“It’s so cute, I want to squeeze it!” I believe those were my first words to Sandy the first time we took a walk around his hometown of Salt Spring Island. I also remembered saying “I feel like I’m in Stars Hollow!” and “Your whole town looks like a pretty movie set!” Suffice it to say, I fell in love with the its laid-back hippie vibe, its cafes, countless art galleries, stunning views, and warm people.
That’s why I was quite mind-blown upon finding out that Salt Spring Island’s quaintness was a standard for the rest of BC as well. It was such a pleasure photographing this side of Canada. Here’s a gallery of my favorite shots from Tofino, Nanaimo, Ucluelet, Kelowna, and Canmore, AB.
empty Nanaimo street
Nanaimo
a gallery in Tofino
Kelowna, BC
This car had been there for hours
the Tofino Air dock
Tofino Air
birds on a roof in Tofino
quaint hotel in Tofino
Tofino
a pedestrian crossing in Tofino
a port in Ucluelet
Ucluelet aquarium
Ucluelet
view of Port Alberni from the dock
a restaurant at Port Alberni
Nanaimo, BC
Canmore, Alberta
Moby’s, an island institution
Salt Spring Road signage
Mexican food truck
a coffee stand in Salt Spring Island
from Thrifty’s to Mouat’s, Ganges
Tree House Cafe
an ice cream shop
a park in Salt Spring Island
The story of HMs Ganges, the ship the town center was named after
Ganges
Salt Spring’s lone bus at the bus stop
The Local
A Salt Spring shop
Ganges Harbor
Life as a Tumbleweed 
Vancouver Island is a gem. I have to say, though, that you seemed pretty lucky weatherwise. Been there twice, and it’s always been bucketing (with brief intervals of ah-it’s-so-beautiful sun); I have a friend living in Victoria BC and he always tells me that he’s resigned to give Vitamin D by tablet to his kids…
I did get really, really lucky. People were telling me how unusually warm and sunny it was that they were still dressed in summer wear in the middle of fall. Then I found out that a few days after I left the coast got a big dump of rain, and it hasn’t stopped since. I like to pretend that I brought some of the tropical sunshine with me haha.