Our Christmas was a quiet affair this year. Michaela came over around 9AM and we opened some presents followed by a hearty breakfast of double cinnamon French toast.
We then had a Zoom call with all the cousins and Omi. It was great to catch up.
However you choose to spend this time, may Peace, Joy and Happiness be with you and your family.
The evening before our tour started, we attended an orientation briefing for the upcoming expedition. TAO Expeditions was the outfit we selected, based on research. They seemed less ‘boozy’ and more environmentally focused. https://www.taophilippines.com (we do not receive anything if you follow the link.) They were also the most expensive, which, naturally culls the herd of 20-somethings. The briefing had 22 of the 25 guests show up. The talk started with a drink of “Jungle Juice”, basically 1 ½ oz of local rum and 1 ½ oz of pineapple juice. Remember this is the less booze cruise. The outline covered off the company history, the community work it does, the planned route, accommodations, food and other things. One-hour later we left, feeling excited.
The group around us was mostly young folks with the exception of three older couples which included us. Any one of the three couples could easily be parents to the other passengers. Everyone seemed friendly and there didn’t seem to be that ‘one’ idiot who could be annoying and foolish at the same time. We met at 8 AM the next morning and signed in. Our luggage was tossed on the roof of what I could only call a Magic Bus, in reference to the Who’s 1960s hit. When I say ‘tossed’, I actually mean tossed. Nothing was lashed down for the one-hour drive. Then we boarded the Magic Bus for the journey. There was no air conditioning and all the windows were down as we sat on two wooden benches facing each other.
Once at El Nido port, we jumped off and hiked through the woods for about 15-minutes. Arriving at TAO Base Camp, we saw huts, eating areas, common areas, community bathrooms and more. A quick orientation followed by a delicious breakfast started our day. More talks, then lunch, then on to our boat where we headed to a nearby remote island. This was our first snorkelling adventure.
What we saw underwater was more impressive that what we were able to see on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). This was likely due to the ‘bleaching’ of the GBR. In the Philippines, there were more colours and the water was warmer. While there were more fish on the Barrier Reef, both the coral and fish were brighter in the Philippines. Both places had numerous things that could bite, attack, harm and kill you. Caution was in order the entire time.
That evening we returned to Base Camp for a four-course meal that was well prepared. The focus was on local ingredients and flavours. Each course was explained and there was more food than we could eat. Seconds and even third helpings were encouraged. After dinner, we wandered a bit, looking at the countless stars we could see. Then, returning to our huts, we hunkered down, on a mat under mosquito netting for a great sleep. The only sounds were the ocean and nature. As the temperature only dipped to 26C at night, we were both a bit worried we’d be too hot, but that was not the case.
We woke up, around 6AM which was sunrise. There was not much to block the sun, but we were not complaining. Looking around, it hit us that we slept in an open-air bamboo hut next to the ocean. There was a stretch/yoga class for those who were interested, like me. There were also pots and pots of fresh coffee for those who so desired, like Meg. Breakfast was another feast where there was no shortage of food. Fresh fruit was a key to all meals.
Today was Meg’s birthday. Me being me, I rapped my glass with my spoon to announce the special day and all of Meg’s new 24 friends sang happy birthday to her. There were also bets on if they would witness a burial at sea later that day as she was likely to kill me for what I did. We packed up our stuff into our dry bags, and swam out to the boat. Nothing like a dip in the ocean to start your day.
During the day we sailed to a few islands where we snorkeled, ate and enjoyed life. It is pretty hard lifestyle to beat. Later that day the ship anchored off Linapacan Island. Then we got to jump back into the water and swim ashore. As the water was warm, it was not too much of a hardship. Once ashore, while dripping wet, we were told where our huts for the night would be. They put the couples on one side of the camp and the single travellers on the other side. Couple huts are a fair bit wider and accommodate two foam mattresses.
Putting our drybags into our hut, we wandered around and were in awe of how picture perfect this was. On a beach, on a deserted part of a large island, with a breeze blowing and sunset approaching. Our home was a bamboo hut. It was so magical. Wandering the beach for views, the clouds were putting on a show of red, pink and other colours. Since we had been in and out of the ocean a number of times, a fresh water shower was in order. There were four showers, all in one area, with no dividers between them. You just showered with your bathing suit on.
Once we had gotten the salt off us, a pre-dinner drink (jungle juice) was provided. Our dinner that night was another feast, followed by a bon-fire and eventually off to bed. As we scrambled up into our huts, it was breezy which made the warm temperature pleasant for sleeping. Since there was really not much artificial light on the island, there was really no point in staying up late. Sunrise would be at 6 AM, so going to bed and rising early made sense.
Waking up and hearing only waves on the beach was great. Sunrise was at 6AM, and with nothing to block the light, we were up by then. Wandering the beach, we saw fishermen, there are no women fishing there, heading out for the day.
Once breakfast was over, our tour guide made an announcement. He told us there was a storm coming and it looked nasty. The word he used was typhoon. An open-air boat with no radio or radar and two outriggers for balance is no match for a typhoon. Mother nature will win every time. To keep the passengers, crew and boat safe, the planned route was being altered. We would be going east instead of our planned westerly route. This would keep us in a wind shadow and likely avoid the worst of it. As we swam out to the boat, we were all just glad to be safe and everyone agreed, it was all part of the adventure.
As we sailed, we could see the rain approaching. Eventually there was no place to hide from the rain, other than the galley. In the end, 15 of the 25 guests were crammed into the galley to try and keep warm and dry. Nine hours later, through wind and rain, we arrived at camp for the night. Similar to the previous evening, they placed couples on one side and singles on the other. The two rows of huts were only about 40’ apart, but faced different directions.
We all managed to get dry and eat a lovely dinner before settling down in our huts for the night. It was a bit breezy. Little did we know the wind was only starting…
Around 11 pm, we woke up to torrential rain hitting the side of our hut. There were also high winds whistling through. The shaking of our bamboo hut was not either of us moving around as we both first thought. Remember, always blame the other person. It was actually the wind shaking the hut. Howling wind with no reprieve. Between crashing waves, violent wind and driving rain, the noise was deafening. We kept telling each other that we were dry and warm, we would be fine. In reality, we confessed to each other the next morning we were both quite scared. Recently, we had both read “One Perfect Couple” by Ruth Ware. It is a story of group who ended up stranded on a deserted island after a storm. No one came to rescue them and slowly people started dying. It was not a comforting thought for either of us.
We managed to stay dry. The hut, for all its basic-ness, did an excellent job of keeping the rain out. We could feel mist coming in the front and back of the hut, but no leaks from the roof. Then we heard a crash. While we can’t be sure, we think it was a palm branch or a coconut hitting the ground nearby with a terrific thud. The rain continued to drive and the hut shook. Lying in bed, with driving rain and wind while your home shakes is not for the faint of heart. Actually, it isn’t for us either. More thuds and more wind.
Eventually, around 1 AM both the wind and rain seemed to stop. Then one of the staff came around and asked if we were ok. We said yes. He then asked if we wanted to go to the safe hut, a concrete building where most of the other guests had gone some time ago. Ummm, why were only checking on us now? As the wind and rain had both died down, we decided to stick it out in our hut. We were dry, fairly warm and it seemed the worst had passed.
Once the staff member had left, we remembered that sometimes, the eye of the storm is the calmest. What if we were in the eye of the storm and round two was about to start? In the end, our decision to stay turned out to be the right one. Things were quiet for the rest of the night and a few hours later, we heard the others coming back to their huts.
Most of the others were not so lucky. Some huts had water pouring in from holes in the roof. Others leaked from the sides. All of the single huts faced the storm and rain came in at full force, they, along with everything inside was soaked. The couples huts took the storm on the side, so less damage. We traded stories of how we managed with others and learned that our hut was one of only two that did not leak. A couple from Australia had water pouring in through their roof all night long. We were one of two couples that did not go to the safe house. Most of the other passengers thought we were crazy to stay in the hut, but it all worked out fine.
In the end, no one was physically hurt – but four guests opted to leave the tour the next morning, so there may have been emotional injuries.
The next morning, there was debate amongst the staff whether the storm was a tropical depression or a typhoon – either way, it was scary. 53 mm of rain in about 2 hours; wind at 40 km/hr sustained with gusts to 65. Nothing that we don’t encounter at home – but in a bamboo hut, in the pitch dark, it feels a lot different!
Survive a tropical storm in a bamboo hut was not on the bucket list, but now that we are safely through it, it’s a pretty unique thing for have on our resumes!
In reality, how can you top that? The next day was uneventful in comparison. There was a stop at the ‘best’ reef on the tour. Unfortunately, that reef was a bit murky with the previous night’s storm but still plenty of coral and fish.
We made it to the final campsite where we took some time to relax, wander about and share stories. A grand finale dinner put everyone in a good mood and we all slept well that night. There was no wind, no rain and no crashing waves. Only gentle lapping of water on the shore. Our huts were all dry.
In the morning, we broke camp and by noon were in Coron where we caught a flight to Cebu Island. At the Coron airport, there is not much there other than the landing strip. It is paved. We managed to check in without issues, although you need to show your boarding pass to get into the airport terminal. As we had not checked in, we held up our phones to a lit screen and were waived through. I guess they don’t check tourists as carefully as locals. To pass the time, after check-in, we left the airport and walked across the road to a series of small restaurants. These are really just roadside stands and they back onto the runway. But don’t worry about security, even though there’s no fence, there is a sign there that says do not enter, so it’s safe.
The flight was uneventful and we arrived on the Island of Cebu for the next phase of our trip.
Thanks for reading,
Cam and Meg
“People don’t take trips, trips take people.” – John Steinbeck
Most people tend to focus on ‘events’ that are highlights to them. In reality, there is something that happens between the weddings, funerals, feature vacations, concerts and other ‘cool’ things. It is called ‘the rest of your life’.
This July we’ve done things that, while not spectacular on their own, are still amazing. Each event showcases just how special Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia and Canada are.
We spent a week up north, exploring the wilds of Canada. Big spaces and big places. There’s a full write up on our trip in a previous post.
A lot of people will gravitate towards a farmers’ market. We are squarely in that group. During the summer months, the City of Oak Bay shuts down Oak Bay Ave for about four blocks on the second Wednesday of each month. A farmers’ market is held, but it is really a ‘local vendors’ market. Many of those selling are the same merchants at other local markets, but there are some who are unique to this one.
The usual selection of offerings is available. Bakery goods, fresh veggies, arts and crafts as well as food and drinks. A number of restaurants set up ‘meals to go’ as well as small samples of their specialties. There are also food trucks which, for some reason unknown to me, have huge lines of people waiting to get their ‘not so fast-food’ – fast-food fix. Then there are drinks.
Along with some coffee and tea merchants, there are multiple distilleries, cideries, breweries and liquor stores offering samples of adult drinks. On our first visit to the market, about half way through, we both cut ourselves off due to the number of samples we had. Our next visit we were much more strategic.
We were glad to sample the breweries wares. All were local and, despite both of us being so passionate about craft beer, we were left underwhelmed by most of the selections. That’s not to say they were not good; they were just not to our likings. In the end, the tried-and-true winner was Spinnakers, one of Canada’s oldest craft breweries. I’ve been going there since 1983 and the ESB, which is an original from the day it opened, is still my favourite.
The boys of summer and the crack of the bat. Victoria has an “A” level ball team, the Harbour Cats. We decided to take in an evening game on a sunny night. The play, while obviously not at the major league level, was a good diversion from everyday life. One added bonus of the game we went to, the Snowbirds were doing a mini show over Victoria and we could see them as they flew by. Watching their precision flying, with the wings as close as 2 meters to each other, never gets old. The ball game was a bit of a downer, the ’Cats lost 13 – 4, although we saw a couple of home runs, a double play and some diving catches.
The park close to our house has many old trees. In the park, in spring and early summer, there are families of owls. We’ve seen two parents and this year, there were three owlets. On most nights we headed over to the park, with many other people to watch the owlets. As they quickly grew, from fluff balls to little owls, they gained confidence. However there was learning and supervision taking place.
One evening, a Coopers Hawk swooped in and took a run at an owlet. In the wild, it’s every bird for themselves. The owlet took off and out of nowhere an adult owl dove down towards the Coopers Hawk. The hawk immediately broke off the attack and took off. The parents, whom we had not seen, were obviously watching.
As the owlets grew, they were also learning to hunt. One night, we saw an owlet dive down and attack a pine cone. He missed on his swoop down and landed on the ground about one foot away from the pine cone. Being “cool”, he hopped on over to the pine cone and jumped on it. He was so cute as he looked proudly at the non moving pine cone he had caught.
Government House is the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia and the ceremonial home of all British Columbians. The Lieutenant Governor, or ‘LG’ for short, is the King’s representative in British Columbia. They are appointed by the Government of the day, normally for a five-year term. I met the last LG, Janet Austin, when she attended HMCS MALAHAT for my change of Command.
We took a tour of Government House this summer. It is an impressive building, steeped in history. There are many pictures of those who have stayed here. Queen Elizabeth and other members of the Royal Family have visited and stayed.
There is a lot of art, with an emphasis on Indigenous artwork. The stained-glass window, as you head up to the second floor is amazing.
Courtesy of the LG. Every summer, at Government House, they host a few free concerts on the lawn. There is a permanent bandstand there and two groups will play. The night we went, The Ravens opened up for the Sutcliffs. The Ravens were a folk-y type group who had one song in particular that resonated with me. I have not been able to find the lyrics online, however the theme mentioned our heroes. The hero’s they referenced were Canadian heroes. In particular they noted
‘we found our heroes on the Plains of Abraham,
marching in as we freed the Netherlands
and in the deserts of Afghanistan”
They then mentioned the ‘Patricia’s’, which referenced Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry or the PPCLI. That is the Regiment our youngest serves in. To me, it was a moving song.
When we relocated to Victoria, one of reasons was to take advantage of the arts. There are so many small theater companies in town, it is hard to keep track. In July we saw two plays.
The first was by the Victoria Shakespeare company. Each summer they do one of the Bard’s plays at an open-air venue. This year it was on the lawn of Craigdarroch Castle and the play was Romeo and Juliett. I can’t say I am all that keen on tweaking his plays. They’ve survived for centuries. The number of quotes Western society uses in everyday language that come from him is likely only second to the Bible. So why mess with something that works so well?
This summer’s version featured an almost all female cast, even Romeo was a female. She was by far the best actor among the Troope. While we were not enamoured with the Director’s version, it was only a 15-minute walk from our home. Spoiler alert – they both die at the end of the play.
The second play we saw was Yes and Yesteryear. This was not actually a play but an improv on Jane Austin. As improv goes, no one knows what will happen when they start and every performance is different.
This play was held at Carr house, the home that Emily Carr grew up in. It is located in James Bay, a district in Victoria, about a 10-minute drive from our home. On the front lawn of Carr house, were about 50 chairs. We were treated to a cucumber sandwich, naturally the crusts were cut off. A glass of refreshing lemonade was provided to wash it down. The Troope was hilarious. They were dressed in period costume from Ms. Austin’s day. Prim and proper were their manners. Societal class was important.
To kick it off, the Front of House asked the audience for a letter, any letter. “F” was tossed out. Then two words were sought out which started with “F” that would have been used in Jane Austin’s day. Fidelity and Flirtatious were the words. The Troope then worked out a Fidelity club to avoid being Flirtatious. At times, some of the actors “set-up” others, much to the delight of the audience. We were howling at times.
The Dominion Observatory is located in Saanich, the community next to Victoria and about 25 minutes from our home. Every so often they open the observatory up to the public and you can see what the big telescope sees. There are also members of the Victoria Astronomical Society there with their own personal telescopes pointed at the moon, Mars and other celestial objects.
To provide even more insight to the cosmos, there is a mini planetarium and the volunteers put on shows about the heavens. We headed up there one evening to see great city views (the observatory is obviously up high) and learn about the stars. As it was early July, we were limited in what we could see as sunset was almost 9:30 PM. We hope to go back in the fall or winter when the nights are longer.
Some rooms in our home, well, all the rooms actually, need to be painted. We had the outside done last year and it was time for the inside. Focusing on the kitchen and bathroom, two coats of primer and two coats of paint turned both rooms into bright and airy.
The ocean is your studio! The City of Oak Bay puts on free yoga in the park weekly during the summer. The event is packed, likely 250+ people, all on mats following a fairly easy hatha themed yoga class. Willows beach park overlooks Cadboro Bay and you can see all sorts of marine activity. Just remember to get there a bit early and place your mat out of the sun, or wear sunscreen.
British Columbia is blessed with so much nature and beauty. Vancouver Island is one of the gems in BC. It’s been a few years since we were camping, but we decided it was time to get back to nature.
A few days before we headed out, we assembled the various things we needed to take to be successful campers. We headed out to Englishman River Falls Provincial Park. We had camped here once before, in 1993 with a one-year-old in our old tent trailer.
The drive took a lot longer than we thought it would. Leaving at 11:00, with a short lunch stop at the top of the Malahat drive and a quick dash into Costco, we arrived at 3PM. It took 45 minutes to set up our campground. Pitching the tent, making the beds and squaring things off. After a quick break to re-group, we explored the area, scouting out hikes for the next few days.
During our time at Englishman River Falls, we hiked both the upper and lower falls at Englishman River. We headed over to the Errington Market on Saturday morning for the weekly farmer’s market. The baked goods that were being offered were no match to our will power. Or maybe that was ‘won’t’ power 😉 I caved in and bought some s’mores cookies. They were awesome. I did show enough will power to only eat one and save one for desert that night. Meg bought a delicious scone.
Venturing into Coombs, we spent some time at the Goats on the Roof market. Getting some of the fresh veggies for the next few days as well as some artesian cheeses to go with the breads we had.
On another day we headed to Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park and walked around the trails there. The campground at this park seemed much more inviting than Englishman River Falls. The services were the same, but the feel was a lot nicer.
After three days camping, we headed out for our reward. Breaking camp, we headed to Parksville where we checked into an ocean front resort for a day. We really had not slept well during the previous three nights. There was a lot of noise from other campers as well as cold evenings. The resort was welcomed for a warm night, clean showers and comfortable bed.
Walking the low tide beach at Parksville is always a treat. On our way back to the resort, we managed to find some ripe blackberries and filled a small container. They made an outstanding breakfast treat!
We headed over to Rathtrevor Provincial Park for our next three nights of camping. This campground was more in line with what we expected from a Provincial Park. It also helped that the weather was warmer. We learned from our last time setting up camp and were able to be fully set up in under 40 minutes. It was a short walk to the beach and, over the next three days, we spent a lot of time at the beach.
One special treat we found was maple cream liquor. Meg noticed it at the liquor store and we asked about it. The staff told us it was very good. They described it as a Canadian version of the famous Irish cream liquor that so many people know. Sipping on this at the beach, at sunset, left us wondering what else could make life better?
During our time at the beach, there were sunrises, sunsets and simply sitting in a chair watching the tide come in or go out. It is a great place to read a book (or type your blog!).
July came to an end with us spending our last night camping at Rathtrevor Provincial Park. Some great meals, and being with nature our some of our happy places.
And, the rest of our lives…
All of the above were what we feel were our highlights from July. We haven’t mentioned our day-to-day living. Regular walks along the Victoria breakwater. Multiple gym classes. Trip planning – a lot of time is going into planning for the fall adventure. House hunting: we’ve been to more than 30 open houses. Our Realtor has shown us another 10 or so. Pouring over listing is time consuming.
July has been a good month.
August is shaping up to be another good month. While there are no big trips planned yet, there will be day trips, bike adventures, paddle boarding and other activities to keep us amused, young and engaged.
Thanks for reading, feel free to share any things you did in July to make your time special. We’d love to hear about what you did and get some ideas for future activities.
Cam and Meg
This summer, we headed to the Yukon for the first time. Our cousin, Arthur, had visited us twice when we made a cruise ship stop in Skagway. Each time he drove for 1 ½ hours each way and showed us the sights on both sides of the border. It was time we visited him.
After deciding to head up to the Yukon, our next decision was how to get there. It’s not exactly close. It would be about 30 hours driving time including the ferry. A flight would take about 2 ½ hours. As we were looking at our options, Air North, the flag carrier of the Yukon, had a special. We could fly directly from Victoria to Whitehorse for a great price – sold!
When we arrived at Whitehorse airport and picked up our rental car it turned out to cost a lot more than we were expecting. There was VERY SMALL print that said the quoted rate was in US dollars. How is that possible? This is a Canadian company, operating in a Canadian airport. There weren’t really many options at 7:30 PM the night before the July 1st stat holiday so we took it. The other fine print also had us getting only 200km/day (note:Canadian kilometers, not US miles); 1,200 km in total. Ouch.
It was a short drive to Arthur’s – the town is not very big by our standards. He was expecting us with Traeger wings and cold beverages.
The next morning, July 1st, we were treated to a scrumptious breakfast of eggs, fresh rye bread and the most delicious back bacon I have ever had. It was homemade on his smoker, and I am hopeful to get the recipe. Once we were done eating, we headed out to explore the sites.
Starting with Miles Canyon, a geological wonder where the Yukon River flows through high basalt walls. The river flows so fast in the canyon, it does not freeze in winter, even at -30C! The suspension bridge that joins the two sides is similar to the ones you would see in the movies. It “swings” a bit and is a bit rickety, making the experience all the more enjoyable. The trails are well groomed and we travelled up and down a few of them.
Heading into town, we saw many more sites and learned about the history of the town. Arthur’s been there since 1988, long before tourism et al, and has seen a lot of changes. There was an air of festivity in the town and families were taking advantage of the Canada Day activities. After lunch we headed back to his place and explored his 3 ½ acre property. That evening we had a great steak barbeque with all the fixings. Meeting two of his four children was great, they were keen to help out with dinner.
Dawson City – gateway to the gold fields. Gold was discovered in 1896. It was actually discovered well before then by the Indigenous people, but they had no use for it.
The drive to Dawson City was 535 km on a paved road – other than a few sections that were under construction. It took just over six hours and had amazing scenery. Making a few stops for snacks and to admire the views, while reading historical markers, broke up the long drive. Our hotel was the Holland America Dawson City Hotel, and it was a great hotel. The front façade was done up in the gold rush style. There were wooden boardwalks in front of it, and all buildings. Our room, on the second floor, was quite nice with a mini fridge and kettle.
Once we were settled in, we went out to explore and learn about the gold rush. In 1896, Skookum Joe and his partners found gold and they gathered up a lot of it. They had struck it rich. The gold was taken down to San Francisco. Of course, word of ‘gold’ sparked a stampede and by 1898 the population of Dawson City grew from 250 to 40,000. It was the largest town north of San Francisco. The newspapers of the day reported you could just walk down the street and pick up gold nuggets, no mining was needed. There’s a sucker born every minute.
Panning for gold was hard work that could only be done with one hand. The other hand was busy swatting mosquitos. Tents were pitched all through the city and up the hill. Dysentery, typhoid and other nasty things were prevalent. It wasn’t all sunshine.
Then you had the weather. The town was isolated for eight months of the year. The river froze up, the snow came and it was dark for 24 hours. Of course it was light for 24 hours in the summer. Very few people made it rich. While the first shipment of gold was heading down to San Francisco, the locals were staking claims to the rivers around the initial find. By the time the outside hopefuls arrived, there were no more claims to be had. Those who came up ended up working for merchants. The entrepreneurial opened up shops with the vocational skills they brought with them such as blacksmithing, baking, etc.
At the end of the gold rush, it is estimated only about 20 people actually made it rich. Some of the most successful, other than the few who had good claims, were those who mined miner’s pockets. Every miner needed supplies. If you could get the goods to Dawson City, you could sell them for whatever you wanted. Wages were $10/day for general labourers but it cost $10/day to live up there. General stores loaded up goods in the short season from May – August and then sold them for the next eight months. The North West Mounted Police, forerunner to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, kept law and order. It is said there was not a single robbery during the gold rush.
Having learned a bit about the gold rush, we wanted to learn more. The Parks Canada office ran a number of tours and we decided to visit Dredge #4 on the Bonanza River, 15 km out of town. Driving to the Dredge, we stopped at ‘Discovery Claim’ to read about some of the history of mining and the early explorers, including Skookum Jim. He was a real person.
At the end of the walking loop, it was certainly time to go to the Dredge as the mosquitos were terrible. Although we had bug spray, the fact we left it in our hotel room meant it would still be available for next time . At the Dredge, we spent just over an hour learning how this barge, and others like it, travelled up the rivers. It was electrically powered and designed to get the gold that was buried in the river. Sadly, it was not done in a way that left the land unscathed nor workers in good health. Huge barges would scoop out tons of dirt that would be put through a sieve. Rocks were discarded and the sand was filtered. Gold, being heavy, fell to the bottom. It was this process, known as ‘placer mining’, that extracted the gold.
The rocks and other debris were left behind in a trail that altered the rivers, choking out fish and animals. Today you can still see the tailings left behind. While they were not chemically treated, the topography was altered. As the gold production fell, it of course, became economically unviable and the barges were abandoned, right where they did their last shift. All over the Yukon, machinery is left to rust in place. It is simply not worth it to haul it out of the backcountry.
Having learned about the process of mining gold, we decided to give panning for gold a try. The visitor centre lends out gold pans and there is a claim, on the river, that is owned by the Territory. They allow anyone who wants to try their hand at gold mining a chance to try it. A local mine regularly dumps fresh tailings that might have some gold in it. After an hour, Meg had found three gold flecks. I found three less than she did. Fortunately, we have other jobs.
Our picnic lunch had a great view, and while we were eating, we could not believe what we saw. A cow moose with two calves. Moose are almost mythical beings – very few people have actually seen them. We stared at them and then thought to get pictures and videos. While we are hopeful for the cute calves, odds are not on their side. Bears, foxes and others find them delicious – and we did see a wolf nearby! It’s a tough world out there. That’s why cows have two calves, normally every second year.
Back in town, we took a Parks Canada walking tour that provided access to a number of historical buildings otherwise inaccessible. The bank, the saloon, the brothel, newspaper office and post office have all been done up in period or are being restored.
For a tourist town, there were a number of eateries and dinner at the Triple J was great. This was followed by a drive up to the midnight dome. Back in 1900-something, a group of locals decided to see the 24-hour sun from the highest point, Dome Mountain. One thing they did not factor in: they are south of the Arctic Circle. You have to be north of 66 to see the sun “not” go down on Jun 21st. In Dawson City, the sun drops for a short time. When we were there, sunset was 00:45 and sunrise was 03:30. It never got dark, but blackout curtains in the hotel made it seem like night.
Heading back to Whitehorse, we retraced our drive, hitting a few different historical sites, one of which was Montague Roadhouse. Back in the day, you could travel by sternwheeler on the Yukon River between Whitehorse and Dawson City. During the winter, travel had to be over land by horse and sled. It took 7 – 8 days and was cold. Roadhouses were about every 25 miles and there you either bunked down for the night, or changed horses. If it was below -35C, they would not travel. Each Roadhouse had a large potbelly stove where one could warm up, mittens could be dried out and gossip exchanged. Once we were back in Whitehorse, we were treated to Arthur’s ribs, basted in his homemade sauce. Another magnificent feast.
Living in the Yukon is not for the faint of heart. Those who stick it out are outdoorsy and nature loving. Many are hunters who explore the sites in various ways, including on quad vehicles. We headed out with Arthur to explore above the tree line on his quads. Ummmmm…what? Passing through abandoned mine fields, old claims, dried up creeks and river beds, we climbed and climbed. There were times I struggled controlling the quad and Meg, as the passenger, hung on for dear life. Eventually arriving at the tree line, we realized the bouncy ride up was worth it. We saw Whitehorse, Lake Labarge and countless mountain tops from where we were. The view was great and we were the only ones up there. Riding down was a lot easier than riding up.
Our time in the Yukon was coming to an end. Another hike, and farewells took us to the airport where we boarded our Air North flight back to Victoria. This was our first trip to the Yukon, we both hope it will not be our last. The great vastness of the land, the warmth of the people, the history and the culture make it unique. It is an exceptional part of Canada, one that every Canadian should visit.
Thanks for reading.
Feel free to leave comments or contact us by the link above.
Cam and Meg
Monday October 7 and 8, 2024
Arriving in Dublin, we picked up our rental car and headed for Kilkenny. The route we followed and the sites we saw for the first 7 days is captured in this Google map.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1ygm2k0DnVa4OuRByNi_vDApEaxojXVk&usp=sharing
We had an amazing BnB for two nights with a wonderful and engaging hostess. During our first full day there, we headed south and visited some ruins, small towns and did a short hike. The historic significance of the different ruins is amazing.
To fully capture the history of Kilkenny, we did a walking tour and learned the history of the community and how things came to be. Restaurants were plentiful in town and we dined at Kytelers. This is a pub that goes back to the 1300’s. The original owner was married four times, each time her husband died shortly after they were married. Not surprisingly, she became richer after each husband passed. Her fourth husband was a widower and his children were none too pleased he left everything to her.
Through influence, the children from her last husband arranged to have her tried for witchcraft. After the evidence was presented to local noblemen, the sentence was for her to be burned at the stake. Being wealthy, she managed to escape to England and was never heard from again. Of course, as we were visiting near Halloween, the place was decked out with witches’ garb and we took a photo in the requisite hats.
Moving on south, we headed to Killarney. Here we stayed in our first Manor, the charming Cahernane House Hotel. We had a beautiful room with a small patio on the ground floor that overlooked pastures and cattle. The Manor is set back from the road by 500 meters, which limits road noise. We were encouraged to book dinner reservations at the manor, however, being tired, we politely declined.
Our first afternoon we headed into town and wandered around. The town is 100% a tourist town. There was no shortage of businesses that would sell you sweaters, hats, beer and anything else. It was very quaint. When we had seen enough, we returned to the hotel to rest and then walked to a nearby brew-pub. Both the beer and pizza were great.
We were up early and had a great breakfast in the dining room. Our plan was to drive the Ring of Kerry. Leaving at 08:30, there were a few stops along the way. In the end, we drove 22km of the 175 km as we simply spent too much time at each of our stops!
We started at Ross castle. It was not yet open for the day, however we saw the spectacular early morning sun on the building. Carrying on, we explored the Muckross Friary – a beautiful, unrestored but abandoned stone building. Like so many other Friary’s in Ireland and England, it fell into disrepair after King Henry VIII shut them down. As it was still early, I managed to capture a stunning shot of the sun coming through a small window. I reflected on how many times in the past 1,000 years the sun come had come in that window.
Our next stops were at a waterfall, followed by a stone circle. We ended up in Kensame for lunch and then headed out to see a sheep dog demonstration. Both the sheep and dog know the rules. The dog runs like the mad hatter and sheep head in the direction they are told. At times the dog will nip at the sheep’s hind legs, so there is respect. A few years back, some farmers tried to get rid of the dogs and use drones.
This worked well the first time, however sheep are not as stupid as one may think. After a few times, the sheep figured out that drone would not nip at their heels. Then, the sheep ignored the drone and went where they wanted. The dogs were brought back in and everything returned to normal.
We considered our options after the sheep dogs. Seeing as the next site of interest was over an hour away and it was 2:30, we decided to return to our Manor. It was a good call. A group who were staying at the Manor had arranged for a falconry demonstration. We watched as falcons, hawks and owls were brought out.
We dined in town at a local restaurant.
With a bit of a later start, due to the Manor grounds being so charming to walk around, we headed off to Bunratty. Arriving at a standard B&B, we ditched our bags and headed over to the castle. It was a 1KM walk down a very country road. There we took part in the Medieval feast and celebration. It was a very enjoyable experience and well worth the money. Interestingly, some guide books say to skip it as it is too touristy. It was a bit of history of the castle, a show, a four-course meal with unlimited wine or mead and a musical presentation. We very much enjoyed ourselves and sat next to some locals.
It was onto Galway via the Cliffs of Moher. On this day the Cliffs were WINDY! Arriving around 10 AM, there were very few tourists and we wandered around. As the morning progressed, coaches continued to arrive and it was time for us to leave. Galway was next and after checking into our accommodations, we took the bus into town and wandered about, walking back to the hostel. Based on our level of activity the last few nights, it was an early night.
We headed into Galway to find a laundromat and caught up on laundry. Then, returning to the hostel, we returned to town for a walking tour. Normally walking tours are great and they provide a lot of history. We both agreed this one was a let down. The guide, during our 1 ½ hours together, provided only a bit of history. He focused more on pointing out his favourite bars.
There was a microwave at our Hostel and we took advantage of it to have a lighter meal from the supermarket. Then we headed out to a local pub but were not able to find any music. One pint later we returned home.
Monday October 14th, 2024
We did another look at Galway and bought an Aran Island sweater. We had planned to go over to the Aran Islands, however the timing was too tight. The wind was supposed to pick up, which could cancel the return ferry. Not wanting to get stranded on the Aran Islands, we passed.
We will publish Part II of our Irish tour soon.
Thanks for reading, please feel free to leave any comments below. You can contact us on the form below.
Cam and Meg
Why visit the West Midlands to see Football?
In 2017, I was selected to attend a course on crowd control in England. The course was held in the West Midlands and as part of our training, we oversaw a West Bromwich football game. I’ve wanted to go back ever since, to be a fan. They were relegated to the Championship league a few years back, however I still follow the Baggies.
As I was putting our fall 2024 trip together, there were many moving parts. Travel switched around as new ideas were discussed. In the end, the cruise through the Panama Canal would get us to Miami and from there we would travel to Ireland. The issue became Miami to Dublin airfare – ouch! Some diligent searching found Miami to London was waaaaayyyyy cheaper. Then I got the idea to see if the Baggies would be playing around the time we would be there.
As luck would have it, they were playing at home on the Saturday. In the end, we decided to travel to London, then on to West Bromwich. We would see a football match on one day and a tour of the country side the next, before heading to the Emerald Isle.
Then the hard part started. How to get Baggies tickets? In Canada, you just go online and reserve. The Baggies don’t usually sell out, so it should be pretty easy, right? Not so fast. Remember, the West Midlands Police do crowd control at the football matches for a reason. English football hooligans are well known throughout the world. To keep a check on fans and in order to buy tickets, West Bromwich Albion requires you to have an account. All your personal details are required.
I duly opened an account and then I installed the app. Single game tickets for our match did not go on sale until September 23rd. We were at sea at that time, on our cruise and I didn’t have wifi. When I did get wifi, I found there were no tickets available. I tried the re-seller board and other areas, but no luck.
When our cruise ended in Florida on October 4th, I had not yet secured tickets and was getting worried. One thing did concern me. A new friend we met on the cruise grew up in the Midlands. He told us when Millwall played West Brom, it was typically a rough game, with shenanigans and fighting in the stands. Had Millwall fans bought all the tickets? Was there going to be a dust up?
We flew Miami to London overnight, landing at 7am Saturday October 5. We then took a 3 ½ hour bus ride to Birmingham. While the train is faster, it would require two transfers (Gatwick to the Victoria tube Station then to Euston Station). After an overnight transatlantic flight, sleeping on a bus sounded better than schlepping luggage through the London Underground.
We arrived at our West Bromwich hotel around 1:30 PM and then walked the 30 minutes to the ‘Hawthornes’ – the home stadium of the Baggies. We found the ticket sales office and I noted people were buying tickets. I went to the counter and asked to buy two tickets and was told “there were no general sales”. This seemed a bit confusing as others were getting tickets.
Off to the side was a desk marked ‘ticket enquiries’. I headed over there and enquired why I could not buy tickets. I had an account, so what was the issue? The clerk told me games against Millwall were ‘restricted’ and only account holders who had purchased tickets previously could buy tickets. I tried to explain we had just flown in from North America, we were Canadians and didn’t even know who Millwall was. She just smiled, but did offer a suggestion. If we could find someone with an account, they could possibly buy tickets for us.
We looked at each other and talked about finding someone to buy us tickets. Heading outside, right in front of us were two dads, each with a 10-year-old boy. I wasted no time in approaching them to tell them our storey. When they confirmed they had accounts, we asked if they would get us tickets. They could tell we were not locals, our Canadian accent stood out, and they agreed to help us. A few minutes later, under another account, I bought two tickets to the match. As we were parting ways, they suggested, if we wanted to the full experience, after the game we should go to Vines for some curry and to re-hash the game.
We then headed into the stadium. It’s a bit different than going to a game in Canada. At West Brom, you queue up at a gate. About ¼ of the fans are searched by a full “pat-down”. Then you go past the turnstile, which is truly barely wide enough if you squeeze it all in. Once inside the stadium, we must have looked like a deer in the headlights. Someone came up to us and asked “is this your first footie match?”
Having blank stares, he asked for our tickets and then pointed which way to go. As we were walking, another person came up and said “do you know where you are going?”. We said no and, looking at our tickets, he walked us into the stands and took us to our seats. They could not have been more helpful or polite.
The pre-game warm up was on, then there were the typical young players on the field as the teams came out. I wasn’t really paying attention, but all of a sudden, the game was on. There was no anthem. The scoreboard flashed “COYB”, as did the signs all along field level. This I learned, stands for “Come On You Baggies”. Everyone was chanting and, unless you knew what they were saying, you could not understand.
The first 45 minutes were dominated by West Brom, with 90% ball possession, however the score sheet showed 0 – 0 at the half. The second half only had 70% possession for the Baggies, but the score sheet remained 0 – 0. The game was a draw, despite West Brom leading in all categories. Our first English League game was a scoreless affair, but was still enjoyable.
Exiting the stadium, Vines was our destination. Once inside, we learned it was a Mecca to the Baggies. We ordered drinks and dinner, listening to the locals chat about what was wrong with the game, team and how they could fix it. As we were finishing, a gent, with his grandson, asked if we were from Zimbabwe? We told him we were from Canada and he told us why he liked Canada. His Son-in-Law joined him and we talked for about 45 minutes.
It was a great to get such insights on West Brom, its history, the back story why Millwall is a difficult team, etc. He could have easily been a tour guide with all the information he passed on. Birmingham is the UK’s second largest city and was created out of the Industrial revolution. Coal and iron were plentiful in the region, so it was natural that factories were set up there. Each community was known for an item. West Brom made springs. All shapes and sizes.
Heading back to our hotel in the dark, we were very pleased with how the day turned out. We traversed the ocean, carried on to the Midlands, saw a football match and tried a new pub. A great start to our English trip.
September 4, 2024 – Victoria, BC
The Daily Musings have ceased since we returned to Victoria back in March. My logic was that we weren’t doing anything overly interesting or different. I have been asked however what it is that we do now that we aren’t travelling. So, since you asked, I will tell.
Of course we needed some time to decompress after travelling for six months – and remember, we had moved into our house in Victoria shortly before we left the country last September. Once we returned, there were many hours spent trying to locate various items we expected to have – not knowing for sure whether we had even kept them through the downsizing. Over these past few months those moments have lessened, but they still have not disappeared. Just this morning I was trying to locate a stress ball…didn’t find one. Our lifejackets are AWOL; shot glasses, MIA.
Besides the everyday existing, we have scraped and painted the exterior trim, replaced siding, had the kitchen and bathroom cupboards repainted, and built garden beds. The house is 75 years old – some projects need doing, but are kind of terrifying. I’ve watched enough home renovation shows to know that there are always issues when big projects are started in these older homes. For now, painting is about as much work as we want to take on. We will tackle the interior painting at some point in the not-too-distant future. This is not our long-term home, but for now it is a great landing pad for our inter-travel time.
Around all this work, we have spent a lot of time exploring and experiencing our new city. We have hiked, biked and walked a lot. Attended festivals, concerts, parades and markets. Supported local theatre and galleries. Explored parks and historic buildings. Tried rowing, explored the intertidal zone, taken a few dance classes (many more needed!), I even won an e-bike at “Go by Bike Week”.
On July 31, I managed to break two bones in my right hand. Five weeks in a splint ended today. Thankfully, two of those weeks were on a cruise ship with someone else doing the cooking and cleaning. I did find that more passengers talk to and remember you when you are wearing a huge splint – and most wanted to know whether I had injured myself on the boat. I guess they were worried that it could happen to them.
I have been amazed at how many mundane tasks require the use of two hands. Many I managed to find work arounds for (like putting toothpaste onto the brush), some I just decided not to do (like type posts for this website) but some proved impossible to ignore or adapt. Cam has had to tie my shoes and zip up my jackets for the past month.
Despite all this activity, we have found time to plan another lengthy trip. Not six months, but almost three. We will be home for Christmas. Stay tuned for Musings starting mid-September – Meg
A continuation of my (Cam’s) time in Pearl Harbour
July 4th fell on the harbour phase and that was a “day-off” for most people. We were told to enjoy the local area because when the exercise started we would be 24/7 with very little time off. Hawaii is a special place, however they have many of the similar issues every other community has. As we were shy of things to do on July 4th, we reached out to a number of local organizations and asked if they had any need for a large work party. In the end we spent ½ a day at Maunawila, which is a traditional Hawaiian place that had fallen into disrepair.
About 25 of us drove an hour north to the small village of Maunawila. We were given a tour of the ancient grounds, then learned some of the traditions and cultural beliefs. After doing this, we pitched in and spent 2 to 3 hours, moving a load of gravel and rebuilding a wall in a traditional house. It was a lot of physical work but an truly amazing experience and extremely rewarding. The head of this organization told us it would’ve taken them two months or more to complete what we did and they were most grateful for our efforts. The picture is of me sitting on the wall we built from scratch that morning. I did ask and it was perfectly fine to sit on the wall.
On the way back to the base, we stopped on the North Shore and went swimming in the ocean. We were back on the Base in the evening, and of course, the fireworks on the military base were exceptional. It was a great way to spend the Fourth of July as a guest in America.
The operational tempo picked up after July 4th, and did so daily work load. We went through a “crawl, walk, run” program that allowed us to develop the skill set needed to accomplish our mission. On July 8th the ships started to sail, it took three days for all 39 military vessels to leave Pearl Harbour, including the aircraft carrier with its 60+ combat aircraft.
I managed to get a few days off during my time in Hawaii. Snorkelling, hiking and wandering were the ways I found to pass my days. There is usually someone around who will also be looking for something to do, so finding a friend to tag along with is pretty easy. I was able to tour the Battleship USS Missouri, which is docked along Battleship row. The Missouri is docked in front of the USS Arizona memorial. The Arizona was the only Battleship not raised after the Japanese surprise attack of December 7th, 1941.
Now, before you judge and think “wow, that’s a paid vacation”, I should point out some of the not so glamours things that took place. My normal start time was 06:00, however that got changed after a few days when things were adjusted. My new starting time was 05:30 which means a pretty early start to the day. I would usually be done by 1 PM, however sometimes I was there as late as 4PM. During the day I was working on Ford Island, the focal point of the December 7th, 1941 attack.
The Pacific Warfare Centre was my workplace and I was inside a large building with no windows. Cellular phones and other similar devices such as smart watches, iPads, cameras, etc. were not allowed inside due to security. I would sneak outside once in a while to see the sunshine and the water around Pearl Harbour. Our location provided a first-class view of ships entering and leaving harbour when we could get outside.
In the early evening, I would often go for a swim at the outdoor pool or the beach on Hickman side of the base. The beach may not have had the views of Waikiki, but it lacked the throngs that were on Waikiki and was safer than being on a military base.
Having a sunset dinner on the beach at Pearl Harbour
In less than a week, my time in Hawaii will come to a close for this trip. I can’t believe I’ve been here for over five weeks already! I’ve learned a lot but I’ve also missed a lot. Summer is the best time to be on Vancouver Island. Missing the festivals, concerts and outdoor activities was not ideal, but necessary to be on this deployment.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned. Our fall trip is coming up where we’ll be heading to some fantastic international destinations!
Feel free to reach out by the contact form or leave a comment.
For those who know us, it is no secret that the Navy is pretty important to us, more so to me than Meg. It’s where we met some 40 years ago. No, that 40 was not a type-o.
When we returned from our six-month “Grand-Adventure”, in March of 2024, there was a message waiting for me from the Navy. In short, they were asking if I would be willing to go to Hawaii, for RIMPAC, the largest naval exercise in the world. It would be for about six weeks, from late June to early August. It sounded too good to be true, but it was in fact true.
When I reached out to confirm I was available the staffing person laughed and told me I was already going. So much for volunteering. In the Navy, we call it being “volun-told”. The timings and date of travel changed a few times and eventually I headed to the land where palm trees sway on June 24th. Myself and about 200 of my newest closest friends were flown on the Air Force’s new (to Canada) Airbus. It was a pleasant flight with in-service meals and in seat entertainment. In case you were wondering, there was no bar-cart. Once we landed and cleared our in-routines, we were driven to our accommodations. I was billeted on the base at Pearl Harbour.
The US Navy, who run the base, have a number of hotels on the base for use by in-transit personnel. I have a large bed with a fridge, microwave oven, dresser, wardrobe and desk. It is functional.
The building is called Hale Alli and it is a Hawaiian word meaning “House of Chiefs”. There is a large Bar B Q area at the building with a number of picnic tables. We often gathered in the evening to have a joint Bar B Q and some adult beverages. Many team building functions were held here and the best part is most of us live in this complex so no one has to drive.
The building I’m located in is near Pearl Harbour’s “Destroyer Row”, where frigates, destroyers and light cruisers berth. Within a five-minute walk there is a McDonalds, a Navy Exchange store where you can buy various items such as clothes, snacks and alcohol. A 30-minute walk, or 10-minute drive is a large grocery store and various restaurants such as Panda Express, Subway, a poké place and others. All of the above is located on the base. To counter the effects of the above noted restaurants, there are a few gyms, with excellent facilities, a 50-yard outdoor pool, tennis courts and other fitness activities.
Our first day was an “adjustment” day. We settled in and explored the surroundings getting sorted for the exercise. The next day we had an “all-hands” meeting where we learned the objectives of the exercise and our expectations. Then we started to get ready with computer account creation, access passes, etc. Somewhere along the line we were issued a number rental cars for the group. There were various work sites, mine was about 3 km from the accommodation and was on Ford Island, requiring exiting and entering at another gate.
RIMPAC involves 29 nations and over 40 ships with 180+ aircraft. In total there are around 25,000 people who are participating. Canada sent three ships as well as aircraft and about 600 people, 300 on ships and 300 ashore. I am in the latter group.
To coordinate something this large, there is a formal Sequence of Events or SOE. This overarching document was developed through numerous meetings over two years and details where and when things happen. My colleagues and I reviewed the SOE and noted there was a reception every night, held on board a ship and hosted by a different country each night.
Not surprisingly, Canada’s reception was on July 1st. I was invited to that reception, which was held on the newly Commissioned HMCS Max Bernays. In all there were likely 600+ people at the reception and a delightful assortment of food and beverages were put out for guests to enjoy. For myself, it was the first time I had been on this class of ship and, similar to a new car, it had a new ship smell. In reality, the diesel fuel simply has not had the time to seep into every crevice.
I was fortunate enough to attend receptions held on Chilean, Indonesian, German, French and Japanese ships. Each country put on a good spread and had libations to encourage discussions. Naturally the German beer was very good and the Chilean wine was delightful. The Indonesian food was great and Japanese had set up tempura stations where they made fresh tempura for guests. The highlight, for me, other than making the connections I did, were the French deserts. There were out of this world.
The exercise, which is the reason why we are here, has three phases,
When the harbour phase finished, the ships sailed to their respective operational areas, joining Task Groups. This is when the exercise started in earnest. From the landside, where injects and scenarios are created and implemented, events were simulated that require taskings. My team and I would make recommendations to direct a ship to carry out tasks. For security reasons, I’m not going into details. My role was within current operations and I supervised staff that focused on events from “now” until 48 hours out. Beyond 48 hours was future operations.
I’ll post more shortly.
Thanks for reading!
Feel free to ask any questions or leave feedback.
Live theatre is something that we both enjoy. We’ve seen three plays in the last three weeks. Being close to performing companies was one of our draws to Victoria. While Vancouver and Toronto have the headliner shows, they do eventually come to Victoria, sometimes while they are in vogue, and other times when they are winding down.
Of course, live theatre is only possible with a few key ingredients. Support from patrons and sponsors; these shows need to be funded. Another key is the numerous local, amateur and grass roots companies that perform purely for passion. Some of the shows we’ve seen have been amazing while others may have been less wonderful. The ‘knock your socks off’ ones more than make up for those that lack.
Three weeks ago, we went to see everyone’s favourite nanny – Mary Poppins. The play was tweaked from the Disney’s version, most notably, there was no women’s suffrage. There was another nanny who replaced Mary Poppins during the play for part of Act II. The script has her as a ‘holy terror’, which she was. There were also a few other on-stage adaptations. The play was held at the McPherson play house in downtown Victoria. We bought our tickets some months ago and had good seats.
Two weeks ago, we saw the Lehman Brothers trilogy. From the time Brian Markinson, playing Henry Lehman stepped onto the stage to open the play, I was mesmerized by the acting. While I roughly knew the story of the bankruptcy in 2008, after all, they were one of the stars of the 2008 financial crisis, I didn’t know how they started some 150 years earlier. This was a production with only three actors, all of whom played many roles. One of the actors was a female, who starred as the youngest of the Lehman brothers.
I was skeptical when I heard there were only three actors, even more so when I learned the play had three acts, each one a full hour. There were two 15-minute intermissions. If you have a chance to see this play, I would highly recommend it.
We were fortunate enough to see it at the Belfry Theatre in Victoria. It was our first time there and we are now selecting our tickets for the 2024/25 season.
Our third play was Jeeves, a British comedy at the Chemainus Festival. We’ve been going to the Chemainus festival for years as it’s only 45 minutes from Nanaimo. It’s a bit further from Victoria, which gave us a reason for an overnight trip! We packed our bikes so we could do some exploring before and after the play. Then, the day before, our friends from Texas let us know they were in Nanaimo. We told them about the play and they managed to get tickets. We had a blast together over dinner and then the play.
The concept behind Jeeves is simple. He’s a butler who tries his best to keep his ward, a young aristocratic gentleman, out of trouble. This is the fourth ‘Jeeves’ Chemainus has done, each one different. Watching the previous Jeeves was one of the few times I burst out laughing aloud. If British humour is not your thing, you may not appreciate Jeeves’ dry, almost arid sense of humour. For us, it is a way to let loose and enjoy the moment.
This version was a bit different than the previous ones. It was more of a slapstick comedy and lacked the wit (sarcasm) of previous ones. There were a few chuckles, but none of the big laughs we had previously.
The next day, with brilliant sunshine, we took advantage of being mid-Island for some outdoor activities. We started with a one-hour hike around Chemainus Lake. As it had rained heavily two days earlier, everything was green and fresh. For me, there is no better time to walk in the woods than early morning on a crisp, sunny day.
As we headed south down the Island Highway, we went to the Kinsol Trestle. At 187 metres in length and standing 44 metres above the salmon bearing Koksilah River, the Kinsol is an incredible structure and one of the highest railway trestles in the world. It is constructed out of old-growth Douglas fir timbers and has dizzying views when you look down.
You can take a foot path from the end of the trestle down to the river. There are picnic tables, both at the top and bottom. The trestle is part of an old railway that was used to transport lumber “back in the day”. The rail line was abandoned in the late 70’s and is now an amazing trail, and part of the Trans Canada Trail. Being an old rail line, the grade is gentle, allowing us to do a 21km round trip bike ride. The scenery through the valley was superb. During our ride, we only encountered two other people once we left the trestle.
After our bike ride, we headed to the Merridale Cidery, which was only 15 minutes from the trestle. We had hoped to take a tour, but they weren’t running any on a random Thursday in late May. Meg wandered around and managed to speak to the head Cider Master who graciously took us on a complementary VIP tour. We learned a lot about cider and the process is basically identical to wine making. You crush the fruit, add yeast and magic happens.
In the fall, when the apples are picked the cider making process begins. Once it is blended and stored, it is aged. There was cider being aged in French oak casks, producing a very dry cider. There were numerous stainless-steel vats, most of which were filled with cider waiting to be bottled. Various types of heirloom apples, mostly from Brittany, Normandy and England, are used in the cider making process, all of which make great cider. Skilled cider makers ensure consistency and quality.
When the tour of the production and bottling facility were over, we walked around the orchard. For the most part, they grow their own apples, and it was interesting to see the various trees that made up the orchard. Now that we had completed a 21km bike ride and walked around an apple orchard, the only appropriate thing to do was sample some cider!
There were various flights of cider for trying, and we chose the “dry” flight. Sitting in the sun, looking over an apple orchard, drinking fresh apple cider on Vancouver Island – is there any other place one would rather be? When we finished our “flight”, we headed into the shop and bought a 1-liter bottle of fresh, unpasteurized, apple cider to take home. It will help us relive the memory when we open it up this weekend.
As with all trips, this one was now winding down, and we headed back to Victoria, to unpack, store our bikes et al. We’re now planning for our next adventure, although we don’t know what it will be!
Thanks for reading, feel free to leave any comments or reach out with the contact form.
Cam and Meg