Campbell River, BC

LUCKY LAGER ROAD TRIP

WESTERN BRITISH COLUMBIA




October 5-6, 2015  (Days 17-18)

Campbell River

Miles: 123 / Total Trip Miles: 1,244








Campbell River Area

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Campbell River & Vancouver Island

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Campbell River:
The drive from Nanaimo to Campbell River is about 100 miles. Campbell River (population 31,000) is touted as "the Salmon Capital of the World".

The First Nations on the coast have known of the excellent salmon runs on the Campbell River for centuries.  Their village site at the mouth of the river was named Tlamatook, meaning “a place where there are houses.”  Europeans first reached this region in 1792 with both the Spanish and English sending ships to chart and explore the area.  When Captain Vancouver reached Discovery Passage, he stopped to visit the First Nations village on the cliffs at what is now called Cape Mudge.  The next Europeans to survey this area came in the period 1859-1861 when Captain Richards of HMS Plumper was sent by the Royal Canadian Navy to chart the area.  The name “Campbell” was not applied to the river until that time. The river was named for the surgeon onboard, Dr. Samuel Campbell. Prior to Captain Richards’ survey, Europeans did not have much of a presence in this area. It was only after European interests shifted to logging in the 1860s that they came in greater numbers.

Big Bang:
An event of national interest took place in April 1958.  Seymour Narrows, near Campbell River, was the site of the largest non-nuclear explosion in history when 1,400 tons of dynamite blasted away a marine hazard known as Ripple Rock. Over the years, Ripple Rock was responsible for numerous shipwrecks and lost lives.  After two and a half years of preparation, the hazard was removed in a spectacular eruption of rock and water 1,000 feet high.  Viewers across Canada were able to witness the explosion on one Canada’s first live television broadcasts.

Lucky Lager:

While having dinner at cafe in Campbell River, we discovered from our waitress that Lucky Lager has a cult following on Vancouver Island. Lucky is a mass produced beer that was originally made by General Brewing Company in San Francisco, California beginning soon after the repeal of Prohibition. Lucky was actually brewed on Vancouver Island in Victoria until 1982, when Labatt Breweries of Canada moved off the Island and tore down the brewery to prevent any competition on the Island. Labatt now brews Lucky in Edmonton, Alberta. In 2002, Cumberland on Vancouver Island was named "Luckiest Town in Canada" by Labatt, due to it's enormous sales per capita.

Scenic Rating for Area: B-


Tomorrow:
Drive north to Port Hardy.





PHOTOS


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Mary Practices Evacuation

Elk Falls Provincial Park located just outside the city of Campbell River. The John Hart Dam and generating station are upstream.







Autumn Leaf

Elk Falls Provincial Park.
[Flickr]








Ferns

Ferns growing along the Canyon View Trail in Elk Falls Provincial Park.
[Flickr]







Campbell River

Campbell River viewed from the Canyon View Trail.
[Flickr]







Cloudy Morning
Discovery Harbor Marina in Campbell River. The double-summited mountain in the distance is Mount Doogie Dowler (6,800 ft), located in the Coast Mountain Range on the mainland. It is also known as "The Cowboy's Hat," and "Dogtooth". 
[Flickr]





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Photographs

These photographs are the property of Leon Jackson, and are protected by copyright laws. Photographs may not to be downloaded or reproduced in any way without the written permission of Leon Jackson. © 2015 Leon Jackson. All Rights Reserved.

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