We probably were a bit too conservative with our arrival time at the lodge, and as a result, we had to wait almost two hours in the waiting area. The cool day, breezy conditions and open garage doors in the waiting area chilled some of us to the very bone, as you can see from some of the following pictures. Eventually we got out some games on Eveline's iPhone to pass the time.
Finally, however, the MV Barkley Arrived, and we got on board to begin the three-hour journey back to Port Alberni.
Studying where we've been
We had a quick snack in the ship's cafeteria, and then we went above deck (outside), to relax and watch the scenery slowly flow by. I set myself up at the very back of the exhaust stack, where a steel pedestal radiated engine heat and kept me very warm - almost too hot, in fact, even though it was quite chilly outside. As was par for the course these days, I soon had kids draped over me. New for today, though, was the free hairstyling. Thanks, Kai.
Kai's got the camera again
A fresh day in Alberni Inlet
courtesy JInnes
courtesy JInnes
courtesy AHyndman
Approaching Port Alberni
It was right around 7pm as we approached downtown Port Alberni. We could see a wall of showers and rain to the north of us, and hoped that it would hold off until we disembarked and got all of our gear into the cars.
The rain did indeed hold off as we arrived at the dock at Port Alberni. I went up to the long-term parking lot to fetch the car and - nothing. Dead battery. Dang it - probably a dome light was left on.
I ran back down to Arn's dad Roy and asked him if he happened to have a set of jumper cables in his van. The prepared man that he is, he did. I borrowed them and ran back up to the car, getting things set up for his return to give me a boost. However, as it turned out, a friendly guy in a nearby car offered to give me the jump instead. Soon we had the Subaru running again. I drove back down to the loading dock, and was careful to leave the car running to help re-charge the battery.
After all the vehicles were filled up, it was time to say goodbye. We were splitting up here with Kyle, Eveline, Roy and Ju-Ju. They were all returning back to the Victoria / Nanaimo area, and were not joining us for the next phase of our trip - the exploration of Vancouver Island's northernmost tip.
Let's wrap the end of this part of the story up by including a video - a montage of our 4-day kayaking adventure:
Video Montage, Broken Islands Sea Kayaking Trip