Salt Spring

Keeping true to tradition, my mother and I experienced some interesting public transit adventures during our weekend getaway to Salt Spring Island. This time it was a crew of teenage hippies, reeking of alcohol, unable to pay their two-dollar bus fair, carrying saxophones and trumpets, sporting dreadlocks and tie-die headbands, speaking of their camping trip ending in a run-in with the police, and causing the bus driver to get up and say, "we're going to have to keep the language civil in here." Like always, we enjoyed the people watching on the local public transit.

Also throughout the course of the three days, we met Dan and Brad, the two bus drivers of the island. And between the two of them, we managed to visit all three "towns" on Salt Spring. Ganges, Fulford and Vesuvius... some of them were more town-like than the others.

My mom decided, like she often does when travelling with me, that she would have a veggie weekend. I'm sure glad she did, because if you're not vegan, a raw-foodie, an organic lover, or into gluten-free foods, you might find it hard to come across a meal you'd enjoy on Salt Spring.

The highlight for me- where I had one of those unforgettable nature moments- was hiking through what seemed like a Shishkin Ivan painting. The picturesque beauty of the forest was so pronounced that as I walked through it, I imagined a painting hanging on the wall, above the fireplace in an old English home. I imagined seeing two little people; my mother and I, marching through that painting. My mom laughed, "kinda like the pictures in Harry Potter?" As funny as it sounds, that's honestly how I felt.

And then of course we did some biking. Each night, on a bloated stomach, we'd trudge up the steep hill to the hotel on our bikes; or more realistically, hauling our bikes alongside us. The following morning we'd speed down the hill, this time with gravity on our sides, but the weather certainly not. At one point I was wishing I had goggles on my face so that my eyes could remain open while my body flew down the hill.

Finally, after 18 years of living in British Columbia, I have officially seen everything there is to see on Salt Spring Island.

Salt Spring socks at the Saturday market.

Endless amounts of all-natural, organic soaps.

Live entertainment at the Saturday market.



Another local artist.

A shoeless musician.

The marina.

Literally built with a tree planted in the centre. Our dining choice on night 1.

Slower driving campaign.

Biking the boardwalk.

Stopping for a picnic.

A sweet tree.



The photo I took while getting rid of the hiccups.

Self timers... after a couple of failed attempts.

Waiting for the bus.

Some crazy bug's web.

The friendly wildlife.

The Hastings House... featured in Patricia Schultz's 2003 bestselling book "1,000 Places To See Before You Die"



Being a rebel.



Mud covered faces after biking in the rain to the ferry.