Snowbirds in action over Comox- Part 2

by Keith and Heather Nicol

The Snowbirds over Comox

Saturday, April 18 was sunny and warm so we decided to check out the Snowbirds at Air Force Beach in Comox where they were practicing for their upcoming spring and summer airshows. Air Force Beach seems to be the spot to head to and when we got there we found few parking places left. There were families with young children armed with simple cell phone cameras as well as photo buffs with telephoto lenses as long as my arm. The Snowbirds put on a great show and the setting couldn’t have been better-the sandy beach below, glistening Georgia Strait and snow capped coast mountains in the distance. After the 40 minute Snowbird practice session, a lone pilot in a very fast and manoeuvrable CF 18 took to the air for solo show. Our previous blog has the times and dates of their remaining practice sessions so be sure to take one of them in this April.  For more info see: http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/snowbirds/index.page

We loved the pattern left by some of the flying sequences

The CF 18 can do some amazing stunts in the air

The beach is well worth exploring either before or after the show

Check out the Snowbirds at Air Force Beach in Comox

by Keith and Heather Nicol    

Although some people come with big lenses they are not needed

We had a treat on Wednesday April 15 when we took our friends (Martin and Molly Ware) from Newfoundland to Air Force Beach in Comox to see a practice session with the Snowbirds. The weather cooperated and we got to see some great flying. Coincidentally, we had met the Snowbirds in the Black Fin Restaurant the night before and we got a photo of Molly sitting with the pilots. Evidently they will fly twice daily weather permitting until April 29^th. Here is the schedule for their practice sessions.

Snowbirds:

The Snowbirds have been here for a few days and will be practicing until 29 April.

Sunday to Wednesday	0940 – 1020 hrs	1430 – 1515 hrs
Thursday and Friday	0940 – 1020 hrs	1605 – 1645 hrs
Saturday	0940 – 1020 hrs	1450 – 1535 hrs

 

Molly with some of the pilots

 Although we saw people with big telephoto lenses we got some good shots with a basic telephoto lens. However we did put it on action mode and clicked off lots of shots.We plan to get out again in different weather and lighting conditions.

Snowbirds over Comox

Snowbirds in tight formation

Hiking in Paradise Meadows in Strathcona Provincial Park

by Keith and Heather Nicol

Much of the Paradise Meadows loop is boardwalk

       On Wednesday April 8^th with sunny skies beckoning with decided to head to Paradise Meadows in Strathcona Provincial Park which is just a 30 minute drive from Courtenay, B.C. We drove to the trailhead which is located next to Raven Lodge (the Nordic skiing centre at Mt Washington Alpine Ski area).  The fact that you can drive to over 1000 meters means hiking through sub alpine meadows is possible for a wide variety of people and one trail (the Centennial Trail) is even wheelchair accessible. Since it was late in the day we walked part of the Centennial Loop first and then when we saw that much of the snow was gone from the boardwalk we decided to walk the Paradise Meadows loop as well. The combined loop is about 4 km and much of it is on boardwalk.

Heather at the trailhead near Raven Lodge with Mt Albert Edward in the distance

     The hiker gets various views of the Mt Washington ski area and ski chalets as well as vistas of the snowy Mt Albert Edward and Jutland Mountain. We found more snow on some of the shaded areas but most of it is easily negotiated. However we noticed one group with a wheel chair that couldn’t get past a snow covered portion of the Centennial Loop. We were surprised that so many groups were out enjoying the trails and when we arrived there were 12 cars in the parking lot. We fully recommend the trails in their present state – just be prepared for some snow covered sections and that the board walk might be slippery in the morning if it has dipped below freezing over night. We can’t wait to return to see the area after the snow has melted and also explore some the many other trails that extend off of the Paradise Meadows loop. The trail to Battleship Lake and Lake Helen Mackenzie look like a great next hike in this area. Strathcona Provincial Park is B.C.’s oldest park and is over 250,000 hectares in size. For more information see: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/strath/

A ice covered pond with Mt Washington ski runs in the background

Early April Skiing at Whistler,B.C.

by Keith and Heather Nicol

      On Good Friday (April 3) we were joined by our son Michael for our first day of skiing at Whistler for this season. The winter has not been a good one for many B.C. ski resorts so we were interested to see how Whistler was faring in terms of snow and skiing conditions. We decided to load from Creekside which has the advantage of a relatively short walk from the free parking area to the lifts. Although it was warm at the village by the time we were skiing on top the weather was telling us that winter was not over yet.  We were treated to strong east winds, sunny periods, snow flurries and fog ...sometimes all within one run. Although the area had had quite abit of new snow about a week ago it was basically all skied out so we decided to stay mainly to the groomed runs which seemed to have the most consistent snow.  We enjoyed skiing runs off the Harmony Express and Symphony Express and although it was a holiday the lift lines flowed smoothly.

Michael carves a turn on Fisheye

 After lunch we decided to try some of the runs lower down on the mountain and took runs off the Big Red Express and even headed down to the Garbanzo Express where the snow was definitely thinner near the bottom. We decided that the better snow was at the top of the mountain so we headed to the T Bars for some of the best runs of the day. Whistler- Blackcomb has some great skiing left and some good deals for end of the season skiers so we plan to head back before the season ends on May 18, 2015. For more information see: http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/

The best snow was on the groomed runs

Exploring Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

    On Easter Sunday (April 5) we decided to take advantage of the sunny, warm weather and head to Lighthouse Park which is located on a scenic point of land at the northwest entrance to Burrard Inlet. There are numerous hiking trails which wind through the 65 hectare park and we sampled some near the Point Atkinson Lighthouse. We were joined by our daughter Kristie and her boyfriend Eric who had been to the park last summer but we hadn't visited for many years. The park is easy to get to either from Marine Drive or the Upper Levels highway if you are traveling from Vancouver but note that the parking area is small and we were lucky to get a place on this Sunday morning. We picked up a copy of a handy trail map which identifies the hiking trails, picnic sites, washrooms and viewpoints. We walked directly down to the Lighthouse area on the main Beacon Lane trail which is in good shape and suited to walkers of all ages. This trail is about 2 km long and from there we walked to Arbutus Knoll where we had lunch on a sunny picnic table overlooking Burrard Inlet. 

We enjoyed lunch over looking Burrard Inlet

  After lunch we headed to the lighthouse viewpoint and then on to the West Beach Trail. This trail is well worth doing since it brings you down to the ocean. There is not really much of a beach but the surrounding wave washed granite shoreline is ideal for scrambling around on. From this vantage point we could see back to the Point Atkinson Lighthouse as well as into Howe Sound. On our next visit we want to check out some of the other shoreline trails like the East Beach Trail and the Starboat Cove Trail. For more information on this gem of a park see: http://westvancouver.ca/parks-recreation/parks/lighthouse-park

Take the West Beach Trail and  explore the wave washed granite shore