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Old Farm B&B Indian Summer on Vancouver Island |
   
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As large as Belgium, Vancouver Island retains the history of river and forest Indigenous people in its atmosphere. Are the spirits still there? The friendly American society seems to be at odds; the roads do not really fit with these fall-colored leaves. Does tourism really exist here? Should we ask the Indigenous person living in his "mobile home" what kind of mindset we should have to grasp the essence of this magical place...
By bus from Vancouver City and then the ferry to Nanaimo; the arrival on this giant island is smooth, like the climate that already opens to the Indian summer. Barbara and George Mac Farlane, owners of Old Farm B&B for many years, welcome us with a smile and simplicity into their large house that is over one hundred years old. Both are relaxed and welcoming.
From the room, normally reserved for honeymoons, we have a view of the bay and in the distance a "logs" yard, tree trunks ready for the sawmills and piled up. Canada is really here.
Around a Cherry Point or Pinot Blanc Auxerrois, the couple tells us about their journey to Vancouver Island. Through Zambia for Barbara, where her father worked as a mining engineer, and for George, a renowned journalist in Toronto. They have been running their B&B in Cowichan Bay for 8 years. Always attentive and available. The breakfasts are carefully prepared and served on embroidered tablecloths with silver cutlery.
A plan is drawn on the dining room table, a new kitchen in sight, better thought out but that will cost a lot, a lot. Barbara already dreams of it, George follows, and I see "L'Etoile" and the trap of investing too quickly for a dream...
At 78, George has remained young and very open-minded, he seems interested in any topic of conversation, coffee in hand, sitting on the edge of the sofa. A cool side that is welcome in the comfort of the interior and the perfectly maintained garden.
Visit to Duncan, 10 km further north, a city with totems of all sizes, all well displayed around the town center. Then comes a freight train exceeding 1 km in length. Horn honking while crossing this small town, the convoy passes slowly like the breath of its horn. It's a bit like Tintin's America.
Like many Canadians, the Mac Farlanes will leave this winter for the sun and warmth of Hawaiian beaches. They manage to be replaced by a couple of friends. Quite an interesting system!
Due to the time difference, I found myself in their "casibot", a kind of small round covered terrace, around 6 o'clock this morning. Looking at the bay, the idea crossed my mind to reach the island by canoe, just like 20 years ago when I met my gold prospectors after 5 days of walking. Eagle Creek, that small lost river in the Red Wood Forest in Northern California. Taking time to explore so as not to lose any of the atmosphere.
The village of Cowichan Bay is a small fishing community surrounded by farms located along the coastline and across the bay under the majestic Mt. Tzouhalem. Duncan is a stop for the E&N Railway, the town really started developing in 1887, the year the station was built, attracting small businesses and new settlers.
Today, the station is part of the national heritage. There are more than 80 totems erected throughout the town, each representing a legend, a myth, and the family life of the Cowichan Indigenous people.
Old Farm B&B, Barbara and George MacFarlane, Cowichan Bay, BC, Canada - Map 
Former resort hotel with a garden on the banks of the Allier, L'Étoile Guesthouse is located in La Bastide-Puylaurent, nestled between Lozère, Ardèche, and the Cévennes in the mountains of Southern France. Positioned at the crossroads of GR®7, GR®70 Chemin Stevenson, GR®72, GR®700 Voie Régordane (Saint Gilles), GR®470 Sources and Gorges of the Allier, GRP® Cévenol, Montagne Ardéchoise, and Margeride. It offers numerous loop routes for hiking and day-long cycling excursions. Ideal for a relaxing stay.
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