A Last Enchanted Evening

As our stay at Hot Springs Cove was down to the final night, we savoured what ended up being our last hike along the boardwalk through the park.

Looking back on some of the pictures that we took, it's anything but difficult to see how special our part of the world is. We don't make it over to Vancouver Island very often, but times like this certainly make me long for the next opportunity.

We had a short while before our host, Shaun would have dinner ready. Sounded like a good time to enjoy another sunset and another cocktail. Dinner was going to prove interesting since one guest wouldn't eat seafood and another wouldn't eat red meat. There isn't exactly room on the ship for big pantries or freezers, so Shaun didn't have any chicken available. That pretty much left him to come up with a vegetarian dish that would be hearty enough to satisfy a day of outdoor activity.

224. 2007 St. Hallett Gamekeeper's Reserve (Barossa - Australia)

Considering the fact that we had no idea what we'd see as far as meals went while at The Innchanter, I figure we brought along some pretty savvy choices. As far as Barossa reds go, this is as approachable as it gets. A blend of mostly Shiraz and Mourvedre, this wine is known as a super BBQ wine that's a good value, at under $15, for what it delivers. The more traditional Aussie varietals are fleshed out a tad with a small percentage (4-5%) of Touriga Nacional, the grape that's traditionally known as producing base wine for Port.

The Innchanter was full of guests tonight, which was interesting considering that Shaun was getting ready to shut down for the season and sail the ship down to Port Alberni for the winter this year. Apparently, he's got a date in Peru for the winter. Despite the full ship, most were off to bed early. So, I took the last couple sips of the Gameskeeper and headed back up on the deck to watch the star-filled sky for a bit. We don't get a view like that back in the city. With all the "light pollution," you'd never realize how full the sky really is. Got to take advantage when an opportunity presents itself.

No picture, but, trust me, it was a enchanting way to end our last night on The Innchanter.