Photo of the Week - Bonanza Pass

The Bonanza Pass, also known as the Blueberry-Paulson, is the mountain pass in the Monashee Mountains in BC.  On the east side is the Kootenays and on the west is the Boundary region. 

University of Victoria's Claim to Fame

Victoria is famous for its inner harbour, temperate climate, large retiree population, architecture, and provincial capital city. It also is the home of the University of Victoria which has gained fame for its.... rabbits. And they are a problem. Over several decades, the feral rabbit population has grown on campus. They are every where...

Far...



And close...



How many are there? Doing a population count is not that easy; it costs a lot and requires it would be pretty invasive. Where did they come from? Over time they have accumulated because owners have abandoned them on the U of Vic lands; many are descendants of those original rabbits.

It's a big enough of a problem that the University has developed a long-term management plan to deal with them. Officials at the University want to impress upon the would-be feeders that the animals are wildlife.

But what do you do when a little being is just so damn cute?

Those Canadian Lakes

Honestly, it wasn't looking that great. Once we turned north on Highway 6 on our way to Twin Lakes Beach, there was nothing but clouds. The fascinating part about travelling on the prairies is that the clouds are spellbinding. For one thing, you can see them all, except of course, the ones that are over Australia. And then, you can see weather approaching for miles and miles. The original plan was to go to Birds Hill Park, home of the Winnipeg Folk Festival and an 80-acre artificial lake. The bonus of this provincial park is that it is 24 kilometres from Winnipeg,

Gerald, my sister's boyfriend, decided that we needed to go to Twin Lakes Beach, a much longer drive, but the water and sand are great. As we were driving after turning north, I looked to my right where Birds Hill Park lies, and there was blue sky, no clouds. He could not be averted from his decision.

We arrived about 2 in the afternoon, and set up our space - the only ones along this strip. I figured others had been scared off by the clouds. There was a thin strip of blue to the north. An hour later, the skies were looking better, and the sun peaked around the clouds. It was HOT! Perfect. Here's what unfolded.....



And that was my last beach day in Manitoba. It seems Gerald has a knack for picking days to go the beach. If you are thinking of an outing, I would suggest that you consult with him.

Three days later, I was back in BC. I got off the plane and it was 32 degrees, too late for the beach. But the next day after spending time with the lawn mower, I headed out to Six Mile along the shores of the Kootenay Lake. It was the most spectacular day...



And that was the beach part of my vacation - 5 beaches in two weeks! There is nothing like those Canadian lakes!

A change of pace

I am more of what you might call a night owl. So when I travel, I usually leave at a sane time in the morning (9 or 10 am or even later). When I was planning this long weekend (I know this isn't a long weekend for Canadians but I took a couple of extra days off) to visit Aimee before she makes her big move to here, I decided to leave early in the morning.

We were up bright and early, Julia and I, and set out on the road at 6:36 am, which is truly insane. Except there are some perks:
- There aren't very many other people on the road at that time.
- The sun was quite glorious, showing off all the beautiful spring-green in the trees.
- I arrived on the lower mainland early and got to Aimee's place at 2:30 - my personal record.

I had some concern that I would be too early for the Copper Eagle Cappuccino and Bakery but they open their doors at 6 am. Still, I missed the usual queue. And found the perfect bread for my roasted vegetable and feta salad. This salad is a knock-off of one I found at the Kootenay Co-op, and it is very tasty. And nutritious.

I brought all my food along on this journey, including a green smoothie which, I discovered, is a great thing to take on the road as it provides all the alertness required.

I was able to avoid the lower mainland traffic even though it is a Saturday and this was not a rush-hour time. It was all grand because the weather was absolutely inspiring!

I didn't find my road companion until the lower mainland. A road companion is someone who is travelling at a similar pace as you - sometimes they pass you and then you pass them. Today, it was a black 4-Runner who I might add was a very gracious passer. These are the things that amuse one on the road when alone for many hours. It is a bit disturbing actually.

The trip also involved a new strategy I have been working on. I have been thinking about what to do about Julia's litter as I don't really think it is good to keep adding it to the landfills. So in the winter, I changed her litter to a type that is wood pellets. When the wood pellets get wet (you know what I mean), they turn into sawdust. Which is very much like nature. So I am thinking that since I live in the middle of lots of nature, I would put the sawdust back into the wilds. This litter by the way works like a charm.

So yesterday, I packed it up and put it in my new recycled garbage bags. The ones that decompose, not made of plastic. In it went into the trunk with all the rest of the travelling goods, as I thought I would find a place along the road today and dispose of it. Good plan...

When I stopped in the midst of a forest, I grabbed the bag out of the trunk and it immediately fell apart. Apparently, the bag already began decomposing. And sawdust interlaced with kitty doo, fell mostly inside of the trunk. It had scattered on the suitcase, and fell into the well where the spare tire lies. Picture it??

I picked up as much as I could by finding a real plastic bag and a cloth that I used to clean the windows. These were not the greatest tools. But, hey, when the homesteaders made their way across the land, they did what they had to do. It was a long and laborious undertaking, and some of the litter actually got to go into the forest.

Back on the road, I pondered my solution. Princeton. I found the car wash rather quickly, and got a great deal at the vacuum station. $1.00 until you were done... A very good deal.

And that, was my day - so far! More adventures coming...

Where in BC?

This week I met Michelle, who is a mammography technician for B. C. Women's Health mobile screening. Michelle travels many places in BC. I asked her where her favourite place in BC was - she said Hazelton. Hazelton is in the northwest part of BC.
Before I saw the map, I was thinking of going there for a weekend. What makes Hazelton special, according to Michelle, is the geography: a valley surrounded by incredible mountains. There are actually 3 Hazeltons: Hazelton, New Hazelton and South Hazelton.

Thinking of Michelle's favourite place in BC got me to wondering about other people. And so I asked the people I hung out with this evening. Here the results of the survey.

Hornby Island - Cynthia and Patrick



Granville Island - Shirley

Here is a list of Top 10 Must See and Do on Granville Island.



Victoria - Rob



Salt Spring Island - Dorothy



An amazing diverse province we live in! With incredible natural beauty! The voters this evening (who counted Nelson out) had a theme, it seems - islands.

Now, where is your favourite spot in BC?