Search for B.C.'s best roadside attraction: Vancouver Island finals

Search for B.C.'s best roadside attraction: Vancouver Island finals

Goats on the Roof battles Cathedral Grove for a spot in bracket semifinals.

Eastern Canada does not have trees like the West Coast has trees.

Matthew Bowes says he took it for granted when travelling from Waterloo, Ont., to hike Vancouver Island's West Coast Trail in the early 1990s.

But actually being on that trail, hiking under the canopy – that truth smacked him in the face.

"All the flora, and the slugs and ferns. I just felt so incredibly humbled and small," he said.

On the way back from that trip, he hitchhiked along the Alberni Highway and once more stepped out into an ancient old-growth stand of Douglas firs.

All these years later, Bowes is a geography professor at Vancouver Island University who studies tourism and natural ecosystems, and Cathedral Grove is a symbolic juggernaut that, to him, encapsulates what B.C. is all about.

"This contested space of the forest – it goes back to economy versus conservation," he said.

Tourism and forestry and activism – Cathedral Grove captures it all and delivers it to the 500,000 visitors who park their cars in the controversial parking lot. No backpacks required.

"You’re getting a real sense of the majesty of that forest and it’s just so incredibly accessible. I don’t think you can do that anywhere else in British Columbia," Bowes said. "As a roadside attraction and a natural space … by far Cathedral Grove is that place."

But if majesty and borderline religious experiences aren’t your thing, you can keep driving 20 minutes for an organic, caprine experience.

"It’s a natural thing. Grass roof, goats – what more could you want?" said Arthur Urie, general manager of the Old Country Market, which is home to Goats on the Roof.

Some version of the current pair – Pip and Penny – have been occupying the market’s sod roof for half a century.

This is Vancouver Island: Cathedral Grove vs. Goats on the Roof

The sod came first, according to Urie. The owners were inspired by the Viking-era torvtaks of Norway. Then came the four-leggeds.

As the legend goes, the owners agreed over a boisterous dinner to bring a couple of goats over from the paddocks of the nearby Coombs annual fair.

"I think there might have been some wine involved."

Vancouver Island’s finalists are a study in opposites.

Cathedral Grove is part of a publicly-managed park. Goats on the Roof is a private enterprise.

Search for B.C.’s Best Roadside Attraction: Round of 16 Wrap

According to Emily Carr University design professor Bonne Zabolotney, private sites like Old Country Market endure because they adapt.

"They know how to adapt through commerce, through those interactions and as a result the public are co-creators in the making of meaning in these sites, and making memories," said Zabolotney.

Or as Old Country Market manager Urie puts it: "It’s just such a nice way to bring people together."

Will private enterprise novelty or super natural majesty carry the torch for Vancouver Island?

After determining the best small town, lake and symbol, the Search for B.C.’s Best Roadside Attraction continues our summer tradition of asking CBC British Columbia readers to vote in a bracket and weigh in on an aspect of the province's identity.

In today's matchup, Goats on the Roof takes on Cathedral Grove in the Vancouver Island finals.

Search for B.C.'s best roadside attraction: Vancouver Island semifinals

Voting takes place every week in August from Monday to Thursday, with one region represented on each voting day.

A champion will be crowned from the final four before Labour Day.

Voting is open until 8 p.m. PT on Wednesday. Cast your ballot — and may the best roadside attraction win.

Sophie Woodrooffe is a journalist and radio producer at CBC Vancouver. Reach her at sophie.woodrooffe@cbc.ca.

Files from: The Early Edition, On The Island, Justin McElroy.