Rambles

With apologies to Thelma and Louise. May 15th, 2023 Sisters on Shellaligan trail A gorgeous mid May weekend saw the arrival of our two youngest daughters :-) Their ferry departed Vancouver a little late on Thursday, so they traveled from Nanaimo to Campbell river to stay at a hotel for the night. They arrived on Quadra on the 6:15AM ferry next morning and then “worked” all day Friday. Friday afternoon was spent on the dock swimming with the jellyfish, some lazy yoga and shooting a few videos of the life under the dock. ...

Chinese mountain climb This is a great hike. We parked on Hyacinthe Bay Road and walked the 500m to the trailhead. We then took the western route to the south peak, had a snack while watching several eagles soar overhead, and hiked back down the northern route. Great views over towards Campbell River and the mainland. Download ...

Shellaligan Trail We wanted to visit Valdes Road on a sunny day, and while we were up that side of the island, we hiked the Shellaligan trail. We saw nobody, had great views across to Read island and had trouble finding the loop at the north end of the trail. Pictures to follow…. Download ...

Old mine tour and Red Mountain climb, 18th May 2021 In mid May, we had a couple of geologists visiting from out of town. These guys were so keen they decided to stay an extra day to do a hike up Red Mountain. Rossland sits at 1040m and the top of Red Mountain is 1591m so there were some uphill sections. We set off at 10AM and were back at the Fire Hall by 3PM, so a 5 hour trip. Legs were a little shot, so some refreshments were partaken. ...

January to March 2021 Exploring the islands We made a lot of use of our BC Ferries excursion card in February and March to get off Salt Spring and visit several other Gulf islands: Pender Gabriola Quadra Lasqueti Galiano and Mayne Visitors to Ganges S&A trip in late Jan, new job offer on the ferry, Congrats! K&M trip during the February snow storm, Channel Ridge photos to follow S on her own for a hiking marathon in late Feb… Mount Erskine assault route. Financial changes Ali officially became a pensioner on February 1st. Volatile stock we’re watching. News The dead boat disposal society Ideas for the blini party

Galiano and Mayne islands Took the 6:20AM ferry to Galiano island, checked out a few nooks and beaches on the east end, then crossed to the west side of the island and went to the north end. Saw a cute house on Dawnray St., but no view so we came back down via Montague harbour, back through the village and on to the 11AM ferry to Mayne island. Mayne we looped around counter clockwise, saw some sealions basking on the rocks, had supper in Bennet Bay bistro, and finally caught the 8:55 ferry back to Long harbour. Arrived at 10:05, so a long day. ...

Lasqueti island A pretty chilly ride in the back of Wes’s pickup for the day. Parked at French Creek, watched the sea lions play in the harbour, took the 50 minute ride to Lasqueti, got the tour from Wes, then back to French Creek and down to Ladysmith for a roast chicken dinner, before our return to Vesuvius. Phew! Download ...

Quadra island tour Early morning wake up call in Port Hardy, back down the coast to Campbell River to catch the 10:30AM ferry to Quadra. Lots of nice places on this island, and it’s only a 10 minute ferry ride to town. Download ...

Gabriola island visit On the mainland sort of looking around North Nanaimo and Nanoose Bay, and then we thought “Why not visit Gabriola”. Download ...

Mount Maxwell climb, 26th February 2021 We picked Sjaan up on Thursday evening at 10PM and had a few drinks while we discussed which hikes to do. Narrowed it down to: Mount Maxwell Mount Erskine Channel ridge Dark horse was Musgrave landing Download ...