Vancouver Island

August 16th  2013

Woke up to rain this morning.  Good morning for a latte and muffin at our favorite place, Serious Coffee. Emmm...hot out of the oven.
Two hours later we decided to brave the showers and check out Milner Garden. This a 70 acre plot of land on the bluffs overlooking St. George Strait. The owners preserved and protected this land. Consequently, many of the trees are 500 to 800 years old. We walked through this magical cathedral of trees: 

Along the way we discovered a swimming pool and cabana which now has been turned into a reflecting pool (by adding black coloring to the water) 

At the end of our stroll was the Milner cottage on the bluff overlooking the water. It's described as having fantastic views; however, the trees now almost totally obscure the view. The cottage is quaint. You can tour rooms on the ground floor and see original furniture along with Milner family pictures and mementos. Famous guests were Queen Elizabeth, Prince Phillip, Prince Charles and Princess Diana. The docent said the cottage was 6,000 sq. feet. I find it hard to believe.

 

After walking in Princess Diana's footsteps for an hour we passed on high tea in the cottage and headed to Qualicum Beach for lunch. Qualicum Beach is a unique town because they don't allow any franchised businesses. Even the groceries stores are local; however, we did discover a Starbucks hidden away on the second floor of one grocery store. 

Since there wasn't a McDonalds, Burger King or Denny's in sight we decided to try the highly recommended (read $2.00 coupon) Lefty's.

 

In case you wondered...the owner is left handed; hence, the name Lefty's. Apparently, he doesn't take this "handicap" too seriously because I spotted this sign hanging over my table:

The Italian words for left and left-handed are "mancino and mancini" which translate to "defective and deceitful."

I love his sense of humor.

Turned out the reason Lefty's was recommend was because they prepared mostly vegan and gluten free food. They had 8 different kinds of burgers on the menu,  all V or GF except for one beef burger. I must admit it was pretty good.

 

Tomorrow morning we leave for 3 nights in Victoria. I will miss this place.
- the timeshare facility is wonderful
- the newly installed high speed Internet is the best so far
- the fresh air, resort town atmosphere and water location is soothing

We will return some day to
- risk a kayak adventure on the bay
- hike at Madrona Point, Notch Hill, Top Bridge Regional Park and explore Englishman River Falls    Provincial Park
- visit the parrot sanctuary
- spend a day at Cameron Lake
- explore the West coast of the island

 

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