When we travel, Amanda and like to put ourselves in places to succeed, and then lean lean back, remaining open to the experiences that magically find their way to us.

I have to admit that I went into The Great Bear Rainforest expecting it to be “all about the bears,” but as our trip went on, and we absorbed our surroundings, I found that the details we encountered continued to distract me from that goal.

Nimmo Bay resort uses hydroelectric power directly from a waterfall on the property. It makes a great setting for the hot tubs too.

As a whole our bear luck was poor on this trip, but it didn’t really bother me – probably because so many good things were  falling in our laps every single moment.  It was hard be all that upset about the lack of grizzly or spirit bears with so much good country around us.

Nimmo Bay Resort is one of several luxury floating camps that dot British Columbia’s central coast.  Helicopters lift guests to glaciers for romantic lunches, or haul anglers to remote mountain streams for fly-fishing (their 50,000 sq. mile territory is about the size of Greece).  Or visitors can opt to spend the day as we did, roaming the verdant archipelago in search of adventure.

“It’s like camp for grownups,” said our guide Fraser Murray who recently took over the family business from his father.

Indeed, the emotional connection many guests feel when they visit Nimmo Bay is a lot like the  high you feel after a week at summer camp, and I can tell you from experience that when you put yourself in a place like this, good things will find their way to you.

We tried to give a sense of this special location in this slide show, and a sampling from our much-too-short visit.

Guests on the helicopter package arrive by chopper from Port Hardy on Vancouver Island

Amanda said she felt giddy the moment we stepped off the chopper and realized where we were – an isolated camp deep in The Great Bear Rainforest – where anything could happen.

During our explorations we encountered about 100 dolphins.  They jumped off our bow just out of reach – we were so close, we could feel the spray on our faces whenever  they surfaced.

We spotted this Martin eating mussels at low tide. Anyone can see a bear, but it took Jeff 40 years to spot one of these critters in the wild (and we saw two in the same day!)

Following bear tracks through the sedge grass of a massive river estuary

A tradition at Nimmo Bay is sitting under a warmed blanket at the dockside fire pit

Fraser told us that the Europeans prefer the rustic aspects, while the Americans like the luxury, so it’s all about finding the right balance

A labyrinth of islands like these make up a good portion of The Great Bear Rainforest

At least one of the camp dogs is trained to tree bears, in the event that someone has a run in while on a hike

So many islands – you could spend a lifetime exploring them.

Lodging at Nimmo Bay isn’t cheap (think of it more like a luxury safari).  All inclusive packages run around $1395-2,500 per person per day.  Reservations for the bear watching season (late August-early October) need to be made well in advance.