Expedition Canada

Cronks Go Camping Earl's Cove RV Campground Greetings from a sunny Earl’s Cove at the northern end of BC’s Sunshine Coast. Almost the most northerly part unless you get the ferry across to Powell River.   We’re on a "shake-down" trip with the new 25' RV (caravan to the Brits), checking out how it all works, which buttons to press to turn on lights, heating (still haven’t worked out the hot air system yet) etc etc.  So far we’re still talking to one another crammed into a 200 sq ft shoe box, but it’s early days :-)   Earl’s Cove has the ferry terminal for Saltery Bay/Powell River and, close to Egmont, a small hamlet at the top of the trail that takes you past Brown Lake to the Skookumchuck rapids.  Egmont is worth a visit as the views across the top of the Sechelt Inlet are lovely.  We first came to Back Eddy’s pub and restaurant during our initial 6 weeks living at this end of the Coast in 2021.  It’s the kind of place where you want to leap into ...

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...

Vivaldi's Gloria Thu May 4th Male Rufous Hummingbird - Selasphorus Rufus Steller's Jay in the front garden A debate is starting to rumble in BC as to whether the Rufous Hummingbird should replace the Steller's Jay as the official provincial bird.   The Rufous, which has just returned from its winter sojourn in Mexico, will be here until the middle of summer, when it will head back the 2500+ miles to avoid the BC  winter.  The one above has been a frequent visitor to our feeder, along with all year round Anna's  Hummingbird. I'm not overly convinced that a bird that spends less than six months 'in town' should warrant the title, beautiful though it is.  I do find it pretty amazing that something so small, weighing in at 0.1oz (3 grams), flies such distances.  Flying at speeds of 20 - 30 mph, that is 100 days in each direction. No wonder it is only around for 3 - 4 months.   The Steller's Jay is resident year-round in BC.    Others favour ...

Heat Dome Heads East Wed June 30th Five minute sit-down It is a cool early evening 24c as I write this and perhaps conditioned by the last few days, I almost feel ready to grab a sweater to keep warm.  I am sitting in the garden of our N Van rental with a glass of Sauvignon with Fred, relaxing after two days of rushing around.   Today we got the keys to the new rental in Gibsons and were up at 0500 to walk the dog and ensure we got a space on the first, 0730, ferry. There were no more bookings available (limited to a set number each sailing), so it was pot-luck.   No problem we thought until we turned up at 0600 to see a long queue of lorries, trucks and cars full of families escaping early for the summer holidays.  Schools close today.  Our rental 'Cargo Van', a bit like a Ford Transit but with a larger engine that guzzles petrol, was one of the last on the boat.  We'd made it! Jack, was not keen on the rental truck or the ferry, as we were on pa...

No Picnic Spotted Towhee Thu Jun 10th It's your stomach grumbling Fred thought.  Jack and I knew it was something else.  A briefest grumble, but it had soon passed and we carried on our walk on the Copperhead Trail towards McNeil Haslam Lake.  More later. This morning it was grey skies again and occasional showers.  With the new property rental starting in less than a month Fred wanted to spend some sourcing key furniture to tide us over until stuff arrives from the UK.  A largely fruitless exercise as so much was out of stock  or on very long delivery times - months!  I used the morning to clear out my password manager of 400 or so redundant passwords.  Next I have to turn my attention to renewing passwords.  A task I am not looking forward to.  The walk first thing provided pictures of the Spotted Towhee .   I've not see the Barred Owl for a few days, but I'm sure he will be back. Both in need of the fresh air we dr...