Visitors roaring off the boat for a fast look at Victoria and a $60 cuppa tea at the Fairmont Empress have missed the boat. Postcard-pretty though the B.C. capital is, it barely hints at the wonders of what locals know as “the Island.” For a sense of genuine exploration, the ticket is a breezy road trip up the island's oft-neglected east coast.
The distances aren't great – only 458 kilometres in all – and winter is no great concern, with daytime temperatures even at the northern end hovering at a very mild six degrees or so.
The pauses include a modest aquarium that delivers immodest results, Canada's most dedicated locavore restaurant, the casual acquisition of 80-million-year-old souvenirs and a magnificent and calm archipelago for winter fishing.
Stop 1: Sidney
While it's true that some wags refer to it as “Scooterville” – referring to a population of seniors twice the size of Victoria's – Sidney is an especially affable seaside city. It looks out on the Strait of Georgia or, as it's about to be renamed according to aboriginal history, the Salish Sea (this, on top of the renaming of the Queen Charlottes as Haida Gwaii, could have monarchists burning their powdered wigs in protest). Sidney has a fine hotel, the Sidney Pier, a handful of restaurants as good as any in Victoria and 12 bookstores within a four-block radius. It's a place where most people actually read.
Sidney's bona fide tourist attraction is the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre – think Monterey Bay Aquarium on a much smaller scale. Located in the Sidney Pier, the 17-aquaria complex reveals a local marine ecosystem as spellbinding as it is fragile.
Jellyfish and sea nettles captivate visitors at the outset as choreography. Their dance is something to behold, the orange nettles leaving trails of flame as they cascade to the zzzt of digital cameras: tiny creatures kick-starting a very large sense of wonder.
Among the centre's four galleries, the Gallery of the Salish Sea reminds us that 99 per cent of the living space on Earth actually lies underwater, that we're odd men out in nature's grand scheme. It brings you nose to nose with fishes from salmon to wolf eels. The popular fave is the Giant Pacific octopus, whose shape keeps changing as it negotiates its grotto. Greek chefs look on covetously.
Stop 2: Courtenay
Courtenay lies 31/2 hours north of Sidney, but spelunkers may come to a screaming halt 63 kilometres south of town at Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park. The caverns are rife with underground rivers and waterfalls, fossils and crystal formations. Helmets, lights and maps are available for independent explorers.
But Courtenay's claim to fame comes through a different passion: It wants to be foodie capital of the island. Assembling and showcasing the produce of the ultra-fertile Comox Valley, it has accumulated considerable credentials.
Courtenay's proudest restaurant is called Locals. Chef Ronald St. Pierre has done what other chefs only talk about: His restaurant is almost entirely about ingredients. He pulls it off with style and largesse. He shines the spotlight on local producers – Prontissima for pasta, Island Bison for buffalo, Christine's Quackery for duck – at every turn. Wasabi comes farmed by Nature Springs Wasabi, and it's the real thing, not the horseradish and food colouring used in most of Canada's sushi houses.
When you offer eight species of fresh fish from ling cod to sablefish, you're brave. When you offer each in five ways from steamed to stir-fried, you're very brave. Seared albacore loin reveals the St. Pierre modus operandi, the nicely seared tuna served with a brace of vegetarian sushi rolls and, as accents, soy ginger dip, chili oil and cashew coriander pesto. Bison tournedos bring juicy Campbell River bison medallions wrapped in double-smoked bacon, charbroiled, set atop a bed of perfect lentils and garnished with caramelized onion and lavender confit. It's a wonderful dish.
