Clean Sucia Island

Boating in the Pacific Northwest has been a lot of fun. First there is the 2452 Bayliner we purchased last Spring for US boating. We keep it in Squalicum Harbor in Bellingham, handy for overnight stays and quick trips to the San Juan Islands.

There are lots of choices for cruising in the Pacific Northwest within easy reach of Bellingham. And I am amazed at how many marine parks are maintained by the state. Most have mooring balls in addition to places to anchor. Some even have docks for shore access and exploration if you don't have a dinghy like us. Last Friday our destination was Sucia Island Marine Park.

Sucia is north of Orcas Island and just below the Canadian border at the southern end of the Strait of Georgia. It is horseshoe shaped with six bays to choose from. For our first stay, we selected Echo Bay. It is the largest and busiest of the anchorages. All the mooring balls (fee based) were taken, so we opted to anchor and swing in the warm evening air.

The bay contained lots of boats, but it didn't feel crowded. Lots of people were heading to shore for thr wooded hiking trails, camping spots, and picnic tables. We put up our chairs on the back deck and enjoyed a picnic dinner with a great view of Mt. Baker.

I speak a bit of Spanish and wondered why they named such a beautiful place Sucia (dirty). It has no bearing on the lovely land, it's because of all the rocky reefs that were dangerous or "foul," another use of the word sucia. I can imagine old sailing ships not wanting to get anywhere near those outer shores.

Check out some of Washington State's marine parks. Here are some guides we use to help:

A Dreamspeaker Cruising Guide: The San Juan Islands
Exploring the San Juan and Gulf Islands
Gunkholing in the San Juan Islands

Margy

My Floating Garden in Our Canada Magazine

This has been quite the year for my floating garden media-wise. First it won a Sunset magazine Facebook gardening picture contest prize and had its picture in the June 2011 issue. Then my garden was highlighted in an article on Duane Burnett's Sunshine Coast website. This month I am very proud to announce that Our Canada magazine has chosen to run a full-page story in their August/September 2011 issue.

I love Our Canada and More of Our Canada magazines. They are completely made up from articles by Canadians about Canadian topics. How great is that? Three years ago, they ran a story by Wayne about our float cabin home. Then they included several of our pictures in their book Our Canada: Picture Perfect. Now the story I wrote about my floating garden has been published.

You can click on the image to make a full-screen image to read the story "A Moveable Feast: Ingenuity keeps this unique garden afloat." Or check out Page 44 in the August/September 2011 issue for the real thing. Subscriptions are available through their website, or you can purchase an online version here.

If you would like to read more about my floating garden here are a few links:

Vegetable Gardening with a Twist
Container Garden Hits and Misses
Double Barreled Watering
All Gardening Topics

Thank you so much Our Canada magazine. And if any of my readers have questions, please let me know. -- Margy

Angel or Devil

Our good friend John shares his wonderful lab named Bro with us when he comes to visit. Bro can either be a bundle of energy doing his crazy-man dance, or snoozing in a soft spot.

But I think he may have another side that he only reveals to the camera -- devil dog.


Want to read more about this amazing dog? Try these:

Bro the Labrador Retriever
Snow Dog
Bro Drives to the City
Night Watchman

Bro is also an important character in Wayne's Coastal BC Stories books. I don't know how many times we've been out together and someone says, "Isn't that Bro?"

Do you have a special dog in your life? Tell us about him or her. -- Margy

Logs on Fire

Logs floating along my boom capture seeds from the wind or birds stopping by for a short rest. The result is a natural floating garden.

I call this log Bede after the Bede Corporation kit jet airplane. If you go to their website you'll see the resemblance. Here Bede is sporting several tall fireweeds. You usually find them in disturbed soil such as log slashes. But Bede's sunny location is a close approximation I guess. Plus, there's plenty of water for the roots growing down through his cracks and crevices. -- Margy

Swinomish Channel Swing Rail Bridge

You've read a bit this week about our cruise to La Conner through the Swinomish Channel. As we passed the swing railroad bridge at the north entrance to the channel, the sky to the north started to brighten.

The bridge remains open for boat traffic to pass unless a train comes on it's way towards Anacortes.

Tucked along side the bridges over the Swinomish Channel were some classic work boats.










And a funky little community of homes or cabins along the water's edge. One had a big for sale sign if you are interested. -- Margy

Misty Beach

On our way back from our quad ride to Marg's Manor, we stopped at Misty Beach on Haslam Lake. It's a site that has been developed and maintained by the Wednesday Trail Crew. This group of dedicated Powell River ATV riders has built many trails, bridges, and campsites for everyone to enjoy.

The trail down from East Haslam Main was a bit steep, but it levels out as you near the water. On the way you pass a classy new outhouse, well away from the watershed into this lake that provides drinking water for the City of Powell River. Dave (supported by Marg of course) is instrumental in many of the Wednesday Trail Crew projects such as this.

Misty Beach is a beautiful spot for lunch, or an overnight stay. On the point there's a picnic table with a dynamite view. The nearby creek adds a calming effect, and the lake invites you to take a dip on a hot summer day.

This ride was perfect for me. It was easy, yet had some challenging spots. And visiting Marg's Manor and Misty Beach for the first time reminded me what a great place Powell River is to live.

Want to read more about back country adventures in and around Powell River? Wayne has written two books on the subject. The first to be released in 2006 was Up the Main. That was followed by Farther Up the Main this year. Both books share stories about places to ride and explore, and are available in print, e-book and Kindle formats. -- Margy

Up the Main to Giavanno Lake

This year I haven't been able to ride my quad much. In fact, my last ride was in May 2010 with our friend Jeanne who was visiting from Bellingham. That's fourteen months. So Wayne and I called our friends Dave and Marg from the Powell River ATV Club and invited them to join us for an easy ride.

We started at the parking area near Edgehill School on Abbotsford Street. This is a great place to begin a ride right in town. And on this partly sunny Sunday, we had it all to ourselves. That one we never did figure out. Usually it's pretty full on summer weekends.

The Edgehill Trail System leads from town right into the bush. Within ten feet you are enveloped by green forest and lush ferns. The intertwining trails lead to Duck Lake Forest Service Road which connects with logging roads that lead farther inland. Is that Wayne telling one if his fish tales?

From Duck Lake Bridge we headed east on Duck Lake FSR Branch 1. This transitions to East Haslam Main then Giavanno Main. At this point, there is excellent signage posted by the PRATV Club. The trail down to Marg's Manor on Giavanno Lake is unmarked, so you'll have to watch your mileage (see below for information about purchasing a local ATV Trail Guide). The trail was a bit challenging for this rusty rider, so Dave gave me a hand at the worst spot.

Marg's Manor is a wonderful little campsite on Giavanno Lake. Poki's place is on the north end. Marg's Manor is on the east shore where it gets lots of sunlight.There's a tent platform and a covered area for relaxing and cooking if the weather doesn't cooperate. And yes, it's named for my good friend Marg.

Giavanno is a beautiful lake surrounded by towering forest. A dock lets you get out to deeper water to cast a line for waiting trout. Or you can use one of the boats, but please leave them and the oars for the next visitors.

Do you want to explore the great outdoors in Powell River? Would you like a book full of maps and trail descriptions with GPS locations? There's a great book written by Dave, the president of the Powell River ATV Club. It’s called the ATV Trail Guide and costs $25. If want a copy, you can contact PRATV at their website. They are also on sale locally in Powell River at Quality Parts and Guy's Cycle Works. All profits support trail maintenance and building activities. -- Margy