More Houses

On the Sechelt Inlet

Thu May 6th


Today was more house hunting.  Two properties on the Sechelt Inlet.  The inlet is a section of sea that comes right up to the back of Sechelt almost making everything NW of Sechelt an Island, but for the town itself being built on a land bridge.  

Of the two properties, one was a possible and the second a really interesting art deco meets 70's hippy house.  An eclectic mix of styles, art and furnishings, but no garden!  It was a hillside property with stunning views over the inlet but Fred would need a safety harness  to manage the front garden!  The first house had great views as well.  So still looking.  We are keeping the first property in mind as a short term purchase. 

Before heading back we headed further west to Pender Harbour (not overwhelmed) and Garden Bay (stunning properties -  but distant from services). We had previously made an offer for a property in this area but could not complete as quickly as the owner wanted.  We drove by it and confirmed we would not have been disappointed.   

Verdict so far - North Van has the edge (forest trails, nice shops views - more of what we had back home), but for a new experience we like Gibsons (beach town, gym, tennis, has character, views and nice homes) and Garden Bay (superb/stunning properties, green steep slopes but only a few walkable trails, competitively priced due to remote location). So, a real dilemma.  We have a month in Garden Bay after our stay here at Bonniebrook near Gibsons.  So a chance to live it, and see if it works.  The only shopping is in Pender Harbour, a 20 minute drive and not a great deal of choice.

Heading back to our current base we stopped off for a walk around Smugglers Cove Provincial Park.  A mix of board walks over beaver-dammed ponds and rocky coastal inlets - previously used by smugglers  to help out with bootlegging during US Prohibition and later moving redundant Chinese railway workers to the USA to find work.  

The beaver ponds and lakes cover several acres created by three large beaver dams.  Lots of water, dead trees, but no beavers!

Old Navigation Marker - Smugglers Cove



Jack watching for whales - Smugglers Cove



Dead trees in the ponds/lake area

Beaver chewed log

Beaver lodge
   


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