November had some fine trips out, but are winding down the travels for now.
One self-imposed quest was to find some challenging geocaches around the
northwestern area on Bowen Island, as this was tied in with the last
sailing trip of the year it allowed only one day to try, so we soldiered
on despite the rain. This was hard, downpour rain that washed out
hiking trails, sometimes
a fast-moving creek cutting across, and sometimes a long stretch of
shallow flood as the runoff from the steep hill chose the trail to
be its new creek bed. Beautiful misty green forest, though we didn't
stop for many photos. As the west coast of BC is a rainforest we can't
afford to be too crippled by the weather, nonetheless we were glad to
return to the boat, peel off soaking clothes for a wardrobe change then
head up to our usual rented 'Summer House' at the
Union Steam Ship Company
for a warm potluck dinner in front of a wood-burning fireplace. I am
usually stationed right in from of said fire. An easy end to a
gruelling yet triumphant hike. We're usually only there in March or
November, yet the locals insist that it is occasionally dry and sunny
there if we came during the summer!
 |
| Beach of river silt, soft and fine like flour. |
Remembrance Day fell in the middle of the week this year - I could devote a post or page to current events and politics and war, but I don't wish to join the deluge of the media storm, I'm sure you can find another blog for that. I had a steak omelette at the
Skyhawk Restaurant and watched the vintage warplanes take off for their flypast before 11am. Here we had cool but mild autumn weather, and went cycling around Barnston Island. I remember
the last time we were here, I recall the circuit taking us a lot longer to complete. This was a pleasant cycle with four geocaches (where I left toy soldiers, to follow the seasonal theme), and a quiet pause at each end of the island. Ended the day at my brother's house for my nephew's birthday with the family.
Recently we also made baked a large lasagna from scratch, which lasted the three of us for several meals. With the rising cost of cheese and a half bottle o'wine in the sauce, it's definitely a luxury. The joy is not only in the eating but in the process of creating, and I think it's a good sign of a healthy friendship if you're able to cook together! 'Tis the season for warm hearty comfort food.
One self-imposed quest was to find some challenging geocaches around the
northwestern area on Bowen Island, as this was tied in with the last
sailing trip of the year it allowed only one day to try, so we soldiered
on despite the rain. This was hard, downpour rain that washed out
hiking trails, sometimes
a fast-moving creek cutting across, and sometimes a long stretch of
shallow flood as the runoff from the steep hill chose the trail to
be its new creek bed. Beautiful misty green forest, though we didn't
stop for many photos. As the west coast of BC is a rainforest we can't
afford to be too crippled by the weather, nonetheless we were glad to
return to the boat, peel off soaking clothes for a wardrobe change then
head up to our usual rented 'Summer House' at the Union Steam Ship Company
for a warm potluck dinner in front of a wood-burning fireplace. I am
usually stationed right in from of said fire. An easy end to a
gruelling yet triumphant hike. We're usually only there in March or
November, yet the locals insist that it is occasionally dry and sunny
there if we came during the summer! 
