ATV SCOUTING RIDE

My friend Ernie, who I met through the Alberni Valley Hillclimbers Quad Club, needed a partner to accompany him when he did a trail research and reconnaissance yesterday.  We had a great ride and I learned a couple of neat ATV trails that connected areas I had ridden in previously.

One of the three bears on the ride

Doing some repair work to make the crossing better

Cute little waterfall above the bridge

The crossing

Historic McLean steam powered sawmill in Alberni Valley taken from high on a ridge

Ernie shone the flashlight so my camera could focus

Looking out from back in the mine shaft that we were in yesterday near Horne Lake

Interesting rock across Horne Lake

 A little island in Horne Lake

The tide is out at Rathtrevor Beach

My brother Charlie just completed this structure for a client.  They affectionately call it the doghouse.

THE PAST TWELVE DAYS IN PHOTOS

French Creek boat harbour

Wet morning here in the garden

Ten babies in the pond behind us here in Errington

Nile Creek Falls while geocaching

Dwarf Wild Rose while out geocaching in the hills

After supper at Parksville Beach

Parksville Beach

Pretty early to be in swimming, May 17

A ghostly Alaska bound cruise ship that I shot with the Canon SX50 at the full 1200 mm on the lens and 1.22 on the digital zoom.  Plotting it on the map tells me it was at least 24 kms (15 miles) from me.  The people in the foreground were about half a mile from me.

Inside an Iris

Further inside the Iris

This Great Blue Heron was intrigued by the ball floating in the pond

After deciding it wasn't edible!

Our days keep rolling by.  We are still parked at Charlie and Sheila's and have been keeping busy with various endeavors.  Nothing too exciting for now.

MORE VANCOUVER ISLAND NATURE AND SCENERY

Richard and Georgia stayed overnight Saturday with us.  Charlie and Sheila's old outdoor cat Dexter is very patient with Georgia allowing her to pick him up and pack him about.  

We took Richard and Georgia up to Fanny Bay to see the Sea Lions that hauled themselves out on a float 

Most of them were sound asleep

Chocolate Lilies are very shy, keeping their heads bowed 

Their beauty is more apparent when you get down underneath and look up 

A Candystick which is saprophytic herb

Pinesap which is also a saprophyte

A White Fawn Lily

This American Dipper has a nest just to the right of it and kept going in to feed its young.  It was very alert and watchful each time it came out

A Great Blue Heron against the sunset at Qualicum Beach Sunday evening

Two paddle boards socializing against the sunset at Qualicum Beach

At rest - Qualicum Beach, BC

When our friend Bev M in Penticton was cleaning out her mother's apartment, she gave us this cat bed.   Sophie just loves it!  She is still on my side of the bed however. 

Chrome Island Lighthouse

Chrome Island is off the southern tip of Denman Island and adjacent to Vancouver Island

ROAD TRIP - BAMFIELD, BC

It was a very dusty ride along the gravel section of the road to Bamfield

This is what our back window looked like most of the time

As we were driving through the First Nations village at Pachena Bay, we spotted this hungry bear across the inlet

There were lots of these jellyfish on the beach at Pachena Bay

The only snail shell I saw

One of many wharves in Bamfield

Port Desire adjacent to Bamfield

Grappler Inlet which is the entrance to Port Desire

Canadian Coast Guard Station at Bamfield

Beside the coast guard

The five main universities in Western Canada jointly run this marine center 

The Coast Guard training exercises

A giant Western Red Cedar Candelabra topped tree 

Pachena Bay south of Bamfield

Aileen and Bev D at Pachena Bay

Spotted Sandpiper in breeding plumage

A little lake on our way home

We took a day Thursday and made the long drive out to Bamfield which is accessed from Port Alberni via a series of logging roads.  We picked up our friend Bev D at 9 am and it was past 9 pm when we returned.  While it was only about 300 kms round trip,it seemed like a lot more.   We had beautiful weather all day and lots of photos were taken.

We continue to keep busy and this weekend have our son and grand daughter visiting.  Richard and Georgia came yesterday and leave after lunch today to get back to Victoria to spend the rest of Mother's Day with Robin.