Sea Lions getting ready for the annual herring run

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

After coming back from xc skiing on Tuesday March 3 we had heard on social media

that lots of sea lions had hauled out at the spit in Deep Bay just south of Fanny Bay opposite Denman Island. But despite the wind and rain we decided to check it out! Sea Lions usually haul out on log booms and other more protected locations like isolated islands but not this time. For some reason they selected the beach at the end of Deep Bay Drive. They are getting ready for the annual herring run so who knows how long they will be there but it is unusual for them to seek out this sort of location. If you go be sure to obey the rope fence and of course do not feed or interact with the sea lions. And leave your dog at home. Parking is limited and be mindful of local resident's driveways so you may have to park some distance away. It is well worth checking out.  

 

 

Temperature Inversions can make for sunny skies and great skiing at Mount Washington

 

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

    On Monday, March 2 we woke to fog in Courtenay and so I checked the web cams at Mount Washington and sure enough the slopes and trails were in sun. It also turned out to be warmer up in the mountains and than in the cold , clammy fog in town. So instead of a planned trip with our bike group we grabbed out skis and headed to the mountain to ski in great spring like conditions. So it pays to check out the web cams at Mount Washington Ski Resort since while it is cold and foggy in town it might be bright and sunny at Mount Washington.  This is caused by ridges of high pressure which trap cloud and fog close to the surface but as you go up in elevation you break through the cloud giving great conditions on the mountain. So if the fog and chilly temperatures are getting you down, head for the hills and you might find it is alot sunnier and maybe even warmer than in town.  And the views are spectacular with layers of cloud and fog below and snowy mountains rising above them (see photos below). Even if you don't ski or snowshoe you can sit on the deck at Raven Lodge or enjoy the sun at the Alpine Lodge . To check out the web cams at Mount Washington have a look at: https://www.mountwashington.ca/

 

 

 

We are biking now that XC Skiing is closed at Mount Washington

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

Usually during the winter we are skiing but with the poor snow winter at Mount Washington and the closure of the xc ski trails (hopefully temporarily) we have pivoted to biking. This winter has generally been quite dry which has made riding an option for those who want to get some exercise and explore the side roads and trails of this area. Winter riding means wearing more clothing, a thin hat under your helmet and maybe mitts but it is quite easy to stay warm as long as it is above 0 C. For those 55 years and older the Evergreen Bike Group has rides on Mondays and Wednesdays and is a great way to meet cyclists and explore the country roads and trails of the Comox Valley.  On Monday, Feb. 9 twenty cyclists headed from the Filberg Centre for a ride that featured both roads and easy trails enroute to scenic Point Holmes and Wireless Road.   The Evergreen group uses mix of electric , hybrid and road bikes.  The rides on Mondays tend to be longer and it gives us a chance to explore places like Denman and Quadra Island as well as rides in Campbell River and Parksville through the summer months.  On Wednesday morning the rides tend to be in the Comox Valley and run for 2 to 2.5 hours in length. If you are interested in finding out more about this cycling group contact Ernie at: ejkimball62@gmail.com  The pictures below are of the February 9 ride to Point Holmes and Wireless Road. 

 

Check out the Evergreen Bike Group if you like to cycle in the Comox Valley

 

by Keith and Heather Nicol

The Evergreen Bike Group has rides on Mondays and Wednesdays and is a great way to meet cyclists and explore the country roads and trails of the Comox Valley. On Wednesday, Dec 17 ten cyclists headed from  the Quality Foods in Comox for a ride that featured both roads and easy trails enroute to scenic Point Holmes.  The Evergreen group is open to cyclists over 55 years of age and the group uses mix of electric , hybrid and road bikes.  The rides on Mondays tend to be longer and it gives us a chance to explore places like Denman and Quadra Island as well as rides in Campbell River and Parksville through the summer months.  On Wednesday morning the rides tend to be in the Comox Valley and run for 2 to 2.5 hours in length. If you are interested in finding out more about this cycling group contact Ernie at: ejkimball62@gmail.com  The pictures below are of the Dec 17 ride to Point Holmes. 

                                                             

                                                                     

Check out the Winter Lights display at the Kingfisher Resort and Spa this holiday season

 by Keith and Heather Nicol     

The Kingfisher Oceanside Resort and Spa will be presenting its winter lights display in the Serenity Gardens again this year and it is better than ever.  The winter lights display opened in November and is planned to  run until sometime in February , 2026. The display features thousands of lights which form illuminated grasses, lighting up trees, bushes and glistening flowers and our favourite – the butterflies with moving wings.   Interspersed around the light display are many intimate seating arrangements in front of gas fireplaces so you can comfortably sit out under the lights and stars.  The display is stunning and shouldn’t be missed!! 

                                      The Winter Lights at the Kingfisher Resort are very impressive again this year 

So drop into the Ocean 7 restaurant, have a bite to eat and then enjoy a walk through the gardens. Or you can time your Pacific Mist Spa appointment so that you can see the lights after the sun goes down. Lastly if you feel like a staycation you can book yourself in for night and have the lights and garden at your doorstep. Either way it brighten your day and put a smile on your face. For more information and to book a dining reservation, spa appointment or accommodation see:  https://www.kingfisherspa.com/  Congrats to the Kingfisher for putting so much effort into this holiday lighting presentation.

                                    

  

 

New Books to Check out for the Outdoor Enthusiast on your Christmas List

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

    Books are always a welcome Christmas gift and 2 that might appeal to readers of this blog are from Ronsdale Press. The first book was  published in April, 2025 and is called The Final Spire: Mystery Mountain Mania in the 1930's by Trevor Hughes. This book looks at the various attempts to climb the highest point in BC - Mount Waddington (initially called Mystery Mountain!). It weaves the story beginning when long time explorers Don and Phyllis Munday first glimpsed Mystery Mountain from of all places Mt Arrowsmith on Vancouver Island! The book examines various attempts to climb the mountain from various approaches - first from the ocean by the Mundays and then by others approaching from the East and includes a trip by 4 climbers from the flat lands of Manitoba. Who knew that the Alpine Club of Canada got started in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1906 and featured a woman as its first president. For those wanting to see what the climbers of almost 100 years ago had to deal with to explore BC's highest summit then this book is a must read. 

 

   Another book from Ronsdale Press that has just been reissued is Wilderness Mother: A Memoir of 13 years off the Grid. It was just revised and update and published on October 6, 2025.  The book looks at a couple who raised their children in a cabin 160 km from the nearest paved road in the isolated Ningunsaw Valley in Northwestern BC. They lived there for 13 years- constructing their home and raising food in their garden. They even built a small dam to generate their own electricity! For anyone wanting to know what it is like to raise children in such a remote location and feel the seasons turn in a place of natural beauty then check out this classic wilderness book.  The Ningunsaw Valley is now an ecological reserve and provincial park. Both of these books are available either online from Ronsdale Press or at your nearest bookstore. 

Lots of Christmas Events happening in the Comox Valley

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

The Christmas season will soon be here and there are already many events going on celebrating the festive season. On Friday November 21 we took in the Comox Winter Market and tree lighting and today (Saturday) we hope to get to the Filberg Lodge Christmas kick off and Winter Market. It is a rain or shine event and all funds raised go maintaining the Lodge and its grounds. Also the lights at the Kingfisher Resort and Spa are now out and we always like seeing those (see picture below). Of course there are many other Christmas events happening in the Comox Valley and we regularly google what events are upcoming to get an idea of what to take in. 

 Also there is a new book out that people might want to check out which is perfectly themed for the season- It is called A Festive Season on Vancouver Island by Bill Arnott and covers a variety of Christmas themed events happening up and down the Island. The book has more than 20 vignettes which capture the natural beauty and cultural history of the Island at this festive time of year. It is published by Rocky Mountain Books and is available online or at your favourite book store.    

 Juno award winning Helen Austin plays at the Comox Winter Market on Nov 21,2025 

Book ideas for hikers on your Christmas list

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

    Books are always welcome Christmas presents and here are a couple that might be of interest for hikers on your list. Both books are published by Rocky Mountain Books. Seaside Walks on Vancouver Island by Theo Dombrowki has recently been revised and has 39 hikes for you to check out. The majority are in the southern half of Vancouver Island with only 2 listed north of Campbell River. There are lots of colour photos, sketch maps and information about each hike includes key information like distance, difficulty, elevation change and when to go. I like the way the author also adds in some additional information about difficulty by indicating the nature of the trail (ie type of surface) and if there are likely areas that might be muddy or slippery. Most hikes are fairly short (less than 5 km) but some like the Pachena Point Lighthouse shows a distance of 20 km return. We can't wait to check out some of the hikes on our next trips to Victoria and Pacific Rim Park. 

The Pub to Pub Trail is one of our favourite hikes and just one of the hikes featured in Seaside Walks 

Also of interest to hikers, especially those with kids in tow, is Family Walks and Hikes of Vancouver Island also by Theo Dombrowski.  There are 2 volumes and I recently checked out the book dealing with hikes -Nanaimo and North to Strathcona Park- which has also been revised this year. It lists 49 family friendly hikes and it also has many colour photos and sketch maps for each hike. In addition, there is information on distance, elevation gain, difficulty, best hiking season and also a section showing why children might like it. Since the hikes are geared for families most are quite short - less than 5 kilometers which might make ideal for many older people as well. These books will give the interested hiker many hours of reading and are ideal for helping to plan hiking options in various parts of Vancouver Island. The books measure 8.5 by 5.5 inches (21.5 by 14 cm) so easily fit in a pack. Pick them up either on line or at your nearest bookstore. See you on the trail!

                Another local favourite of ours is the Royston Seaside Trail featured in Family Walks

 

 

 

 

  

Fall Colours worth seeing at Millard Creek in Courtenay, B.C.

By Keith and Heather Nicol

      Fall colours are rapidly disappearing due to the windy conditions of late but on Monday, Nov 3 we took advantage of some changeable weather to get in a photogenic hike at Millard Creek. Millard Creek is located in the southern part of Courtenay just off of Highway 19A. We parked at Millard Road where there is a parking lot and several  benches have been built which look out to the Comox Estuary. The coordinates of the parking lot are: 49 39.916 N, 124 58.284 W. The trail starts near the parking lot and a real bonus of this trail is that it has a small brochure with 10 interpretative signs which cover various topics related to salmon, the old railway that traversed this area as well as explaining aspects of the vegetation. Look for the brochures in a plastic waterproof holder at near the start of the trail.

         

                                                        Heather on the bridge over Millard Creek

     There are numerous big leaf maple in the area and they have showered down lots of leaves along the trail but there are still leaves left on the trees at this point in time. There is a bridge which fords Millard Creek but we saw no signs of salmon swimming upstream on our visit. Coho use this waterway and they might come later perhaps with more fall rains. We saw many people on the trail including a number of families and this trail is also used by cyclists. Toward the end, the “wilderness” aspect of the trail ends since a new apartment and several condo developments have been built along the route. We walked as far as 31^st Street which would offer another starting point for the walk but it only has 4 parking places so can fill up quickly. The walk to this point is almost 1 km so the return trip can be done in 30 -45 minutes. Thanks to the Millard-Piercy Watershed Stewards and the Rotary Club for putting together the brochure.

Marker 4 here shows where an old rail line passed through this area

 

Checking out the black bears along the Quinsam River near Campbell River

by Keith and Heather Nicol

    Fall is a spectacular time of year in the Comox Valley and on Vancouver Island in general since the trees are changing colour and the salmon return to the rivers. We have done a previous blog this year about swimming with pink salmon in the Puntledge River in Courtenay and here is a link to that blog-  https://keithnicol.blogspot.com/2025/08/swimming-with-salmon-in-puntledge-river.html.   As the fall progresses different salmon begin to ascend the rivers and we recently had a chance to see bears scouring the river for salmon along the Quinsam River near Campbell River. On this occasion we were lucky since we saw 6 bears in the space of 90 minutes but on a previous visit this fall we saw no bears in the same length of time so this is very much a hit and miss situation. But if you want to try your luck here is how to get to the area where we saw numerous bears. 

 

Bears were certainly getting their fill of salmon

The viewing area is virtually at the Quinsam River Fish Hatchery and you can view a salmon interpretative centre at the hatchery as well. There are several trails in the area and we opted to first take the trail (actually a road) above the hatchery for several hundred meters and then after seeing several bears in that area we headed to trails below the hatchery. The bears tend to walk along the river edge occasionally grabbing a salmon and then walking off into the woods.  Below the hatchery you may encounter many fishermen and we also saw a couple more bears in this area. The bears don't seem to be bothered by the fishermen or photographers but you will want to follow basic bear safety. Read the signs about how to be safe around bears that are posted at the hatchery and carrying bear spray is not a bad idea. These trails are well established and there are large parking lots at the main trail heads. Note that the hatchery road opens at 8:00 am and closes at 3:30 pm so plan your trip accordingly. See you on the trail. 

                             

                                          A fisherman catching a fish while a bear cruises the other side of the river 

Fall is a good time to visit the Elk Falls suspension bridge near Campbell River

 

by Keith and Heather Nicol  

With the good fall weather holding decided to check out Elk Falls near Campbell River and the suspension bridge that has been built there in 2015.  The suspension bridge spans Campbell River in Elk Falls Provincial Park and offers stellar views of the river as it plunges 25 meters over a picturesque waterfall.  The suspension bridge opened in mid May, 2015 and  attracts lots of people during the summer but we wanted to check out it out in the autumn with the fall colours. Also according to the posted information BC Hydro is releasing more from Sept 17 to Nov 13 on Wednesdays and Thursdays   so now might be a good chance to see the falls with extra water if you can go on those days. The pictures below were taken on Thursday, October 16.                                                                         Be sure to check out the side trail to get this lookout of the falls   To get to Elks Falls Provincial Park drive through Campbell River and take the road toward Gold River. Simply follow the signs to the turnoff to the Elk Falls trails and suspension bridge. The bridge is roughly 1 km trail from the parking lot and the wide gravel trail is suited to just about all walkers. We also walked an 800 meter side trail to get down to the river and another lookout which we recommend.                                 On Oct 16 there were a steady stream of visitors to the Suspension Bridge   There are also other hiking trails in the area but we liked the 800 meter Old Growth Loop which passes by some huge trees that have never been logged. These trees also managed to avoid a devastating fire in 1938 which burned much of the timber in the surrounding area. Evidently 1938 was the driest summer in 64 years and the forest was tinder dry. The fire was evidently set off by a logger who accidently dropped a pick on a rock and a spark set off the dry grass near his feet.  For more information on the park see: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/elk_falls/

Checking out the Fall Colours in Paradise Meadows – Strathcona Prov.Park

 

By Keith and Heather Nicol

We love seeing fall colours unfold in different areas of the Comox Valley. But recently we decided to check out the fall colours in Paradise Meadows in Strathcona Provincial Park. Here the main colours aare created by the blueberry bushes turning a bright red in the open boggy areas. The Comox Valley is blessed with being able to get up into the mountains in just 30 minutes and the Paradise Meadows area can even be accessed by wheelchairs. We walked around the 4 km Paradise Meadows loop which is mostly boardwalk but recommend that people using a wheelchair or children’s stroller stick to the 2 km loop since the longer loop has some rooty wet areas. We parked in the Nordic Centre parking lot at Raven Lodge which is part of Mt Washington Alpine Resort but there is also a parking area at the smaller Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre. We were amazed at how full the parking lot was given that it was mid week but we guess everyone had the same idea we had. Just a note of caution- we waited until around noon to travel to Paradise Meadows yet still in the shady areas the board walk was icy from the frost over night so use caution if especially if you get up there early before the temperature warms up. Check this out this fall to see bright reds and golden colours of fall. See you on the trail.  

 

 

Gabriola Island offers fine coastal walking and inland bike trails

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

Although Gabriola Island is a little over 100 km away we hadn't visited in many years so thought that with the good summer weather continuing we would check it out. We caught the 11:15 ferry from downtown Nanaimo and were setting up our tent in Descanso Regional Park by noon. We had time to spend abit over 24 hours on the island so decided to check out several coastal hikes. We really liked the short trails at Drumbeg Park with their open Garry Oak- grassland setting which gave nice views of near by islands.  

                                                   Heather walking at scenic Drumbeg Park 

Also the signature setting of the Malaspina Gallery was very impressive--we visited 3 times and liked the area at sunset best since the eroded sandstone notch really lit up with the setting sun. Note though that the trail here is about 100 meters long but is very picturesque as the photos below illustrate. We also hiked the Whalebone Trail and the Trail to Sandwell Park but both of these are more cliff walks through the trees and although you can see the ocean these trails are not as visually appealing as the first two locations just mentioned. 

 We also had a chance to mountain bike and hike in the 707 Community Forest and we really advise getting the Trail map of the Island from the Visitor's Centre.  This will help you navigate the maze of trails in this area. If you like to mountain bike and like easier green type trails then this area will appeal to you. I also used Trailforks to help navigate since all of the main bike trails are listed on it. We encountered many dog walkers and trail runners on our trip there although there are no ocean views , the varied forest ecosystems in this area make it a fun way to see the inland part of the island. Next time we go to Gabriola Island we plan to bring our kayaks since the Flat Top Island in Silva Bay look very appealing. And Gabriola Island has several other trails we hope to check out as well ... see you on the trail. 

                                                      Keith riding some of large network of trails in the 707 Community Park

Sea Kayaking to Tree Island makes for an ideal 1/2 day trip

  by Keith and Heather Nicol

Tree Island is located off the northern tip of Denman Island and makes a perfect half day paddle (or longer if you plan to explore the island or want to linger). We do the trip on an annual basis and usually launch at the Union Bay Boat launch.  This makes it easy to launch your kayak and there is a large car park for your vehicle. But this year we decided to launch from Argyle Road which is closer to Courtenay and offers a shorter, more direct paddle to Tree Island. The downside of Argyle Road launch point is that you need a high tide and wheels to help get your kayak to the water to avoid a long carry. The access is quite rough so not as easy as the Union Bay launch point. Remember that since it is an open water crossing you want to factor in the weather and wave conditions and be competent at doing a self rescue if you run into trouble. Also bring a compass so that you can navigate back to your car at the end of the trip..the shoreline looks all the same from Tree Island and so you can spend quite abit of time searching for the put in path if you don't navigate back to the right vicinity.

On Monday, Sept 15 the wind forecast was for light NE winds which made for a very pleasant trip to Tree Island since the breeze was in our face keeping us cool. Although temperatures were  around 19 C 

the following wind made it quite warm on the return trip. Be sure to bring water! We saw no seals on our paddle but did see many Western Grebes. The tide was about 4.4 meters (which was the high tide for the day) and our trip took about 1 hour going over and 45 min coming back with the light wind giving us a boost on the return paddle.  We recommend this trip because of the sandy, shell beach at Tree Island and scenery but do keep an eye to the weather.See you on the trail. 

 

A Classic Trifecta on Hornby Island - Hiking, Mountain Biking and Sea Kayaking

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

Hornby Island is one of favourite places to visit and we are fortunate to be able to get there so quickly from Courtenay - Comox. One of the things we like most about it is that it has very scenic hiking, sea kayaking and hiking and we recently had a chance to do all 3 in one day. We started with a hike around Helliwell Park and we were joined by an long time friend who now lives in Kamloops and her sister from Maple Ridge. This 4.2 km hike is spectacular since it overlooks the ocean and features a grassland - oak forest which is not common in this area. It took us just over an hour to do this hike which included many stops for photos. 

                                                                         Hiking the Helliwell Loop 

Next it was time to hop on the mountain bike and test out some of the great single track mountain biking that Hornby has to offer. It has the most extensive mountain bike trail system of any of the Gulf or Discovery Islands and they have trails for many abilities. We used Northwind and Cold Deck as a climbing trail and then reached the cliff edge via Hot Rims. Our route to descend included Mt Toadès Wild Ride , Tadpole, Chris and Brad's ending with No Horses which put us right back at our car. Perfect. This ride was just over 5 km and our moving time was about 35 minutes. All of these trails and marked as blue and flowed nicely from one to the other.  But these are just some of the trails on Hornby and the trail system has numerous possible starting points. Download Trailforks before you leave to check out all the options.

                                                                The view from Hot Rims and Cliff Trail

The last part of the trifecta was sea kayaking and so in mid afternoon we headed to Whaling Station Bay to do one of our favourite paddles. One downside of Whaling Station Bay is that it has a big sandy beach so depending on the tide you will either have to carry your kayak some distance before launching. We always bring our "wheels" so that we can wheel our boats to the water's edge. From there we turned right and headed along the shore to Flora Islets. These islands are common haulouts for seals and sea lions and we were not disappointed. We saw over a dozen seals on shore as we paddled past and as we rounded the second islet we surprised a group of sea lions who let us know they were there with a few loud roars. We quickly paddled past and returned as the late afternoon sun glistened off the water. The sea was perfectly calm and it was a great way to finish our Hornby Island Trifecta- hiking, biking and sea kayaking all in one day. Our sea kayak route covered 6.2 km in one hour and 20 minutes.  What a great way to end the day and we had just scratched the surface on the hiking, biking and sea kayaking options on Hornby. See you on the trail!

 

Lost Lake Trails at Whistler offer lots of hiking and biking variety

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

On a recent trip to Whistler we first of all checked out many trails in the Cheakamus Creek area and these are covered in this blog post-   https://keithnicol.blogspot.com/2025/09/whistlers-cheakamus-creek-trails-are.html . On our last day at Whistler we decided to hike and bike some of the trails at Lost Lake which is another extensive area of trails that double as cross country ski routes in the winter. On our outing we saw many walkers and cyclists and it looked like this might be one of Whistler's more popular destinations since it is close to the village. We parked in lot 5 and from there is was just abit over 1 km to Lost Lake along the popular Lost Lake Trail South. While some of our group walked this trail others checked out the blue and green mountain bike trails in this area. First it was a climb up Upper Panorama which was not that easy given some steep sections and loose rock. But then the fun begins and we started with Pinocchio's Furniture which has lots of wooden features like bridges and banked corners (see pic below). If you like this type of trail then this one is certainly well made. From there it was on to Dwarf Nebula and then to Zoot Allures. My fav of these 3 was the last one since it was abit flowy and fast. Since these trails were all blue trails, we wanted to try some green trails and so it was back up hill on Centennial which also features loose rock and steep sections to Donkey Puncher and then to Molly Hogan which are both fast enjoyable green runs. This brought us back down to Lost Lake and then it was back on Lost Lake South to Vimy Ridge and a nice section of Tin Pants, another green trail. Whether you are hiking or biking the app Trailforks will guide you around these trails. Check it out at: https://www.trailforks.com/   The Lost Lake trail system has lots to offer and we only touched the surface of trails in this area. And for beginner bikes looking for easy single track this area seems to have the most offerings in the Whistler area. Check it out on your next visit. 

Some of the low bridges on Pinocchio's Furniture- a blue trail at Lost Lake

Whistler's Cheakamus Creek trails are great for biking or hiking

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

We recently had a chance to check out the hiking and mountain biking trails along Cheakamus Creek near Whistler. Whistler is known as a hiking and biking mecca and part of the reason is that it has alot of variety of hiking and biking options. In the past we have hiked in the alpine using the lifts at Whistler and this blog :  https://keithnicol.blogspot.com/2024/08/try-decker-loop-on-blackcomb-for.html.  looks at one of the trips we did last summer. Whistler is also known for its world class lift served mountain biking but on this current trip we decided to check out some other nearby areas. And if you want to hike or bike past a blue green rushing river then the Cheakamus Creek trails should be given a closer look. On this trip we parked at the large parking lot at the Whistler Interpretative Forest Parking lot (which is free) in nearby Function Junction. We hiked on Farside Trail and biked on a variety of the other trails along both sides of the river. These are rated as blue mountain biking trails which means that they are suited to riders with some skill at riding over roots and rocks and the occasional wooden bridge. Over all my favourite trail was Farside for biking due to its proximity to the river but Flashback 2 through 5 were also fun trails but did not have river views. We tended to ride the access rode since it was a fairly fast way to gain elevation but it does have cars on it and it can be dusty. In our case there was little car traffic and next to no dust. Another time we might plan on biking the route to Cheakamus Lake - but since we had hiked it earlier in the summer we decided to focus on the lower trails. It is worthwhile downloading the app Trailforks since it has all of these trails on it and we saw more hikers on these trails than we did bikers. Check this area out on your next trip to Whistler. 

Swimming with salmon in the Puntledge River, Courtenay, BC

 

by Keith and Heather Nicol

On August, 22 we headed to Puntledge Park in Courtenay to check out the salmon in the river. We had seen salmon jumping the day before when we tubed the river so we thought we would see quite a few when we returned on the 17^th with masks, snorkels and a water proof camera.  The day was sunny and warm with temperatures hitting 27-28 C so it was perfect day to see what lay below the surface.  We headed for the pool just off the gravel beach in Puntledge Park and we quickly saw many salmon. We usually see pink salmon at this time in the river and they seem to have a 2 year cycle with every odd year showing a big return. So 2025 should be a good year and we weren`t disappointed.

                                              Salmon are now in the Puntledge River

 The current is strong in places and the rocks are slippery so you need to pay attention. We wear water shoes to protect our feet from the rocks and wade out several meters from shore before diving in and swimming over the salmon. The current will take you down near where Morrison Creek enters the river and then  you need to swim hard to get to shore. You can also swim to the other side of the river where the current is slower and you can more easily stay in one place. With some warm weather forecast for the next several days this is a great chance to swim with salmon. Puntledge Park in located just off of 1^st Street in Courtenay. Check it out if you want to see an amazing show of nature in our backyard. Click this video link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1gdQjx-g8M to see the huge numbers of salmon that are currently in the river (as of late August , 2025 ) . 

 

Checking out the Dale Ball Disc Golf Course in Langley, BC

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

When we travel we often throw in our discs since you never know when you might get a chance to try a new course. On a recent trip to Vancouver we were discussing disc golf courses with family members who play the sport and then said their favourite course of the 10 or so that they have played in the Greater Vancouver area was the Dale Ball course in Langley. This course is laid out in an old gravel extraction area so there are nice open areas with some trees. 

                                                         Keith putting for a rare par on this course

 The holes tend to be long because of this which doesn't work in my favour since I prefer a shorter course with trees since I can't throw that far.  I just played the front nice since time didn't permit a full 18 and holes ranged from 77 to 120 meters. The back nice looks like it would suit me better since it has holes ranging from 41 to 114 meters. Another twist with this course is that the area is an overflow area for rain water so has a different layout in the winter when this area can be pretty wet. I liked the course and now that I have played it once would have a better feel for how to play it next time. 

The course was very popular when I played it...every hole had people on it and most people had pull carts full of discs 

For driving directions simply type in Dale Ball Passive Park in google maps and it will lead you to a large parking lot and the first hole is next to a covered picnic pavilion. I am glad I created some screen shots of the hole layout from U Disc since their is no master map at the start and finding the next hole is not obvious in many cases. You can access those maps from https://udisc.com

                                                   There are nice concrete tee pads for each hole and a map