Aylmer Express "MoHo" Extravaganza 2006

Usually when I look at a map I assume that the information it shows is correct, if not complete. I now realize that a free map may not necessarily share these qualities. When a map does not actually convey accurate information, it can be cause for concern. Today I found out what the repercussions of an inaccurate map can be. I thought that it might be a little more interesting to take some back roads on the way to our destination today rather than the same old main arteries we had been using lately. To be fair, we did have an interesting time. The downside is that we ended up on a dead end road by the Strait of Juan de Fuca. If you have to be stuck, I suppose that is not a bad place to be stuck. Of course, we had not used the GPS up to this point because we thought we knew where we were going. It appeared that we just happened to be using a map that was created for a different reality. So we broke down and fired up the trusty GPS to get us out of this jam. It did its job but even it was having a difficult time with the crazy tangle of roads in the south part of the island. Between the unusual road patterns and the trees and hills that kept blocking the satellite communication, the GPS was not having a good afternoon. I wasn’t driving and hence was not paying attention to how much fuel we had on board. It turns out that we were a little shy of what we would need to make the trip to Port Renfrew and back. We did manage to make it all the way to Port Renfrew but we definitely needed to get some more gas to make it all the way back. Since there did not seem to be a gas station for the previous 80 kms (50 miles) I thought that it would be prudent to get some in Port Renfrew while we had the chance. Now, to give you an idea of how remote Port Renfrew is, the only gas station in town was at the marina. When I asked one of the locals about where to get gas they literally told me, and I am not making this up, to go talk with “George” in town and he will sell you a 5 gallon can of gas. They then proceeded to give me directions to George’s place which included phrases like “right at the church” and “3 doors down from there” yet at no time did they mention a street name. Ah, life in rural BC! I decided to try the marina since they actually had signs indicating that they sold gas and how to get there. I did not realize that the marina was another 10 minute drive around the bay and across a single lane bridge. The further I followed these marina signs directing me out of town, the more chary I became as I thought it might just be a trap to get tourists with low fuel off on their own for some reason. When I did finally get there I found out that the gas was served up using a 60’s vintage gas pump attached to the back of a trailer that was primarily made up of a big tank which I assume held gas. I was prepared to get gouged on the price given the rather remote location but, believe it or not, the price was only 1 cent per litre higher than in Victoria. By the time I returned from my fuel fueled adventure we had little time for much other than dinner. At least we chose the nicest place in town with a patio overlooking the fishing docks and the bay. This place also served great food and actually had, as a menu option, a “Vote for Pedro” burger. Now there is something you don’t typically see at the nicest restaurant in town, eh? In case you were wondering, no, we didn’t try it … we all wanted to have seafood!
It wasn’t all driving however. We did take some breaks on the way there and back. We checked out the beach and the Pacific Ocean and then played a little Frisbee at, the appropriately named for us, French Beach and on the way back we stopped at a vacant baseball diamond in Jordon River and we got out our bat, ball and gloves to have a family game of baseball. I’m not sure who won or lost but we all had fun. Then it was back to the campsite for yet another late night to bed.

Today’s word:

chary \CHAIR-ee\, adjective:
1. Wary; cautious.
2. Not giving or expending freely; sparing.