Vancouver Island MusicFest sold out again

by Keith and Heather Nicol

Dancing up a storm at MusicFest

     Although there were tickets available on Friday July 14 for MusicFest, they disappeared quickly on Saturday and MusicFest is now sold out once again. And you can see why with the strong line up of musicians for Saturday and Sunday. Headliners include Bruce Cockburn, Rita Coolidge for Saturday and the Bare Naked Ladies for Sunday. But just as important are all the other acts that come from all over North America and Europe and some of these musicians produced some of the most memorable performances of the day.

 

The Grierson Stage is popular for getting lots of musicians on stage at once

 

David Vest played the Woodland Stage

    We love the Grierson Stage since it often brings together a wide range of musicians with a  common theme or instrument.  In fact on Saturday we spent much of the day there listening to sessions titled “ Grooves in Orbit”, “The violin lives here” and “The writer is the witness”.One of the treats of the day from our perspective was hearing David Vest play on the Woodland Stage which is well suited to smaller audiences. David is a great piano player and fine story teller and we made a note to see more of him. We also liked Daoiri Farrell who hails from Ireland and brings with him classic Irish humour and an arresting voice.

 

Rita Coolidge has had a stellar musical career

   Later in the main Concert Bowl, Rita Coolidge and Bruce Cockburn wowed the crowd with their  legendary music which has spanned decades.They each sang old favourites as well as material from their new recordings. The weather couldn’t have been better on this day and the Vancouver Island MusicFest lived up to its crowd pleasing ways.  For more information see: www.islandmusicfest.com.

Bruce Cockburn is one of Canada's best known musicians

The Vancouver Island MusicFest is just getting going

By Keith and Heather Nicol

Checking out some hats at one of many booths

     The weather was perfect for the first acts of the Vancouver Island MusicFest (VIMF) held in Courtenay on Friday July 14. The main stage grounds were lined with booths selling clothing and crafts as well as all sorts of food and when we arrived at 4:00 pm it was packed with concert goers. On the first afternoon and evening the organizers have 2 stages going-the main concert bowl and the “barn”.  We opted for the sun and open field of the main concert bowl and were looking forward to hearing Quetzal and Bill Kirchen and Redd Volkaert before supper.  There must have been some scheduling issues since instead of the Chicano Rock sound of Quetzal (the hail from Los Angeles) we heard Rachelle Van Zanten singing about the Canadian North. But that is part of the fun of the VIMF there are always great surprises just around the corner. Bill Kirchen and Redd Volkaert put on a fine show playing their rock and roll/country mix.  These guys have been around for decades and have played with many of the greats like Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers.  Later on Friday evening in the main concert bowl there would be a wide range of musicians playing everything from classically music to the energetic reggae and blues of Ilam who hails originally from Senegal in Africa. Friday evening was headlined by country music legend Emmylou Harris.

The Centre Bowl was already lines with chairs at 4;00 pm on Friday

  We are looking forward to a catching the wide range of performers on Saturday, July 15 and Sunday, July 16 and are especially looking forward to hearing some of the musicians playing celtic music. There is such a wide range of music on the programme that we are sure we will get our eyes and ears opened to some performers and styles of music that we never knew existed. And of course there are some big names to see like the Bare Naked Ladies, Rita Coolidge and Bruce Cockburn.  There are still day tickets available so drop on down to the Exhibition Grounds in Courtenay to catch some memorable music. More info at www.islandmusicfest.com

  

Bill Kirchen and Redd Volkaert in the Concert Bowl

    

     

The Puntledge River is ideal for tubing at the present time

By Keith and Heather Nicol

A group of tubers coming down "Tubers Trail"

    Well it is that time of year again. With a forecast of 2 weeks of warm weather ahead it is certainly a perfect opportunity to dig out that tube and head down the Puntledge River in Courtenay, B.C. What an ideal way to cool off and have lots of fun at the same time. Water levels are very good right now for tubing...you can slip over most rocks with ease if you can get in the right channel. We tried our first tubing of the season on Thursday, July 6 and we were joined by people of all ages and stages on the river. Most people start at the fish hatchery on Powerhouse Road.  Park near the fish hatchery access road and walk around or past the gate. Part way down you will see a sign pointing to “Tubers Trail” and take that to the put in. This trail is abit steep and slippery in places and there is a rope to help you down the last section.  Good footwear really helps on this section and we tend you use kayak booties since they give reasonable grip and are great for protecting your feet once you are in the river. We also use a kayak paddle to help steer and manoeuvre but most people don’t use one.We also have found that putting a life jacket over the mesh on the bottom of the tube keeps your bum and lower back from hitting too many rocks. If you are using a truck inner tube keep your “bum up” when you go over rapids to avoid hitting “bottom” in the shallow sections. 

Heather paddling through the rapids

The section from Powerhouse Road to Puntledge Park is abit faster and rockier than the lower section from Puntledge Park to either the Condensory Bridge or Lewis Park. First timers or those with younger children may want to do just the lower section starting from Puntledge Park and we suggest a pull out just below the Condensory Bridge since the last part can be slow, especially if there is a high tide. For newcomers to the Comox Valley,  Puntledge Park is at the intersection of 1^st and Urquhart Avenue and the Condensory Bridge is off of Anderton Avenue. Since the river is dam controlled water levels can change from day to day so be aware of warnings posted along the river. Tubing is an institution in the Comox Valley and it is the ideal way to spend a couple of hours on a warm day. 

Heather on a quiet section just above the Condensory Bridge

Top Bridge Regional Park worth checking out in Parksville, B.C.

by Keith and Heather Nicol

The bedrock has been carved into interesting shapes

       On Tuesday, July 4 we had occasion to be pop into Parksville for a few hours and decided to head into the tourism office to see what we might do. The attendant told us about the Top Bridge Regional Park which was just around the corner. “You will love the suspension bridge” she told us “just watch for Chattell Road and turn right”. Finding the entrance to the park is abit tricky and we initially thought we were heading out on Highway 19 but then we saw Chattell Road out of the corner of our eye. For those handy with a GPS the coordinates for this key turn are: 49 17.776 N and 124 15.439 W. 

Two girls jump into the Englishman River

 We followed Chattell Road for a few hundred meters past a rifle range and then the road changed to gravel and began to descend. We arrived at a large parking lot with the suspension bridge across the Englishman River right in front of us. The coordinates of the parking lot are: 49 17.867 N 124 15.924 W. There appeared to be hiking opportunities but at this time they also seemed to be closed due to water main construction.  But we saw lots of people hanging out on the rocks and jumping off a ledge into the deep water below. It looked like fun but we didn’t have our swim suits to try it out. The bedrock here is conglomerate and it has been carved into interesting potholes and ledges making it a very scenic area for swimming. We can see why this is a popular local swimming area. We ate our lunch on the rocks and made a note to come back when the hiking trails were open and to bring our bathing suits. For more information see:  http://www.rdn.bc.ca/cms.asp?wpID=2614  

Heather crossing the 81 meter suspension bridge

 

Coastal Walking Trails in the Comox Valley- The Union Bay Coastal trail

By Keith and Heather Nicol

Kristie and Heather just above one of the low eroding cliffs

     While kayaking to Tree Island a few days earlier we had noted people walking along the shore just north of our launch point. So when our daughter Kristie and her boyfriend Eric came to visit we decided to check it out for July 1, Canada Day! We found a small parking lot on the ocean side of the road just north of the community of Union Bay which is 14 km south of Courtenay on the coastal highway. For those handy with a GPS the coordinates for the parking lot are: 49 35.250 N and 124 53.210 W. There are prominent signs indicating private property so enter at your own risk. No sooner had we started walking than we ran into people who knew this area well and they explained that it is the remains of a coal “washing” station when this area was an active coal port. Coal was brought here to be loaded onto ships and you can see the remains of wharves and rusting equipment from the processing operations which extended from the 1880’s to the 1960’s. “This area is all fill and is eroding away at fast rate. I would say it has eroded 20-30 meters in the past 20 years” one person told us. 

Part of the industrial debris left from the coal port - Tree Island in the distance

    So this is not a pristine coastal walk but it does provides fine views of Tree Island and Denman Island and the “historic industrial” land uses are being revegetated.  We walked a loop that lead along the ocean and then headed back along “Washer” or Hart Creek. There are many side trails which we didn’t explore on this trip but we liked the clearings and open forest that is not common in this part of coastal Vancouver Island. Allow about 45 – 60 minutes to do the mostly level 2.4 km walk depending on how long you linger along the way. Don’t get too close to edge of the “cliffs” which are actively eroding and respect the signs that are posted. 

Walking back along Washer Creek