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“Toe-Fee-No” by N&J
Whistler, BC (Oct 27/22) – Looking way back to the fall of 2021, N&J’s Whistler friends Michael & Vicki (M&V) suggested we all do a week-long stay in Tofino BC, renting a beach-home situated along the ‘World Famous’ Chesterman Beach… right smack on the ocean. Reserving such a place means doing it essentially a year before you intend on being there as the availability disappears quickly… and the plan quickly fell into place. Fast forward to October 2022… N&J thinking they may want to do some camping on Vancouver Island on the way to the West Coast & possibly the return trip, Hobbes was loaded up with all the usual…
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“Let’s Just Get Away from it All !!!” by N&J
Whistler, BC (Sep 17/22) – Hobbes is enshrined in routine. Everything has it place. Mental checklists gone through without spoken words. N&J, including Jesse know the drill like the back of their hands/paws… so without much thought and readiness at their fingertips… they embarked on a much needed get-away and hit the road. Leaving on this trip much later in the fall than originally planned and with the ongoing wildfire situation north & east of Whistler still tenuous, the only real choice was to head west to Vancouver Island via the Sunshine Coast… so off to Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal catching the next boat to Langdale. A most gorgeous day…
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“Haley’s Really Big Coastal Adventure” by N&J
Whistler, BC (Aug 15/22) – Arms reached out embracing the child within, that child gently pivots before a blink of the eye… the turn of the hour glass, they have slipped from the embrace and turn to eek out their own path ahead. As teenagers grow to young adults (which seems to happen sooner than expected), it is imperative that the ‘grown-ups’ embrace that thought. Before you know it, they (‘they’ being little ankle-biters) have matured, left home & started their own separate lives. This premise has not eluded N&J, in fact it is a constant thought nagging in the back of their minds… so it was with this thinking,…
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“Got Cake & Ate it Too!!!” by N&J
Whistler, BC (Jun 26/22) – N&J were no strangers to Howard Lake, been there, done that, many times. Something that keeps them coming back, the great fishing, beautiful lake, fresh mountain air, the peace, the quiet… whatever the reason this is a good spot to relax & enjoy the scene. click on pic to enlarge – right/left arrow to scroll thru the gallery Weather in the mountains is always changing, don’t like it? …wait 20 minutes. Some of the most dramatic climatic conditions were experienced this trip. While fishing down at the dock N&J witnessed major dark cloud formations & a ‘boiler’ storm being created before their eyes (Boiler clouds?…
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“Foraging a Path” by N&J
Howard Lake, BC (Jun 21/22) – After a couple of exciting fishing days spent at Dugan Lake the travelling Westfalia’s & their entourage headed north on Hwy 97 towards Quesnel. Initially a stop in Williams Lake at Surplus Herby’s to purchase some more fishing supplies (a bigger net for sure)… always a ‘must stop’ when travelling through this town. Traffic being reasonably light it was a nice day for a drive with warm & dry conditions. Upon reaching Quesnel, stopped for a refueling (yikes!!! …oh the gas prices) & headed east towards Barkerville (site of the world famous gold mining town of the 1850’s). Passing through the historic site of…
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“False Start” by N&J
Dugan Lake, BC (Jun 18/22) – As things would happen, after carefully prepping Hobbes for the next journey, meticulously checking every aspect of the impending trip… something was amiss. While climbing the daunting, winding road (8-10 kms & 18% grade) up to the summit of the Duffey Lake Road (between Pemberton & Lillooet), Hobbes was suddenly experiencing an over-heating problem. It would appear the radiator fan switch was malfunctioning thus preventing the radiator fan to operate causing the engine temperature to rise only when working hard (ie. big hill). So a quick turn-around & back home to remedy, luckily N&J were only less than an hour into the trip… click…
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“Bright Light in the Sky” by N&J
Whistler, BC (May 28/22) – Leaving the Wild West Coast behind, this trio yearning for further off-road exploration traveled inland through mountain passes along rivers and lakes found themselves back in the Port Alberni region. Upon arriving at Sproat Lake, N&J took the first right turn off the main highway (Hwy 4) onto Taylor Main Forest Service Road (FSR) that leads to the south side of the lake. After 4kms they came upon a ‘freestyle’ camp area along the Taylor River, about 6kms from the mouth of Sproat Lake… click on pic to enlarge – right/left arrow to scroll thru the gallery Nothing formal in these ‘pop-up’ campsites, no tables,…
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“Wild Wet Coast” by N&J
Qualicum Beach, BC (May 22/22) – Time slows down and the calmness of ‘just being’ takes over pretty quickly while on the road in Hobbes. Modern comforts and connection with the World are within a finger tip of reach but are as far removed from the mind when one is ‘within, and present’. After a most restful sleep at Miracle Beach Provincial Park, this trio (NJ & Jesse) headed south on Vancouver Island enroute to the West Coast. Finally a bit of a respite from the continuous rainfall made for a nice drive. Excited to visit a former Whistler resident & ceramic artisan Penny Eder of White Dog Studios in…
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“Pitter Patter….. let’s get at ‘er” by N&J
Oyster River, BC (May 15/22) – Anxious to try out the newly converted ‘Syncro’ Hobbes (4 wheel drive), N&J packed up the van for a roadtrip to the Sunshine Coast & Vancouver Island hoping to escape to better weather… hmmmm… fat chance of that happening! One would think by the constant rainfall that the ‘Sunshine Coast’ moniker is wishful thinking, but weather records show an average 241 days of sunshine annually (slightly less than southern Vancouver Island’s +300 days; but less rainfall than Victoria)… click on pic to enlarge – right/left arrow to scroll thru the gallery The drive to the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal along the ‘Sea to Sky’…
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“SYNCRO-nicity” by N&J
Whistler, BC (Apr 17/22) – N&J have always had a yearning to go off-road… really, really OFF-ROAD. Wherever HOBBES happens to be along any highway, the opportunity to explore further, deeper into the landscape always beckons whenever a dirt trail, a gravel surface wandering off into the trees presents itself. Where does that go? Wonder what is at the end? a lake? a freestyle campsite? Heaven on Earth? But the other question they ask themselves, is what challenges can be expected …is the terrain too steep? too many potholes & creek beds traversing the pathway? Will HOBBES get stuck, unable to extract the ‘exploratory team’ to solid ground? All those…