Quadra Island - British Columbia Ferry, MV Tenaka

This April we stayed at the iconic Heriot Bay Inn. Just meters away is the BC Ferries terminal.

BC Ferry Tehama (2010-04-21)

Departure Bay, British Columbia

Over the last few years, I've travelled between Vancouver and Nanaimo on a fairly regular basis, becoming quite familiar with the Horseshoe Bay shore. Waiting for the ferry, I've spent considerable time walking the shore and the docks. On this beautiful July day, the flag of British Columbia was set off nicely by a summer blue sky.

• Location: 49°22'28.7"N, 123°16'23.5"W

Flag of British Columbia in Horseshoe Bay. (2014-07-29)

Crofton Harbour and Seawall

In mid-November, the autumn storms had not yet deprived the trees of their leafy colours. On this day, we drove down Island to see the autumnal sights of the Crofton area, knowing that the Crofton seawall was flat and would not put undue strain on our aging knees. This picture is taken from the government wharf and shows the seawall in the distance.

• Location: 48°51'55.4"N, 123°38'20.9"W

Crofton wharf and seawall. (2015-11-14)

Ladysmith - Boat Wreck along Dogpatch Trail

Valentine's Day and no rain. We were going out for lunch at the Crow and Gate Pub in Cedar but, not wanting to arrive in the middle of the noon rush, we opted for a stroll along Ladysmith's shore. In this case, we walked the trails that skirt Slag Point and lead, eventually, to the area known to mariners as Dogpatch. Seemingly, this is a place where decrepit boats go to die.

• Location: 48°59'41.8"N, 123°48'30.5"W

Beach along Dogpatch Trail in Ladysmith (2016-02-14)

Silva Bay - Boats at anchor

With summer drawing to a close and Barb and Sean in possession of new kayaks, a shakedown cruise (paddle) was in order. Prior to owning their own craft, Barb and Sean had paddled any number of locations around Nanaimo. I thought, for this first venture in their new kayaks, we'd try something a bit more "exotic". A Silva Bay launch, with paddling betwixt the Flat Top Islands was today's agenda. Here <CLICK!>, a photo in the Silva Bay moorage.

• Location: 49°08'54.9"N, 123°41'42.6"W

Silva Bay, Gabriola Island (2014-08-30)

Wickaninnish Beach - Driftwood

With the summer drawing to an end, Hanne, Ewald, Rosie and I found ourselves relaxing in the Long Beach area. On this day, we left our accommodation in Ucluelet to explore the beaches of the area. As always, the driftwood presents itself as an ideal photo subject.

• Location: 49.014862° N, 125.674143° W

Driftwood on Long Beach (2016-09-16)

Cedar-by-the-Sea shore...

True to the title of this blog, today I really did find a "random" picture to post. In this case, I go back a few months to November when I wasn't sure where I wanted to take my walk. Without having a walk in mind, my meanderings to me to Cedar-by-the-Sea, a place we'd often launched our kayaks. Today was not a day for kayaking, but it was fun just exploring the shoreline.

• Location: 49.115192° N, 123.805108° W

Cedar-by-the-Sea shore (2015-11-10)

Sointula - Dockside Details...

I'm easily attracted to dockside details. Today (February 9, 2016) we spent quite a bit of our morning strolling the docks of Sointula. As we passed this sailboat, Hanne drew my attention to the pattern of the ropes converging at the hull. She was right, it was worth a snapshot.

• Location: 50.639757° N, 127.031280° W

Sointula dockside details (2016-02-09)

As part of our visit to Sointula, we took a side trip to the Regional Park at Bere Point. Arriving at the parking lot, we had a terrific view of the snow-capped mountains of the British Columbia mainland.

• Location: 50.665488° N, 127.052092° W

Bere Point Regional Park (2016-02-09)

Sointula - Historic Shoreline

The shore around Malcolm Island (Sointula) is dotted with relics of an active nautical history.

•  Location: 50.639863° N, 127.029997° W

Sointua shore (2016-02-09)

Ucluelet - Wild Pacific Trail

Before chercking in at the Cabins at Terrace Beach, we decided to check out the Wild Pacific Trail. Here we are, looking out over the Pacific as swells crash on jagged rocks. (2015-08-14)

• Location: 48.9265767,-125.542745

Ucluelet - Wild Pacific Trail

Comox - Goose Spit Park view...

Having finished our walk around the Comox Marina, we wondered, "What is that spit in the distance?". We pointed the car in the general direction, and ended up here, at Goose Spit Park.

• Location: 49°39'46.4"N 124°54'17.7"W

Comox - Goose Spit Park view

Comox - Fisherman's Wharf Boardwalk

After dropping Roy off in Courtenay, we opted for some sightseeing in Comox. Here we are at the Fisherman's Wharf Boardwalk.

• Location: 49° 40' 9.11" N 124° 55' 43.48" W

Fisherman's Wharf Boardwalk in Comox

Nanaimo - Cottle Lake Cormorants

I hadn't been to Cottle Lake for quite some time, so it was nice to be able to take advantage of the nice weather to have another look around. Among other things, I spotted these cormorants. I've frequently seen cormorants while kayaking on salt water, but seeing them quite at home on fresh water was new to me. (2015-02-05)

Nanaimo - Cottle Lake Cormorants

Ucluelet - Fish processing plant

We've come to this Ucluelet dock to see if the sea lions were active on this day (2014-02-01). They were, but just barely.

• Location: 48.939, -125.538

Ucluelet - Fish processing plant

Victoria - One Of The Busiest Floatplane Harbours Anywhere

For a change, on our recent visit to Victoria, we crossed the "Blue Bridge" to explore the Songhees side of the harbour. We'll need to do it again, when the weather's a bit warmer. The picture below: seen from the Songhees Shore of Victoria, BC.

Location: 48.429, -123.384
Date: 2015/02/07

Victoria - One Of The Busiest Floatplane Harbours Anywhere

Nanaimo - Late Summer Colours On Newcastle Island

An August kayaking trip took Alex and me to Newcastle Island where the low tide required a bit of a walk from the water's edge. Once above the high-water mark, the island showed the classic late summer Gulf Island palette.

• Location: 49.181940, -123.927464
• Date: 2014/08/10

Nanaimo - Late Summer Colours On Newcastle Island

Nanaimo - Neck Point Juts Into Salish Sea

Draft

• Location
• Date

Chute Lake - Iconic Okanagan Pub

Chute Lake - Iconic Okanagan Pub

• Location: 49.691285, -119.535799
• Date: 08/27/13, 3:57 pm UTC-7

Chute Lake - Iconic Okanagan Pub

Cowichan Valley - Foggy boat reflections in Cowichan Bay

Cowichan Valley - Foggy boat reflections in Cowichan Bay

• Location: 48.741, -123.618 
• Date: 01/14/15, 2:14 pm UTC-8

Cowichan Valley - Foggy boat reflections in Cowichan Bay

Nanaimo - Bracket Fungus At Hemer Park

It was an early March (2015-03-01) day, ans it wasn't raining. Thus, a good day to take a walk. It'd been some time since we'd hast visited Hemer Park. As we passed along the shore of Holden Lake, we spotted quite a collection of fungi.

Nanaimo - Bracket Fungus At Hemer Park

Nanaimo - Morrel Sanctuary

Duncan - Totem Tour

Nanaimo - Benson Creek Regional Park