Back from a Long Camping Trip
Published at 22:00 on 8 August 2026
Can’t really call it a “road trip” because a lot of ferry segments were involved. Per which, I learned about this site, which I found extremely useful when all sailings of interest were fully booked. I simply entered the list of timings and routes which were suitable, and within five minutes got texted that someone had cancelled their reservation on one, meaning it was now up for grabs.
I also managed to get in a full tour of one of the many limestone caves on Vancouver Island. This is something I have been wanting to do ever since learning some years ago that there were limestone caves on the Island. Riverbend Cave is not a particularly large cave, nor are its formations world-class, but what I found noteworthy was the great variety of them (this one cave contains most of the classic formation types, including some rare ones like boxwork and unusual ones like helictites). Plus it is a wild cave (no lighting or tourist trails), so you get a more authentic caving experience. There is sadly, as is often the case, some vandalism in the parts of the cave closest to the mouth, but after the first serious crawlway, everything is mostly intact, including a fair number of very nice soda straws. Finally, the limestone itself the cave is formed in is unusually attractive, with the appearance of a veined marble in many places.