NORTHERN VANCOUVER ISLAND PHOTOS

We have moved back down to Campbell River and parked at Cousin Bill's for a few days to regroup.  We had a great two weeks on the North Island and now I am way behind on posting photos to the blog.  I have at least two more posts worth of photos to come yet.  It as a bit of a shock to the body coming down to much warmer temperatures than we have experienced for the last while.
So, for those of you wondering about us, all is well.

Moving a Grapple Yarder using off highway logging trucks front and rear to get up the hills

A twisty Yellow Cedar tree

White Rein Orchid

Aster

Skunk Cabbage reflections

Cotton Grass

Roosevelt Elk

Rotting boardwalk in the rain forest at Zeballos

Hornet's nest in the forest

Asters

Mushroom on the forest floor

Bald Eagle drying his feathers after diving for a fish

Belted Kingfisher

Bald Eagle above the Cluxewe River

Immature Bald Eagle looking over the ocean for breakfast

THIS IS PART THREE OF THE JULY 21 POST, SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE OTHER TWO.

Coastal rain forest, everything ends up green with moss

An overgrown logging road that we were geocaching down

We drove up past here for supper one evening.  This is looking down Johnstone Strait.  Note the tiny rainbow in the bottom of the photo.

We lucked out and had a couple hour window in the fog.  This is looking over the Broughton Archipelago toward the mainland of BC.  On our way back to the trucks, we drove down into what appeared to be thick fog but in fact, it rained hard.

There's ocean under that fog!

Aileen enjoying the view from the RZR seat!

SECOND POST JULY 21, SCROLL DOWN FOR ONE MORE

Our lunch spot up at the end of Merry Widow Main logging road

I presume this is a copper outcropping.

This is for you Karen and Sandi!

I think this tunnel was constructed to transport ore down the mountain from the quarry to a tramway where it was taken further.

On this tramway

John F and Anne, Aileen, John R at an old growth Spruce tree

Aileen and Anne with an old growth Western Red Cedar.  Just after taking this photo, I dropped my lens cap into the lake.

Fortunately it was shallow enough I could strip down and retrieve it.  I had just paid nearly $20 a couple weeks ago, buying it to replace one lost in thick brush.

There were a few chunks of ore lying about

Yellow Monkey Flower

Willow Herb

Lily at the campsite office

Dahlia at the campsite office

Caterpillar on the RZR hood

A fawn we saw on one of our rides

NORTH ISLAND FUN

We have been very busy during our stay up here in Cluxewe Campsite.  John F and I have been riding every day with two trips some days.  Son Richard was here for a few days as was brother in law John R with his side by side.  We had three days where rain gear was necessary.  Aileen didn't have rain pants the wet day she rode so she pulled a garbage bag over her feet and up to her waist and was totally dry.  

Richard and Georgia went home Sunday morning and John R left yesterday.  I have nearly 350 kms on the new RZR already and will have to keep a close watch on my hours so I don't go too much over the 25 hour first service.  We seem to have lucked out with the weather, enjoying slightly better weather than down Island, which is unusual since this is  rain forest country.  We aren't complaining!  

Aileen and her sister Anne went to Campbell River this morning to pick up a couple of Anne's grand daughters. Their mother drove them up from Port Alberni to meet halfway.  We have been enjoying community style meals at our site or John and Anne's every night except for one night when we took our supper up the mountain and ate overlooking the ocean far below.  

I have quite a few photos  for the blog so I will be posting them in three sections to keep the file size down.      

Richard, John F and John R at a high elevation lake with Bryony having a dip

Hemlock forest in the fog

Looking out of a large cave

A mushroom in Cluxewe Campsite

Fungi growing on a stump in the forest at Cluxewe

Harebells up an old logging road

Mushroom and Deer Cabbage leaves in the alpine

An over mature daisy in the alpine

Great Burnet, this was a new plant for me

Water Lily in an alpine lake

Georgia out for a first RZR ride with me.  She couldn't decide whether to go or not so I finally said, "just say yes" and she did.  Then I said okay, you said you were going, let's hop in.  She quite enjoyed the little trip and was looking forward to another.

Aileen took these two of the RZR