Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/109278
route). Another is the Conuma River Hatchery, where the staff often lets children feed the small fry and allows everyone a free tour by request. (It���s possible to also set tours up in advance; 250-283-7148.) Located at the head of Tahsis Inlet in Nootka Sound, on a spectacular natural harbour, Tahsis was originally a sawmill town. Today, logging contractors employ a small percentage of the locals, while the rest of the 300-plus full-time population is primarily self-employed as artists, tourism operators and small business owners, with a growing percentage of part-time retirees. Though it is the region���s commercial hub, Tahsis is also a recreational fishing, caving and scuba diving hot spot. From May onward, resident six-gill sharks ply the nine-metre-deep waters and divers photograph rare, huge Gorgonian coral fans. Nearby Coral Cave, 4.3 metres deep, is a favourite spelunking highlight since its discovery in the 1970s, and features a subway-sized tunnel; the more challenging Thanksgiving Cave is the longest in B.C. at 5.5 km. (Contact the local municipal office for names of guides and the Heritage Walking Tour brochure.) Downtown, the museum is closed until summer, so visit Doug Edward���s 30 W e s tw o r l d p28-30_40-41_Roadtrip.indd 30 >> showroom instead for a unique look at the rare art of bone sculpting. Road-trippers with a four-wheel drive, or nerves of steel, can also head up to the Don Russell Memorial Lookout for eagle-eye views of Tahsis Inlet. Good sleeps: Nootka Gold B & B boasts a spacious suite with optional breakfast ��� take it (nootkagold.com)! Good eats: The Spar Tree Pub, the best hangout for local flavour; the caf�� at Westview Marina (check for seasonal opening dates); and takeout at the new Tahsis Time Grill for picknicking at West Bay Beach. Leg three Tahsis to Sayward (231 km) This drive requires retracing Leg One back to Campbell River, so now���s the time to make any side trips overlooked on the drive west. After the left-hand turn at Hwy. 19 and the junction to Campbell River, it���s 64 effortless kilometres to Sayward, and after driving half of them you���ll be at Roberts Lake. Pull over at the ancient gas pumps, where the family resort has been since 1945, to browse through the old black-andwhite photo albums in the restaurant while Continued on page 41 S pr i ng 2 0 1 3 13-01-28 11:07 AM