We got up at 5:15 on Thursday to break camp and leave on the first ferry from Saltery Bay.  Our timing was perfect.  We made it to the second ferry nearly 1 hour before embarkation.  This is the recommended time, especially for RVers.  We had reservations for that ferry, also recommended.  As we were pulling out of the Willingdon campground, a snapped a few pictures of The Beach Hut, the final business we looked at.  It was always too busy to see the inside, but we had a sufficient amount of ice cream there to understand how the business operates. 
  
 Last week, when we got off the first ferry in the Lower Sunshine Coast, we saw two Click Modular homes.  I was happy that we had enough time on the return trip to take a few pictures.  You can’t see the butterfly roof, but it has it.  You can get many configurations or completely customize a home.  I love the MCM aesthetic. 
  
It was a good thing we arrived so early for the second ferry because there wasn’t enough room for everyone.  Also, we were delayed because a bus going in the opposite direction got stuck on the ferry.  It took nearly an hour to move it.  Phew!
  
The traffic in Vancouver was miserable.  I wish there were a way to catch the ferry while avoiding Vancouver traffic.  We hit the Coquihalla at 3 pm and decided to give it a go, even though it was 37C.  The new truck did it without any problem.  The poor VW Westfalias had a tough go.  Several were pulled over with the engines covers up.  The speed limit is 120 kph.  Today the Coq was shut down due to a vehicle catching fire which started a forest fire!
It was hard to find a suitable campground.  We ended up stopping in Sorrento in the Shuswap. It was a very long day. 
We were so happy to have reached the Shuswap yesterday, because today we spent so much time stopped for road construction.  In Yoho, we were stopped for about 1 hour.  It was almost a party atmosphere.  We all got out of our vehicles.  It’s too bad that we didn’t open the Airstream to start a chip wagon. Many people ran to the woods to answer the call of nature.  We didn’t offer the trailer. 
    
Later, we were stopped outside of Calgary, but there was no party atmosphere.  We finally made it to Airdrie after 7 pm.  We were hoping to meet friends here, but after all the traffic stops, it just got too late.  We are staying at Sam Walton Estates with many other campers and horses.  There is a nice trail nearby, so we took the girls for a walk.  Tomorrow we will be back home, where we will see and smell all the smoke from the forest fires.  What a sad situation for all the people and wildlife that have lost their homes.  It is thundering here, so let’s hope the north gets some rain. 

Savary Island lies just a 10 minute water taxi ride off the coast of Lund.  It has the warmest waters north of Mexico.  The island is really a sand bar, so the entire circumference is covered by white sand beaches. 

We took a water taxi to the island from Lund on Wednesday. I was nervous to take the Hobie there because we had the dogs with us. It takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour to kayak over there from Lund.  The ocean was so flat that the journey would have been fine for the dogs.  There will always be next time. 

The water taxi driver was a few years older than we are.  His enthusiasm for the area was infectious. He was so happy that he had found his spot in life. He said most days he forgets he is working because he loves being on the ocean in Lund.  His house is in Saltery Bay, and that’s where his wife lives, but he stays on his sailboat in Lund about 3 nights per week to be close to work.  Saltery Bay is the location of the ferry terminal at the other end of the Upper Sunshine Coast.  People from Lund are called Lundys.  

 Water taxi arriving at Savary Island  
The sun was scorching, so Paul constructed a simple shade structure for the girls. 

It is still early in the season, so it isn’t busy yet.  (South Beach facing Powell River.)  

Unfortunately, there are only cottages on the island and no public spaces for tourists, which means no washrooms. We have heard that this isn’t very pleasant in high season.  They need the winter rains to sanitize the beaches.  Such a shame. 

The residents have to make their own electricity. They have now installed septic systems that drain into the sand, but it will only be a matter of time until the groundwater gets contaminated as more and more people build on the island.  Already, they are noticing saltwater encroachment in the aquifer in the areas with higher populations. 

The original cabins are very modest and probably don’t have complete bathrooms with showers.  However, this is what the newer “cabins” are like. This one is being built with 14.2 wire.  I doubt they will be using solar panels. 

   
Facing Lund from Savary Island (north side)Lund