Late day, regular visitor to the Salal slope on the west side of our house. Also three other bucks, 2 doe and a lovely little fawn (and far too many rabbits).
Deer
A Special West Coast Beach
West Coast Art
8 a.m., low tide (0.7 feet)
8 a.m., low tide (0.7 feet)
Not everyone’s idea of a beach I guess, but I seem to gravitate to it. I tend to think of the area as two beaches, Botanical Beach and Botany Bay—they’re joined but there’s no sign saying where one ends and the other begins. Not that it matters of course, but it makes the hike doubly entertaining as each beach has it’s own distinctive character.
Just outside Port Renfrew, the beaches are at one end of the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. From the parking lot there’s a loop trail so you can walk down to the ocean (you’ll want to be there at a one foot tide or lower) explore the tide pools on the long, wide, and flat Botanical Beach, then find your way around the headland above, explore the raw beauty of the Botany Bay area, then hike the rest of the loop trail back to the parking lot.
Salt Spring Springboard Stump
This massive Cedar stump (about 10 feet high) is evidence of the early days of logging on Salt Spring Island. In order to reduce the amount of cutting (by hand) and make possible the cutting of a tree on a steep slope, the loggers cut notches to accommodate ‘springboards’. They would then stand on the springboards and cut the tree above the much wider butt. This would not only reduce the amount of work but would make transporting the log possible. Or so I’ve read…
For me it was a beautiful moment with exquisite light and colours—and a glimpse into the past.
Dry Creek Dwellers
Came across these two—and their buddies nearby—while walking in a Salt Spring Island forest.
The mushrooms were growing in what is normally a small creek at this time of the year. But there was no water in sight.
I noticed the graphic nature of the arrangement, the colours and the soft light from an overcast sky. And knew this could be a daily photo candidate.
Light Traffic
My commute to work one day this week.
Very light traffic—didn’t see another traveller for two hours.
Met some very nice trees, birds and a river.