Walk in the Hills III

Nearly forgot!  Mary, Bristle and I took a short stroll along Bishop Creek.

B saw a chipmunk & got a little excited.

Nice pour off.

Mellow mood.

Kinda interesting asphalt crack seal.

Mountain Biking in the Hills

Been riding a ton which is generally not conducive for blogging.

However, on Saturday Chris, Rich and I adventured up above town on the mountain bikes, so I threw the camera in the jersey pocket.

The climbing up the Coyote Road begins with this sandy canyon which rode pretty well with after all of the recent rain.

Just above the canyon the road rises steeply. Chris and Rich motor along.

The first pitches are probably the hardest although there are plenty more to come. Chris rises.

Found a Horny Toad. Chris hypnotized the little dude.

Rich got a call from his realtor - he's got a new house!

Chris demoed the shop's demo bike. Loved it on the descent.

Beautiful day. Killer views.

Rich almost at the top.

The beginning of the descent. 4,000+ of singletrack!

Chris rested up for the big plunge - which he shredded with aplomb!

Danged fun!

Walk in the Hills II

Mary, Bristle, and I were back at it for another Sunday stroll in the hills. We had intended to hike out of South Lake, but there was too much snow.

We found a small trail heading out from near the entrance to the Willow Campground, although we really had no idea where it went. Adventure!

The trail sharply climbs to this vista up canyon.

The trail then flattens and rolls through meadows and aspen.

Still a little snow in sheltered spots.

The mighty B!

The tarn was empty, but it was still a pleasant spot.

Real nice to see new scenery in an area so close to home.

Walk in the Hills

Been on the bike a lot, so not too much to blog about, but this year I am going to make it a point to get up in the hills more often. Perhaps just a short stroll, perhaps something more adventurous, but I know for sure the mountain air will do me good.

Mary and I took a little amble in a new (to us) zone just below Lake Sabrina.

Lots of neat old cabins. This was one of the best.

Bristle dang near drank the creek dry!

Aspen trunk.

I was saddened to see many Junipers in a distressed state with their leaves browning noticeably. I just love these stately old trees. Dunno if it's drought, disease, pest, or a combination. Ugh.

The creek was running alright, but not your typical spring runoff flow at all.

Pre-leaf Aspen grove.

Boy did that feel good!

Ucluelet, The Last Day

Our last day in Ucluelet 

First off we took a stroll on the Bog Trail in the Pacific Rim National Park.

We didn't know what to expect and were surprised to find an open, savannah like landscape with a little standing water and a lot of wet spongy moss, lichen, and small trees.

Fascinating!

We then took the short drive back to Wikanninish Beach.

We took the short hike down to South Beach.

Many beaches have some sort of marking to indicate where the trail leaves the beach. At South Beach it's a buoy that doubles as a swing!

More spectacular beach scenes.

A bit sadly we hit the road for Victoria making a few stops along the way.

Kennedy Lake.

Little Qualicum Falls just west of Coombs and Parksville.

After a longer than expected drive we arrived in Victoria and headed downtown for some food and a stroll along the inner harbor.

A nice end to a great trip.

Rainforest Trail and Chesterman Beach

After several days of fantastic weather we woke to heavy rain which was ok by us since we haven't seen heavy rain in a long long time. We cozied up in our condo and watched it pour.

By around eleven o'clock the skies cleared, so we drove up into the Pacific Rim National Park and hiked the Rainforest Trail.

We picked the perfect time to visit as every little rivulet and small creek was full and flowing and the air was sharp and fresh.

The entire hike is on this boardwalk.

The plank for this bridge was hewn from one large tree.

 So lush!

At the recommendation from the great guy at Relic Surf Shop in Ukee we headed to Chesterman Beach where I body boarded and Mary walked.

The waves got better and better, there was no one else in the water, and the scenery was fantastic. One of my best days playing in the surf ever! 

Meanwhile Mary did a great job making friends and capturing the beauty.

Wow!