Cathedral Grove + Blue Stone Alpaca Farm

On the road to Port Alberni out of Qualicum Beach, we stopped to walk in and marvel at Cathedral Grove, an old-growth forest beside still and silent Cameron Lake. Walking among the huge, 100-year-old trees was wonderful but I got a crick in my neck from looking up up up :)

The deepest part of the forest was dark as night, but light still streamed through the tops of the trees, catching the moss and creating images that made you think of gnomes, brownies, and Queen Titania and her fairy handmaidens waiting just around the corner.

We also, on our last day, found Blue Stone Alpaca Farm and toured there, with the lady of the house giving us a private tour and talk about the animals, the wool, etc. It really was so much fun and interesting and the best part was when the alpacas began to hum. Yes! They hummed when they were unsure about you walking in their midst or when you got close to a baby or maybe just to communicate with each other. It was tooo funny! So you walked around the females and babies and heard, "hmmmm...hmmmmm" like a choir getting ready to sing their beginning notes. Quietly, softly, and in different tones. What's not to love about these animals? And the colors of the males were just so handsome.

The alpacas were friendly and curious although the mothers made sure they protected the babies. The males were handsome with the best markings, most of the females were white or cream colored.

This little one decided it was dinner time!

Now granted, this one was not the most handsome fellow, but you'll remember him, I bet 'cha! And his name: Moustachio! He needed some dental work but it is common for their teeth to grow too big for their mouths. And once he gets that taken care of, I'm sure he'll be the Brad Pitt of alpacas :)

After lots of hugs and well wishes, we headed out from Susan's on Monday, 15th of September, driving back towards Victoria to drop off our rental car and catch the ferry over to Vancouver. (Yes, I got a bit confused before I got there about Vancouver and Vancouver Island!)