Be sure to catch the Lavender and Garlic Harvest at Shamrock Farms-July 22-26

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

Over the next few days -from July 22 to 26 Shamrock Farms will be opening its gates to the public to experience its garlic and lavender harvest. The kids can see the goats and feed the chickens (see picture below) and you can shop at their barn market. You can also cruise the long lines of lavender to select your own bouquet.( see photo below) . Our bike group stopped in their on our Wednesday ride this week and so although you can drive you can also make it a bike destination. Shamrock Farms is located at 2276 Anderton Road and is well worth a visit over the next few days. They are open from 9 am to 3 pm each day from July 22 to 26. For more info see: https://www.shamrockfarm.ca/   

                                                   The Barn Market has lots of gift and food offerings for sale

 

Goose Spit is ideal for sea kayaking and sunsets

By Keith and Heather Nicol

When the tides are right Goose Spit makes a fun place to launch a kayak from and also see the sunset. Lately the tides have cooperated with high tides of 5 meters or so around 6 to 7 pm. With that kind of a tide the carry to the water is just a few meters from where you part your car.  At low tide the carry is much longer and also muddier...and who wants to get into your kayak with muddy feet!!.  On Wednesday , July 15 with some warm evening temperatures we decided this was a good night to paddle around Goose Spit  and also catch the sunset. The parking area at Goose Spit is quite large and there are openings between the logs to be able to get to the beach on the lagoon side. There were also lots of paddleboarders launching from the same area and we were on the water by about 700 pm. 

 

 We paddled past numerous sailboats at anchor and rounded the end of Goose Spit and had planned to paddle part way up the more open side of Goose Spit but came across many sandpipers along the shore line. They seemed to be very interested in the seaweed that was along the ocean edge and we found we could paddle right up to them so that we could even get reasonable pictures with a phone of them (see photo below) . We watched them for some time running, feeding and flitting along the shore before deciding we should head back and get ready for the sunset. The paddle to the end of the spit from where we parked our car was about 4.5 km return. The sun went down behind the Beaufort Mountains around 900 pm and we have found that this area is one of the better places for catching the sunset in this area. If readers have other good places to catch the sunset in the Comox Valley let us know in the comments section.  

 

   

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 Monday July 6 thirteen cyclists headed from Buckley Bay to Denman Island and then to Hornby Island. This ride was one of our longer rides at about 50 km but it was broken up with short ferry rides so gave people a chance to rest and socialize.  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 Hornby Islands as well as rides in Campbell River and Parksville. 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 group cycling to Hornby Island and having lunch at Tribune Bay. Some keen cyclists even went for a post lunch swim at scenic Tribune Bay. Bikes are a great way to see these islands in the summer since you are first on and first off the ferries. 

 

Checking out the Oyster River Potholes

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

We had heard alot of the Oyster River Potholes so finally decided to check them out on Sunday, July 5. They are easily accessed by driving north from Courtenay on the inland highway 19 to the bridge which crosses the Oyster River. You can even put in Oyster River Potholes in google maps and it will direct you there!.  Once you park at the edge of the highway use care in walking back toward the bridge where you will pick up a trail leading through a deer/elk fence and on to the river. The trail has a few different forks which lead down to different parts of the river. The trail is rooty and rocky in places and there are a couple of fallen trees across the trail but for the most part it is easy to negotiate. If you have small kids there is a sloping bed rock area at further along the trail which would be suited to them. There were kids jumping off the cliffs in some areas and green blue water made for a very scenic setting. Everyone we chatted to said the water was cool (we didn't go in) but it was certainly a picturesque location even if you don't swim. If you do go in use common sense related to diving and jumping into water that may be shallower than you think.  Also the algae forming on the rocks made for very slippery conditions and we saw a few people slip as they walked along the water's edge. Be aware that it is popular in the summer and you may have to park some distance along the highway.A real bonus is that when you want to return to Courtenay you only have to drive north a short distance to Cranberry Lane where you can turn left to get back on the inland highway. This spot is definitely worth checking out. 

 

Cumberland Trails are for more than mountain biking

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

On a recent trip to the trails in Cumberland I was struck by the wide range of users that we saw enjoying themselves. On Thursday July 2 I headed to Cumberland to try a new trail I had heard alot about- Top of the Pops and so was doing some warmup  riding on Davis Lake Main and the easier blue trails like 4 pack and Presidents Choice. While cycling up Davis Lake Main I saw numerous families on bikes and some kids were certainly under 10 years old !! I also encountered trail runners, dog walkers and a large group walking to the China Bowls area. Although many people have the idea that Cumberland trails are just for hard core mountain bikers this is clearly not the case but what I saw .

                                              Here is a family group walking to China Bowls on the Cumberland Trails 

While biking some of the easier blue trails in the vast Cumberland trail network we saw small groups of kids biking with an older teen leader. It was quite something to see kids 7-9 years of age tackling some of the same trails we were riding. Mind you they walked some of the harder sections but it was great to see them out biking. So check out the Cumberland trails and remember that they are for more than hard core mountain bikers. Also for non mountain bikers the app Trailforks is a god send for navigating the trail options at Cumberland . For more info see:https://www.trailforks.com/   

                        Cumberland trails are for more than just the hard core bikers doing jumps and riding down cliff faces 

                                                      I saw lots of families riding the trails at Cumberland