Expedition Canada

Wolf on the Loose Tue July 30 Pet not predator Just back from a week in Whistler where we took advantage of not having Jack with us and were able to spend a lot of time up the mountains and in bars, where dogs are banned. Promoted as 'dog friendly', compared to the UK it is anything but.  More of Whistler later. Morning walks along Bonniebrook beach almost came to a halt a few weeks ago, before we headed North, after I came face to face with a large wolf gambolling along the road heading for Jack.  What do you do when a wolf heads towards you?  I had no idea.  It had, what I assumed was a tracking collar, but turned out to be a domestic dog collar.  His name I discover is Rudiger and he has a reputation for escaping from the compound his owner created for him with 12' high fences with an overhang. He wanted to play with, rather than consume Jack, but it was still an initially unnerving experience.  Rudiger has been the source of much social media commentary...

Again! The Creek beneath Shannon Falls It has not been a great year for Whistler, the snow was late arriving, closely followed by warm weather and rain.  The week-long freeze and subsequent snow did not lay enough of a base for Whistler to get through the latest warm, wet spell.   After our wet Whistler Christmas, we headed up the Sea-to-Sky highway on Monday 29th in rain, fog and 8c.  Waterfalls of varying sizes were cascading down the rocks alongside the highway from the combined rain and snowmelt and the creeks were thunderous.   We stopped off at the Shannon Falls  on the way up, the third highest falls in BC.  The volume of water was such that it was impossible to see the main falls because of the spray showering us from 50' away.   It was quite a sight and sound. We felt like we were in the falls! The creek running off at the base of the falls It is not only Whistler that it 'enjoying' the warm weather.  All three ski cen...

Boys Day Out Hopkins Landing - Sunrise Tue Dec 21st The winter solstice has arrived and the days will soon start getting longer and nights shorter.  If we on the Coast needed a reminder that Dec 21st is the start of winter the -1c outside left us in no doubt, that's 6c below average.  Snow is due later in the day.   Six months ago it was 27.6c; the start of the heat dome that engulfed west coast North America and pressaged the 1600 fires that destroyed 8,700 sq km of BC forests, the third worst season on record.  That's five and half times the area of Greater London.   The lack of rain that accompanied the  warm summer led to water restrictions on the coast.  Locally, the Gibsons Well supplied water without problem, as distinct from Chapman Lake reservoir that serves Sechelt and the northern west coast.  Gibsons actually piped water to Sechelt at the height of the restrictions.  The dry summer was closely followed by a very wet Oct ...

Dodgy Drivers Sub-zero and he's in shorts! Sun Dec 12th  Friday morning brought low cloud and snow showers so we abandoned skiing for the day.  We have a season pass which reduces the pressure to go up the mountain, rather than waste an expensive day on a day/weekly ticket.  There will be more opportunities.  In any event we discover that now we are no longer 35/34 year olds, it hurts more the next day! We had a wander around Whistler Village and then headed up to Lost Lake for a walk around the loop trail. At the moment it's sti ll open to walkers, but once the snow builds up it will be closed to everybody but cross-country skiers.  This is the walk we did in summer, past the slumbering young Black Bear a couple of metres off the side of the trail. There were few people out as the snow started falling more heavily as we got further round the loop.  It was very picturesque and Christmassy!  As we started around the actual Lake it looked as though sever...

Snowbirds Flock South Mon Nov 8th Mt Elphinstone Mount Elphinstone just up behind us is now dusted with snow, Whistler Village and the Sea to Sky Highway also has a covering and the main slopes are close to skiable.  Winter beckons, as do the ski slopes.  Grouse Mountain on the North shore of Vancouver, which has a well known hill climb beneath the gondola, is shut because of too much snow. With snow arriving here, Canadians preferring the warmer climes (termed 'Snowbirds') like the southern United States are heading south with the land border opening today.  It has been possible to fly into the US, but not drive until today.  Dedicated snowbirds have flown south and had their RV's delivered.  Long queues formed at the border ready to escape the winter weather.  Some of us of course, can't wait for the snow to enable Whistler to open up later in the month. Blackberry Gin With the glut of blackberries this summer we have made Blackberry Gin, which...

Things not to do Naked Tue Aug 10th Sunrise Wed AM Wed Aug 11th Our local radio station, CKAY Coast FM, ran a feature this morning on things one would not want to do naked.   Picking blackberries was one of the suggestions.  Not that it would ever cross my mind. I mention this as two young Black Tailed deer, worked their way down the steep bank of our front garden grazing on the still plentiful supply of blackberries and young shoots that grow throughout the summer. They must have very thorn proof lips and mouths.  I was going to pick those same blackberries tomorrow morning - dressed! What did you think my reference to nakedness was going to be all about?   Coast FM serves the Sunshine Coast and eastern side of Vancouver Island, particularly around Nanaimo where many of the advertisers seem to be based.  They are a bit like Planet Rock in the UK, but do a good local news bulletin at the top and bottom of the hour as well regular updates of t...