As we motored at top speed across the surface of Sproat Lake, we fixed our gaze firmly off the stern, about half a mile back to the bend we’d just sailed around.
We waited, with the impatience of a four-year-old, for what we hoped was still chasing us around the corner.
Within 30 seconds, the giant spectre loomed ominously into view and was headed straight for us.
A behemoth of land and sea, the Martin Mars — the world’s biggest water bomber — had, by pure chance, emerged out of its home berth in a sheltered cove on the Vancouver Island lake and was plowing a rather determined, west furrow, en route to what appeared to be a dramatic take-off, whether we were in the way or not.
The captain on our tiny Drinkwater IV tugboat, Jeff Stephenson, steered out of the Mars’ path and began second-guessing what direction the colossal aircraft would take flight, so we could be in the right position to witness its magnificence and grace.
Despite the onshore wind gusting to the east, Capt. Jeff throttled down as the bomber rumbled passed, gambling that it would, at some point ahead, do a “180” and roar back towards us before getting airborne.
The gamble paid off.
A kilometre or so further down the lake, the imposing outline of the aircraft performed a sharp turn and, with a blast from its four, powerful engines, its hulking frame was soon thundering across the waves in our direction.
As luck would have it, and with our jaws already needing a pick-me-up, the Mars gently lifted off the lake right in front of us, hauling its spectacular frame ever so slowly out of the water and into the sky.
If Capt. Jeff had been tipped off that Sproat Lake’s standing dish tourist attraction was going to take off on one of its forest fire-battling missions that morning, he couldn’t have anchored his vessel in a more perfect spot on the lake’s 25-kilometre expanse.
The nature:
As the sun set on a Thursday, the only thing busier than the servers at Drinkwaters — a brand new lakeside bar, lounge and restaurant in the equally new Sproat Lake Landing complex — was the family of resident beavers, complete with sprawling dam, who were scurrying around during their evening shift less than ten yards from diners on the patio.
From our lakeview balcony at the adjoining, boutique Sproat Lake Inn, we had front row seats for the dusk beaver show, which ran twice a day, including a dawn matinee.
Earlier in the day, at sunrise to be precise, my wife and I took the dog — one of the inn’s seven rooms is pet-friendly — for a short stroll down to the landing’s private dock, where we discovered that the beavers were not alone in starring in Sproat Lake Landing’s nature variety performance.
As we picked our way through the morning dew, wild rabbits munched the wet grass; a blue heron in stealth mode stalked unsuspecting fish in the shallows, all while the sun began to surface over Mt. Arrowsmith and cast its warm glow over the water. And the only hint of disturbance of the dawn was a ripple vibrating across the liquid canvas of Sproat Lake.
The natural theme even continues unabated inside, with weather-beaten wood from a Continued from page 20
local contractor’s father’s fence used for panelling throughout the inn’s upstairs hallway and formerly submerged Revelstoke tree trunks serve as bedside tables.
The place:
The nature surrounding Sproat Lake Landing — which only opened in July and is slap, bang in the middle of Highway 4 between B.C. Ferries’ Nanaimo Duke Point port on the east of the Island and Tofino on the west, or in the “Middle of Everywhere” as the landing’s PR team would like us to think — is almost as colourful as the lodge’s history.
Formerly the Westbay Hotel and Mars Bar (I think we can guess the story behind that name), the premises was in the process of being renovated and rebuilt when it burned down about four years ago.
Sproat Lake Landing president Stephenson, the man who doubles as the touring tugboat’s captain, said they took their time reimagining the lakeside lodge before embarking on a new re-building mission two years ago.
What they appear to have created is a rather trendy plug for a surprisingly large hole in both the Port Alberni/Sproat Lake market and the Highway 4 tourist market, neither of which have anything like Sproat lake Inn or Drinkwaters.
When we frequented Drinkwaters, which is being pitched as a gastropub, it was the middle of the week and was packed with locals, travellers and a large family party.
They even had a wedding on their front lawn the previous week, where the bridal party sailed in on the tugboat before using the dock as the aisle!
The food itself is decent and fairly priced. The service could be described on the slower side of good, but with the majority of the ingredients cooked fresh from local sources, an extra few minutes is a price I’m willing to pay, knowing that the chef hasn’t gambled someone will order a medium/rare steak in the next half hour.
To do:
As well as the landing’s own tugboat tours around Sproat Lake — during which you will see amongst other sights the ancient petroglyphs, hopefully the Mars bomber and Klitsa Lodge (where Walt Disney, John Wayne and Bing Crosby used to vacation) — there is a plethora of fantastic trails to explore in the immediate vicinity.
The landing’s own café and bakery — it also has a liquor store — has a detailed trail map for those that really want to get their boots stuck into a hike.
For those that prefer a leisurely stroll, Sproat Lake Provincial Park is just a couple of kilometres away and has a flat trail at the end of which is the aforementioned petroglyphs, which is home to one of the finest panels of prehistoric drawings in B.C. Little is known about this petroglyph, named K’ak’awin, although many believe the rock carving depicts mystical monsters of the lake.
Sproat Lake is also a water-lover`s wonderland, with 25 kilometres of lukewarm lake for swimming, fishing, waterskiing and, when the wind is up, windsurfing.
And the dramatic beaches and quirky, surfing town of Tofino is only another 90 minutes along the highway if you fancy a remarkable day out at the tail-end of your trip, as we did.
If you go:
BC Ferries run several daily sailings from Tsawwassen to Duke Point (Nanaimo) in the summer. If you travel late in the summer, take your binoculars to spot the whales (humpbacks and orcas are common). If travelling in July or August, book ahead or get there early as the summer sailings fill up fast. Go to Bcferries.com.
Rooms at Sproat Lake Landing go for up to $250 per night for a lakeview double or $150 for a forest view. If you intend to dine at the weekend, might be a good idea to phone Drinkwaters ahead of time. Go to Sproatlakelanding.com.
