Canada #6 Butchart Gardens Boat Tour
Meet Mark.
Four years ago, he moved to Vancouver Island for a break from his demanding city job. Smiling broadly as he welcomes us, Mark says “I came for a year and never left.” These days he comes to work at Tod Inlet, where his office is a little electric-powered boat.
Mark takes visitors on guided tours from Butchart Cove past Gowlland Tod Provincial Park to the edge of Brentwood Bay. The inlet, sheltered by dense stands of arbutus, garry oaks and douglas firs, is a haven for wildlife and with Mark’s expertise to guide us we see plenty.
An inquisitive seal surfaces for a just a few minutes and watches us watching him, before disappearing again. Egg yolk jellyfish and moon jellyfish drift silently by, going where the current takes them. High above, a bald eagle surveys the scene as if he rules this part of the world.
Mark talks about the Butchart family and fondly describes them as “people of vision and values”. The remnants of their cement factory are almost hidden in the forest, but in the water old timber pilings remain. They’ve been repurposed – bird boxes placed on top house the growing population of purple martins who migrate from Brazil each summer.
We cruise a little further, rounding the bend into Brentwood Bay. Here we see beautiful homes on the hills and can only imagine living every day with a view as amazing as this. Mark turns the boat and idles for a while, pointing across the water to the mountains in the distance. “This is true BC scenery,” he says and we can hear in his words his passion for this place.
We’re sorry when our 45 minute tour comes to an end and, before we return up the hill to the busyness of Butchart Gardens, we linger on the jetty. Like Mark, we would love to stay much longer.
Beautiful. What a great life he made for himself. That would be a fun tour to take.
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It was a lovely tour and the scenery was amazing.
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Now, that’s a job most of us could get behind. Beautiful country.
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It’s the stuff of dreams, especially on a glorious summer day like the one we had.
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Terrific photos, what scenery. I love the bird boxes of course.
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We loved the bird boxes too, for the same reason. 🙂
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The world is so beautiful!!
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Absolutely, and there is still so much of it to see.
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Looking at those photos I could almost smell the clean air. Loved the little caravan bird box.
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It was a pristine environment and the water was so clear.
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Lovely vistas, and certainly a great office, on a fine day. 🙂
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Perhaps not so pleasant in the middle of winter. I don’t know if the boat tours run then, but the gardens are definitely open all year round.
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Bateman’s Bay? I had a double take there. Don’t you mean Brentwood Bay? We didn’t go out on the boat, but we crossed water lots of times on and around Vancouver Island. The scenery is amazing and the wildlife fascinating. You saw a lot on your little trip.
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Ooops, yes you’re right. I must check my notes and see what I had written down. I’ve corrected that error – thanks for letting me know. The scenery around the islands was so beautiful, especially with snow still on the mountain tops.
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We did see snow on the tops of the mountains on the mainland and also in Olympic National Park over in the USA.
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Yes, we could see Mt Baker from Victoria. It was beautiful. I was talking to a lady on the ferry back to Vancouver who said she has a clear view of Mt Baker from her kitchen window – how glorious.
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I’m gonna arm wrestle him for that job! 🙂 🙂
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Perhaps you could find something similar in the Algarve, Jo. I can just see you puttering along in your little boat with some keen tourists.
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The old pilings have quite a sculptural look about them and I’m interested in the numberings on the bird boxes. Do you know the significance of those?
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I don’t know about the numbers but I wonder if it’s a way of tracking the birds’ migratory patterns. They return to the same area every year. I know Mark said there had been a lot of work to ensure the birds’ survival and to encourage them to continue to migrate.
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The scenery is wonderful and those bird boxes are very impressive Carol. 🙂
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We loved seeing the birds flitting around the bird boxes.
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What a beautiful place. Poor Mark having to go there every day! 🙂 The bird boxes are great and a very inventive use of the old timber pilings.
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I felt quite envious of Mark’s glorious surroundings on a beautiful summer’s day.
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Looks gorgeous. I could easily handle working in an office like that.
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Wouldn’t it be a treat!
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Oh my! How glorious! My favorite photos is the one of the lush thick forest and the water almost the same color and shade of green. So gorgeous. And of course the seal!! Always a delight to see wildlife in its natural habitat.
Peta
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We love seeing wildlife too and the bald eagle was a highlight for us.
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He seems like a passionate guy who loves his job & even more,… 🙂
Beautiful wildlife here too, I see!
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I’m sure he loves his job, especially in summer.
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Lovely post and gorgeous photos. In some photos the landscapes are similar to what we have in Finland.
Have a good day!
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I suppose it’s the lovely blue water that is similar.
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Isn’t this true love!! Glad to see this post
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Thank you!
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