Riding the Francis Barkley

From Port Alberni, we rode the Francis Barkley to Bamfield. It is a passenger and freight ship that services all the small coastal communities. It was a great way to spend the day hanging out on the ship and seeing nature. From the boat, we saw bears, sea lions and bald eagles.

The Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre

This unique centre is affiliated with the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, The University of Victoria, The University of Alberta (in Edmonton) and The University of Calgary. Two years ago they built a new building on the site with a "clam shell" roof. It is a cool building and has a great view of the town.

Hanging at Bamfield / Brady Beach

Marlene and I spent a day and a half in Bamfield. It's a neat little town. They have a great beach that is literally steps away from their "down-town" area.

Panarama of Brady Beach

Four pictures are put together to show the view.

Marlene at Brady Beach

Marlene checks out the area and collects sea shells (along the sea shore).

Geoff at Brady Beach

Hanging out and taking in the scenery.

Hiking The West Coast Trail

Marlene and I hiked a small section of the north part of the West Coast Trail. We spent 3 days of hiking and 2 nights camping on the beaches. The views and the weather were spectacular. The only rain we got was on the last 4 km hiking out (... and we really got drenched).

Sea Lions

Marlene and I had a break at the 9 km mark and checked out the Sea Lions. There were probably a hundred big lazy sea lions hanging out on a rock. It was very cool watching them ... but the smell wasn't so great. (click on the photo to see a bigger version and to see the sea lions)

Marlene Versus the Ladders

Marlene conquers lactic acid and the ladders. We had a 12 km stretch to the first campsite. It took us around 4.5 hrs to reach Michigan Creek.

Geoff + Marlene leaving Michigan Creek

We're all packed up and ready to hike to Tscowis Creek.

Rocks and Logs

The beach near Michigan Creek had a stretch of big rocks. When carrying a 40 pound backpack, it was a real work-out on the ankles.

Washed Up Log

Another pic of the neat rocks and logs.

Beach View

We had 5 km of fabulous weather and hiking between our camping spots (between Michigan and Tscowis).

Marlene along the beach trail

Another spectacular view on the trail.

Sea Cave

Along the hike, we spotted a sea cave. It was big enough to stand in.

Shipwrecks

The stretch of coast was often referred to as "the Graveyard of the Pacific". Included are a couple of pics of some wrecks we saw.

Setting Up Camp at Tscowis

Tscowis had some great campsites and Marlene and I had the entire place to ourselves.

... Now That's A Campfire!!!

There's nothing better than camping on the beach and having a big campfire.

Art On The Farm / August 26

Marlene sold 9 paintings and a lot of chicken cards at the event. Marlene even had an order for a series of chicken paintings. People seemed to really like her stuff.
Our friend Rosina had a table beside us. She painted some beautiful flower images. She sold some paintings and had a couple of orders to paint a few more. It was a fun day of hanging out and talking to a lot of people. I think the final tally for the event was around 400 people. Next year looks like it will be even bigger and better.

Marlene and Sham

Sham is Marlene's friend from kindergarden -- they've been friends forever. Sham did some cool paper mache monsters for the sale. We bought one of her "Super" monsters. This is a photo of a cool frog monster she did -- very fun!!!

Posing At The Docks

After a hot day of vending, everyone piled into a couple of vehicles and drove off to Cultus Lake. The weather was hot all day and the beach was a big treat.

Swimming at Cultus Lake

The swimmers in the group jumped into the lake and swam to the docks. The non-swimmers enviously stayed dry on the side lines.

Around the Campfire / Sham and Peter

After we hit the lake, everyone lugged out some food and beverages and hung around the campfire. Thomas made some outstanding chilli for everyone.Ymmmmmy!

Xtra Large

Chris brought his Xtra Large appetite to the BBQ. Check out those farmer sausages!!