Port Alberni, a Seaport in the Middle of an Island… The Vancouver Island Adventure

/ Curt Mekemson / 11 Comments

Serious fishing boats are a reminder that the town of Port Alberni located in the middle of Vancouver Island, British Columbia is connected to the Pacific Ocean via Alberni Sound.

It felt strange to find a seaport in the middle of Vancouver Island. Our original goal had been to visit the Pacific Rim National Park but time and weather discouraged the trip. So we stopped half way at Port Alberni.

The town has a different feel to it than the Vancouver Island BC communities we visited on the east coast, more down to earth and less resort like. Saw and pulp mills once dominated the city’s economy but today the timber industry prefers to ship its logs off to China.

The good news here is that with the demise of the pulp mill the salmon returned and today, Port Alberni is the center of a major sports fishing industry. Like Campbell River, it bills itself the ‘Salmon Capitol of the World.” I suspect there are some interesting politics at work here.

The surrounding mountains, lakes and wilderness have also made the Alberni Valley a growing center of ecotourism.

We stopped at the visitor’s bureau to pick up tips on what we should see. And here it is time for an editorial comment. Canada’s neighbor to the south could really learn something from British Columbia about the promotion of tourism. Not only do most communities have information centers, they are normally very attractive, staffed with friendly, knowledgeable staff, and filled with information.

British Columbia and its communities do an excellent job or providing attractive, information packed, visitor bureaus. This bear welcomes visitors to Port Alberni BC.

These doors into the Port Alberni Visitor's Center feature a First Nation theme and are another example of how attractive and welcoming the centers are. The US could learn a lesson from BC and Canada about the promotion of tourism.

“You have to visit Harbor Quay,” was the recommendation for the short time we had. So we did. The Quay provided a beautiful view of the Alberni Inlet that makes its way out to the Pacific Ocean and provides Port Alberni with its seaport status. The presence of fishing boats reminded us of another major Vancouver Island industry.

After lunch, Peggy and Ken took advantage of a carved Thunderbird and eagle for photo ops. We visited small shops and downed some of the best cake donuts we’ve ever eaten. It was then time to head back to Parksville. Port Alberni and the Alberni Valley definitely deserved more time.

Alberni Sound leads out to the Pacific Ocean. Clouds and rain limited our view.

 

My friend Ken Lake bravely sits beneath the grasping talons of a plunging eagle at Port Alberni.

 

Peggy prefers to play peekaboo from beneath the wings and all-seeing eyes of a First Nation Thunderbird. The Thunderbird makes thunder by flapping his wings together while the eyes shoot out lightning.

Road Trip to Campbell River BC… The Vancouver Island Adventure

/ Curt Mekemson / 8 Comments

Once again, we were impressed with the First Nation art of British Columbia. I photographed this carved face of a First Nation man in Campbell River BC on Vancouver Island.

We stopped the car and dashed for the restroom. Our day had started with a 16-ounce cup of Serious Coffee and we had serious business to attend to. (Serious Coffee is Vancouver Island’s Starbuck equivalent, plus. We were impressed.)

16 ounces of serious coffee called for a serious stop on the road to Campbell River, Vancouver Island BC.

It was only after we reemerged into the world that we noticed the gorgeous view our much-needed stop provided. We were on a road trip following Highway 19 A from Parksville on our way north to Campbell River along the East Coast of Vancouver Island BC. Our eyes (and cameras) were drawn to the towering coastal mountains of mainland British Columbia, which were set off by the dazzling blue of the Georgia Strait.

One glacier carved mountain was particularly dramatic. Its side had been sheered off by ice and reminded me of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California where I have roamed for 40 years. Possibly one of my Canadian readers can provide a name for the mountain.

The dramatic coastal mountains of British Columbia as see from Vancouver Island across the Georgia Strait on Highway 19 A. The sheer face of the glacially carved mountain captured our interest.

Campbell River has adopted the name ‘Salmon Capital of the World.’ Sports fishermen, including Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, have been making pilgrimages to the area for decades.

We didn’t see any salmon but we did enjoy more First Nation art and visit the very impressive Museum at Campbell River (http://www.crmuseum.ca/).

This First Nation totem pole gazes out toward the water in Campbell River BC.

 

I found this carving amusing. Not sure the First Nation folks would agree but Ringling Brothers came to my mind.

 

Ken Lake poses on an old logging truck in the Museum at Campbell River. The museum features native masks and local history including logging and sports fishing. It is well worth a visit.

 

Cathedral Gove: Green and Sacred… The Vancouver Island Adventure

/ Curt Mekemson / 9 Comments

Looking up at the towering canopy of trees, one easily understands how Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island in British Columbia received its name. There is both beauty and a sense of the sacred.

An Episcopal Minister once asked my daughter why I wasn’t in church.

“Oh, he’s out wandering in the woods,” she replied. “He considers it a sacred experience.”

“You can’t get absolution from a tree!” had been his angry retort.

I suspect the man had never hiked in the wilderness and experienced the sense of peace and healing such an experience can bring. Maybe he should have checked in with St. Francis. As for me, I go along with John Muir who said, “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”

I find any natural area, even a tree on a busy urban street, worthy of appreciation. But some areas deserve special attention. I’ve wandered the world to find them.

Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island in British Columbia is one such place. Ancient giants of the tree world call it home. This is a land of Red Cedars and Douglas Firs, some reaching 250 feet in height and dating back 800 years. It’s known as an old growth forest, which means it’s a rarity, one of the few forests to escape the relentless chainsaw.

This springboard tree attests to the fact that even a beautiful area like Cathedral Grove was subject to the woodsman's axe. Loggers cut the holes in the tree so they could put in planks to serve as a base for cutting the tree down. The bouncy nature of the plank gave it the name springboard.

Gradually we are learning to value and protect wilderness areas but it is a race against time. Driven by the desire to maximize profits and acting under the guise of job creation, timber interests continue to value forests primarily in terms of board feet produced.

As Peggy, Ken, Leslie and I hiked along the trails, we were struck by the beauty and greenness of the Grove. Hopefully my photographs below capture what we experienced. I found that http://www.cathedralgrove.eu/ provides a good overview on the Grove and the issues relating to protecting such areas.

An inviting path led into the green forest.

 

Ken and Leslie Lake, along with Peggy qualify as Tree Huggers.

 

Roots of a Cathedral Grove forest giant tower behind Leslie and Peggy. A sign at the entry warned that trees fall during wind storms and that visitors should vacate the premises. Sounds like good advice.

 

Reaching toward the sky, Cathedral Grove trees can reach a height of 250 feet.

 

Typical of Pacific Coast rain forests, moss covers everything, providing another definition to 'being green.'

 

Beyond the greenness, I also found the twisted shape of limbs interesting.

 

No imagination was required to turn this moss-covered limb into a forest sprite. Or maybe it was a forest sprite...

 

Speaking of sprites, it appears that Ken might be shape shifting into one in this photo of him along with Peggy and Leslie in a giant tree hollow.

The Missing Goats of Coombs… The Vancouver Island Adventure

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We arrived in Coombs BC on Vancouver Island looking for goats on the sod roof of the Old Country Market. We found the roof with its long grass, but the goats were missing.

As the story is told, the Graaten Family resolved its crisis by consuming several bottles of wine. The grass on their roof had grown quite long and the Coombs Fair was only days away.

Kris, his wife Solveig, and their children emigrated from Norway to Vancouver Island in the 50s. Sod roofs were common in Norway at the time so Kris decided to put one on his market in Coombs. Makes sense, I guess, in a Norwegian sort of way… but it also created the long grass crisis.

Son-in-law Larry had an idea. “Let’s borrow some goats and have them mow the grass.” No one recorded how many glasses of wine the family had downed but the response was “why not.” And the legend was born. Having goats on your roof is a great for business.

Today, the Coombs’ Market with its sod roof and goats is one of the top tourist attractions in British Columbia.

“You have to go to Coombs,” Peggy’s new friends from Qualicum Beach had insisted on the ferry ride between Port Angeles and Victoria. Since we were staying in nearby Parksville with our friends Ken and Leslie Lake, we responded like the Graaten Family, “why not.”

It was snowing when we arrived. And yes, we immediately spotted the sod roof. But there were no goats. It seemed like a no-brainer. What goat in his right mind would stand on a roof in the middle of a snowstorm to entertain tourists? Actually, the goats had another reason for their absence. They were off having babies.

We did find a dog that looked like he was trying to remove a bone from his throat. On closer inspection it turned out he was catching snowflakes. It was quite humorous. Maybe the goats hired him as a substitute.

The dog in Coombs BC looked like he had a chicken bone stuck in his throat. Turns out he was catching snow flakes.

Even without the goats, the market was worth the visit. It is crammed full of artisan bread, great cheese, wine, other foodstuffs and hand-made knickknacks. We wandered up and down the aisles waiting for the snowstorm to stop.

Sunshine sent us scooting outside. We visited a fruit and vegetable stand and then ate at Cuckoo’s Italian Restaurant. The food was great but apparently there is a shortage of waiters in the area. The same young man who had served us dinner ten miles away the night before was our waiter for lunch.

I looked out the window and saw a reflecting pool with a stone Buddha. My mind went into Alice in Wonderland mode. Not only was the same waiter following us around, we had skipped from Norway to Italy to the mysterious Far East in 50 yards.

A calm Buddha gave his blessing to the green reflection pool outside of Cuckoo's Italian Restaurant in Coombs.

 

Chinese vases and another Buddha added to the Oriental theme. The snowflake eating dog is on the left.

 

I also liked this bonsai tree with its wonderfully crooked limbs. The bonsai lived next to Cuckoo's Restaurant.

Next door a 15-foot tall, belled lion stood in front of Fengy’s boutique. Carved wooden statues enticed us in. A large Mongol warrior stared down on us. A sign at its base warned against taking pictures. Fengy came over.

“If people take photos, they will copy my work.” It was either that or she didn’t want me photographing the chair that was based on male anatomy.

“Warrior is too big to sell,” she told me. “You photograph it.”

The market place next door to the Old Country Market in Coombs BC included the Fengy Boutique. A 15 foot tall lion with a bell on its chest sat in front. Arnold Schwarzenegger would have been jealous of the lion's muscles.

 

A giant Mongol warrior carved from wood is the centerpiece of Fengy's Boutique.

Outside, two dogs were driving a car, Peggy went nose to nose with a bear, and Ken had a shouting match with a rooster. There were also a lion, owls and another Buddha. Coombs was our kind of town.

Two dogs were driving a car in front of the Cozy Corner Book Store. I stopped to pet the dogs before going into the store. We have a policy of always going into local bookstores and buying books to support the store.

 

Another view of the car-driving dogs of Coombs BC.

 

Peggy had a nose to nose chat with Bear.

 

Ken had a crow-off with Rooster. Rooster won.

 

I found this family of owls in Coombs quite cute.

 

The lion looked quite regal.

 

And the ubiquitous Buddha provided an end-of-blog blessing.

 

Coombs is located two hours north of Victoria on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. If you would like to learn more about the Old Country Market go to www.oldcountrymarket.com/. I understand there will even be live, streaming video of the roof and goats, assuming the goats decide to return.

With the sun shining I returned to the sod roof. Since the goats were still missing, I took a close-up of the sod.

The Beaches of PQB (Parksville and Qualicum Beach)… The Vancouver Island Adventure

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The beaches around Parksville and Qualicum Beach BC on Vancouver Island are crowded with tourists in the summer. In March they are just beautiful.

PQB, for short, is an ocean side resort located on the east coast of Vancouver Island two hours north of Victoria. The Parksville and Qualicum Beach website depicts it as Canada’s Riviera. Apparently the beaches are filled with frolicking visitors in the summer.

With temperatures ranging in the 40s and 50s during our stay, however, even the heartiest of sunbathers had found an excuse to be elsewhere. We were left with people-free pristine beaches that combined with the ocean and mountains to show off the areas natural beauty.

Another view of Qualicum Beach British Columbia.

We hooked up with our friends Ken and Leslie Lake at the Pacific Shores Resort just south of Parksville. The Lakes live near Sacramento, California and we have been sharing adventures for decades. Ken and I started out together leading 500-mile bike treks and 100-mile backpack treks in the 70s.

Pacific Shores is perched on the edge of Craig’s Bay. Our suite came with a balcony overlooking the Bay and a large Madrone overlooking the balcony. Except for the maid’s vacuum cleaner that insisted on eating the power cord for my MacBook Pro, we had a very pleasant stay.

An evening view from our balcony at Pacific Shores Resort looking out over Craig's Bay near Parksville, BC.

 

Having settled in we immediately began plotting our week. Peggy had met a very friendly couple from Qualicum Beach on our ferry ride from Port Angeles to Victoria who had outlined several must-do activities. We “absolutely” had to see the totem poles of Duncan, the murals of Chemainus and the goats of Coombs, who were apparently off making babies. There were also a couple of restaurants, Cathedral Grove, and Morning Star Farm. The farm is featured below.

Since Morning Star Farm in Qualicum Beach BC was close and known for its cheese and wines, we made it one of our first Visits.

 

The speed limit sign at Morning Star Farm was quite specific on punishment. We decided to obey.

 

Tooth picks poised, Ken, Leslie and Peggy prepare to sample Morning Star Farms excellent cheese. We bought enough to last for the week.

 

A tour of Morning Star Farm introduced us to several four-legged creatures including this horse and the llama featured below. There was also a cow having a calf which I chose not to photograph.

 

I simply can't resist photographing animals. This llama at Morning Star Farm was a natural.

 

Another view of the Llama at Morning Star Farm in Qualicum Beach, BC.

 

And a final view of the llama. My favorite. Note the large, soft dark eyes.

 

We added in trips to Campbell River and Port Alberni plus bought tickets for the musical “All Shook Up” playing at the Chemainus Theater Festival. We would not be bored. I have already blogged about Port Angeles, Duncan and Chemainus. My next blog will be on Coombs and its missing goats.

 

Our friends Ken and Leslie Lake. Ken had temporarily abandoned his SF Giants Baseball cap to "look more Canadian."

 

They say we gain character as we grow older. Or maybe we become characters. The jury is still out. I think this black and white photo of Ken Lake shows character.

Port Angeles… The Vancouver Island Adventure Begins

/ Curt Mekemson / 2 Comments

As we prepared for our trip to Vancouver Island in British Columbia, our sunroom in Southern Oregon wasn't looking so sunny. I wondered what the weather would be like in Canada.

“Um, is that really smart?” a friend asked when he learned we had traded our time share in sunny Puerto Vallarta for one on Vancouver Island still in the grip of winter?

We weren’t sure but such thoughts rarely stop us. The first week in March is my birthday week and I had a tradition to uphold. I always escape. For years I have taken one day off for each decade I have lived. And those are workdays, mind, you; weekends are a bonus.

On a snowy March 1st we packed up our Toyota Tacoma pickup and hit the road. We couldn’t help but wonder… if it was snowing in Southern Oregon, what would it be like in British Columbia?

While not being overly inspired to hit the road, I was inspired to make a George Bush Snowman.

We arrived in Port Angeles, Washington a day later without having to use four-wheel drive once. Luck was riding with us. Since our timeshare in Parksville wasn’t available for two days, we decided to explore Port Angeles. After all, Bella of Twilight fame came here from Forks and played with her vampire boyfriend; why shouldn’t we play in Port Angeles too.

We lucked out. This was the view out our window from the Olympic Lodge when I woke up on my birthday in Port Angeles. The snow covered Olympic Mountains provide a striking contrast to the green grass on the Lodge's golf course.

 

Like many communities, Port Angeles features a Farmers' Market on Saturdays. Fresh vegetables and bright colors are hard to resist, whether you plan to eat them or photograph them!

 

This wood sculpture with masks embedded in it provides further proof of the good weather. Port Angeles gets good grades for the art it has scattered throughout the community.

 

This mask in particular caught my attention. I've heard of buggy eyed and beady eyed, but people eyed...?

 

I also liked this dragon. It reminded me of my trips to Burning Man.

 

Wandering the streets, we came across this large red goose advertising Red Goose Shoes. It looks like his next step will be on to the roof of the car seen in the foreground, crushing it like a movie monster would.

 

Peggy and I always enjoy unique window displays. This one featuring Richard Nixon presenting Elvis Presley with an anti narcotics award redefines ironic. Presley is reported to have consumed some 12,000 prescription pills in the 20 months before his death.

 

Visiting Port Angeles almost requires you retrace the steps that Bella of Twilight fame took on her shopping trip from Forks. One stop Bella made was to find a book that would tell her if her boyfriend Edward bites. Here, Peggy, a dedicated Twilight fan, poses with a bag of books in front of the Odyssey Book Store. A shadowy Bella, Edward and Jacob are reflected in the window. Edward is looking down like he might bite Peggy.

The Shadowy World of Burning Man

/ Curt Mekemson / 1 Comment

I loved the personality of this goat sculpture at Burning Man. Its shadow also has a great deal of character. Note the tail and ears.

OK, I admit to a slight play on words for this blog. What I am talking about is photographing shadows. At Burning Man, or anywhere else for that matter, focusing on shadows provides a different, and I think interesting, perspective. The bright sun combined with the light brown of the playa provides a unique opportunity for shadow photography. Following are some of my favorites.

The mutant vehicles of Burning Man provide great subjects for shadow photos. This one, obviously, was from the Praying Mantis vehicle.

 

Another mutant vehicle of Burning Man. The question here is which is more scary: the vehicle or its shadow?

 

Speaking of scary shadows, this guy is from a spider 'mount' on a Burning Man merry-go-round. Little kids might view it as a 'night-mare.'

 

I liked the complexity of this shadow reflecting a Death Guild Chopper. Is this the shadowy side of Burning Man?

 

Bicycles, rather than choppers, are the chosen mode of transportation at Burning Man. Out of respect for participants, I've never posted a photo of the CT parade where over a thousand women joyfully ride topless. This is my first. Was I discreet enough?

 

The shadow of the Man is feeling a little fuzzy in this photo. Maybe he is contemplating the 2012 ticket sale.

 

Shadows can also enhance the art of Burning Man as this sculpture of flight demonstrates.

 

This young woman in her Burning Man costume has a lovely pair of wings but I found the shadow of the wings equally interesting.

 

Looking down from the Man, these shadows are more solid than the Burners.

 

My friends, Ken and Leslie Lake at Burning Man with their shadows, holding hands, holding hands.

The Case of the Errant Urinalysis… From Free Speech to the Peace Corps

/ Curt Mekemson / 2 Comments

 

In addition to whatever mischief I had been up to during the Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley, the Peace Corps wanted to know about my health.

I was directed to show up at the Army Induction Center in Oakland for a physical. I lined up with a bunch of semi-naked men to be poked and prodded. It was an experience not worth repeating.

“Turn your head and cough.”

I took it like a man and escaped as soon as the opportunity presented itself. A couple of days later I came back from class and there was a note from my other roommate, Cliff, who was also going into the Peace Corps.

“The Induction Center called,” he wrote, “and there is a problem with your urinalysis.” I was to call them.

“Darn it,” I thought. “Why is this so difficult?” So I called the Induction Center and resigned myself to having to pee in another jar. With really good luck I might avoid the naked-man-line.

I got a very cooperative secretary who quickly bounced me to a very cooperative nurse who quickly bounced me to a very cooperative technician who quickly bounced me to a very cooperative doctor… none of whom could find any record of my errant urinalysis.

They didn’t see any problems and they didn’t know who had called. They suggested I call back later and be bounced around again. More than a little worried, I rushed off to my next class.

That evening I reported my lack of success to Cliff. He got this strange little smile on his face and asked me what day it was.

“April 1st,” I replied as recognition of having been seriously screwed dawned in my mind. “You little twerp!” I screamed, as Cliff shot for the door with me in fast pursuit. It took me four blocks to catch him. The damage wasn’t all that bad, considering.

The FBI Hears I Run a Communist Cell Block…

/ Curt Mekemson / Leave a comment

Next on my to-do list for joining the Peace Corps was the dreaded FBI security check.

I had been up to mischief at Berkeley, hung out with the wrong people, been seen in a few places where law-abiding people weren’t supposed to be, and had my name on a number of petitions.

“And where were you Mr. Mekemson the night the students took over the Administration Building?”

Maybe there was even a file somewhere; maybe it was labeled ‘Radical!’ J. Edgar Hoover saw Red whenever he looked at Berkeley.

Soon I started hearing from friends. The man with the badge had been by to see them. The background security check was underway. One day I came home to the apartment and found my roommate Jerry there, looking very nervous.

“I have to talk to you Curtis,” he blurted out. “The FBI was by today doing your Peace Corps background check and I told them you had been holding communist cell block meetings in our apartment.”

Jerry wasn’t joking; Jerry was deadly serious; Jerry was dead.

“What in the hell are you talking about?” I had yelled, seeing all of my hopes dashed. I knew that Jerry disagreed with me over my involvement in Berkeley’s Free Speech Movement and probably disagreed with me over the Vietnam War, but I didn’t have a clue on how deep the disagreement went. Or what he based his information on.

My degree in International Relations had included a close look at Communism. I found nothing attractive about the system.

The closest I had come to joining a leftist group had been the Free Student Union. Yes I had held a committee meeting at our apartment but I had also severed my relationship with the organization. The folks behind the Union were more interested in radicalizing the student body than serving it. That was not my interest.

I was not happy with Jerry that night or for some time after. I assumed the Peace Corps option was out and begin thinking of alternatives. They were bleak.

As it turned out, a few weeks later we received final notification from the Peace Corps. We were accepted. The people who said good things about me must have outweighed the people who said bad things. Either that or Jo Ann looked so good they didn’t want to throw the babe out with the bath water.

Or possibly the majority of other students signing up for the Peace Corps from Berkeley in 1965 had rap sheets similar to mine. I suspect that was the case.

Next Blog: If this is the Peace Corps, what am I doing in the naked man line at the Army Induction Center?

Burning Man… The Great Ticket Fiasco

/ Curt Mekemson / 4 Comments

Burning Man tickets have become scarce, Burners are upset, and scalpers are taking advantage.

Burning Man ran out of tickets last year. People panicked. Scalpers had a field day.

Let me say this about scalpers; they are the scum of the earth. Scalpers and other speculators of their ilk make their fortunes by driving prices up and taking advantage of people. They are driven by greed and contribute nothing to society.

Burning Man decided the fairest way to deal with the limited ticket issue this year was to run a lottery. To deal with the scalpers, controls were placed on the number of tickets anyone could buy. Scalpers undoubtedly figured out ways of getting around the controls. They always will if the profits are substantial. But that’s not the major issue.

Burning Man forgot the major maxim of good business practice: Don’t Screw Your Best Customers. This was not Burning Man’s intent, but it was the result.

Suddenly, Burners who had been faithfully buying tickets and attending the event for 5, 10, or even 15 years are ticketless. What’s worse is that many of these people are critical to the Burning Man experience. They are the contributors, people who share their musical and artistic talent, people who volunteer for the many tasks it takes to run Burning Man and people central to building and maintaining the communities that give Burning Man its unique flair.

What were you thinking guys?

To give credit to the Burning Man organization, it is now struggling with how to right the wrong. A less than satisfactory solution will be jury-rigged this year. The result will still be lots of seriously bummed, or should I say burned, Burners.

As a six-year-veteran here are my thoughts regarding a solution to Burning Man’s ticket sales.

  1. Do away with the tier system. It’s a form of scalping in itself. Figure out what a fair price is to run the event, make your ‘profit,’ and support the other causes/efforts you believe in. Charge everyone the same amount but retain your program for subsidized tickets for people who need them. You can encourage people to make donations to support valuable programs such as the Black Rock Arts Foundation and Burners without Borders.
  2. Limit sales to twice a year. The first sale will be for the total number of spaces available and be on a first-come first-serve basis. Make it in January so you have time to do your own planning. The total upfront cash should be good for Burning Man. It’s as fair as you can be in terms of distribution.
  3. Make the second sale one month before the event to sell refunded tickets from people who can’t go. (Closer to the event would be better but the logistics might be a nightmare.)
  4. To make this work and to eliminate scalpers, people will have to have numbered tickets tied to their name and a personal photo ID. That’s how participants will get in and that’s how they will obtain refunds if they can’t go. I know this will take extra effort on the part of Burning Man and that veterans may complain, but it is the only way to keep ticket control in Burning Man’s hands. An increased price is justified here to cover Burning Man’s refunding and processing costs. People will have to make a go/no go decision by a certain date. Otherwise they are out the price of their ticket.

This is a much simpler approach than Burning Man uses now. It is fair and will be easily understood by participants.