First off, I am not a tour operator, travel agent or anything resembling those professions. I am simply a lowly toilet bowl scrubber, who works in a tiny town, in the oldest hotel, dealing with poop and other nasty things, and trying my best to clean up other folk's acts. I do not have high expectations when traveling, because....we do it so seldom. Most of our vacations are simply packing our stuff, and our pets into a travel trailer and heading out into the boonies, and, I love this!! But, because of all the hub bub that occurred this past year, the trailer is sold, and we did not get our usual 2 weeks in the bush.
Because I AM getting up in years, I have a small bucket list on the go. Some of the dreams are a bit more difficult to bring into reality, like my trip to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands, but...hey, they are on the list. One of the top listings, however, was Storm Watching. My honey and I decided this would be our Christmas gift to each other, and we went about ensuring it was all we wanted. Nope, didn't want the fabulous Wickaninnish where all the high end folks go, and others who wish to take a peek at the good life, dish out a small fortune, to step inside.
That's just not us, I hate crowds, and I hate sharing space (basically why we generally hit the boonies). I had a ton of wants, I wanted peace, quiet, relaxation, beaches, rocks, waves, and...no people!! Sure I wanted nice, who doesn't. We spent tons of time checking out places, and one day, I saw the perfect place..it just popped up, it was cedar, it was right on the beach, it had trees, and balconies, and it was new and not over run by tourists. It is a First Nations owned and operated Resort, on their own land, and wow..it is beautiful!
We organized months in advance, one of the most difficult things was, what to do with the dogs? Well, Sir Rupert, our oldest, of course would depart to his BFF's , he is a welcome guest there, and is treated as well, if not better than in his own home. But..we have a second dog, a female, and there was no way we were going to let a girl get between two good friends, so it was decided she would travel out to Fort St John where we would get our flight, and stay with my oldest daughter. Hey, she has two female dogs, they know each others, she has a yard, and kids. We packed up her food and pillow and dropped her off. Like all concerned parents, we stood by and watched to see if she would settle in, and off she went, oblivious to us, all was good.
The trip to the lodge was a little hairy, 6 hours from Victoria, in the pitch black, with rain pouring down, on a stretch of highway I am sure they placed every slow to 30-50-60 sign the government owns, but..oh so worth every minute.
I admit, I am NOT an easy person to please. We seldom spend money on ourselves, and I have high expectations when we "dish out" for something. Wya Point was worth every penny! I know, we were there off season, we picked the key up for our lodge from another motel in Ucluelet. Wind was blowing, rain pouring down, I was in heaven! O.K. we were both fed up with the driving in the dark, and still had to follow the map to find the place. We were told to open the gate and close it behind ourselves..hey, this sounds pretty darn good, already. Just doing this small job had me soaked to the bones, but, I was surrounded by old growth forest, the smells were intense, I could see ferns and moss, in the headlights, already I knew we had made the right choice. It was a nice drive amongst the trees to the actual lodges, and we found our own piece of paradise when we arrived at the Salmon Lodge.
The second night, a phonecall. Our younger dog had to be brought home. She apparently woke up in the morning and her eyes were swollen shut. A quick call to the Vet, with the explanation that she was being watched for us, and...it appears this is a sign of stress, sort of a way dogs cry. Helloooo.. Moments after arriving home and having Sir Rupert dropped off to spend the night with her and the kids, her eyes opened up. Yes, she is a sensitive dog, and has never been without us and her big "brother", but goodness, all of this curfuffle, after one night away? I got to thinking about all those folks who give their dogs away after years, this was one night..what would happen if life changed completely for her? I realize at our age, our dogs are probably far more important in our lives than younger folks. Yes, we spoil them, but in return we receive unconditional love, and they understand they get fed, protected, and love from us as well.
Now, we know, the next trip we take, we will probably have to arrange for them to stay at home, together, it is very unlikely either of them will ever see the inside of a kennel, as this experience was obviously too much for "Shy". We simply cannot pack up and waltz off on another amazing vacation. We are pet parents, and perhaps the next time, and there will be a next time, we go to Wya Point, our beloved dogs will get to scratch Storm watching off their bucket lists? Just don't want any more puppy dog tears.
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