THE CEDAR-LESS, BEACH-LESS, UN-RESORT-LIKE RESORT

As it turns out, we're updating our blog from the same Internet cafe we sat in to write our previous entry. And again, we're staying in a cheap hotel (this time for real cheap, $25/night cheaper than the other one) since all the hostels were full.

We arrived on Salt Spring Island via the Skeena Queen on April 12.

We had reserved a rustic cabin for the first three nights of our stay on the island, as the forecast called for "100 per cent chance of rain, heavy at times." For once, the weather people were right.

The rain eased enough to allow us to head into Ganges for the famed Saturday market, where we bought a loaf of bread for breakfast. It was filled with hunks of fresh fruit, it was as heavy as a brick and it was delicious.

We lingered in the various bookstores throughout Ganges and left town with a few more pounds of books in our backpack.


Can't get away from the NHL

The island golf course clubhouse was a five-minute walk from our "cottage," so Eric managed to watch the Vancouver Canucks in their struggle against Dallas for games two and three on a projection TV.

We wanted to visit Ruckle Provincial Park, famous for its wildlife, beauty and oceanside campsites, but it was time for our bi-weekly showers and Ruckle didn't have facilities.

But we were in luck.


The Cedar Beach Resort beckons

Our tourist map was covered in ads for local businesses and one of these little boxes raved about a lake-side resort with RV and tent sites, showers, hot tub and pool.

We decided that one night would be enough for us to take advantage of the hot showers, hot tub and pool, before heading out to the remote beauty of Ruckle.

We trudged for 15 minutes with our packs on the narrow shoulder of a busy road, and soon a giant cedar sign loomed up in front of us declaring our entrance to Cedar Beach Resort.

Little did we realize, the cedar tree that the sign was made of, was the only cedar tree in the entire resort. Not only that, but when we walked into the office, where metal junk food racks lay fallen over each other, we were greeted by a man with a mullet.

We told him of our intentions to tent and shower and he responded with a puzzled look on his face, eventually replying "Let's take a walk and I'll show you the place."


The campground appears weather-beaten

We left our packs in the office and walked down the path lined with big trees, none of which were cedars, as he pointed out our tenting options. They included a site equipped with power and sewer hookups and a slope we could have skiied down. Lucky for us, the mulleted man offered to lend us his pickaxe to level the ground. We thought $25 was a bit steep for having to create our own campsite and chose the second option, which was beside a fenced duplex. We were taken aback to discover that the duplex was not part of a nearby subdivision, but actually a building within the "resort." We weren't too worried, though, because we were sure the hot tub and pool experience would make up for the ugly site.

However, rather than compensating for the site, the pool and hot tub only confirmed our misgivings about the campground/RV park/subdivision.

Our first glance toward the pool area made us wonder whether alligators were being raised at the resort. Leaves covered every surface, deadfall drifted in the water and pieces from a tattered pool cover lay half-submerged in the pool. The hot tub was no better, with its faded vinyl cover collapsed and drowning in branches.

When we asked about getting a deal on the price (since half the facilities weren't even usable) the mullet man told us that we already were getting a deal. "In summer the price is $35 a night," he said.

When we asked where to go for the shower, he told us he would unlock the handicap bathroom, which included a sink, toilet and shower in one large room, instead of opening both the men's and the women's bathrooms. "Besides, the toilet in the men's washroom is broken," he said.

The view of St. Mary's Lake and the mountainside rising up on its far shore was beautiful, as the man said it would be, as long as we didn't look at the sinking dock to our right or the rundown clubhouse on our left.


An unhappy morning

We showered and went to bed, greatly anticipating escaping to Ruckle the next day. Unfortunately, we woke up to pounding rain. We lingered in our tent, playing crib, hoping the rain would stop long enough for us to pack up. It didn't and we reluctantly decided to stay a second night. Early that afternoon, we went to use the washroom only to find it locked.

After confronting mullet man and paying for a second night, he said "Well I locked the bathroom door because I wasn't sure what your plans were."


Beauty everywhere we look

We did finally make it to Ruckle, where we saw deer, sea otters, eagles, a seal, an orca whale, sheep, white sand beaches in serene coves, trees dripping with moss and . . . another tulture! At least this one was in a cage.

We spent one day hiking a nine-kilometre trail in the park and another day lazing in the sun on giant pieces of driftwood reading and writing and drinking chai tea. Eric even managed to get a bit sunburned, while Rachel was able to shed about two layers of clothing, bringing her down to a record three.

Here we are back in Victoria, planning to head north on Vancouver Island towards the Cowichan region by train on April 24.

We have officially been backpacking for one month have spent exactly $926.61 on accommodations and $218.15 on transportation. Our money is disappearing somewhat more quickly than we had anticipated, so we may move up our dates for visiting the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Be sure to check out our photos of Salt Spring. We also added some photos to the Victoria album and one AWESOME picture to the Gulf Islands album. Can you find the picture of the hot guy in shorts?