A November Saturday Without Rain

At the end of a rainy week appeared a miraculously non rainy Saturday, only a temporary respite. Nevertheless, we took advantage of the opportunity and asked our always willing guide, Ray, to pick a hike for the 3 of us. We drove south to Crofton (where one can catch the Saltspring Island Ferry) and then to the Maple Mountain trailhead. It was my favorite hike on Vancouver Island so far. The forest was more open than on other hikes, with lots of arbutus (madrona) trees among the conifers - also streams, waterfalls, and occasional meadows. Despite being in the forest, we were soon overlooking the sea channel between Vancouver Island and Saltspring Island. Our elevation was high above the water on the ascent. Ray led is on a different return path that brought us to the water's edge for and hour and a half of scrambling along an oceanside trail. Had we remembered our camera, the trip would have taken twice as long and we could have spent the rest of our lives selling postcards. Wildlife encounters included eagles, a salamander, and a harbour seal who trailed us in the sea as we hiked along the shore. Surely, the seal was wondering why we were so slow and working so hard when the swimming was so easy.

Actually, the preceding Thursday evening was not raining either. It was a splendid, albeit cool, evening for my last kayaking class. I showed up a bit early, soon followed by John (the Kayak Master), and finally by Erin, the work opp student. Hmm ... I was the only customer and they require at least four, So the evening kayaking was canceled, a lackluster end to the first semester of kayak sessions. I participated in 10 events and Eli 9. Perhaps the best tour was last Saturday, out of Schooner Bay to the Winchelsea Islands.

Eli has a test Monday, whereas I will give a test to my class. So next week starts with evil karma, perhaps brought back into balance by the end. The Banff Mountain Film Festival on Wednesday evening will help. And on Friday, Eli hikes with some women friends. So if I get a haircut, as planned, that ought to do it. The semester's end is near (December 4).

Richard
2006.11.18

Schooner Bay Trip

Yesterday we participated in an all day sea kayak tour starting from Schooner Bay, just east 'over the hill' from the very protected Nanoose Bay. Schooner Bay opens to the east, but has a large rock breakwater to provide a snug harbor. The 10 of us launched in 8 single kayaks and one double. Eli and I chose the double. We worked south along the coast until Wallis Point and then headed east to investigate the Winchelsea Islands. The weather started relatively calm, but the southeast wind kicked up around lunchtime. After lunch on one of the islands, we checked out a few somewhat further islands. We then paddled west through small whitecaps, back to the shelter of Vancouver Island. The final leg returning to Schooner Bay was in sheltered, calm waters.

Throughout the day we saw many seals and one sea lion, all ashore. The sea lion sat up to impress us, but did not slide into the water. We tried to give all such critters room, but did come around a corner and startle a group of seals into the water. Once in the water, they watched us from a safe distance and discussed our padding skills. We also saw a bald eagle, a heron, numerous cormorants, a domestic swan gone wild (according to a biology student), lots of Canada geese, and so on.

The weather was cloudy, then sunny, then delivered 17 drops of rain, and so on. A few got cold hands, but gloves were made available. Eli and I had pogies (kayak mitts) which kept our hands happy. We have discovered that kayaking is quite comfortable in cool fall weather, if one wears appropriate clothing. However, flipping the kayak would be a nasty event. In our 10 or so sea kayak trips (most about 2 1/3 hours in duration) no one has yet flipped - and these are mostly beginners. At the start Eli and I were raw beginners, but have moved into the 'permanent beginner' category.

This was a school sponsored beginners' trip so we knew only a few of the people. One young couple (biology majors) was from the Yukon where they ran a business taking clients into the wilderness on horseback for one, two, or three week trips. In addition to the wilderness experience, they focus on photography. Their life style sounds quite adventuresome. She was rather pretty; I don't remember what he looked like.

After landing we loaded the kayaks on the trailer and the gear in the back of the small school bus, grabbed coffee or hot chocolate from the coffee shop, and headed back to Nanaimo.

Richard
2006.11.12

What a Friend We Have

As voters in the USA marched to the polls yesterday, those singing "What a friend we have in Georgie" were drowned out by a loud chorus declaring "It ain't necessarily so". Derailing the KGB (King George Bush) agenda was crucial for Democrats, but also for the true conservatives wishing to restore the soul of the Republican party. The senate is still up for grabs, but establishing a clear Democratic majority in the House may be marginally sufficient.

Of course, it's really not that simple. Until the power of lobbyists is curtailed, democracy remains short circuited. Because the Republicans had the power, they also received the most attention from the lobbies. The Republican corruption was consequently the most evident. Corruption among the Democrats also existed, but will now flourish under renewed corrosive attention from the lobbyists.

Further, the Democrats followed KGB just as consistently as the Republicans. When the folly of the Iraq war became evident, the Democrats showed some pseudo backbone, but so did some Republicans. Had the illegal, immoral, and deceitfully 'justified' war been more successfully conducted, both political parties and the public would have been supportive of the administration. The erosion of constitutional rights must still be rectified.

The Progressives include a fringe who expected the election to be stolen by the Republican apparatus. Those from both political parties should be relieved that voting fraud seems to have been, at most, a minor problem. Like those who see the 9/11 attack as a Neocon conspiracy, such nuts deserve being discredited.

Although pleased with the election results, I see this as a small first step. At the next national election, it may again be a time to throw the party in power out - unless significant reform occurs.

Richard
2006.11.08

Storage Problem Solved

After last winter our snow tires had seen their last season. So here we are in Nanaimo with some intention of driving into the mountains for skiing in the coming months. So we wanted to purchase new snow tires and store the still lively summer treads. However, our rented condo is small and the tiny storage area down on the first floor was pretty much full - with ski gear and bicycles. Luckily, some entrepreneurial soul recognized our need and burglarized the storage area, taking the bicycles, but leaving the ski gear. Now we have room to store the tires! To make certain, we also moved our ski gear into our 4th floor condo.

It's cold and rainy tonight so I'll be a wimp and pass on tonight's kayak tour. Hopefully next week will bring drier weather.

We have another movie to recommend - "Tuvalu", a Veit Hellmer flick, sort of Fellini in Bulgaria. We saw it on Hallowe'en, marginally appropriate.

Richard
2006.11.02