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Vancouver
Island
Cowichan |
Mt. Washington
Cowichan Bay is the
ocean estuary for the Cowichan River and supports an incredible array
of bird and marine life. Aside from the swarms of migratory fowl that
winter here there is a large population of Trumpeter swans that
delight local residents with their arrival each year. These birds were
just about extinct in the 40’s but are making a good recovery.
Cowichan Bay ocean estuary for the Cowichan River.
Within an easy drive of
Victoria, nestled in the Cowichan Valley and handy to both Seattle and
Vancouver there exists a small town that is starting to attract a lot
of attention. This is the town of Lake Cowichan, which sits at the
edge of 20-mile long Cowichan Lake, just where the famed Cowichan
River starts its 25-mile journey to the sea at Cowichan Bay.
The town and lake are surrounded by mountains, which create a heat
trap resulting in the highest average mean temperatures in Canada.
The setting for this town while gorgeous is taken for granted by
Island locals. Outsiders are immediately captivated by the town’s
charms and are the ones taking quick advantage of the low property
prices.
The town offers all necessary conveniences including supermarkets,
hardware, building supplies, pharmacies, high speed Internet and
medical and dental offices. Most of what you need is right here or
close by.
People fish and golf year round here.
Living here evokes a time long since gone in most places but sorely
missed by many. People walk everywhere here and they actually greet
each other and stop and chat awhile.
If you are in the midst of a project and are missing a certain
critical item, you simply down tools and walk a few paces to the
hardware store and get one from Dave the proprietor.
You don’t need a freezer as you can eat fresh every day as a fully
stocked food store open seven days a week is across the road from
Dave’s hardware store.
Where else can you walk out of your home down to the local tackle shop
and locate that fly missing from your own collection and then walk
down to the river and cast it to a trout? All without ever getting
into your car.
The Cowichan River, which is the town centerpiece, is justly famous
for her incredible beauty and for the fact that fly fishermen speak of
her in hushed tones of respect and admiration. So important was this
river to sportsmen at the early 1900’s that river conditions were
posted weekly in private clubs in London and New York.
The Duke of Windsor
brought more attention when he arrived with his fishing entourage for
several expeditions in the 20’s and 30’s. Then he met Wallis and was
seen no more. Lost his head, lost his fishing and lost his Crown!
The river remains generous to sportsmen to this day. I am in a good
position to know as she flows by not 20 feet from my study window from
which this article is being written. Fish come to my fly almost daily
all year long.
The name Cowichan derives from the coastal native term meaning “The
warm land.” The Cowichan valley lives up to this name with glorious
sunny summers which have been found to be kind to the grape vine and
has resulted in the birth and rapid growth of Island wineries which
are quickly establishing fine reputations.
A favorite local past time is to visit one of these wineries for lunch
and enjoy the music of a classical string quartet amid the flowers and
hummingbirds on a balmy summer afternoon.
This island paradise does not take a back seat to any other island
paradise.
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Cowichan Bay Gary
Oak Reserve
Your complete vacation, accommodation, business
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Victoria, British Columbia in series of Travel Guides including,
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