We are going to Vancouver tomorrow to visit Karley and Ian and celebrate Karley's birthday (it's today) and we are heading to Tofino, on the west coast of the island next week. We are trying to see as much as we can before we leave here but we are running out of time. Today we headed to Gold River in the Nootka Sound, roughly 90 kilometres, southwest of here. The winding picturesque highway took us through the interior along the shores of the Upper Campbell Lake and over several creeks, rivers and streams to the Muchalat Inlet in the Nootka Sound area.

On our way, we crossed through the upper portions of the Strathcona Provincial Park (again) and stopped at the many lookouts and roadside picnic areas with an assortment of wonderful hiking trails leading into the forest. There are several backcountry hikes available for overnight campers and the more aggressive adventure seekers. Strathcona Provincial Park is the oldest park in BC and has so much to offer in the way of recreation encompassing over 626,000 acres and it includes 6 of the 7 highest peaks on the island. We hiked a short distance into Lady Falls, one of several in the park and we enjoyed a close-up encounter with a bald eagle.

At the Muchalat Inlet, we were hoping we would get lucky and see a whale but it wasn't to be today. We did get lucky with the weather though and our day was most enjoyable!