R & R on Vancouver Island

It is not often that we take a day off but that is exactly what we did last Friday when we caught a morning ferry to Vancouver Island and headed north to Courtenay, BC which is about an hour or so north of Nanaimo



Instead of boarding the ferry at Horseshoe Bay which is the usual way to arrive in Nanaimo, we decided to be daring and take the Tsawwassen to Duke Point ferry where the crossing takes 2 hours (instead of 1 hour 40 min) and I had more time to fiddle with the ProHDR app on my iPhone


(iPhone, ProHDR app)

I usually stay outside on the upper deck but today it was very chilly and the wind made my legs feel like jello so I didn't venture outside for long


(Lumix ZS3)

Where possible I like to travel on the backroads so at Parksville we took the Oceanside route along the water and ended up at a neat place called Deep Bay


(Canon T2i, Tamron 17-50)

where we happened to stumble upon a crime scene. We noticed many newer homes in this area. There is short peninsula with a road in the middle and homes on both sides with water access. There is a Government Wharf and other marine facilites


(Canon T2i, Tamron 17-50)

Perhaps it was the good weather but first impressions are that this is a very picturesque/photogenic place. We hung around for a bit enjoying the freedom of a day away from work

We dilly dallied most of the day meandering our way north and eventually found our way to our destination and checked into our Spa Resort just south of Courtenay/Comox and settled into our waterfront view suite


(Lumix ZS3)

Here is a sunrise view from our deck. Across the bay you can see Comox on the other side


(Canon T2i, EF-s 55-250)

While the air was a bit nippy, especially in the evening, the outdoor spa was pleasantly Hot. Luckily I brought my Speedo


(Lumix ZS3)

We topped off the evening with a five star meal in their award-winning restaurant. This was the special of the night, Scallops on a bed of herb-filled, spiced mash potatoes


(Lumix ZS3)

it was so delicious I tried to "stretch my meal" by cutting the scallops into smaller pieces to savour every bite.

I try to travel very light but the electronics take most of the space & weight. This trip I mostly used my GoProHD with a few shots from my Canon T2i. I carry the Lumix as a backup


(iPhone using Pano app produced from 2 images, cropped)