It's a tranquil spot, considering its proximity to Vancouver. It was Good Friday, the first sunny, warm day in weeks and we joined the rest of the holidaymakers heading for a quiet atmosphere in which to soak up some rays and enjoy the island's charming ambience. We left on an early ferry, glad we didn't have to join the Easter weekend crush waiting for the Nanaimo ferry.
Historically, Bowen Island was famous in the 1920's as a resort operated by the Union Steamship Company. Steamers delivered hundreds of people from bustling downtown Vancouver to holiday heaven where they could enjoy a dance pavilion big enough for eight hundred dancers, rent holiday cottages, picnic by the water and swim on the many beaches.
A small village-like commercial centre still exists.
Later, after its 1920's heyday, it became an artists' colony described in this quote from Wikipedia:
"In the 1940s and 1950s, the artists' colony called Lieben was a retreat for many famous Canadian authors, artists, and intellectuals including Earle Birney, Alice Munro, Dorothy Livesay, Margaret Laurence, A.J.M. Smith, Jack Shadbolt, Eric Nicol and Malcolm Lowry, who finished his last book, October Ferry to Gabriola, there. "Today, many of the island residents commute to jobs in Vancouver, but, the charm is still visible in the old buildings. This is the United Church.
We chose to hike the Killarney Lake Loop Trail. It was a nice loop on a beautiful day with a few interesting sights.
The wooden structure shown on the far side of this waterfall is a fish ladder. It helps spawning fish to more easily climb up the waterfall so they can reach their spawning grounds.
Spring marsh flowers were just starting to bloom.
Returning to Horseshoe Bay in late afternoon, we enjoyed the best fish and chips we've ever had, eaten outside on a park bench underneath cherry trees in full blossom. What a day!
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