Exploring Smithers: Hudson Bay Mountain and Malkow Lookout
I had a long list of things that I wanted to do in Smithers, but the weather wasn’t being very cooperative. On Day 56 of the trip, June 20th, I drove to the Hudson Bay Mountain ski area, and then hiked to Malkow Lookout. The weather forecast for the...
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Boondocking and exploring at Farwell Canyon and its desert
On Day 51 of the trip, June 15th, I headed northwest from Lone Butte to Farwell Canyon, off the Bella Coola road west of Williams Lake. I had intended it to be 2 nights of boondocking, but it got extended to 3, and could easily have been a week....
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Hiking at Nairn Falls Provincial Park, BC
I expect that many people camp at Nairn Falls Provincial Park while they’re using the vast network of mountain biking trails around Pemberton. For me, the hike to Nairn Falls was the draw. The sign to the right at the start of the trail says: “Nairn Fall, 1.5 Km....
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Hiking to Sechelt Rapids, Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park
The hike into Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park to see the tidal Sechelt Rapids was a last-minute addition to the itinerary after several people told me that it was a must-see. So on Day 43 of the trip, June 7th, we made the 8-km (5-mi) hike, then continued south to...
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Exploring a bit of Lund and Powell River
Day 37 of the trip, June 1st, was a day of exploring with my RVing friends Barb and Dave Rees, lunch with them at Lund, and then lots of walking in Powell River with my dogs. The Willingdon Beach Campground, which I had booked at Barb’s suggestion, was working...
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Ripple Rock RV Park, and hiking the Ripple Rock Trail
Having quickly settled in at Ripple Rock RV Park the previous afternoon, Day 29 of the trip (May 24th), was Cathy’s day to just enjoy the sun and the boats going by in Seymour Narrows. I did a lot of that as well, but also spent a few hours...
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Furthest-North Vancouver Island – San Josef Bay
Visiting Ronning’s Garden was wonderful, but the primary destination for the day was San Josef Bay, a hike of about 5 km round trip from the end of the road leading from Port Hardy. The last few miles to Cape Scott Provincial Park were on the smallest road yet....
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Vancouver Island’s northern-most show garden, Ronning’s Garden
Our longest excursion of the trip was the plan for Day 27, May 22nd. Cape Scott is the furthest northwest point on Vancouver Island, and while we wouldn’t get that far, we’d get close. And on the way, we’d visit Ronning’s Garden, a unique historical attraction. I’m breaking the...
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Hiking to the crash site of RAF “Dakota 576” near Port Hardy, BC
We had planned to take a ferry to Alert Bay, but fog changed our plans. The site of a 1944 plane crash, of a DC-3 known as “Dakota 576”, became our morning destination. When we woke up on Day 26, May 21st, dense fog enveloped our camp site at...
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Exploring the historic Suquash Coal Mine near Port Hardy
After a fabulous morning on the water at Port McNeill on Day 23, May 18th, we still had plenty of exploring time, so hiked in to the historic Suquash Coal Mine near Port Hardy. Bobbie started this tour by showing us the “World’s Largest Burl” – that is actually...
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