Category Archives: photography

August 4, 2010 · 1:23 pm

vancouver island :: qualicum beach to cathedral grove.

part IV :: a seaside siesta.


buena vista by the sea — qualicum beach, vancouver island, BC.

seated on the shores of the georgia strait, qualicum beach is only a few hours south of the adventurous northern coast, but a world apart in weather, attitude and feel. celebrated as the “canada’s carmel” this relaxed beach town shares many attributes with sunny and warm socal — the perfect reprieve from the glacial waters and wicked wind and chilly fog up island. we arrived late, and lucked out stopping at buena vista by the sea — an amazing oceanfront guesthouse with private suites and an unbelievable sun deck. we spent hours watching the sun slowly set and the geese lounge in the warm water, and fell in love with the charming owners, claire + robbie. they made us feel right at home, and we wandered through their little town, in and out of shops and restaurants, and loved the old schoolhouse art center where artists’ open studios allow you to roam in and out while they are creating! i had a wonderful conversation with the incredible artist helene mcintosh and was smitten with her paintings of people’s faces — check her out at helenemcintosh.com — she’s a talented artist and insighful woman, i only wish i could have spent more time with her.

just outside of qualicum, the town of coombs boasts the renowned old country market, featuring fresh local produce, international spices, sauces, and treats, a fantastic deli and bakery, and is surrounded by tons of little shops. perhaps the most notable and unique thing about this massive market is their green roof which is home to goats who live above the market and delight guests with their crazy antics. earlier this year babies were born, and it’s getting a little crowded up there! regardless, it was hilarious to see them prancing around, and even more amusing to behold the visitors clammoring around below for a perfect photo of the furry little roof dwellers. yay for goats on the roof!

after coombs, we passed through cathedral grove, a provincial park with easily accessible trails weaving through massive douglas firs that are over 800 years old. it’s the only place on the island to see these big trees, and i love the peaceful feeling of being dwarfed by a super tall forest! it was small scale compared to the redwoods of northern california that i explored last summer, but absolutely impressive and magical in its own right nonetheless.

enjoy!


canadian geese!


coombs famous country market!


the goats refused to turn towards me. stubborn little roof dwellers.


traveling tinas and a big douglas fir.

* * * * *

vancouver island, 2010:

part I :: vancouver island :: telegraph cove.

part II :: vancouver island :: knight inlet.

part III :: vancouver island :: down island to campbell river.

part IV :: vancouver island :: qualicum beach to cathedral grove.

part V :: vancouver island :: tofino + ucluelet.

part VI :: vancouver island :: bamfield.

* * * * *

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August 4, 2010 · 1:17 pm

vancouver island :: down island to campbell river.

part III :: the salmon capital of the world.


driftwood carving — campbell river, vancouver island, BC.

campbell river is the self-proclaimed salmon capital of the world, so it only seemed appropriate to eat as much salmon as possible (both times) i was in town. my first visit to campbell river was at the very start of my canadian adventure — it was the first place we stayed on the island, having arrived by ferry from vancouver and by bus from nanaimo. the discovery of dick’s fish & chips, the perfect local dive with unbelievably good food, was defintiely a highlight of the trip! nothing like finding your new favorite restaurant thousands of miles away from home! the salmon run like mad through the glacial waters of the campbell river in the late summer, and they were just starting while we were there. we decided to undertake campbell river’s most talked about, yet most illusive adventure, and snorkel with the spawning salmon.

truth be told, im not much for snorkeling — i tend to freak out with all the gear and things affixed to the face — but im always up for an adventure and plunging myself into the freezing, fast moving water of the campbell river to observe salmon sounded awesome. fully decked out in wetsuits, lifejackets, gloves and booties, we rafted down river and plunged into the swift currents, floating alongside dozens of salmon! schools of 50+ swam under, around and through us, and we maneuvered around rocks and debris, each time making our way back to the raft to warm up in the sunshine. the shore was active with fly fisherman casting their lines, kids tubing and swimming, and people sunbathing along the edge. the forest rose from the water, snow-capped mountains lay in the distance, and floatplanes soared overhead in the bluest sky i’ve ever seen.

just north of campbell river, the logging industry is active in kelsey bay — and i found it disconcerting to see the juxtaposition of flourishing forests on shore and the stripped logs floating in the bay. even more surprising was how eerie it felt to drive along the logging roads through the tree farms that felt like the forests graveyards. my first experience on a dusty, gravel logging road was a detour from sayward to campbell river — a map sketched out on a piece of cardboard by a young guy working at the gas station that helped us avoid a huge accident involving an elk and a fuel truck on the only highway on the coast. it wouldnt be until bamfield road that we’d encounter actual logging trucks blazing past us, but even without their company danger feels imminent when youre driving into a blinding dust storm on a narrow, winding gravel road!

enjoy!


kelsey bay.


logging road detour!


the campbell river.


dick’s!


love me some local beer!


rainbow!

* * * * *

vancouver island, 2010:

part I :: vancouver island :: telegraph cove.

part II :: vancouver island :: knight inlet.

part III :: vancouver island :: down island to campbell river.

part IV :: vancouver island :: qualicum beach to cathedral grove.

part V :: vancouver island :: tofino + ucluelet.

part VI :: vancouver island :: bamfield.

* * * * *

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August 4, 2010 · 1:06 am

vancouver island :: telegraph cove.

part I :: kayaking with orcas in the johnstone strait.


north island kayak — telegraph cove, vancouver island, BC.

telegraph cove is a tiny boardwalk town on the north east coast of vancouver island. once a small sawmill and cannery community, the current resident population is around 20, a sleepy harbor to say the least. however, the marina and campgrounds happily welcome visitors throughout the summer who come to embark on adventures just offshore. telegraph cove opens up into the johnstone strait — a narrow glacier-carved passage between vancouver island and mainland BC, and home to the largest resident pod of orcas (over 200!) in the world. renowned as the single best place to kayak with killer whales, the johnstone strait leads into the robson bight ecological reserve, an orca sanctuary where the whales are known to come ashore and rub their bellies on the warm gravel beaches.

in the three days i spent kayaking and camping in the johnstone strait (with the amazing outfitter north island kayak) we had dozens of orca sightings, pods of three, four, five whales at a time, sometimes as close as 30 feet offshore while we lounged on the beach, and often just across the water as we kayaked. although we never had a crazy close encounter, the whales were almost always all around us — as soon as someone would spot them surfacing we’d all stop paddling and just listen. our small group (7 including our guide, brad) would sit silently, listening to their heavy breath and gentle groans as they slid through the water, revealing sleek dorsal fins and a misty spray of sea water. it’s difficult to describe what it feels like to be in such close proximity to these impressive (and massive!) animals. surrounded by the vast, gorgeous landscape of british columbia it’s truly impossible not to feel tiny and insignificant — the dense forests seem endless and the sea is never so impressive as when viewed from the seat of a kayak. the magnitude of nature and wilderness was all consuming, and felt absolutely surreal in the best way imaginable. it was an utterly amazing experience.

enjoy!


tandem kayak :: one person steers while the other shoots…brilliant!

* * * * *

vancouver island, 2010:

part I :: vancouver island :: telegraph cove.

part II :: vancouver island :: knight inlet.

part III :: vancouver island :: down island to campbell river.

part IV :: vancouver island :: qualicum beach to cathedral grove.

part V :: vancouver island :: tofino + ucluelet.

part VI :: vancouver island :: bamfield.

* * * * *

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August 3, 2010 · 11:58 pm

vancouver island :: knight inlet.

part II :: exploring knight inlet + lagoon cove.


mama grizzly with her cubs — knight inlet, vancouver island, BC.

the remote knight inlet — accessible only by boat or float plane — lies about 80 km north of telegraph cove and is prime grizzly bear habitat. in mid july female grizzlies are busy feeding on the protein-rich sedge grass while protecting and educating their young cubs. it was absolutely awesome to observe these magnificent animals as they ate, explored and played along the shore! from our little boat we were able to anchor less than 100 ft away, drifting closer at times. i totally couldn’t believe how close we were, at one point i swear we were no more than 50 ft away! in addition to the 6 grizzlies we encountered (2 mothers and 4 cubs) there was abundant wildlife, including deer (which the cubs love to chase!) heron and geese. the thick morning fog (chilly but beautiful!) eventually gave way to bright sunshine, sending the grizzlies back into the forest, and us on our way back down the temperamental inlet. on the way back to telegraph cove we made a brief stop at the picturesque lagoon cove — a quirky, fun little harbor!

enjoy!


the perfectly serene lagoon cove harbor.

* * * * *

vancouver island, 2010:

part I :: vancouver island :: telegraph cove.

part II :: vancouver island :: knight inlet.

part III :: vancouver island :: down island to campbell river.

part IV :: vancouver island :: qualicum beach to cathedral grove.

part V :: vancouver island :: tofino + ucluelet.

part VI :: vancouver island :: bamfield.

* * * * *

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July 31, 2010 · 1:41 pm

snapshot :: tofino.


long beach — tofino, vancouver island, BC.

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July 23, 2010 · 1:00 pm

cheers from vancouver island!

orcas and bears and geese, oh my!


kayaking with killer whales in the johnstone strait, vancouver island, BC.

just a quick sneak peek from my adventures in the great white north — after exploring the east coast of vancouver island from nanaimo to campbell river and all the way to port mcneill, venturing out into the johnstone strait and knight’s inlet from telegraph cove, we are currently soaking up the sun in qualicum beach before heading to the west coast — through the giant douglas firs onto ucluelet + tofino!

stay tuned!


orcas!


grizzlies!


geese!

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