These are Frank’s goats!
Tofino, British Columbia > Merville, British Columbia (Vancouver Island)
Woke up a little sore after surfing two days in a row; our backs and shoulders were a little tight from paddling and the bottom of our feet from walking in the sand
We took our last beachside walk at Crystal Cove, packed up and started making our way to Merville (near Courtenay)
We stopped in Coombs to visit the Old Country Market with the famous goats on the roof; there were a few grazing on the grass top when we arrived; we strolled through the condensed area of storefronts, restaurants and markets - we did not succumb to Billy G’s Donuts or the Billy Gruff Creamery, but instead bought a nectarines and pears from the farmers stand; we returned Oslo to the truck so we could go into the Old Country Market together and either keep each other in check or encourage each other to over indulge in all the wonderful treats they had inside (we opted for the latter). We were mesmerized by the novelty items from candied smoked salmon and maple sockeye nuggets to salted caramel cheese; we waited in line and selected our combo of sweet and savory items from the bake shop: a Portuguese egg custard, mild beef roll, egg brekkie bistro and a slice of cookies & cream cheesecake … and then we bought a sampling of various smoked salmon (jerky, nuggets, etc.)
We got back on the road and made it to our Hipcamp site; after setting up, we met our host, Brittany, and her 10-month-old baby, Freya; she showed us around her property (an 80-acre farm with hemp / hay fields, fruit trees, goat pens, a rental house, pond with bullfrogs, etc.) and introduced us to her 30 goats (most named after pop stars like J. Lo, Shakira and of course Carol, after Carol Baskin); there was a mix of mamas and babies from this spring - they were in the process of weaning the babies, but after nursing m there wasn’t much milk left for the evening shift; Brittany showed us how it’s done - she fills three buckets of grain (aka “crack”) and let’s in three goats at a time into the milking shed - once milked dry, she’d open the old chicken coop door and let them outside into a grassy pen; Freya was keeping herself occupied the entire time, mostly eating dirt and occasionally what we thought to be goat poop (without a doubt, she’ll have a strong immune system)
After dinner we took Oslo into the big pen to meet Frank, their two-year-old Pyanese guardian dog; he was so sweet and they wrestled and chased each other around the yard; Oslo attempted to drink from Frank’s five gallon bucket of water, but must have been confused by the depth because it looked like he was bobbing for apples every time, fully submerging his head under water
We ran to the nearby grocery store for bread and deli meat to sustain us until we get to Washington
Campground: Hipcamp, Goat Farm in Merville, BC
