the more remote areas not normally visited by the public.
We boarded the shuttle bus and headed down the road to Coombs Old Country Market. This market includes a gourmet grocery store that is a landmark in the area. What makes it so unique is that the roof is covered with sod and the owner keeps two goats on the roof to keep the grass mowed. The roof has its own sprinkler system and the goats live on the roof all summer long. There is also a little shelter so they can get out of the rain or find shade when it gets too hot. The grocery was also unique because the diner served what smelled to be authentic Mexican food. Guess who was craving that?
Next door to the market was an eclectic group of shops with the a unique collection of “stuff” As you can see in the photos some of the items are bizarre. I’m not sure that they could be shipped without incurring a huge expense. One shop has a collection of approximately 150 beautiful, expensive and huge wood carvings from Asia. The owner admitted that she sells very few of them and she didn’t care if she sold them or not as she just likes having them. Not the best business model; but she does have a location to store her private collection.
Outside there is a huge open air courtyard with even more unusual pieces such as a large marble statue of a baby giraffe suckling its mother. There are also some huge Buddha statues about 15 feet tall. After an hour and some coffee we boarded the shuttle bus and headed back to the pier.
North By Northwest 