A DAY TRIP TO QUADRA ISLAND SEPT. 16TH

A short ferry ride across Discovery Passage and we arrived on Quadra Island. Our destination was the Tsa Kwa Luten Lodge. We called a taxi and to our surprise the woman driving offered to give us a guided tour of the Cape Mudge First Nation's Village. She showed us the tribe's canoe which was carved in the village from a single cedar tree. We saw the school and community center. She told us how the early natives of Quadra would charge a toll to explorers and trade ships to guide them through the infamous Seymour Narrows. Having the local knowledge of the tides allowed them to pass safely. One can only imagine what the early explorers endured without this guidance. We arrived at the lodge and on the front door we were greeted with a sign: "BEWARE! BEAR SIGHTING IN AREA". We had a delicious lunch and then hiked to the Cape Mudge Lighthouse. Supposedly, there are over 50 petroglyphs carved on the boulders near the low tide line. We searched but did not find any among the infinite number of boulders on the beach. We returned to the lodge and bummed a ride from one of the employees back to the ferry. It was another wonderful day in paradise.