I was reminded of many things during our recent visit to Vancouver Island's northernmost city, Campbell River. Not the least of which was that in this dramatic natural setting, you're not just watching a drama unfold; you are a part of it!

I hate Monday mornings, but as we set out for an early breakfast at Robert's Lake and a trek up Menzie’s Mountain, anticipation began to build. Just a 20 minute drive from downtown Campbell River along Canada’s scenic Island Highway (#19), Robert’s Lake Resort is reminiscent of a scene from the 1940’s. The red-painted restaurant next to the road beckoning travelers, an ancient gas pump and ice chest out front and a row of rustic single-family cabins set beside the dirt road creeping downward toward the lake.

We entered the Restaurant through the Resort’s tiny general store and headed directly for a table near the rear window. Our waitress, Lorna, immediately delivered steaming ceramic mugs of strong hot coffee as we looked out across the lake toward Menzie’s mountain.

We (my husband, his brother and our sister-in-law) justified our huge breakfast, based on the fact that we would need the energy for our trek. Plates of sourdough hotcakes, inch-thick toast from bread fresh from the oven that morning, ranch eggs, ham, spiced hash browns, crispy bacon and pots of homemade raspberry and boysenberry jam crowded the table as we planned our journey. Simple food, hearty food and a panoramic view of the lake MAY even have changed my feelings about Monday mornings!

This memorable breakfast for four hungry adults cost less than $9 per person (that’s just $6 in US money)! I can’t even tell you who ate what, because we all just ate a lot of everything! Feeling worlds away from home, we were now fortified and ready to see the drama awaiting us on Menzie’s mountain, under a blanket of firs and cedars. Mother Nature gave Campbell River a gift, and luckily--it’s a gift we all can share!