This is the top of Minigill Cave which is about 30 feet from an old logging road.  I describe it in the text for this date.

 Navigating a washed out logging road

 A postcard scene away out in the bush

 This used to be a main logging haul road a few years ago.  Nature is quick to reclaim that which is abandoned.

 Another shot of the once main road

 The creek decided to run down the road for a ways making for bumpy riding!

Maidenhair Ferns in a shady spot

HANGING OUT AT CLUXEWE

 Some seaweed shrink wrapped around the rock

 Here's the nice picture I took last summer at Cluxewe

 Here's the view that greeted me this year.  They made a parking lot and wiped out the foxgloves!

Some views of the rain forest near camp

WE RETURN TO NORTHERN VANCOUVER ISLAND

 Foxgloves seen on a forest walk a few days ago

 An old house near Coombs, BC

 Meat ready for cooking at a food booth at the Campbell River street market

Part of the Campbell River marina complex

We have booked in to Cluxewe Campsite on northern Vancouver  Island for the next four weeks.   Over the next while we plan to visit some our family who live in this area.  I am hoping to get out on my ATV numerous times but we shall see.  It is going to be a frustrating month communication wise as the aircard doesn’t seem to want to work here at the campsite.   Overall, the aircard situation is our biggest issue living this lifestyle.  Aileen’s sister Anne and John came out for supper last night so we had a good visit.  They are both working still but John is counting down the days as August 31^st is retirement.   We are parked right across from their trailer in Cluxewe and I imagine they will be here for the weekends.

Since the wedding things have been busy.  I had to replace the coach water pump.  It was leaking internally but the main issue turned out to be a bad connection which I found after removing the old one.   One of the little clip plugs had been overheated and melted the plastic around it, probably not crimped tight enough allowing it to arc across.

I took the Honda CRV in for a service and was informed both rear tires were separating and all the tires were already down to 5/32” which is not very good for about 31,000 total kms.  Cheap Bridgestone crap was used for the original tires.  After shopping around a fair bit, I put on a set of Michelin Cross Terrains.   I also picked up a spare tire and wheel for the little ATV trailer.  I gathered pieces to make the ATV and trailer more secure to try to prevent it from being stolen.  ATV theft is rampant in BC made more so because of the lack of regulation and registration of ATV’s.  That was supposed to have been introduced this year but I haven’t heard anything lately about the implementation.  When I bought the ATV trailer, I noticed one tail light was not very bright.  The dealer ordered me a new light assembly so I installed that and a jack on the reach which greatly eases the hooking and unhooking process.   

I spent another day taking the ATV for its 100 hour service in Courtenay.  We went to Campbell River and had lunch with Cousin Bill.  Since the shop was running late when we got back, we visited my Aunt Isabelle in Comox for awhile.   She is doing well except for the onset of forgetfulness which she is concerned about.  We found a great restaurant in Courtenay for supper called Union Street Grill.  They really cater to gluten intolerant people so Aileen was able to have a tasty meal.

I had a few days of some type of allergy situation where one eye and one nostril ran constantly.  Aileen is still having bouts of severe back spasms.  We had arranged to get together with Heather, the lady we bought the motor home from while in Campbell River but she was in the hospital and transferred to Victoria yesterday for heart surgery.   We did get to visit with her sister Sharon and Earl to get updated on what was going on.  She has a lot of medical problems for a lady barely into her 60s. 

We spent four nights driveway camped south of Campbell River in Bill’s driveway.  His wife was Aileen’s cousin and they had been married over 50 years when she passed away two years ago.  Bill had his annual barbeque on the Saturday evening but we had to have it inside since the weather did not cooperate.  I was in charge of the barbeque and a great selection of food was brought and shared.   

When we were driving from Parksville to Campbell River the other day Aileen was driving the car and ATV following  me in the motor home.  At one point about 40 kms along the freeway, while she was about 20 car lengths behind, the motor home kicked up a rock which made a nice crack on the Honda windshield.  Aileen said she saw the rock go way up in the air before landing on the windshield.  She said if she had been following closer, it would have gone over top and missed her.

Yesterday was gorgeous for the drive up and in Port McNeill but today we are having low cloud and drizzle with some rain.  I managed to get online for awhile this morning but the signal wasn’t strong enough for posting my blog.  I’m sitting in Port McNeill to do my post.

WE GO TO A WEDDING

 One of my nephews, Matt, married Kristeen this afternoon.  It was beautiful day in a gorgeous location overlooking the ocean.

 Mr & Mrs Matthew Pickard

 We managed to get a picture of all my siblings.  That's me on the left, Sam, Janet, Susan, Tom (Matt's father), Wendy, Charlie and Becky.  We are lined up by age with me the oldest and Becky 15 years younger.  

Then the spouses were invited in 

HAYING ON AILEEN’S BIRTHDAY

 Mt Arrowsmith, the dominant mountain in this area

 Some of Charlie's roses

 A sprinkler drenched poppy

 Charlie raking the hay

 Done raking, ready for the baler

Richard's friend Beth, her daughter Meg in blue shirt and son Robbie in red shirt, Richard with Mitzy and Georgia.  Jamie driving the tractor

Yesterday I took Mitzy for a stroll out back before breakfast then puttered the morning away until nearly ten when it was time to rake the hay.  Chas got the first couple rounds in while I took some pictures then I finished the job. 

Richard and Georgia came along before I was finished.  Charlie started baling after lunch.   Richard and I were on our own for the first two loads so we did what he remembered Spooner’s doing which was to put the tractor in gear at low speed and walk along side tossing bales on the wagon.  It worked quite well for us.  Finally Jamie came along so we put her to driving.  Next was Sheila then sometime later, Garrett.  For the last two loads Brady showed up.  I was pretty tired by the end.  It was smoking hot when the sun came out but not bad when cloudy.   There was somewhere near five hundred bales and we had them all in before supper time.   Chas had quite a time with bales breaking at times so he wasn’t too far ahead of us but did find time to throw his token one bale on the wagon.

There were quite a number of us for supper to celebrate Aileen’s birthday.  Sheila’s Mom contributed a whole fresh salmon to barbeque and other people made and brought the rest of the meal so we ate very well.

A GREAT TIME IN DUNCAN

 Stocking Creek Falls

My cousin Neil and his wife Carol

We were up a little after 7 Sunday morning.  We heard several owls hooting like crazy at 2:45 am; I wondered if the noise was young ones demanding food.  I took Mitzy on the long circuit in the bush in the morning before breakfast. 

We visited my cousin Dale Sunday morning.  He was in fine form and showed us his gardens and yard projects.  From there we went around to Garry and Barb’s for a little while.  Karen had made scones back at Neil’s in the later morning and Carol’s sister with husband and daughter were there along with two of Carol’s sisters in law when we returned.  I had a couple scones while visiting with the group before having lunch.

Karen headed off at 2 pm for the Duke Point ferry (she was third to last vehicle on the boat), Aileen was already napping then so I went to Stocking Creek Regional Park with Neil and Carol.  It turned out to have a nice double waterfall plus some little cascades below.  It was nice walk.  On the way home we stopped at Pioneer’s Cemetery which is small but dates back to 1870.

While we sat on the deck later sipping fine wine, I edited several images from Stocking Creek and downloaded them to Carol’s memory stick.  I got a couple good ones of them behind the falls.  We had a great supper of leftovers from Saturday night and we still didn’t finish them.

After supper Neil and I dragged his pruned branches around to the fire pit and proceeded to have a dandy fire which we sat around until nearly ten pm.  Aileen had a big lump on the back of her head this morning from a Noseeum bite.  

Mitzy decided we were taking a different route this morning so we went down Wickes to Regina then Diana and back around to Wickes.  It was cooler walking as it was just up to 10C when we left.

After breakfast we visited with Neil on the deck in the sun until time to start packing up.  We got turned around and hooked up quite easily and hit the road at 9:50 am.  I had thought to leave the motor home at a gravel lot at the junction of College Drive but it was blocked off this morning.  I’d seen it open last week.   Aileen remembered the spot near Super Store so we headed there taking a scenic exploratory route out to Jinglepot then the bypass. 

After unhooking, I picked up a few things in Super store before it was time to head for the MGM Restaurant.   We met Aileen’s cousin in law, Bill, from Campbell River and her cousin Pat (and Irene) from Victoria.  The cousins agreed to meet in Nanaimo as it was about the halfway point.  A tasty lunch was enjoyed along with lots of visiting.  It’s been over a year since we’d seen Pat and Irene.

Aileen is having her nap this afternoon as I put this together then we will move up to my brother Charlie’s for a week or so.  We’ll stop off at Rathtrevor Park to dump our tanks along the way.  Charlie cut all his hay yesterday so we should be having hay to put up later this week.

BOAT HOUSES

Yesterday I took Mitzy around a loop in the bush trails before breakfast.   Aileen did laundry here in the morning.  I read awhile then later did some scanning of some of Pop’s (my paternal grandfather)  love letters and his 1935 drivers licence.  The interesting thing with his licence was the fact that my Salmon Arm friend Jim Hoskins’ grandfather was the government agent that approved it.

                After lunch we took a drive to Maple and Genoa Bays.  I took quite a number of shots some of which I thought  turned out rather nicely.    After supper we drove over to Garry and Barb’s but nobody home.   No one home at my cousin Dale’s  either so we came home.   We had showers then read.  Neil and Carol plus daughter Karen arrived later and invited us in for tea.  We played a few hands of rummy of which I was the biggest loser.   The weather improved late in the day and we had a nice evening.  We’d had nice spells during the day but they didn’t last long.

I took Mitzy around a loop in the bush trails before breakfast again then made myself French Toast.   I gave the car a quick wash then Neil and Carol came with us to the local farmer’s market.  I managed to get a couple bunches of new carrots before they sold out and a bunch of fresh beets.  The tops look really good.  Now the trick will be to get them eaten while they are still prime.  We spent some time at the market just wandering and watching.   Neil and Carol met many friends so lots of visiting for them.  There was a string band playing and they sounded great. Their first number was from Cats and really good.

 The above images were from Genoa Bay

The images below were from Maple Bay Marina