Part of the reason for staying in Gold River was so that we could do a sight-seeing floatplane trip along Nootka Sound, which we did on our last day. The Air Nootka pilot took us with him on the mail-run flight to Kyuquot and back, dropping off mail, supplies and a couple of loggers on the way. We flew over remote fishing lodges and logging camps and deserted provincial parks. The scenery was astounding. There are not enough superlatives to describe it, but it is of the type that made us want to move to Canada in the first place. I’ll let the photos do the talking.

In Kyuquot, a beautiful First Nations village accessible only by boat or floatplane, we stretched our legs for a couple of minutes and had a look at probably the world’s remotest coffee shop “Java The Hut”.

It took us nearly 3 hours to get there and back as when we were on our own, the pilot went a little out of his way in order to fly us over some of the nicer beaches. It was fantastic value at $160 per person and a definite highlight of our trip. Next time we are in the area I intend to do one of their other sightseeing flights, probably the one that goes over Strathcona Provincial Park. One of these days, when I have the time, stamina and hiking skills, I’ll get the guys to fly me to the Nootka Trail trailhead and hike one of the best trails in the world. I’m dreaming if I think I can manage the hazards of the Nootka Trail, but it’s a nice dream.