Summer Cruise to the Head

Each year we take our 24' Bayliner out of the chuck (ocean) and bring her up the lake for a winter in fresh water. There are several advantages in doing this. The fresh water is good for the hull and every other exposed and internal part, the growth of algae and sea critters is brought to a screeching halt, and we have a bigger boat for lake cruises and for an added measure of safety during rough winter water.

This weekend we took the Bayliner for a summer cruise to the head of Powell Lake. Powell Lake is a glacial carved fjord that is 51 kilometres (32 miles) long with 480 kilometres (300 miles) of shoreline. From our cabin at Hole in the Wall it about 36 kilometres (22 miles) to the head. Our first stop was the logging dock. We hiked through the log sort and found it full of fresh cut trees ready to be dumped into the lake for transport. We were surprised to see so much action because of the summer and economic slowdown.

Next we passed through the camp built by Plutonic Power to support the construction of hydro lines from their run-of-river project in the Toba Valley. We continued up the logging road to the bridge that spans the Daniels River. During dry summer months, this is the main source of water for the lake. As you can see from the exposed stumps, the input isn't keeping up with evaporation and the outflow at the dam.

We then took the Bayliner to the east side of the large bay and anchored where we would catch the last rays of the setting sun. There aren't many places on this steep sided lake where you can anchor, but we found one near Jim Brown Creek. We lowered Mr. Bathtub (our dinghy) and paddled to shore for a hike up another logging road. On the way we found tracks from elk reintroduced here last year. It's good to see they are flourishing in the lush environment.

After a refreshing swim, we headed back for a shipboard BBQ of chicken and sausages. And boy was I hungry. The weather was warm and calm all night. Just a gentle rock and lapping sound on the hull. On our way back home in the morning, we saw lots of people enjoying the lake. Some were at their cabins, others camping along the shore. There's still a bit of summer left, so why don't you join Wayne and I up the lake. -- Margy

The Night of the Woodrat

Looks like fall is coming early this year. Typically, it's October before Mr. Woodrat appears. That brings to mind a funny story I call "The Night of the Woodrat." The second year we had our float cabin, I was able to go up the lake by myself the week before Thanksgiving. Even though I grew up in Los Angeles, I had lots of experience outdoors and camping. I was confident my solo trip would be a piece of cake.

Sleeping upstairs in the cabin's loft is usually peaceful and quiet. I built a fire in the wood stove to keep warm and turned in early to read. Before long, I drifted off, only to be roused by a racket downstairs. I keep a flashlight next to the bed, so I grabbed it and looked over the railing. At first there was no sound and nothing in sight. Then the quick scurrying of little feet caught my attention and a small furry critter scampered out of the darkness to appear at the foot of the stairs. There, as bold as could be, staring up at me was a woodrat (packrat). His large dark eyes and perky round ears were inquisitive, and his bushy tail twitched up and down with excitement. Now I must admit, as comfortable as I am with nature, sleeping in confined quarters with a small rodent isn't high on my bucket list.

My first thought was, how in the world did he get indoors. My second thought was, how in the world was I going to get him back outdoors. I cautiously climbed downstairs and opened the sliding glass door. Of course, he didn't cooperate and exit on cue. I tried chasing him, but he avoided going anywhere near the door. Then I thought I was so smart. I piled firewood into a barricade to encourage him out on his next circuit of the living room wall. I tiptoed behind and chased him back towards the open door. But he ran right on past and over the wall like an Olympic high jumper. By now I was pretty tired and exasperated. On his next pass from the kitchen back to living room, he stopped at the wood stove, dove underneath and up inside. That did it. I left the sliding door open and went back to bed. I figured if he wanted to be indoors that bad, I could share my abode for one night.

The next morning there was no sign of Mr. Woodrat. I'm sure he wasn't a dream (nightmare?) because the sliding glass door was open, it was a chilly 10 degrees inside, and there was firewood stacked in a tall pile leading to the doorway.

Each year, Mr. (or Mrs.) Woodrat has returned when there gets to be a chill in the evening air and the leaves begin to turn. He hasn't come inside again, but loves to harvest my flowers and vegetables for his winter stores. He also likes to set up house in our wood shed. Neither of these activities are appreciated, so we use our Havahart live trap to catch and relocate our occasional bushy-tailed visitors. Last year there were three. So far this year, the count is one. Hopefully it will be the last. -- Margy

Blackberry Jamin'

August is blackberry month here in Powell River, BC. There's even a week long Blackberry Festival in honour of the sweet, purple fruit that culminates with a street party. I swear the whole town turns out. Of course, Powell River Books had "Mr. Float Cabin" out on the street for the celebration.

This year the berries have been exceptionally big and juicy. Each time we head up the lake, I pick a some from the bushes in the Shinglemill parking lot. They come in waves, so there've been lots for the picking. I had such success with my strawberry jam, I decided to make some blackberry.

Blackberry Jam Recipe

I used two resources to make my jam. The first was a book I found at Kingfisher Used Books here in Powell River, the Farm Journal's Freezing and Canning Cookbook. I got mine for $3.95 but they are much pricier online. I also used the directions from the Certo Pectin Crystals box.

The ingredients are simple.
Yields about 8 cups. Do not double the recipe.

5 cups crushed blackberries
1 box Certo Pectin Crystals
7 cups granulated sugar

Thoroughly crush berries. You can remove some of the seeds if you wish, but I like them included. The Farm Journal cookbook recommended lemon juice, so I added two tablespoons to the berry mixture.


Mix the crushed berries and the Certo Pectin Crystals in a large pan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then add the sugar all at once. Return it to a hard boil and let it boil for one minute. The cookbook says to be very accurate, so I used my timer. Remove from heat and stir and skim for five minutes.

Pour into warm, sterilized jars to 1/4" from the rim. I used 250 ml (8.5 oz) jars. Wipe the tops clean of any spilled jam and place sterilized lids and screw caps on, making them finger tight. Both my friend Marg and the pectin recipe said this was enough to preserve the jam. The Farm Journal book recommend five minutes of processing in a boiling water bath (the lid was off only for the picture), so that is what I did. I guess overdoing it was better than under doing it.

The trick to jam making for the novice is to have things ready to go. I boiled the water to sterilize my jars and lids first. Then it was held at the ready for the boiling water bath at the end. The whole process took me about two hours, but the end result was some really tasty jam that will last us through the winter, reminding us of the warm, sunny days of August. -- Margy

Powell River Turns Out for a Star Party

Tonight was the second Star Party hosted by Powell River Books at the Town Centre Hotel in Powell River, BC. Wayne (with a little help from me) set up two telescopes in the hotel's courtyard. The goal was to introduce people to astronomy and the availability of affordable telescopes. The Star Party was part of our contribution to the International Year of Astronomy. Around the world, amateur and professional astronomers have been hosting similar events.

The moon slipped below the horizon before darkness set in, so we set up Wayne's more powerful Meade LX90 to focus on Jupiter. Jupiter is currently as close as it gets to the earth, and viewing is excellent. The four largest moons were lined up in a row, and the bands were quite evident. Thanks to the computer driven controllers on today's modern scopes, we were able to easily find and track the evenings best celestial objects.

Participants of all ages had a good time, and they especially enjoyed their free commemorative hand painted constellation paper weights. Wayne and I want to thank Shelly, the manager of the Town Centre Hotel, for her ongoing support of events like these and Powell River Books.

Wayne is an enthusiastic amateur astronomer. He has three telescopes, a Meade ETX125 (125 millimeter) Maksutov-Cassegrain, a Meade LX90 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain, and a Edmond Astroscan (for fun). For newbie amateurs astronomers, here are a few of his recommendations:

• 7 X 50 mm binoculars with magnification no higher than 7 ($100)
  
• a planisphere chart to identify celestial objects (about $20)
  
• Nightwatch by Dickinson, Schaller, Costanzo and Cooke ($40)
  
• Star Watch by Harrington (about $20)
  
• Sky & Telescope or Astronomy magazine
• FirstScope telescope by Celestron (about $60)
  
• ETX-90PE telescope by Meade (about $600)
  

I am amazed at how dark and clear the sky can be here in Powell River. It's a perfect location for night sky exploration, even from the corner of our float cabin up Powell Lake.

Do you have a favourite night sky viewing spot? Let us hear about it. -- Margy

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Three's a Charm

Early in July, I wrote about the tragedy that struck our Barn Swallow nesting pair in And Then There Were None. All five chicks were either pushed or fell to their deaths from their nest under the peak of our cabin roof.

On July 12, I wrote a Barn Swallow Update in which we built a "safety net" for future chicks. Shortly after, Wayne and I left for our vacation trip to Newfoundland. When we returned to the cabin last week, we were greeted by our nesting pair and the chirping voices of three new chicks. We were amazed at how big they were already.

The other thing we noticed was how crumbly the nest appeared. This is its second season, and the second brood this year. The dry weather and heavy use was really affecting its stability. Yesterday morning when I went out to check on the chicks, the nest had broken loose on one side. One chick was still clinging to the left side, but the other two were nowhere to be seen.

Wayne went up on the ladder, but there were no little bodies on the pad (thank goodness). The mother returned to the one chick several times. She would land on his back and give a nudge with both of her feet, like she was encouraging him to fly. After watching for a while, I went inside to cook breakfast. When I returned, the last chick was gone. The broken nest may have accelerated the three chicks' flying lessons, but it wasn't the disaster it could have been.

The family spent the morning soaring, gliding and dipping into the water for tasty insect treats. Later in the day, the three chick returned to the cabin porch to rest together. Then this morning, they ventured out as a team to the swim ladder. It has been lots of fun watching them. I hope Mom and Dad return next year and rebuild the nest, only a bit stronger this time. -- Margy

Summer Skies

This summer has been unusually sunny, hot and dry here in British Columbia. There is obviously an up side to this. The weather is good for camping, outdoor activities, tourism and, of course, heading up the lake. The down side is disastrous fires in the interior. Here on the west coast we've been both careful and lucky.

Summer brings some pretty interesting clouds. Here are a two captures from our cabin in Hole in the Wall on Powell Lake. The first is some high altitude cirrocumulus clouds. They looked just like puffs of cotton floating in a bright blue sea.

The second is high altitude "mare's tails," icy cirrus clouds blown wispy by winds in the troposphere. I just love watching the changing skies. -- Margy

Strawberry Refrigerator Jam

When I got back to the cabin, my strawberry plants were loaded and there were lots of over ripe berries. I hated to throw them away, so I decided to experiment with some easy refrigerator jam.

Small Batch
Strawberry Refrigerator Jam

1 cup mashed strawberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup sugar

I picked, cleaned and mashed all of the over ripe berries. I then added some less ripe berries to bring the mashed mixture up to one cup. Actually, my recipe book recommended this as a way to elevate the natural pectin content. Then I added one tablespoon of lemon juice and one cup of sugar.

I gently heated the mixture in a heavy pot until the sugar was dissolved. Then I cooked it at a rolling boil until the candy thermometer reached 220º F (104º C). It cooked down a bit, but was still quite liquid. When it was cooled, it was still slightly runny, but oh so tasty! I put the jam in a sterilized jar, but did not complete the canning process. This jam is for immediate consumption and will be kept under refrigeration until gone.

I do want to try some real canning in the future, but for now this was a successful experiment with gustatory rewards. - Margy

Ride to Elephant Lakes

Today, Wayne and I came to town for a quad ride. The weather was warm, just perfect for riding. Thanks to a new quad trails book written by Dave, the president of the Powell River ATV Club, we feel more comfortable striking out on our own.

For today's ride we chose the Elephant Lakes Loop. Heading south on Highway 101 we exited on Stillwater Main (the first dirt road on the left after the bridge over the Lois River/Eagle Creek). At .9 km we turned right on Lois Main Forest Service Road (FSR) Branch 1 and found a wide turnout to park our truck and trailer.

This is a popular road to the Powell River Forest Canoe Route launch site and campground. We popped in to take a look and there were lots of people enjoying the lake and camping. Back on Branch 1 we continued to the junction with Lois Main FSR Branch 3 (at 3.9 km). Just after the junction you will see a road sign to confirm that you are on course. Ride on Branch 3 for another 5.1 km to an intersection. Continue straight ahead and you are on the Elephant Lakes Loop.

The trail follows old logging roads. There are lots of trees and it's cool underneath the green canopy. We did pretty well using the guide, but also had our Garmin Oregon 300 GPS with the topo maps installed. Several times we stopped to make sure we were on the right road. We made one wrong turn, but we got back on course after a quick lunch break next to the Sunshine Coast (hiking) Trail.

As you climb into alpine country, the road narrows and gets rocky. We turned off at the Sunshine Coast Trail marker pointing to Saltery Bay. The short spur ends at the hiking trail the follows the lake shore. We parked our bikes and hiked in for a ways. The foliage still had dew drops on the leaves late in the afternoon. And all along the path there were blueberry bushes with plump berries. I tasted a few, and they are almost ready to pick. Rather than continue on the loop, we back tracked to our truck.

This map is an example from the ATV Trail Guide for Powell River BC. Each trail has a written description, level of difficulty and GPS coordinates. If you would like one, stop by the Powell River Books booth at the Blackberry Street Fair on Friday, August 21, from 6:00-9:00 pm. Dave will be there to answer any questions you have about the ATV Club or Trail Guide. And a good complement to the Trail Guide would be Wayne's book Up the Main. See you there! - Margy

What Will I Find?

Today I get to go up the lake. It's my favourite place to be any time of the year, but a warm summer day is the best. We just had a much needed rain, so the clearing sky is glorious.

We just finished our first "away" vacation trip after discovering our float cabin on Powell Lake in 2000. It was a great trip to Newfoundland, but homecoming is so sweet! Wayne's already at the cabin while I'm in town getting Mom settled in the condo, and finally it's my turn.

What will I find after four weeks away? With all my mulching will my vegetable garden still be alive and well? Wayne gave me a few hints last night on the phone. He picked tomatoes and bell peppers for dinner, but didn't pull in my floating garden because of the rain. He did say that the asparagus ferns are so big he couldn't see anything beyond and that my pumpkin vine has taken over the dock, but there aren't any sets. Will the Barn Swallows have new chicks after losing their entire first brood? Have the woodrats arrived? What will I find?

Actually, it doesn’t matter. I'll find the best place in the whole world. Our cabin on Powell Lake inspired my husband Wayne to write the Coastal BC Stories series. You too can head Up the Lake and Farther Up the Lake through his books.

Do you have a place that inspires you? Maybe it is where you live, or a vacation home or destination. Maybe it is that special place to sneak away to when you want to be alone. Let us know about it and why you like it so much. -- Margy

Coming Home

I flew 3,992 nautical in an airliner, traveled 364 miles on a ferry, and drove 4,096 kilometres only to come home to Powell River BC to the most beautiful sunsets of all.

There's no place like home.

It's so good to be home, well almost! -- Margy

Camping by Airliner

That may sound a bit funny, but that's just what we did this last week. We loaded our tent, air mattresses, sleeping bags and other camp gear in duffel bags and flew by West Jet from Vancouver to Montreal to start a 10-day Canadian Maritimes and Newfoundland camping trip.

This is the second time we've done it, and both trips were very successful. It's more economical than staying in motels and hotels. But more than that, we prefer camping as a way to get to see and experience new places. Flying to a distant location maximizes the time you can spend in your desired location, rather than spending most of your vacation driving to get there.

Here are some tips if you want to try it yourself:

Preparations:

• Make airline reservations well in advance to get the best deals.
• Our camp gear and clothes fit in four duffel bags (2@24" & 2@28") and two backpacks.
• Check with the airline for bag limits. We got 2 checked and 2 carry-on each.
  
• Even though they weren't heavy, a cart at the airport made bag dragging easier.
• Check with your airline for good deals on car rental.
  
• Choose a vehicle with room to spread out wet items to dry while driving. We got a small SUV by accident and found it indispensable.
  
• Rent a vehicle with unlimited miles if you are taking a long trip.
• If you have a GPS with road maps, take it. If not, rent with the vehicle. Ours helped us out immensely.
• Buy a travel guide and map for planning, then stop at tourist information centres once you arrive.
• Make campground reservations before you leave. Most now have online services and you can cancel up to a day in advance to get a refund just like a hotel.
  

Camping gear we packed:

• Small waterproof tent.
• Small ground tarp for under the tent.
  
• Two Thermarest air mattresses.
• Two sleeping bags that stuff into small bags.
  
• Two collapsible coolers and 2-gallon Ziploc bags to keep ice from leaking, one for pop and one for food.
• Two small pillows.
• Flashlight.
  

Other items we packed:

• Clothing and personal items (1/2 duffel bag each).
• Travel books and maps.
• Inverters for recharging devices in the car.
• Rechargeable reading lights.
• Bug juice handy in the backpack.
  
• Computers, cell phones, books to read, etc.
  

Things we bought at our destination:

• Two inexpensive chairs that we gave away at our last camp.
  
• Food and drinks for snacks and emergency meals.
• Bottled water in large containers.
  
• Lots of gas and ferry fees.
  

On the road:

• Eat out (taste the local fare) or fix simple meals rather than elaborate cooking.
  
• At least one motel stop for a shampoo is nice, but many campgrounds have showers.
  
• There are enough free hotspots to stay connected.

We're already planning a return trip in the near future. But next time we'll fly directly to Newfoundland. The airfare is higher, but our costs for six days of travel to get there will be eliminated.

If you have any questions, I'd be glad to answer them here or via e-mail. And for your next camping trip, take an airliner. -- Margy

Day 10: Back to the Beginning

Today we drove from Riviere du Loup back to Montreal


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At the Riviere du Loup Camping Municipal de la Pointe campground we stumbled onto the Pleins Feux sur la Pointe that was held at the park. We went to bed with music and a DJ (English tunes, French DJ). Then at about 10:30 the fireworks started. They were SPECTACULAR and we could see them from inside our tent!

We took an alternate route, Highway 20, following the south side of the St. Lawrence River to Montreal. It's nice when you can take a circle route and see different country.

We fly out of Montreal Trudeau International Airport early in the morning, so we are staying at the Courtyard Montreal Airport again. We've come full circle. This has been a great vacation. Even with all the driving, it has been a leisurely trip.

Here are some of my reflections:

• It's a long but beautiful drive from Montreal to Newfoundland and back.
  
• Everyone in Quebec made us feel welcome, even with us speaking English.
• There are more people living in the Maritime Provinces than I thought.
• Nova Scotia has lots of small family farms with cows, hay and produce.
  
• Newfoundland was my favourite province to visit.
• Even though the waits were long, the ferry rides to/from Port-aux-Basques were fun.
  
• Sit in airline seats at the back of Atlantic Vision's Deck 8. Hurry, they fill quick.
• The MV Caribou is older but has much better seating. A cabin isn't necessary.
• The highlight of the trip for me was Gros Morne National Park.
• Stop in small fishing villages and sample the local foods.
• Get some hand knit socks or tuques as souvenirs.
  
• Take time to hike and see the land up close.
• Travel in August for fewer mosquitoes and no-see-ums, but still bring bug juice.
  
• There are enough free hotspots to keep get connected.

Thanks for following our trip to the Canadian Maritimes and Newfoundland. We are going to come back for more of Newfoundland and Labrador. -- Margy

FREE HOTSPOT WATCH: Free "wired" Internet at the Courtyard Montreal Airport. It's a good thing to carry a cable just in case.

Day 9: Byway Bypass

Today we headed to our last camping stop in Riviere du Loup, Quebec, before heading back to Montreal.


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We followed our previous course in reverse along scenic Highway 14 to Trans Canada Highway 2 in Truro, Nova Scotia. To break up the monotony of driving on the same roads, we took a scenic byway into Fredericton. It followed the St. John River all the way. It's very wide in some sections, but narrows somewhat as you near town. It looks like a great boating place with water almost slow enough to be almost lake-like.

If you remember, Fredericton is a free wireless town. Wayne and I headed back to Wilmot Park to check e-mail and upload a post using their Fred-e-Zone. It took about an hour and gave us a good break in a long driving day.

Highway 2 changed names at the border between New Brunswick and Quebec to Highway 185. It also changed from a four lane divided highway to a two land road with lots of construction. But it was still pretty easy driving. With Wayne and I taking turns, it isn't so bad having 8-10 hour days.

We arrived at Riviere du Loup before 5:00 and checked into Camping Municipal de la Pointe. It is a nice park at the edge of town near the ferry terminal on the St. Lawrence River.

We have been pleasantly surprised with all the help we've received as English speakers in this French speaking province. We feared the worst, but have found the best. And they even have wireless access right in the camping area. Not bad, but I have to quit before the mosquitoes eat me alive! -- Margy

FREE HOTSPOT WATCH: Fred-e-Zone is Fredericton NB's free citywide wireless service and we enjoyed using it again on our return trip. Our Riviere du Loup campground Camping Municipal de la Pointe has wireless right to the campsite.

Day 8: Long Rides and Big Tides

Today we started our trip back south heading from North Sydney to the world famous Bay of Fundy.


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We left North Sydney too early to stop for "The Best Tasting Chicken on the Island" (Cape Breton) at the Lick-a-Chick Restaurant in Bras D'Or. We saw it on our way north, but didn't have the time then either. You could smell the chicken cooking all the way out on the highway. The adjacent Lick-a-Cone didn’t look half bad either. Too bad, but we were looking for a breakfast stop.

We pulled off the road at Baddeck along the Bras d’Or Lake. This is a long lake that is open to the ocean at both ends. There’s a marina here with large sailboats and cruisers. We walked down to the docks and then up the street to the Yellow Cello Café. It had a good business going, but we got a table inside and our breakfast was ready in no time. Benneck has two claims to fame. In 1885, Alexander Graham Bell and his wife Mabel discovered Baddeck and built a summer home here where they lived until their death in 1922. It is also the birthplace of Canadian powered aviation with the Silver Dart. Now it looks to be cottage country. Busy little place, then and now!

Our drive today is backtracking down Cape Breton on Highway 105 to the Canso Causeway. We had to stop and wait for the bridge to close after three boats made it through the canal. After we junctioned with Highway 102 towards Halifax we decided to try a byway instead. We turned onto Highway 14, a two lane road through farming country. The crops of choice are hay and corn. There were also some dairies along the way. Here they bale their hay in rounds covered in plastic. It they sit in the green fields like giant white caterpillars.

The coastal plain continues to be farm country. We saw vegetables such as broccoli, potatoes, onions, more corn and of course hay. The farms are small family operations with a house and barn near the road. Periodically there’s a small village with minimal services such as a general store and possibly a gas pump. Churches are important here. As you gaze across the green fields you will see a spire rising in the distance.


At Highway 101 (no relation to our west coast Highway 101 that starts in Lund), we turned west for the Bay of Fundy. We decided to stop for an early dinner in Wolfville. This is the location of Acadia University. It has a restored downtown with quaint restaurants and shops. We ate at Paddy’s Brew Pub. Since it was Wayne’s turn to drive, I had their Annapolis Valley Ales. It was smooth and rich, just the way I like it. We grazed on appies and then headed out to the Bay of Fundy.

Just past Canning we found our campground for the night, Blomidon Provincial Park. It's located right on the Bay of Fundy, the location of the highest tides in the world. Our campground was right on the edge of the Bay of Fundy. It’s perched on a cliff of red earth with sweeping views of the bay. We had reservations, but when we checked in they were still assigning sites to drop in campers. Our site is large and protected by trees and shrubs. At least in our section of the park, you don’t feel like you’re crowded up against another camper.

We hiked the Jodrey Trail to a viewpoint overlooking the bay. The cliffs are crumbling so you couldn’t get too close. The tide was just starting to ebb, so you can’t see much difference yet. In the distance we could hear thunderclaps, but so far all we have is a chilly breeze. This is only the second time I’ve had to wear my jacket on the trip. Think I’ll get in the tent and snuggle down in my warm, cozy sleeping bag. -- Margy