The next day, it was pouring. 

M was not feeling her usual self (possibly wine induced) so we thought a pick me up at Salt Spring Island Ales would really help. We arrived at the sign that said “Spring Island Ales this way, open from 12 – 5PM daily) at around 11AM… So, we stopped at Fulford Harbour and explored the southern part of the island a bit, because we knew it would be another while before we would come back this way. Picked up a turkey sausage roll from the Salt Spring Mercantile (more on this at the end…).

12PM sharp:

Very friendly bar tender, told us about the offerings of the day. They had a sweet winter ale that was only available on tap. Earl Grey IPA was sharp. The others were drinkable. I would buy this again, if I saw it on the shelves and felt like a specialty IPA. The seasonal pour tasted very organic and not like beer at all, and it was really just for the gimmicks that we tried it. The flight cost about $8.50. We spent about 30 minutes here, and took the advice of the bartender to hit up Salt Spring Cheese Company…

View from brewery entrance. It’s tucked in the middle of a grove of trees.

What a feast… Samples of their cheeses, different jams and jellies, all along the bar:

H was in heaven. We picked up some of the truffle cheese and a jar of the Pear and Ginger jam, as well as Onion and Thyme jam from Salt Spring Kitchen.

There was still time leftover before our ferry reservation, so… one more stop at the cider place. I don’t like cider, so don’t ask me about it. There was a cute pooch there by the name of Penny.



So back to the turkey sausage roll from the grocery store right next to the Fulford harbour:



This place is amazing. The pastry was so fluffy I could die, the sausage filling was so flavourful… They had other pastries, but once you walk in, all you can smell is this mix of butter and meat. I still wouldn’t ride the ferry for 3 hours for this, or any of the above places, but it’s nice to know that it’s there, for the times that you want a quick get away from life.



Return to Day 1 on Salt Spring
Return to Day 1.5 on Salt Spring

Weekend getaway to Salt Spring Island with M+P and H last weekend. H recently purchased a 4runner, 2nd hand through Craigslist, so we drove down to the ferries after work on Friday. After a 3 hour ferry ride, and a 15 minute drive to St. Mary’s Lake Resort, we unpacked and just went straight to bed. The next day would be a long one, at least I hope I had instilled that expectation in everybody, because there were so many things we wanted to do!

7:27AM - I was adamant about catching the sunrise.

We made breakfast:

We tried to go to the Saturday Farmer’s Market, but they were still setting up the tents and because it was still early in the season, a lot of the vendors were not attending yet. We left shortly after that and bought groceries at the Thrifty’s instead.

10:30AM - P was adamant about digging for clams, so we set off for a beach that apparently was safe for clamming. He found the advisory online, through some government website:

We sat here for about an hour, I think… Got bored. I wandered off.



This is literally somebody’s backyard. The houses are right off the beach, and one of the neighbors actually came out to chat with his. He had recently purchased one of the properties lining the beach, and the struggles he had with bidding for it. Real estate market is still a war zone. Anyways, he recommended we find some fish and chips in Vesuvius.
 

It started to pour, but it quickly passed. We got impatient, and the boys jumped into the water. That was when we realized it’s still too early for clamming. We cleaned up, and decided to follow the friendly Islander’s advice to find lunch at Vesuvius, a bit defeated by the lack of fresh clams for dinner, but still excited for the island adventures to come.

Go to Day 1.5 on Salt Spring
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