10 Reasons Why You Should NOT Live On “The Island”

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Botanical Beach

1.  You will waste your precious time spending hours walking on beaches and checking out tidal pools.

 

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Botanical Beach

2.  You will have to put up with fresh, clean air and a constant breeze.

3.  People are very neighbourly and approachable here.  Expect a friendly wave with the obligatory friendly wave in return. You will have to constantly say “hi,” a tiresome custom.

4.  You will have to tolerate views of lakes and the ocean as far as the eye can see.    

 

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Cowichan Lake – photo credit Alisha (my daughter)

 

5.  Camping outdoors on “The Island” will mean almost no bugs.  You will not have the pleasure of swatting, swelling, investing in bug repellent and Afterbite.

 

 

 

Gordon Bay, Cowichan Lake
Gordon Bay, Cowichan Lake

 

6.  You will have to get accustomed to the colour green.  Moss, ferns and diverse, spectacular trees are found in our forests.

 

 

 

Harris Creek Sitka Spruce
Harris Creek Sitka Spruce

 

 

 

 

7.  You will take too many photos and have the challenge of selecting only a few favourite ones.  One of the pictures below is an often photographed little bonsai conifer growing out of an old mossy stump.

This Fairy Lake tree became famous when Adam Gibb’s photo was selected as one of the 100 winning images from 48,000 global submissions for Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2012.  Adam Gibb’s photo     

        

 

 

Fairy Lake Tree
Fairy Lake Tree

 

8.  Hiking with friends will consume a great deal of your time.  You will never run out of places to explore.  Decisions.  Decisions.  

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9.  You will want to avoid the Malahat at the end of a long weekend in the Summer.  Taking the  Pacific Marine Circle Route   home will add stress to your day.

You will have to drive an extra hour through a beautiful rain forest, gaze at stunning scenery and endure minimal traffic. 

The extra one hour drive may turn into four hours because you will want to stop and explore the beautiful sites along this route. You may possibly include a leisurely lunch in the picturesque town of Port Renfrew.  

An entirely wasted day! (in Paradise)

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10.  And most importantly, why you should NOT live on “The Island?” 

                                       Will you be able to keep “Vancouver Island” our little secret?

                                               I think not.  Especially when you call it “home.”

 

Dedicated to:  All the visitors that come to “The Island” each year.  The people that make “The Island” their home.  And to Deb,  Widow Badass Blog  who has discovered  “our little secret.”

                          

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75 thoughts on “10 Reasons Why You Should NOT Live On “The Island””

  1. Thank you, Erica, for your “Dedicated to:” note at the end of your post. I’m coming to visit next month, LOL. What a wonderful place you live in with so much natural beauty. Vancouver Island has always been on my list for relocation if I ever relocate. Thanks for sharing your views and lovely photos.

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    1. Hi Natalie, Thank you for reading to the end. My post was inspired by the visitors we have had here this Summer, and I know you will be visiting this Fall, Natalie. Deb has been sharing her thoughts on moving here. And we had quite an eventful time getting home from camping this past long weekend. It was my way of sharing the weekend. I am sorry our paths will not physically cross this year, although I know we will stay connected. Thank you for always being supportive, Natalie. If you have any questions about “The Island” do not hesitate to contact me:)

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    1. Marty, We would love to meet you and Gorgeous if you make it to “The Island.” I may even open the “decent” bottle of wine:) It was my way of summarizing this past week. Deb (Widow Badass) has also been sharing her questions about moving here. Thank you for reading and your kind comment.

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    1. Hi Suzanne, It was a bit challenging to get home last weekend, and I started to think about the extra hours exploring in a beautiful setting. You have also visited many beautiful areas:) Thank you for reading and commenting:)

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    1. I know you understand first hand all 10 points, Donna:) It was challenging driving home after the August long weekend from Cowichan Lake. We drove part way to the Highway on the Monday and it was really backed up. We actually turned around and headed back and then took the Pacific Marine Circle Route home. The traffic was almost non-existent. A wonderful way to spend the day. You are right Donna. It is difficult to keep it “our little secret.” 😊

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  6. You do realize that in telling us all the reasons not to move there that you’ve enticed us to seriously consider moving there as quick as we can! Ha ha. It sounds like paradise. The town I raised my kids in used to be a sleepy little coastal community not far from San Francisco. It was a working class town. Things have changed, of course. Now we are invaded every summer day and weekend by hordes and hordes of people and traffic, because we are so close to the big city. Locals can’t leave the house and the kids we raised there can’t afford to buy a home where they grew up. In the old days, when folks would ask, “Oh, you live in Pacifica – it’s really foggy there, isn’t it?” I would answer, “Yes, it’s really foggy, you might not like it.” (I lived in an area of the town that was clear of fog most of the time but I rarely revealed that!). Anyway, I do hope that Vancover Island stays the paradise it is and the hordes stay away…. except for me, of course. Hee hee, just joking.

    Love
    Susan Grace

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    1. You understand, Susan, about the sleepy coastal communities and hoping they will stay the same. I think the areas around Vancouver are more like the communities around San Francisco. I grew up in the Vancouver area and the little coastal towns have changed a great deal. You are right on the hordes and hordes of people and traffic. I will try not to jinx “The Island” although it is still somewhat of a challenge to get to the “The Island”. Summer is always a busier time and then our area quiets down.

      You made me smile on the “it’s really foggy there……and you might not like it.” I guess for us it is, “ferry travel is a hassle and really expensive” and not reveal the paradise part……….oops, too late:) Nice to hear from you, Susan. xx

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  7. I, of course, had to endure the torture of Vancouver Island for a few weeks in July. I sure hope “they” (whoever they are) can keep the island relatively serene even though tourists have discovered its charms. Vancouver Island is every bit as wonderful… I mean terrible… as you say!

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    1. Hi Janis, I am glad you and Paul had the opportunity to visit. You live near beautiful areas, too. As Susan, S.G. commented, we try to put a negative spin in our words about the small, coastal communities………….I don’t know whether it is working:)

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  8. Every morning I wake up to such a beautiful sunrise and out comes my cell ph to take a pic. The moon on Monday night, with a halo around it – a few pics. Or, on my way back home on Monday – a 7 hour drive – just constant amazement and appreciation of our beautiful country. Thanks Erika for your post – life’s tough eh? 🌺

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    1. I thought you lived overseas, Susan? It sounds like you are much closer -” eh” gave it away:) I am with you on the constant amazement and appreciation of our beautiful country. Thank you for your lovely comment:)

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        1. I was a little puzzled reading your comment since you were describing such a beautiful site. Our planet has many gorgeous areas. I knew you were in the process of moving within the last couple of years and then I read “eh” very Canadian:) Funny about the similarities. Thank you for clarifying, Susan. I have seen gorgeous photos of South Africa!

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    1. Hi Joanne, Yes, I love all, too……..oops………I mean I could list many negatives😉 You will be visiting soon stirring up new shenanigans with your hiking partner:) Thank you on the comment re: my daughter’s photo. She takes many gorgeous pictures.

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  10. What a wonderful post and thanks so much for the dedication and shout-out, Erica! Yes, I learned of your little secret during my first extended visit, back in JANUARY. Even in the depths of winter, I knew this was going to be the place for me to head to upon retiring from work! I can’t even imagine how beautiful it must be in the summer but your post sure helps!!!

    Deb

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    1. Hi Deb, Your post last week inspired my thinking about “The Island.” Long weekend travel can always be a challenge anywhere we live. I was reminded how the extra few hours of travel were in Paradise……….oops, I did it again:) I mean an extreme challenge 😉 I hope you are making progress in your planning stages.

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  11. As always, I thoroughly enjoyed your delightful style of writing, Erica. And these photos! It makes me want to pack up and move to Vancouver Island tomorrow. It sounds like a wonderful place, full of life’s little “hardships.” 🙂 No wonder you said your gratitude list would fill a whole page. Enjoy!

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    1. Thank you for your kind comment, Christie. I tried to put a negative spin on life on “The Island” but people do not seem to “get it” 😊 Your “Thank you notes” are always part of my inspiration, Christie. They help live life on a certain wavelength. BTW we have amazing fish and chips here, too:)

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  13. Yep, lots of good reasons not to live on an island. 😆 Vancouver and Vancouver Island have been on our travel bucket list for a while. Not sure we’ll ever make it due to so many other summer spots on our list. Thanks for sharing images of your little slice of life.

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    1. You have visited exceptionally gorgeous areas, Ingrid. Like you say, there are many places on the list. I was trying to summarize last week and I like how you put it, my “little slice of life.” Thank you for reading and your comment:)

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  20. Oh my goodness, that sounds absolutely unbearable! Poor you! I think I need to visit some time just to see if it’s as terrible as it sounds. It would absolutely be a personal sacrifice, but there you go. Seriously though, how utterly stunning!

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    1. Thank you, Joanne. I do not take this area for granted. You would be able to endure this personal sacrifice:) Great seafood here, too. Especially when the Hungry Writer adds her gourmet flare to the meal 😊

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  21. Oh my, Erica!! That sounds like such horrendous things to have to deal with! 😉 The photos are gorgeous. It looks so beautiful there. My husband would love the “no bugs” part since they seem to love him.

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    1. Hi Amy, I debated on adding the “almost no bugs” since I didn’t want to jinx our camping experience. Minimal in comparison to when we lived in the North. You love the coastal areas, too, Amy. You know the feeling of being by the water. Thank you for your kind comment:)

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  23. Erica, sounds like an awesome place to live, exactly what I’d like!! I love the miniature Douglas fir mirrored image by Adam Gibb!

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    1. Dee, The Wildlife Photographer exhibit was showcased in our museum that year. We loved this exhibit. There were categories which included Teens photos. An interesting creative art form. Thank you for you comment:)

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  24. Oh my! What do people do with their aggression? Perhaps the air is infused with Valium. When I was young, I read James Michener’s Hawaii and wanted to live on the islands. Always. I never outgrew it. I spent a month there bumming around. If I could afford it, I’d live there now. That and my dang family won’t move with me.

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  25. Let’s not forget the mandatory one and a half hour cruise with occasional sightings of endangered orca whales, humpback whales and harbour seals. If you’re into fishing, there’s not one, not two, not three but five, count them, five hungry species of salmon and barn-door halibut, prawns and crab too. There’s way too much wildlife and that’s just in the water. Eagles, bear, deer, elk, wolves it’s a frigging zoo here. And you forgot the traffic. The other day it took me 18 minutes to get to the store that usually takes me 15 minutes. I hate rush hour….what a zoo.

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    1. Yes, Good point, Chuck! The mandatory hardship of the “cruise.”😊When we used to drive 12 hours one way to visit family. Always wildlife sightings, too. Shhhhhhh!

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    1. Thanks Shelley🙂It started as a challenging drive home from a camping trip. Then I started to think about the great hardship of living on the Island:) Your site is always so beautiful, too. Your photos make me stop and take a breath. A good part of the day:)

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      1. It’s fun to imagine living in places we enjoy visiting, especially those we don’t want to leave from. I always feel that way when we take a trip to Jamaica. There are enough years inbetween trips to make me wonder what it would be like to live there. Thank you – I’m happy to read you enjoy visiting my blog. Ditto to you!

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  27. Still chuckling at the negative spin of your unfortunate surroundings. Feels a bit like salt on mango, the salt makes you pay attention to the mango and the negative makes you pay attention to the underlying glory. Okay, thank you for reminding us of yet another beautiful destination which we actually keep hearing more about and it seems like I keep reading more about it… so a visit to your side of the world is perhaps in order so we can see how challenging life is there for you.

    Home exchange with Viet Nam??

    Peta

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    1. Hi Peta, I am definitely thankful to be in these surroundings. You and Ben know first hand how our planet has many beautiful places. We are not set up for a home exchange, although I hear it is a common occurrence. it is fun to live vicariously through your adventures. Now about that mango and salt? First time I have heard of this and Google has all sorts of descriptions. Interesting! Thanks for stopping by, Peta, and your kind comment:)

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  29. Hi Erica! Okay I TOTALLY missed this post. Not sure why??? Of course I have been moving around a lot myself. Thanks for letting me know. And what a CUTE way to do a recap. Very clever and stunning photos. Yes, I can see you had a wonderful vacay. Thank you for sharing! 🙂 ~Kathy

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    1. Hi Kathy, It was a challenging Long Weekend to get home. Then I reframed the day in my mind……a few more hours in Paradise:) It looks like you are in a gorgeous area, too:)

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    1. Hi Yvette, Nice to meet you. Yes, a bit of paradise and I try to not take it for granted. Thank you for stopping by and your lovely comment. I look forward to checking in on your blog site:) Erica

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