November 4th 1981

posted in: Innocents Abroad | 0
Elk Falls

Decision day.  Since the combination of late start + our own lack of purpose meant we weren’t out on an island somewhere, we had to allot to ourselves a purpose.  Brent decided we were in need of a variety of drug, so we set out to find Guy Sharkey, a friend of Robbie’s who would probably be able to supply some grass.  (First, tho’ breakfast – Liz cooked some terrific cheese omelettes.)  The search was fruitless tho’, since he was neither at his home nor at work.  So we drove out to Elk Falls, quite an impressive waterfall near Campbell River.  We parked the car + took a short walk to a lookout point, + took a couple of obligatory photos.  Brent is excessively camera shy, so it’s good fun snapping him when he’s not expecting it.

Next stop was at a salmon hatchery.  It was really quite a horrible place.  Normally, salmon return from the sea to spawn + die.  These ones had been fished out + thrown into  tank, hundreds of them, packed in, dying, rotting, yet still trying to jump out.  Thoroughly sickening.

In the afternoon, after a Spartan-ish lunch, Brent + Robbie went off to a wrecked Cortina to try + salvage a few parts, while the other 3 of us just sat around.  I wrote this thing, we watched the soaps for a while, chatted, switched on the radio.  When B + R came back, we watched ice hockey for a while.  The Vancouver Canucks beat some other team pretty easily.  Brent made a pizza, which was pretty good, + then we went out to celebrate our last night in Campbell River.  Not a good start tho’, because Liz and Val didn’t have any ID, + the second one we tried was shut – I don’t know why.  Finally hit lucky tho’, in a redneck bar.  It was a nice enough place though; it seems to me that the Canadian bars are generally better than US ones.  There was a country singer there too, who was pretty good.  Left after a couple of beers to return + play cards – the story of the last few days.  I taught them Nap, + got thrashed.  Val won easily.

First off, I really do want to comment on the omelette, which is still memorable, and possibly the best I have ever eaten. Only rivalled by another, many years later, also cooked by Liz.

We really do seem to be having the laziest of times: getting up late, a long slow breakfast, then some gentle, self-appointed task for the day, then intoxicants, cards, bed.

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