Sea kayaking with the Snowbirds

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

   The Snowbirds usually come to practice in Comox, BC in April but this year they arrived in May for their annual “pre air show” training. We have never been out sea kayaking when they have been doing their precision flying but since they air base is next to the ocean we thought we would check it out this year. And we weren’t alone ....there were several other groups of kayakers out for their 2:00 pm training session. We left Pt Holmes boat launch in Comox just before 2 pm and were justing heading toward Cape Lazo when we heard the jets roar off.  We paddled around into Kye Bay and enjoyed a seal’s eye view of Snowbirds impressive routine. The snow capped mountains of the BC mainland added to the scenic setting. The Snowbirds will be around for a few more days so check out this vantage point if you own a kayak or boat.  For anyone not familiar with this boat launch it is on Lazo Road near the Comox Airport. Don’t forget to drop your launch fee money in the slot so that this great boat launch can be maintained. And a real bonus is that you can check the water and wave conditions at the boat launch with their handy web cam-- here is the link-http://www.pointholmesrecreation.ca/rampcam/

 

A late May trip to the Comox Bluffs

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

 

The Comox Bluffs are along the north side of Comox Lake and there is an ecological reserve there to protect the unusual plant life that exists in this dry rocky sun drenched area. Trees like Arbutus and shrubs like hairy Manzanita are common along this area where as they are pretty rare in the rain forest environment of the Comox Valley. Our friends Steve and Marj had not been to this area before so they joined us since they had wanted to see this area for some time. In the picture below we are having a snack at the lookout overlooking Comox Lake. 

 

This trail starts at a small parking lot at 49 38.477 N 125 06.256 W on the left hand side of the road a few hundred meters past the bridge the crosses the Puntledge River. This route is called the Tomato Creek trail and it leads to a lookout which gives fine views of Comox Lake and is surrounded by the rare plants of the Ecological Reserve. It can be reached in just over 1.5 km (30 minute walk).  Some of the many flowers that bloom here were out although if we had visited earlier in the spring we likely would have seen more flowers in bloom. In the photo below you can see the woolly eriophyllum in  full colour.

 

A longer trail continues from the lookout and it traverses the entire Ecological Reserve and ends up at the main logging road which you can then follow back to your car. Be aware that logging trucks may be using this road and it can be dusty so you also can return back via the same trail rather that do a loop.  This longer route is about 5.5 km and takes about 2 hours. But the shorter hike to the lookout would suit people families with smaller children or others that want a shorter hike.  Just be aware that the trail is hard to find in some places and it does have forks which makes route finding abit challenging. The full route can be found on AllTrails and is under the name “Tony’s and Tomato Creek Loop”. If you use this app route finding should be easier. For more info see: https://www.alltrails.com/ 

 

The “Pub to Pub” trail makes a great lunch time walk

by Keith and Heather Nicol

We always love doing the so called “Pub to Pub” trail which is roughly half way between Campbell River and Courtenay since is a scenic trail with both river and ocean/beach views. We hadn’t done the trail for a few months since last fall and so with a sunny forecast we decided to walk on Friday, May 14 with some xc ski buddies from Mt Washington who had not done the trail before.  The trail gets its name from the fact that 2 pubs were located close to the start and end point of the trail but now these “pubs” are no longer there. Since the trail is just 3.5 km (1 way) it is suited to a variety of options. If you have young children or walkers that would find 7 km too long a hike, you could park a car at each end and just make the 1 way trip. You can see from the photo below that the trail surface is well maintained and is generally flat so is walkable for just about all ages.

 To get there from Courtenay drive north on Highway 19A and keep an eye out for the Oyster River bridge since you want to turn right on the next road (Glenmore Road).  Then travel one roughly 1 block and then turn left on Regent and look for a parking lot with a sign Oyster River Nature Park. The parking lot coordinates are 49. 52.232 N and 125 07.616 W.  There is parking for several cars but this area is popular so we try to go mid week to be able to get a spot. There are a few forks in the trail but bear to the left and you should be fine.  After about 1 km you reach the ocean and from there you follow the Jack Hames Trail to Salmon Point. You can walk the trail in either direction although we tend to walk it south to north most of the time. 

 From there the trail winds along the upper part of the beach and through the trees giving fine views of Georgia Strait and mountains beyond. There are even some picnic tables along the way for anyone wanting a scenic place to have lunch but our group had our picnic on some logs overlooking the ocean. You can also walk the high tide line as you can see in the above photo . After about 1 1/2 hour (including time for lunch) we came out to road next to the Salmon Point RV Park  and the trail’s end.  We fully recommend this trail since it offers scenic ocean views and can be walked by a wide variety of people. Check it out on your next trip to this area.