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Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
Vancouver Island, BC
We've been on Vancouver Island several times previously, but never to the west coast. Until our friends Sue and David told us about Ucluelet and Tofino, we had never even heard of these towns.
What a sensational area! Thank you, David and Sue!
We moved the RV from Burnaby near Vancouver to a town east of there, Aldergrove, and left it there for a few days. We boarded the car ferry from Tsawwassen to Nanaimo and drove the twisty but mostly good road over to the west side. We stayed in a "cabin", a small house, in Ucluelet, and hiked and saw the sights in the area.
As Ucluelet and Tofino are on the west coast of a range of mountains on the island, the area they are in has all the features of western slopes in most places, that is, tons of rain! This is a rain forest. There is a national park that protects a large section of the land along the Pacific Coast called the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (a reserve because the Canadian government is still negotiating with the First People over land use). It is spectacular! We have seen the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, but we think this beats that. We hiked many of the trails in the park and explored several of the beaches.
The forests are dense with green foliage of every imaginable type: ferns; cedar, hemlock and Sitka spruce trees that are HUGE; other plants, moss, fungus, grasses, wildflowers, bushes, and much more, all growing on top of each other, competing for space and light. This is old growth forest. Trees are hundreds of years old. The dead ones serve as "nurse trees" on which other trees grow, a tangle of living and decaying plant matter, huge dead trees lying on the forest floor, covered with other plant life. Huge living trees with mammoth root systems and gnarled trunks and limbs. Trees are so tall that the tops can't be seen, just like the giant Sequoia in California, I think bigger than the coastal redwoods of California. It is WET, and, indeed, it has rained every day we have been here.
Here are some photo examples of what we saw on our various hikes on trails with names like Wild Pacific Trail, Schooner Cove Trail with its long boardwalks and stairs (lots of stairs!), Rainforest Trail (more boardwalks and stairs), Shorepine Bog Trail, Nuu-chah-nulth Trail, Long Beach, New Trail at Tofino, and a few more.
The boardwalk going down to Schooner Cove
Nurse tree
Rocks in the tidal zone covered with barnacles and mussels
Fantastic tide pools
Big driftwood logs piled up on the beaches
Well, maybe these give the idea. I don't think my photos convey the hugeness of the forest trees, the density of the growth, the wetness of the forest and the beauty of the ocean, rocks, tide pools, views from the cliffs, etc.
We got in our kayak one rainy morning and went out for a paddle on a sheltered bay. Fun, a little wet, cold and windy for my taste, but we were glad we did it.
No shore birds here now except for a few gulls here and there. We saw ravens, two kingfishers, heard a few song birds in the dense forests, and saw one eagle soaring above us. This is a great birding area, on the Pacific Flyway, but most of the migrating shore birds are gone - they have moved north for the breeding season. We were a few weeks too late to see them in the numbers that fly through here.
Back to our RV tomorrow on the ferry. It was really nice when we came over. It will be raining again tomorrow.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
What a sensational area! Thank you, David and Sue!
We moved the RV from Burnaby near Vancouver to a town east of there, Aldergrove, and left it there for a few days. We boarded the car ferry from Tsawwassen to Nanaimo and drove the twisty but mostly good road over to the west side. We stayed in a "cabin", a small house, in Ucluelet, and hiked and saw the sights in the area.
As Ucluelet and Tofino are on the west coast of a range of mountains on the island, the area they are in has all the features of western slopes in most places, that is, tons of rain! This is a rain forest. There is a national park that protects a large section of the land along the Pacific Coast called the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (a reserve because the Canadian government is still negotiating with the First People over land use). It is spectacular! We have seen the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, but we think this beats that. We hiked many of the trails in the park and explored several of the beaches.
The forests are dense with green foliage of every imaginable type: ferns; cedar, hemlock and Sitka spruce trees that are HUGE; other plants, moss, fungus, grasses, wildflowers, bushes, and much more, all growing on top of each other, competing for space and light. This is old growth forest. Trees are hundreds of years old. The dead ones serve as "nurse trees" on which other trees grow, a tangle of living and decaying plant matter, huge dead trees lying on the forest floor, covered with other plant life. Huge living trees with mammoth root systems and gnarled trunks and limbs. Trees are so tall that the tops can't be seen, just like the giant Sequoia in California, I think bigger than the coastal redwoods of California. It is WET, and, indeed, it has rained every day we have been here.
Here are some photo examples of what we saw on our various hikes on trails with names like Wild Pacific Trail, Schooner Cove Trail with its long boardwalks and stairs (lots of stairs!), Rainforest Trail (more boardwalks and stairs), Shorepine Bog Trail, Nuu-chah-nulth Trail, Long Beach, New Trail at Tofino, and a few more.
The boardwalk going down to Schooner Cove
Nurse tree
Rocks in the tidal zone covered with barnacles and mussels
Fantastic tide pools
Big driftwood logs piled up on the beaches
Well, maybe these give the idea. I don't think my photos convey the hugeness of the forest trees, the density of the growth, the wetness of the forest and the beauty of the ocean, rocks, tide pools, views from the cliffs, etc.
We got in our kayak one rainy morning and went out for a paddle on a sheltered bay. Fun, a little wet, cold and windy for my taste, but we were glad we did it.
No shore birds here now except for a few gulls here and there. We saw ravens, two kingfishers, heard a few song birds in the dense forests, and saw one eagle soaring above us. This is a great birding area, on the Pacific Flyway, but most of the migrating shore birds are gone - they have moved north for the breeding season. We were a few weeks too late to see them in the numbers that fly through here.
Back to our RV tomorrow on the ferry. It was really nice when we came over. It will be raining again tomorrow.
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Thursday, May 24, 2012
More sights in Vancouver
We had a great day yesterday in Vancouver. The rain let up for most of the day which was nice. We took the Skytrain and a bus to the University of British Columbia (UBC) Museum of Anthropology.
View walking to the museum
This is a fabulous museum, focusing on the Northwest Indian populations and their culture. The totem exhibits were wonderful, both inside the museum and out. The ones inside are very old, some the only surviving examples of a kind. Researchers are using infra red technology now to discern the colors that these old totems and other items once were painted.
Examples of masks and canoes
There is a whole gallery devoted to Bill Reid, a 20th century artist who produced beautiful pieces depicting the stories of the native people. He worked in several media including jewelry, wood and paint. Here is his most famous sculpture: The Raven and the First Men.
Another gallery had nothing but the works of another 20th century native artist, Doug Cranmer from Alert Bay, BC. Northwest Coast Kwakwaka’wakw art is known for its flamboyant, energetic, and colorful carving and painting. Doug was an early player in the global commercial art market, and one of the first Native artists in BC to own his own gallery. Here are a couple of examples of the large collection we saw. He apparently was a great teacher and inspired many others to participate in art.
Outside we saw recreated examples of the great houses of the Northwest Indians and we strolled around the grounds.
Then we walked over to the Niobe Memorial Garden. This is THE finest example of a serene Japanese Zen garden that we have ever seen. At every turn there was another beautiful view. Not a blade, leaf or stem was out of place.
We walked back across the UBC campus which is torn up at every turn, undergoing some kind of major change. Got on the crowded bus back to the Skytrain, got off at Yaletown and had dinner at a great restaurant, Rodney's Oyster House and ate -- guess what? Delicious!
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View walking to the museum
This is a fabulous museum, focusing on the Northwest Indian populations and their culture. The totem exhibits were wonderful, both inside the museum and out. The ones inside are very old, some the only surviving examples of a kind. Researchers are using infra red technology now to discern the colors that these old totems and other items once were painted.
Examples of masks and canoes
There is a whole gallery devoted to Bill Reid, a 20th century artist who produced beautiful pieces depicting the stories of the native people. He worked in several media including jewelry, wood and paint. Here is his most famous sculpture: The Raven and the First Men.
Another gallery had nothing but the works of another 20th century native artist, Doug Cranmer from Alert Bay, BC. Northwest Coast Kwakwaka’wakw art is known for its flamboyant, energetic, and colorful carving and painting. Doug was an early player in the global commercial art market, and one of the first Native artists in BC to own his own gallery. Here are a couple of examples of the large collection we saw. He apparently was a great teacher and inspired many others to participate in art.
Outside we saw recreated examples of the great houses of the Northwest Indians and we strolled around the grounds.
Then we walked over to the Niobe Memorial Garden. This is THE finest example of a serene Japanese Zen garden that we have ever seen. At every turn there was another beautiful view. Not a blade, leaf or stem was out of place.
We walked back across the UBC campus which is torn up at every turn, undergoing some kind of major change. Got on the crowded bus back to the Skytrain, got off at Yaletown and had dinner at a great restaurant, Rodney's Oyster House and ate -- guess what? Delicious!
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Saturday, May 19, 2012
Vancouver, BC
We had a beautiful drive from Wenatchee, WA, to Vancouver on Thursday. Drove over the Stevens Pass Highway. The views of the Cascades are amazing. As you drive along the highway, the peaks tower seemingly directly beside you (not quite but it seems that way). We saw lots of snow beside the roadway at 4,000 feet. The rivers are roaring!
Yesterday we took the Skytrain into downtown Vancouver. We wandered around the Gastown area: many old buildings and a very trendy area.
This is the Steamclock, an amazing old clock the chimes of which are steam powered. People stand around waiting for the clock to chime on the quarter hour. It sounds a lot like a steam boat's horn, and does a complete Westminster chimes sequence.
The iconic Canada Place, used during the summer Olympics, now a very big convention center.
Looking across to the boat house at Stanley Park
This is a piece of art along the waterfront. It is how the buildings on the waterfront used to look. This fishing shack art piece is made entirely of aluminum, but you have to get right next to it to see that!
This fanciful little house in Stanley Park is made of cob.
Many many boats of every description are along the waterfront, including these cute houseboats.
Today we went to the Van Dusen Gardens where the rhododendrons were at their absolute peak, as well as many other May flowering plants. It was spectacular!
I have to post one photo of what we saw on a walk the first afternoon we were here. We took a walk along the Burnaby Lake trail near our RV park. Beautiful forest! But when we reached a point of land jutting into the lake, we were amazed to see about 20 wood ducks! They were so tame they didn't seem to mind us at all.
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Yesterday we took the Skytrain into downtown Vancouver. We wandered around the Gastown area: many old buildings and a very trendy area.
This is the Steamclock, an amazing old clock the chimes of which are steam powered. People stand around waiting for the clock to chime on the quarter hour. It sounds a lot like a steam boat's horn, and does a complete Westminster chimes sequence.
The iconic Canada Place, used during the summer Olympics, now a very big convention center.
Looking across to the boat house at Stanley Park
This is a piece of art along the waterfront. It is how the buildings on the waterfront used to look. This fishing shack art piece is made entirely of aluminum, but you have to get right next to it to see that!
This fanciful little house in Stanley Park is made of cob.
Many many boats of every description are along the waterfront, including these cute houseboats.
Today we went to the Van Dusen Gardens where the rhododendrons were at their absolute peak, as well as many other May flowering plants. It was spectacular!
I have to post one photo of what we saw on a walk the first afternoon we were here. We took a walk along the Burnaby Lake trail near our RV park. Beautiful forest! But when we reached a point of land jutting into the lake, we were amazed to see about 20 wood ducks! They were so tame they didn't seem to mind us at all.
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Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Wenatchee,WA
We are in beautiful Wenatchee, WA. This is a city we knew nothing about previously except that several of Gary's second cousins live here. Wenatchee is the Apple Capital of the World. Indeed, as we drove in, we saw orchard after orchard. Here is another frequent sight: stacks and stacks of apple crates awaiting the ripened fruit.
The Columbia River runs through Wenatchee and, along with the views of the Cascade Range, dominates the landscape. There are multiple dams along the Columbia, with, I believe, three above Wenatchee in the US and more in British Columbia. These dams make the river very wide and calm looking, pretty much all the way along the portions we drove. Just a quarter mile from our campground is the confluence of the Wenatchee River with the Columbia. The Wenatchee is really high right now caused by, presumably, the snow melt. The Columbia is just plain big!
We met up with Ron, one of several of Gary's cousins who live here. He was a wonderful tour guide and we covered quite a bit of ground in one afternoon. Here are some things we saw with him:
A beautiful home, one of a kind, really, built with a stone exterior in the Irish tradition, and such a lovely yard.
The Rocky Reach Dam, just above Wenatchee.
The fish ladders
Looking downstream
Gary and Ron near the dam
Turbines
Ohme Gardens, a state park founded as a private retreat in the early 20th century, right on the side of a hill overlooking the city. All the trees and other foliage were planted. Ron told us that it was only a rocky hill with sagebrush before.
Exquisite rock work, beautiful trees, lovely views.
A birthday party for two other cousins was the ending highlight of the day. Such a fun time getting better acquainted with the Wenatchee cousins!
My run today was along the wonderful Apple Capital Recreational Loop Trail, about 11 miles up one side and down the other of the Columbia. A real treasure for the city!
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The Columbia River runs through Wenatchee and, along with the views of the Cascade Range, dominates the landscape. There are multiple dams along the Columbia, with, I believe, three above Wenatchee in the US and more in British Columbia. These dams make the river very wide and calm looking, pretty much all the way along the portions we drove. Just a quarter mile from our campground is the confluence of the Wenatchee River with the Columbia. The Wenatchee is really high right now caused by, presumably, the snow melt. The Columbia is just plain big!
We met up with Ron, one of several of Gary's cousins who live here. He was a wonderful tour guide and we covered quite a bit of ground in one afternoon. Here are some things we saw with him:
A beautiful home, one of a kind, really, built with a stone exterior in the Irish tradition, and such a lovely yard.
The Rocky Reach Dam, just above Wenatchee.
The fish ladders
Looking downstream
Gary and Ron near the dam
Turbines
Ohme Gardens, a state park founded as a private retreat in the early 20th century, right on the side of a hill overlooking the city. All the trees and other foliage were planted. Ron told us that it was only a rocky hill with sagebrush before.
Exquisite rock work, beautiful trees, lovely views.
A birthday party for two other cousins was the ending highlight of the day. Such a fun time getting better acquainted with the Wenatchee cousins!
My run today was along the wonderful Apple Capital Recreational Loop Trail, about 11 miles up one side and down the other of the Columbia. A real treasure for the city!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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