Author: arcturus

Olympic Torch Relay – Feb 4

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Thursday was just an amazing day.
The Olympic Torch Relay started the day at the far end of the Sunshine Coast in Powell River.

Pender Harbour, Sechelt, Roberts Creek & Gibsons all had community celebrations as the Torch passed through.
This is our celebration in Langdale. Members of the community started arriving 2 hours before the Torch, just to be a part of the excitement. Many took advantage of the beautiful sunshine and walked down to the celebration.

The yellow ponchos are the 100+ Langdale Elementary students. As we planned the event over the past month, we were very concerned about rain or snow for the big day. We wanted the kids to be dry & we also wanted to be able to identify all the kids. We tried for red Canadian ponchos, but couldn’t find enough so yellow was the winner. The television photos were great with the swarm of yellow poncho kids following the flame down the ferry ramp. Great images and they made the National CTV broadcast!

The event was just fabulous. We had people of all ages from our local community, many dressed in red for Canada. Our raven from Rababoo Puppet Theatre shown here was loved by the children. Music, games, clowns, prizes and pictures kept the crowd excited as we awaited the flame’s arrival.
Bill McCormick was the final torchbearer on the Sunshine Coast. He is a BC Ferry employee and fittingly brought the flame through the terminal and onto the Coastal Renaissance for its trip up the Sea-to-Sky Highway to Squamish.

The kids followed the Torch down the ramp chanting GO CANADA all the way and waiving the flags they had made. It was a very special moment. You can see me in the background on the left…the really tall person. (ok, I am standing on a barricade so that I could see)
Once on board the ship, Bill lit a cauldron which carried the Flame across Howe Sound to Horseshoe Bay.

Last photos as the Torch sails away.


Everyone went back to Langdale Elementary for treats…red & white cupcakes and cocoa. Yum! The kids had a great time and all of us had a very memorable day.

Howe Sound – Feb 3

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It was a gorgeous afternoon on Wednesday. I had the chance to go for a long walk for the first time in a while. Good excercise with a purpose…I was posting flyers for Thursday’s Torch Relay celebration right here in Langdale.

It had been a very foggy morning, but the sun came out and burned through the clouds. Only this whispy strands were left by mid-afternoon. I love these days….Howe Sound has a mystic quality sometimes.

These shots are from our Grizzly Bear balcony because I forgot the camera when I headed out on the trek.


You can see there is lots of snow to the left but there is very little to the right. Cypress Mountain is just to the right of the picture…not much snow there either. Just a patch where they will have the freestyle skiing & snowboarding events.

Olympic Line Streetcars – Jan 22

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Friday was a gorgeous day with sunshine and warm temps for January. I was on my way to the Seattle Travel Show, but had some extra time before leaving Vancouver. The previous day had been the grand opening of the Olympic Line – Vancouver’s new streetcar system that will operate during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
I decided to take the streetcar for a spin. What a ride! I was not the only local having an adventure that day. Multiple parents were pushing strollers and showing off the streetcar to the kids. Other lucky residents playing hooky from work like me were enjoying the beautiful day.
The Olympic Line connects the Athlete’s Village and downtown Vancouver with Granville Island. From downtown, I hopped on the Canada Line to 2nd Ave/Cambie. As you exit the train, you literally walk across the parking lot to the new Olympic Line station. From there it is a quick 3 minute smooth and quiet ride to the fabulous Granville Island Market. Best of all, the ride is FREE! Leather seats, clean and sparkling new, and a bit of adventure makes for a fun travel experience.
I only wish the streetcars were a permanent part of the Vancouver transit system. So much more fun than riding the bus, and extremely energy efficient running on electricity. I can just picture these sleek quiet cars whisking visitors and residents along the existing tracks on the North Shore. What a beautiful ride it would be along Marine drive from Lonsdale Quay to Park Royal and then to Horseshoe Bay. Oh…a girl can dream, can’t she?

Snickett Park – Jan 18, 2010

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So, it’s the middle of January…the heart of Canadian winter. Well as you can see from these photos, there are only the smallest patches of snow remaining at the very top of the mountains. Look closely…it is still there…only at 1,000 meters or more.
Here along the beach of the Georgia Straight on the Pacific Ocean, temperatures are about 12C (54F) and every couple of days we get this gorgeous sunshine.
Overnight, we had just had huge storms with gale force winds and heavy rain. This coupled with high tides created lots of debris along the shore, though you can’t really see it here. Most of the rural areas were without power for hours as crews repaired the lines and removed fallen tree branches.
Meanwhile, many people were out to celebrate the sun, the warm temperatures and one of those many picture perfect days here on the Sunshine Coast. Maybe the storm was nature’s way of reminding us to get away from the computer and the office and to get outside to appreciate her.

These pictures are from Snickett Park which is a popular seaside trail in downtown Sechelt. Dog walking is an extremely popular activity here. Others finish off the walk with a friendly conversation on the many park benches taking in the spectacular view.

Here is to more days spent outside…at least for part of the day.

Polar Bear Swim – Jan 1, 2010

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I started off 2010 with a goal of taking in as many Sunshine Coast festivals as possible this year. First up, the annual Polar Bear Swim at Davis Bay on New Year’s Day. No ice and snow in sight this year, just a little wind and light rain. Too warm for any hypothermia but still a fun time for all involved.

The event kicked of with a few brave soles under the age of 12.

They were soon followed by a crowd of adults of all ages who braved the high tide and cool waters.

I think I will wait until summer to dip my toes in the ocean. Davis Bay is the largest public beach on the Sunshine Coast and a very popular destination. It sits at the mouth of Chapman Creek making it great for salmon fishing.

Fly! Sunshine Coast – September 30, 2009

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I had the most amazing experience this week with my new friends Greg & Dana who own Fly!, a local air service. They are based at the Sechelt Airport and available for scenic tours, taxi service, and flight instruction. We had a beautiful sunny day and had a fabulous tour of the Sunshine Coast.

We flew north over Sechelt and over Sechelt Inlet, Salmon Inlet, and crossed the mountains to Jervis Inlet. We then came down over the Skookumchuck Narrows, Pender Harbour, and down the Georgia Strait coastline over Secret Cove, Halfmoon Bay and back to Sechelt.

This 2nd picture was the highlight of the day. This lake is about 2,500′ completely surrounded by forest. At the near end of the lake, there is an amazing waterfall that tumbles into Jervis Inlet below.


Sechlet really is the “land between 2 waters”. The Georgia Strait is in the foreground and Sechelt Inlet lies behind the town.

4 of us went up in a 4 passenger Cessna. It was very interesting to be able to see all the dials and gauges while we flew.

It is amazing the different perspective you get once up in the air. I know I live in the forest, but you tend to forget the immensity of this forest until you get above and see the vastness. There are just so many trees!

Fresh new snow on the mountains!

Safe approach back to the Sechelt Airport.

What a great trip! I would highly recommend a trip with Fly! the next time you visit the Sunshine Coast.

To see these areas on a map, click here.

Princess Louisa Inlet – September 13, 2009

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Wow! Where did the summer go? I am very happy to say that Arcturus Retreat B&B has been very busy hosting guests from around the world. So many guests means no time to blog and not much time to hike. Now that autumn has arrived, I hope to get back in the swing of things.

My best adventure of late was while hosting a friend as B&B guest. We got to play tour guide showing off our favourite Sunshine Coast places, and I tagged along for a real treat, Princess Louisa Inlet. Bryce Christie of Sunshine Coast Tours is a wonderful tour guide. He really knows the history and the geography of the area, and is able to share information in an interesting way. Tours sail daily during the summer and less frequently in other months.

I highly recommend this trip to everyone. My pictures can’t begin to do justice to the amazing scenery. The only place I have ever been that approaches the natural beauty is Milford Sound in New Zealand. I would love to see the fjords of Norway someday to compare.

The peaks are just over 8,000 feet and the water is another 1,000 feet deep. The granite rock face is amazing. The sheer mountains go straight down, so boats can navigate incredibly close to shore.

We travelled 2 hours by boat out of Egmont on the Sunshine Coast up through Jervis Inlet and then into Princess Louisa Inlet. It is hard to believe that all this natural beauty is so close to my home. This is one of the many areas of BC coastline that are only accessible by water. Very difficult mountainous terrain keeps people away and leaves nature in all its glory.

Princess Louisa Provincial Park includes Chatterbox Falls and a bit of parkland around it. We were able to take a short hike to the base of the falls and have a picnic lunch. It really was an amazing day.


Soda Pop Falls

Albert Glacier

Wildlife Up Close – August 6, 2009

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This was the view from my window when I first woke up this morning. Deer have been visiting regularly as the plums have ripened, but this morning was a special treet. A doe and her fawn were enjoying plums and leaves for breakfast. If you look closely, you can see the white spots on the fawn. I just had time to admire and find the camera before they were on their way. Luckily one of our guests was up early enough to see the show as well.

We had picked a handful of plums before today…just enough for a quick snack and to make the first plum-blueberry cobbler of the season. YUM! With deer arriving daily to snack and wanting to avoid the black bear, we started picking for real tonight. Over 50 lbs of yellow plums are now in and that is only the beginning. We didn’t even have the ladder out except for about 5 minutes. I will definitely be at the Fiddlehead Farmers Market on Saturday with fresh plums, plum muffins, and maybe plum galettes.

Commotion by the Ocean – August 1, 2009

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Monday is BC Day so we celebrated the long weekend by making a trip to Gambier Island for Commotion by the Ocean. Gambier is the island I see out my window every day, but in 3 years I had never visited.

Commotion by the Ocean is an annual event with food, family fun and great music to raise money for community activites on Gambier Island. The weather was absolutely wonderful today and they had a great turnout. Burgers and beer on a summer evening with fabulous local bands surrounded by the forest. What could be better? This picture is looking back from Gambier Island to our home at the base of Mt Elphinstone. Note the 7km/h speed limit….ahhhh island life.

Sibling Rivals was fantastic, and boy can this gal play tenor sax. The crowd was up dancing the entire time for both sets. Nearly Neil is a great cover band with terrific energy. Bobby Bruce can totally do Neil Diamond…it’s amazing. I could have listened to these groups all night. Unfortunately, the official gig wraps up at 9pm so that all of us mainlanders can catch the last ferry off the island. However, I am sure that the locals are still going strong even now. We thank them for starting mid-afternoon so that we can enjoy many hours of great music.

I am looking forward to a return trip next year.

Rainbows – July 25, 2009

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Mother Nature is just amazing. Tonight we were treated to a fabulous display of lightning and beautiful rainbows. Now for many people, this is a common occurance. However, on the south coast of British Columbia we don’t see lightning very often….and especially not over an hour of both cloud to cloud and cloud to ground snake lightning.

Things got started about 9pm which is 45 minutes before sunset. The storms were to the east over the North Shore Mountains so while watching lightning displays in 1 direction, the sun was shining with clear skies to the west. The result was this fabulous rainbow which the pictures just don’t show the real effect. I could only get a shot of the rainbow base…it was a full arc with the entire shape in sight out over Howe Sound. At times it was a double rainbow in full grandeur. As the sun set, the sky became a wild shade of red as the storm built.

Once the sun was down, the storm really kicked in. Major lightning display across the entire horizen for a full hour. While it was only sprinkling here, the rain was so heavy over the water that I could no longer see the mountains. Eventually it poured here as well which was wonderful after months of unseasonal dry weather.

I only hope the lightning didn’t spark any wildfires. The forest is extremely dry and there are major fires in other parts of the province.