Phastinating Petroglyphs

Degnen Bay gave us good harbor during the windy night. We had plenty of room to swing on our anchor and had a quiet night. Even the tugs tucked in for the evening waiting for fair weather.

Tuesday dawned fair and off we went in our dinghy to take a stroll and hopefully find the petroglyphs that Gabriola is famous for. Our walk took us about a mile and a bit up the flat road, past sheep farms, deserted old farmhouses and wonderful wild flowers and pasture land.

A cappella safely anchored in Degnen Bay, Gabriola Island

Our boat travel book tells us that the petroglyphs are in behind the Gabriola United Church. At the church there was a slightly weathered sign and map that pointed us that-away through the woods and onto a lush, if somewhat overgrown trail. We walked about ½ mile and found the first petroglyph. According to anthropologists, these carvings were made by the Native Peoples in the early 1600’s.

Hey, Bob Abrams -- this one looks a little like Daffy Duck!

It’s amazing to be able to walk right to them, run your fingers through the carving and see how the natives saw their world back then. The pictures don’t do them justice but I hope you can see some of the designs.

At the top of the Bay there is a special one -- a Killer Whale.

The Mighty Orca Killer Whale

We made our way from Gabriola about noon through False Narrows (navigated superbly by Richard and avoided by most boaters because it’s too tricky) and on to Nanaimo Boat Basin owned by the City of Nanaimo. The marina has had many upgrades since we last visited. We enjoyed the use of the laundry right at the top of the dock and hot showers in the same facility.

I went off to the library, about a block away, to send my last posts while Rich minded the laundry. We had our dinner on board and a stroll to the mall close-by to check out provisioning for the morning. We are looking forward to having Buffy, Paul, Matthew and Simon aboard tomorrow for a week of fun and fishing!!