Tent Caterpillar Devastation

The word devastation may sound harsh, but it's true. Take a look at this alder tree at the Shinglemill Marina with newly hatched tent caterpillars. Yes, a few leaves have been stripped down to the veins, but by and large the foliage is intact. The following picture is just two weeks later. All those green leaves have been devoured.

The caterpillars have eaten themselves out of house and home, letting the blue sky shine through where once there was a canopy of leaves.

The picture above shows two large caterpillar tents, branches, seed-bearing catkins, and not much else. Now the caterpillars are on the move looking for their next (last?) meal. The caterpillars feast for 5-6 weeks before making a cocoon to change into a pupa. They undergo metamorphosis for three weeks inside and emerge as a short-lived moth. In only five days, the moths mate and females lay clusters of about 150 eggs. New caterpillars remain suspended over winter, to emerge again in late spring to start the process all over again. -- Margy

Giant Salamander Roams Goat Island

Our summer sun has been interspersed with cloudy afternoons. On this one, the reflection of a giant salamander roams across the face of Goat Island. I wonder what he'll find to eat.

Have you seen any interesting cloud formations lately? -- Margy

A Classic Powell Lake Tug Marline W

I've mentioned before that Powell Lake is both a recreational and working lake, and boats are an important part of each function. From our front porch at the float cabin, we see work boats, tugs, barges and log booms traveling up and down the lake. One classic tug that plies our waters is the Marline W.


The Marline W is a wooden hull classic tug. It's moored in the Powell Lake (Shinglemill) Marina, but can be seen up and down the lake doing a variety of jobs.


Here she's towing a barge that brought building materials up to a float cabin that was being rebuilt. I know a wood hull is a challenge to maintain, but isn't she a beauty?

If you are interested in a classic boat, the Marline W is currently for sale. -- Margy

Gibsons Beach, Powell River BC

On Highway 101 just north of the Wildwood section of Powell River you'll find an access road heading down to Gibsons Beach. Gibsons is a day use beach that is often uncrowded. It offers trees for shade, picnic tables, a grassy bluff, and a mix of rock and sand at the shore. There's plenty of parking near the picnic area.

Or you can drive around to the south side to find a rustic boat ramp and more parking.

In addition to beach activities, Gibsons is a great place to launch a kayak to explore Sliammon's Scuttle Bay or across the strait to Harwood Island. You can read more about our kayak excursion in Wayne's Coastal BC Stories book Up the Main. Right now you can get it FREE if you are a Kindle or e-book reader. -- Margy

Boardwalk Restaurant in Lund BC

The Boardwalk Restaurant is located in Lund, BC, where Highway 101 (the Pan-American Highway) meets its northern terminus on the Strait of Georgia. The restaurant sits gracefully on pilings over the shallow bay behind the Lund Marina. Take a walk along the scenic boardwalk and stay for a wonderful meal.

I had some business to conduct in Lund (delivering some Coastal BC Stories books to Deborah at Tug-Guhm Gallery), so I took the opportunity to have lunch at The Boardwalk Restaurant. The location over the water right next to the marina can't be beat . Even though it rained earlier in the day, they let me eat outdoors on the deck.

The menu is varied, with an emphasis on local seafood. The day I was there you could get spot prawns right off the boat, and fresh clams, mussels, sockeye salmon, ling cod, and halibut. There are other items including burgers and steaks. The Boardwalk is known locally for their excellent fish and chips.

Since it was lunch, I opted for the one piece salmon fish and chips. The salmon was battered in a very crispy crust and came with homemade fries and tartar sauce. A small portion of fresh greens with vinaigrette rounded out the tasty meal. To go along with it, I picked an on-tap beer from the new Powell River Townsite Brewery. Now that make a "working day" well worth the trip.

You can find the Boardwalk Restaurant in Lund, BC, or reach them at (604) 483-2201. -- Margy

Powell River Bridge

Last week I shared remnants of the old Wildwood Bridge spanning Powell River. This week I'm sharing its replacement. Thanks to Paul at A Powell River Photo Blog, I got some information about the new bridge. In his post, View of a Bridge, I learned that it was built in 1966 (well before my time in Powell River) and is of a truss arch design. Check out Paul's post. I like the angle in his picture.

We drive over the bridge to get from town to the Shinglemill marina to head up the lake. We are always in such a hurry to get home, we don't take much time to appreciate it's structure or beauty.

This view looks towards the Powell River dam and chuck (ocean) beyond. It may be small, but the large flow of water out of Powell Lake is enough to generate electricity for the paper mill with some to spare. -- Margy

Let Sleeping Geese Stand

One morning last week, Wayne woke up early and saw an interesting sight. I'm a late sleeper, but he though it was important enough to wake me up. Two Canada Geese were sleeping on the boom log in front of our cabin. Amazingly, they were standing on one leg with heads tucked under their wings.

I woke one up, but he stayed standing on one leg. With such a huge body weight (about 3-9 kg/7-20 lbs), it must take a lot of strength and balance to sleep that way.

I told Wayne to keep an eye on them. After all, this isn't a bed and breakfast resort. Geese have been known to hop on my floating garden and have a snack. I told our friend Ed, and later I got this in my email.

He always has an interesting sense of humour. And no, the geese didn't drop in for a bite. They took off to have their morning meal somewhere else on the lake. -- Margy