A calm day on the Pacific Ocean between Vancouver Island and the city of Vancouver …
… with the coast of Washington state in the background.
The wealth of the ocean is profound.
Tag Archives: British Columbia
A Rain Forest
Vancouver Island is home to very old, very sodden rain forests.
Many of the Douglas firs in this forest are 800 years old. They were little trees in 1219, when St Francis of Assisi was founding the Franciscans and Genghis Khan was a teenager.
It rains a lot here. A lot! As a result, the trees are covered in velvety moss fronds.
In areas where the sun gets through more easily, the moss is less prevalent.
These trees have seen a lot and are still standing and growing. It is our job to make sure that they can continue their life journey.
Greetings from the giant firs of Vancouver Island.
Rocky Mountain View
On our last drive from the Okanagan to the Northwest Territories, M and I
stopped at the Overlander Hotel, just outside Jasper National Park.
It was a wonderful respite after eight hours of driving through the mountains. There was great food with a wonderful room in the original lodge that was built more than 100 years ago.
The view from the dining room is stunning, with the mountains gazing serenely from their redoubt.
Greetings from the beautiful Overlander Hotel.
Fathoms
Mother of fiery pearl and graceful shark
The pounding logs and grinding stones
Of life millenial
Arctic heat drives you
Breath of the world
As cables and leaves entwine us in brine and sand
The assassin, the mid-wife
You are all things at once and never.
Another Look at Chesterman Beach
An interstice of beach,
A microcosm of mysterious crags and clinging tree roots,
A shell, a crab,
The mother of earth written in sand at my feet.
Happy Spring
From you I have been absent in the spring,
When proud-pied April, dressed in all his trim,
Hath put a spirit of youth in every thing,
That heavy Saturn laughed and leaped with him.
Quote from Sonnet 98 ~ William Shakespeare
Happy Spring, everyone. 🙂
Cameron Lake
Is this photo upside down? Or right side up?
This beautiful clear lake is in the traditional territory of the Kwalikum First Nation on Vancouver Island.
It is very deep and cold and is popular for windsurfing and fishing. It’s said to be home to a water monster that can only be seen in the evenings. Bwahahaha. 😉
When we stopped there, the lake was mirror still and it was completely windless. It was quite amazing to see it sort of frozen like that.
The first photo is right side up; the second photo is upside down – it’s a reflection.
A Restaurant with a View
The view from a North Vancouver restaurant where we had a nice dinner.
A beautiful early spring evening.
Happy Friday; happy weekend. 🙂
Ucluelet, British Columbia
Pacific Ocean views from Ucluelet, British Columbia, affectionately known locally as “Ukee.”
“The clouds were low and hairy in the skies,
Like locks blown forward in the gleam of eyes.”
Above quote from “Once by the Pacific,” by Robert Frost.
Our beautiful planet. 🙂
If You Go to Tofino
As I recently posted, we went to Tofino, British Columbia a couple of weeks ago. We had wanted to visit for a long time. However, this particular visit was very short as we decided to go on the spur of the moment; our plan is to go back at some point because we loved it.
Here’s what we found out:
1. Bring rain gear – a raincoat, umbrella and rubber boots. We had rain and sun, but don’t stay inside because it’s raining – that would be a real shame.
2. Tofino is quite expensive, so going in the low season can make it more accessible. It was low season when we went, but the prices still felt somewhat high. We stayed at the Tofino Motel. It was very clean and comfortable and there was a nice view from our little deck. Accommodations range from the extremely expensive (the Wickanninish Inn) all the way to the eclectic (Wild Pods – geodesic domes right over the water on a dock).
3. It’s about a four hour drive from Nanaimo on eastern Vancouver Island northwest across the island to Tofino. You can leave from Horseshoe Bay near West Vancouver and take an hour-and-a-half ferry ride across Howe Sound to Nanaimo. The drive across the island is beautiful. There are many other alternatives such as flying over by floatplane, but exploring those would take another post.
4. Bring along a couple of pairs of comfortable walking shoes. Even if it’s sunny out, you may find yourself with wet feet, and you’re going to want to do lots of walking and exploring in this stunningly beautiful place. A second pair is a good thing.
5. We can recommend two restaurants: Shelter, and The Wolf in the Fog. They both have great seafood, excellent service and good wine and drinks lists. We went to Shelter twice.
6. Tofino has everything you might need: a good grocery store, pharmacy, and post office. There are lots of tourist shops and local tour operators.
7. If you can, go down the road to Ucluelet. It’s about 45 minutes south of Tofino. It’s also stunningly beautiful.
That’s it.
I you’re considering going, I hope you are able to make that happen. It is absolutely beautiful, and so calming and restful.
In the Net! - Pictures and Stories of Life 