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Posts Tagged ‘Vancouver Island’

Listening to the pretty folk of The Wooden Sky and HIKING!

Posted in life or something like it, music, tagged , , , , on November 5, 2012| 1 Comment »


Toronto indie band The Wooden Sky play a soft, melodic brand of folk or alternative country.  Very pretty and lush…but also sad.  The music is sounding good on a rare bright November day in the Forest Kingdom with a cup of coffee as I get ready for my radio show.  I’m going to post a few songs that I enjoy from their third album Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun.  The Wooden Sky are back form a tour of the UK where Uncut magazine said, gentle melancholy & warm, minor key rapture on the opening track from the third album from Gavin Gardiner and his TO based bucolic rockers fast turning into one of Canada’s most impressive exports.”   Impressive.  The Wooden Sky are now back in North America (New York right now I think).  They’ll rotate the tires, hit the duty free and start west.  They visit Victoria on November 19th for a show at Club 9one9.  Now the chewnes….

That song “Take Me Out” reminds me of the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance in Back to the Future.  And I thought that…. then read the comments on the song and sure enough another bro thought that too.  Rad.

***


I got up to hiking adventures on the weekend in the rain.  Saturday I hit Gowlland Tod and my wanderings took me to a spectacular waterfall.  The walk was vigorous but doable for Madelyn… and with all those government ads saying, “kids need 60 minutes of play everyday,” I thought… Sunday Funday repeat with the family.  It definitely pushed my four-year-old but she managed and walked the whole thing.  We started the trek with a brief dry period, the rain fell half way along… then stopped again.  We were all huffing and puffing by the time we hit the parking lot.

Started at the parking lot for the McKenzie Bight.  Followed the road to the start of the Timberman Trail.  Cut off at the Cascade Trail. (there are signs… you’ll hit a fork that is obvious.  Take the trail that says “To McKenzie Bight”).  You’ll start heading down and it’ll get steep.  You’ll see a waterfall… then you’ll be at the beach.  Take the McKenzie Bight Trail back up the other side of the creek.  Its pretty much just an UP… and you’re back at your car.

Total adventure time (or TAT), with lots of breaks and a stop for lunch at the McKenzie Bight was about one hour and 30 minutes.  You’ll get your stairs and vertical in with this little hike.

Go with yourself.

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Living in the City >> Bourbon sours, Red Fish Blue Fish and Roche Cove

Posted in food, life or something like it, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 20, 2012| Leave a Comment »


I had so much fun getting up to adventures on the weekend.  And I had so much fun writing about adventures from the weekend.  It only stood to reason… I’d enjoy podcasting the adventures.  Introducing the second installment of Living in the City.  Please have a listen and share.

Soundcloud: Living in the City >> Bourbon sours, Red Fish Blue Fish and Roche Cove

Oh wow, the times we’ll share.

You’ll learn:
1) How to make a bourbon sour from Katie McDonald, Veneto Lounge
2) How to make Malt Vinegar Syrup from Kunal Ghose, Red Fish, Blue Fish & Top Chef Canada
3) How to find Roche Cove Regional Park

***neat, here is an article about Kunal Ghose from the Times Colonist.***

We so excited. I love living in the city!

Go with yourself.

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Download some NEW Jon Middleton (Jon & Roy)

Posted in music, tagged , , , , , , on April 11, 2011| 2 Comments »


Good times.  Jon Middleton (Jon & Roy) sent me his new solo record.  Always such a pleasant listen… new Jon Middleton is pretty folky and very Vancouver Island.

Jon Middleton – “Vibrant Scene”

Download MP3 >> 06 Vibrant Scene

Jon and Roy will be one of many great Vancouver Island performers taking part in this summer V.I.C. Fest on June 18th.

hey, never say say I don’t give you anything nice on this here blog.

Go with yourself.

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the end of a different road: Bamfield

Posted in neat-O gang, tagged , , , on October 7, 2010| 5 Comments »

Jettisoning off to Tofino this weekend won’t work for Coral and I… but we wanted to take a little adventure somewhere and now we’re thinking of the west coast Island outpost of Bamfield.

Bamfield is named after the gentleman Banfield.

I don’t know if this is racist or encouraging, but the story goes that the native population had a hard time pronouncing the ‘N’ and so it became Bamfield.  That or the post office made a typo in 1902 and no one gave enough of a shit to correct, and so Bamfield it is.  A typo clinging to the shores of British Columbia.

When I spoke of making the overland to Bamfield, many folks spoke out to inquire if I had the ability to navigate the back roads to this fishing/tourist/educational metropolis.

Yes I do.

It may not seem it as well, most my life is a comical bumbling of happy accidents but me and my co-pilot in adventure Coral, have a track record of success in this field.

Many moons ago, we did seek out and find the fabled Nitinat Lake.

A similar drive through the rain forest over logging roads… but all the signs pointed to Bamfield and few pointed to the lake.  We found the lake! The village should be easier to track down in the wild (it doesn’t move about right?).

When we get to Bamfield, I am not too sure the plan.  It had a population of only 251 (ish)… so like it might have a Wal-Mart but I am not expecting to find a Red Lobster.  I think they have a coffee shop? and maybe a restaurant?

Monday looks like rain!  The best!

Go with yourself.

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Ho! Wetaskwin! (reprise)

Posted in life or something like it, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 30, 2010| 6 Comments »

Summer time and in our little family that means road trip time!

Coral and I have done a few and this summer is no exception.

We haven’t hammered out all the details and founds beds to sleep in every night but so far the plan has us cutting through the hills and mountains on a mighty trek around lakes and beyond the horizon to scenic Alberta.  We are thinking of starting in Banff.  Coral hasn’t been there since she was a kid and the last time I can remember being the birthplace of the National Park is when Bob, Paul and I cut through there on our Cross-Canada Adventure in 1998.

I think we might also check out Calgary before pushing North to Edmonton.  The largest northern city (outside of Santa’s workshop) in North America.

And since used cars cost less there, I am sure we’ll at least pass into Wetaskwin.  We’ll see.  I think I’ll need to do the West Edmonton Waterpark and we’re thinking of bringing our bikes… so a river bike ride?

Then we’ll swing back into friendly territory after sacking Edmonton (BC Total WAR!) and head to Kelowna.  If it times out right, we’ll be there for the long weekend and might get a chance to see Acres of Lions who will be there too! They are playing the Center of Gravity Festival and it would be so cool to hook up with my man Tyson in his old hometown and see his band.

Plus! some desert bike riding will be in order and we might actually check out one of these wineries that everyone speaks of. hmm?  Maybe.  For sure, the Kelowna Waterpark will be on the itinerary.

The adventure ends on Vancouver Island where we’ll be joining my folks camping somewhere beyond civilization (like basically anywhere north of Nanaimo).

Can’t wait!  We just got to track down a bike rack.  Do you have one we could borrow?

Go with yourself.

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For if civilisation was scarce in the Western Vancouver of ’63, savagedom was all abounding

Posted in history 101, tagged , , on November 25, 2009| Leave a Comment »

I am slowly beginning work on my epic historical podcast and step one is reading John Jewitt’s first person account of his stay on Vancouver Island.  Luckily his book is over 200 years old so it is free on the internet.  I have only read the introduction written by another Doctor years later.  He traveled to Vancouver Island in the 1860s, and his account of our region is amazing.  So worth the time to read.

The Adventures of John Jewitt

Go with yourself.

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