VICTORIA AND VANCOUVER ISLAND - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 211

to kick back in the seaside hot tub. Guests can also book a variety of tours aboard the inn's
own motor cruiser, including wine-tasting on nearby Saturna Island.
The campground in Montague Harbour Provincial Park (519/826-6850 or 800/
689-9025, www.discovercamping.ca , mid-March-Oct., $21), 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from
the ferry, is one of the best in the Southern Gulf Islands. Sites are set below a towering forest
of old-growth cedar and fir trees and open to a white shingle beach that aligns perfectly to
watch the setting sun. As with most provincial park campgrounds, facilities are limited to
picnic tables, pit toilets, and drinking water.
Food
To immerse yourself in island life, plan on dining at the Galiano Grand Central Em-
porium (2470 Sturdies Bay Rd., 250/539-9885, 8am-3pm daily and for dinner Fri.-Sat.,
lunches $8-13.50), which is decorated in lumberjack artifacts and has seating ripped from
old buses. Free-range eggs are the prime ingredient in the omelets, which are huge (ham and
Swiss cheese for $11). Sandwiches and burgers dominate the lunch menu. In the evening,
the blackboard dinner menu (mains around $25) reflects whatever is in season, often with
live music playing in the background. While you're waiting for a ferry—or even if you're
not—line up at the Max & Moritz food wagon, in front of the parking lot at the ferry ter-
minal, for a combination of German and Indonesian dishes, such as nasi goring ($7.50).
The stellar food is reason enough to dine at the Galiano Inn (134 Madrona Dr., 250/
539-3388, breakfast and dinner, $23-38), but the unobstructed water views cost no extra.
Although the upscale dining room has a touch of Old World elegance, the cooking is healthy
and modern, with a seasonal menu that uses fresh island produce and local seafood.
Information and Services
Galiano Island Visitor Centre (250/539-2233, www.galianoisland.com , 9am-5pm daily
July-Aug.) is just beyond the ferry dock. The Southern Gulf Islands have a surprising num-
ber of bookstores, and none are better than Galiano Island Books (76 Madrona Dr., 250/
539-3340, 10am-6pm daily), down the first left after exiting the terminal area. Stop by for
works by island writers as well as Canadiana, children's titles, and some great cookbooks
that use local ingredients.
SATURNA ISLAND
Most remote of the populated Southern Gulf Islands, Saturna protrudes into the heart of
Georgia Strait and features a long, rugged northern coastline; over half its land area falls