Salt Spring Island, British Columbia JUST 35 minutes after leaving Vancouver, the small white ferry glides into Fulford Harbor, one of two entrances to the island. The largest of Canada's southern Gulf Islands, Salt Spring offers 70 square miles of lush green fields and steep, pine-forested hillsides, and only three towns: Ganges, Vesuvius and Fulford Harbor.

The few roads are narrow and winding, and local hitchhikers, including children, often rely on their neighbors for transport, because there is no bus service. Canadians have long revered SaltSpring as a pristine refuge for the eccentric and creative.

It was founded in 1859 by African-Americans and Portuguese who carved out homesteads in the fertile valleys. Tiny St. Paul's Catholic Church was built largely with labor from the Hawaiian community that was established in the late 1880's. In the 1970's, Americans avoiding service in the Vietnam War arrived and put down roots. And for many years, Americans in search of affordable second homes, and looking forward to retirement, have also chosen this island - a rarity with year-round ferry and seaplane service, a hospital and more urban amenities than neighboring islands.

离开温哥华35分钟后就到了加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚市的盐泉岛(Salt Spring)，白色的小渡船滑向Fulford港－进入该岛的两个入口的其中一个。作为加拿大南部内海岛屿中最大的岛屿，盐泉岛有着70平方英里繁茂的绿色原野和陡峭的悬崖，松木丛生的山坡和仅有的3个城镇：恒河镇（Ganges）和维苏威镇（Vesuvius）和Fulford港。

仅有的一些道路窄而弯曲，因为岛上没有公交服务，所以当地包括小孩在内的搭便车的旅行者，在交通上通常依赖于他们的邻居。加拿大人一直以来都将盐泉岛敬为古怪的人和创造力的原始的庇护所。



在肥沃的山谷中开拓出家园的美籍非裔和葡萄牙人于1859年建造了小圣保罗天主教教堂。该教堂主要由来自于19世纪80年代后期成立的夏威夷社区的劳工建成。20世纪70年代，不想服役于越南战争的美国人到达盐泉岛并定居下来。多年来，为寻找负担得起的第二家园和渴望退休的美国人也选择了这个岛屿——一个终年都有渡船及水上飞机服务，一家医院和较其它邻近岛屿更多市内便利设施的稀有的岛屿。

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