Merganser Duckling Train

Last week I saw something for the very first time, a mother Common Merganser with her ducklings in tow. Rather than swimming behind mom, they were either on her back or linked up trailing behind.

This Merganser swam by our cabin with about eight ducklings lined up behind. I was intrigued, so did some online research. Mergansers lay from 6-17 eggs.

The next day I saw another family at the Narrows barge ramp while we were out quadding. This mom only had four. Mergansers nest in holes in trees up to 100 feet off the ground. Amazingly, the ducklings leap down within days after hatching. Here's an amazing video by ksninew:

That must really hurt when they hit the ground, and this nesting box was only about six feet up. -- Margy

Powell Lake Narrows Logging Road Quad Ride

Last weekend we went for a quad ride on one of Powell Lake's logging road systems. Logging companies open up the backcountry for their own purposes, but they also provide a great service to recreational users who want to get through dense forested areas to enjoy nature and reach high points for immense vista views.

Narrows barge ramp.

Using a new (to us) barge, we were able to take our quads to the Narrows dock and ramp near where Goat River empties into Powell Lake. This is not an active logging spot at the moment, so we were able to unload and then park the barge at the nearby dock. We ended up camping for the night to make it a two day adventure.

Trees of all sizes.

The logging roads lead through forested areas about 100 years old, and slashes that are in a wide range of regrowth from current plantings through trees already decades old. The Western Forest Products Stillwater Forest Operation encompasses the land surrounding Powell Lake.

Powell Lake from Narrows Main with float cabins along the shore.

Click here to see online maps of the region. Care needs to be taken when using logging roads. Western Forest Products has a 24/7 hotline at 604-485-3132 where you can get up-to-date information about logging, road building, and hauling activity.

Powell Lake looking towards the Rainbow area near sunset.

Ferns and Fallers is a new publication by Powell River Living Magazine that highlights the partnership between the logging and recreational communities in and around Powell River.

Powell River is a great place to visit, especially if you love nature, outdoor activities, and getting away from it all. -- Margy

Cabin Baking: Margy's Whole Wheat Bread

This is my most recent bread baking experience. We enjoyed the flax bread I made last month. This time we wanted a lighter one for toast and croutons. I chose a recipe from my Fannie Farmer Cookbook and cut it in half for one loaf.

Margy's Whole Wheat Bread

2 cups whole what flour
1 1/2 to 2 cups white flour
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar

Heat milk and oil to lukewarm. I used one small can of evaporated milk with water to equal the full amount. Evaporated milk is easy to keep on hand off the grid.

Mix 1 cup wheat and 1 cup white flour with yeast, salt, and sugar. Beat in liquid ingredients for 2 minutes.

Add remaining cup of wheat flour and beat until well mixed. Add as much white flour as needed to make a soft dough that pulls away from the bowl.

Turn out on a lightly floured board and knead several times. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Use white flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the board.

Place in a greased bowl and turn over to coat all sides to keep it from drying.

Cover and let rise until the dough doubles is size. This time of year I use the pilot head in my oven.

Punch down and shape into a loaf. Place the dough into a greased 5 X 9 inch pan. Cover and let rise again until doubled in size.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped.

Remove from the pan to cool on a rack or turned sideways on the bread board.

I'm not an expert bread baker. In fact, I'm quite a newbie. But it's fun to stretch my skills to become more self sufficient.

It takes 25 minutes each way to get to the marina and another 15 minutes to drive to the store. Plus the cost of gas and our carbon footprint. Baking at home between trips makes a lot of sense.

What kinds of things do you do to become more self sufficient? -- Margy

"Totem Poles and Tea" by Hughina Harold

I'm always on the lookout for books to read about Coastal British Columbia. Finding them for my Kindle is a plus. I recently found and read Totem Poles and Tea by Hughina Harold.

Hughina, in her early twenties, had just graduated from Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria with a nursing degree and Victoria Normal School, but finding a job during the Depression was difficult. Through a classmate she obtained a position as a teacher with community nursing duties at Mamalilikulla on remote up-coast Village Island where the Anglican Church had a mission outpost and day school for First Nation children.

Alert Bay on Cormorant Island from the air.

In 1935, Hughina set off for Alert Bay on Cormorant Island as her first stop. She had many misgivings about the assignment, but was adventurous and open to new experiences. Village Island was a three hour rugged boat ride east of Alert Bay.  Here, Hughina lived in a very rustic float house with two older, dedicated English women who used their private funds to build a combined church and school, and refuge for children suffering from tuberculosis.

Totem poles at the Alert Bay cemetery.

The memoir covers the two years Hughina spent on Village Island and recounts her experiences with the two English women she called Guardian Angels (GA's), First Nations residents on Village Island, those in nearby villages needing her nursing services, and early loggers and their families eking a living from the lush forests along the many coastal islands and inlets.

Old cannery in Alert Bay.

I really enjoyed Hughina's book for several reasons: 1) foremost was Hughina's ability to put her experiences into a cohesive, well-written tale, 2) she made me feel like I was right beside her in that derelict gas boat being tossed about in Blackfish Sound, 3) I've been to Alert Bay by airplane, but would love to explore the area by boat someday, and 4) this is a slice of Coastal BC history that is quickly being lost.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. -- Margy

UBC Underwater Investigation

Powell Lake is our home. It's an unusual lake because of its origin, and its contents.

In 2006, Wayne and I heard about studies conducted in glacial carved Powell Lake to investigate trapped ancient sea water. We just had to do an underwater investigation of our own. A friend loaned us a Kemmerer Bottle and we dropped it down over 1000 feet to bring up trapped prehistoric salt water. You can read more here.

To our surprise, a few weeks ago we saw a truck with the University of British Columbia Earth and Ocean Sciences logo putting a skookum boat into Powell Lake. We just had to go investigate. We met Professor Pawlowicz, one of his grad students, and the driver.

They came to take and test underwater samples with a device much more elaborate than our little Kemmerer Bottle, and hundreds of times more expensive.  We couldn't stay, but plan to reconnect with Professor Pawlowicz to hear the results. 


Learning more about our lake home is fun.  Doesn't it look like it would be fun to take one of his classes? And we shared a copy of Up the Strait which includes a chapter all about our own underwater investigation. -- Margy

Repairing a Cooler Bag

Some things look good when you buy them, but turn out to have major flaws. We packed a cloth-sided cooler for an overnight cruise. Carrying the heavily packed cooler down to the boat put a lot of stress on the handle attachment points, resulting in ripped open cloth sides and exposed foam insulation.

We needed to find a way to make it better than new. First, I stitched the ripped sides closed at the handle attachment points. I salvaged a shoulder strap from a damaged folding chair bag and used it to wrap around the bottom of the cooler for extra support.

I stitched the strap to both sides of the bottom, to the side trim (the original stress point), and the plastic loops where the handles attached to the cooler. I snugged the strap around the bottom so it would support the weight when the cooler was full.


The result is a cloth-sided cooler that's better than new. A stitch in time didn't save nine (it took me more like a hundred), but it did save more than nine dollars. That's a plus in my book.

Have you made something better than new? How did it work out for you? -- Margy

Bird Nest Ground Protection

Yesterday you read about a pair of Barn Swallows building a nest at the back of our cabin. We love having them spend the summer, but the area beneath the nest can get pretty messy, especially when chicks are growing up. They just hang their bums over the edge of the nest and let go, literally. I don't want all that mess on our deck.

I decided to nail heavy plastic below the nest. Then I can easily wash the poop off with a liberal splash of water and a whisk of the broom.

I'll be careful not to intrude too much. I don't want to scare the parents away.

Do you have birds nesting at your house? How do you handle the mess around the nest? -- Margy