Neil
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Post by Neil on Jun 20, 2012 20:44:38 GMT -8
According to 1999 stats, the average Canadian uses about 343 litres of water a day. That seems like a rather staggering figure when I note that here on my own on Hornby, I use 30-40 litres a day, unless I go the the ballpark as opposed to using our outdoor shower. I also admit to using the laundry facilities to wash sheets and towels. Still, 30-40 litres is more than some Hornbyites use. Of course, sometimes that's apparent, given the aroma that wafts off some of the more organic types.
We don't have a well, so I have to go up the road to a semi-public well, pump my water, put the jugs in the trunk and then haul them from the car to the cabin. Hot water comes from heating a large pot on the stove and mixing either my shower water or water for washing and dishwashing. Needless to say, when there's that much work involved, I don't waste any. I've devised routines for washing dishes with as little water as possible, and since I detest improperly clean pots, dishes or cutlery, I get everything scrupulously clean.
Likewise showers; a ten litre jug with a spigot, hung from a hook in our 'shower' is ample. Of course, those who've met me and noticed the generous expanse of hair free real estate on top of my head might mischievously question how much water I need, but I have a wife and two daughters who have ample manes, and they report that ten litres is quite sufficient. At home, I'm sure we use many times that each time.
Of course, on my own, with no particular schedule, I have time to do things more efficiently. Recently, I read an article on Lasqueti residents who have such involved procedures for cooking, cleaning, and washing, owing to being off the grid and off public water, that it made me feel wasteful. Our modern world seems to require that we spend as little time as possible on basic hygiene and housekeeping, and the quicker we need to do things, the more energy and water we require. Who knows what the average dishwasher uses?
Eventually, we might have a proper house here, with a well, hot water heater, and plumbing. I'll start using more water; it's inevitable when it's easier to use. I doubt that we'll ever use as much as in the city. There's more consciousness here about wastefulness, and wells can be diminished near the end of dry summers. The generation before mine believed Canada had infinite water supplies, but hopefully, even those of us now using those 343 litres a day in the city, flushing gallons with every pee, will see the value in preserving resources for generations to come.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jul 17, 2012 13:41:45 GMT -8
I'm not actually there right now (unfortunately), but this is a Hornby story, so I'll put it here. Apparently, Deborah Marshall thinks the Tenaka is a 30 car ferry. I knew there was going to be a problem with such a small ferry being used in the summer. Kahloke was supposed to be back from refit July 4th, which of course, actually meant at least the beginning of August. With the hit the island has taken from fares, it does not need this. www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/news/162778396.html?c=y&curSection=/&curTitle=BC+News&bc09=true
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2012 16:05:46 GMT -8
So I guess the Tachek will be getting her life extension this fall? Or just a minimal refit?
Regarding the Quinitsa... didn't she just have a 4 week refit this spring? The Kahloke replaced her during that time. It seems like our minor vessels are constantly requiring more work to remain TC compliant (Tenaka, Kahloke, Tachek etc...).
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Post by lmtengs on Jul 17, 2012 16:31:20 GMT -8
Well considering that the oldest of the K class boats is 40 years old this year, and the other K's are no more than three years younger, you can see why they're needing more maintenance. Even the Kuper, our 'newest' ship isn't all that new. She was originally built in 1985. The two Q-class boats were built over 30 years ago, and the Nimpkish was built 40-ish years ago. Our T's are all 40+ years old too, so if you look at the situation, all of our minor vessels are old. I'm not even going to mention the North Island Princess... the oldest parts of her are fifty four years old.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2012 17:21:57 GMT -8
I'm not actually there right now (unfortunately), but this is a Hornby story, so I'll put it here. Apparently, Deborah Marshall thinks the Tenaka is a 30 car ferry. I knew there was going to be a problem with such a small ferry being used in the summer. Kahloke was supposed to be back from refit July 4th, which of course, actually meant at least the beginning of August. With the hit the island has taken from fares, it does not need this. www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/news/162778396.html?c=y&curSection=/&curTitle=BC+News&bc09=true That's funny, because the crew like to use Tenaka instead of the normal vessel, but the passagers hate her on the Hornby Island route.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jul 17, 2012 18:30:28 GMT -8
I'm not actually there right now (unfortunately), but this is a Hornby story, so I'll put it here. Apparently, Deborah Marshall thinks the Tenaka is a 30 car ferry. I knew there was going to be a problem with such a small ferry being used in the summer. Kahloke was supposed to be back from refit July 4th, which of course, actually meant at least the beginning of August. With the hit the island has taken from fares, it does not need this. www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/news/162778396.html?c=y&curSection=/&curTitle=BC+News&bc09=true That's funny, because the crew like to use Tenaka instead of the normal vessel, but the passagers hate her on the Hornby Island route. The Hornby crew does not prefer the Tenaka. The vessel is too small, doesn't fit the docks, is awkward to load, and has to turn around, making it completely impractical for summer on this route.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Aug 13, 2012 15:36:49 GMT -8
There has been a project to install water tanks at strategic spots on Hornby to aid in firefighting. The Hornby Arts Council is commissioning local artists to decorate them, because this is not an island where such large potential murals would not be taken advantage of. This is our local one, at the intersection of Sollans and the road I'm on, Brigantine. Artist is Roberta Pyx Sutherland. I think Andy would be pleased.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Sept 22, 2012 21:36:44 GMT -8
I call this thread ‘A Hornby Hermit’s Journal’, partly in jest. I’m a fairly solitary person by nature, and I can spend large stretches of time with minimal contact with others. Hornby Island offers people an opportunity to be a part of a vibrant, friendly community with lots of neighbourly interaction and co-operative projects, or to commune with the forest and the ocean with a lot of privacy. Most people here probably lean toward the former, with an allowance for the latter.
Recently, though, I’ve had occasion to consider the real implications of being a real hermit, and I’m not sure I would want to go that route, in the full sense of the word.
My neighbor has lived in his house for forty years. No power, no car, no phone. I never hear voices from his property; but the sound of him handsawing and chopping wood has been part of the soundtrack of my time here for twenty five years. Recently that stopped, and I wondered why, because no matter how big his woodpile was, he was always adding more, either from the beach, or trundling back and forth with his wheelbarrow to the recycling center, a mile or so away.
We talk occasionally, sometimes out front when I see him on his bike, but usually at the Co-op store. The Co-op is a meeting place where people chat in the lineup or out front in the ringside market. I never see my neighbor talking to anyone. Recently, I asked him how he was doing, because I hadn’t heard anything from next door. He’d had a fall when he went into Courtenay; at 72, his balance is bad, and he can topple over if his backpack throws him off, or if he’s on uneven ground. He cycles across Hornby and Denman, parks his bike, and takes the bus from Buckley Bay into town. He said he figured he’d broken some ribs, that he wasn’t eating or sleeping well, and cycling caused pain when he got out of breath. He looked haggard and very thin, and while he had always been clean-shaven, he wasn’t now. I told him he really needed to see a doctor, and he said they probably couldn’t do anything for him, and that in any case, he couldn’t stand the thought of anyone touching his back. Conversations with him take a while… it’s like a car that doesn’t start very well, and a transmission that changes gears with difficulty. He’s out of practise with communication.
I went over to meet the neighbor on the other side of him. A long time and very nice senior Hornby resident, Ruth has lived next to him for decades, but she said that he probably didn’t know her name. I asked if something happened to him, would anyone know? Did anyone ever visit, did he seem to have any contact with anyone on this very friendly island? Apparently not, as far as she could tell. Since he does on occasion leave the island to take a motel room in Courtenay to watch some event on TV and just experience a slightly higher level of creature comfort than he gets in his dilapidated cabin with tarps on the roof keeping the rain out, it’s entirely conceivable that only a buildup of uncashed pension cheques might alert someone that something bad had occurred.
He’s always civil to me, but has been very curt with someone who offered him a ride. She thought that perhaps he didn’t like women.
So I guess I’ve been reflecting a bit on the difference between being a bit of a loner, and the consequences of cutting oneself off entirely from the community around us. How independent does one really want to be? I love the peace and quiet and solitude here on Hornby, but I’m considering having something a little more comfortable built here in a couple of years- if I can afford it- so I can move here permanently. I think I’ll enjoy the time I have to myself, if it happens, but I know I’ll also enjoy having my daughters here, and enjoying connections to a community that is very welcoming and non-judgemental. The ‘Hornby Hermit’ thing is tongue in cheek… I think I’ve seen the down side to that notion.
I saw him again today in the Co-op. He said he wasn’t much better, but could lie down now without always being in pain. He was clean shaven this time, but his shirt was tattered , though clean. I told him that if he ever needed help with his roof, or anything else, and I was around, to let me know. He was non-committal. Making connections or asking for help clearly wasn’t comfortable for him. It wasn’t entirely comfortable hearing that, either.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Sept 23, 2012 19:16:05 GMT -8
Neil, I enjoy reading your thoughts and commentary on Hornby life.
- Thanks for taking the time to keep us updated.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Oct 7, 2012 15:28:02 GMT -8
The island is abuzz with news that a cougar has been sighted in various locations. It's hard to figure, but every few years, some weird cougar sits on the Vancouver Island shore, gazing across the mile of frigid Baynes Sound at Denman Island, and says to itself, "Hmm. I wonder what the food's like over there." So, it clambers into the water and paddles across, and apparently not finding Denman deer, goats, or chickens tasty enough, it gets into the water again, and continues on to Hornby. Maybe when it's sitting on the east side of Denman it's lured by the smell of burgers and fries wafting across the water from The Thatch pub.
Last time a cougar was here, a number of domestic animals were killed. There certainly is a smorgasbord of farm animals and pets available, and a bumper crop of deer. However, on the slight chance that this cougar has a taste for gristly, middle aged humans, I will be restricting my long walks to the roads and beaches until I hear it's been removed. On Mt Geoffrey, no one can hear you scream.
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Post by WettCoast on Oct 7, 2012 22:24:56 GMT -8
Neil,
Thanks for your regular updates on what is happening on Hornby. Today's instalment is very interesting. I do hope the big kitty finds some legal grub somewhere, maybe on some other island!
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Post by Mike C on Oct 8, 2012 8:24:11 GMT -8
Perhaps you could adopt this poor kitty, having found it homeless at Shingle Spit Terminal? Though I think 'Shingle' is a crappy name.
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Post by Ferryman on Oct 8, 2012 11:24:29 GMT -8
We're having the same issue with cougars here on Salt Spring as well. They're usually hanging out at Moby's pub on Friday and Saturday nights, Leopard print clothing and all. Wait....you're talking about the actual animal? Oops. Yes we have one on Salt Spring as well. It seems to be keeping the Deer off the roads a little better as of late at least. But yes, I certainly take extra caution walking around especially at night because it has been spotted in my neigborhood a few times now. We even have people keeping track online. saltspringexchange.com/2012/08/26/map-of-cougar-sightings/
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Oct 16, 2012 21:09:34 GMT -8
We're having the same issue with cougars here on Salt Spring as well. They're usually hanging out at Moby's pub on Friday and Saturday nights, Leopard print clothing and all. Here on Hornby, The Thatch is the only night spot... and this time of year, it's only open Thursdays and Fridays from four until eight. Any domestic 'cougars' have very slim pickings... better to head for the bright lights of Courtenay. Only a couple of days until I pack up for the last time this year and head back to the 'burbs, since pressing domestic issues and a change of life call. As usual, it will be hard leaving. The biggest annoyance here has been a smoke alarm next door that's been squealing for five days, but now is finally dying out. Today, on the 16th of October, I had a very pleasant long wade in the incoming tide at Tribune Bay, with a vista of deserted beach fore and aft, except for the tennis players on the courts. The autumn storms have set in, with tonight's peaceful skies just an interlude between yesterday's day long gale and tomorrow's forecast blow. Amazingly, the power has stayed on, except for brief interruptions just long enough to interrupt the DVD machine. The summer drought is being quickly forgotten, as already the seasonal streams are reappearing, and so far, the cougar- the furry type- hasn't yet eaten any children or domestic pets. The changes back home gave concern that I might have to give this place up, but happily, that doesn't seem to be in the offing. This is a place of sanity, of peace and quiet, and a place, despite the material inconveniences such as a cold outhouse seat in the morning, where the natural surroundings and the people offer an important grounding. After a few days, the semi-feral cat that I feed will get used to the fact that his buddy isn't coming back to feed him. Winter will descend on the island and I'll be adjusting to my new surroundings, and at times, often, I'll be wishing I could be back in the tranquility of the island, although I know that my setup here is three season, not four... ...but March will come, and I'll be back, and hopefully, the cougar will have travelled back safely to the big island.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Oct 31, 2012 20:16:57 GMT -8
Migawd, what a deluge. Here on Hornby, they're loading the animals onto Tenaka, a pair at a time. Not sure the cougar has a mate. A relief captain, first name Noah, is set to sail at daybreak tomorrow.
The monsoon let up a bit around eight, so the fireworks went off as scheduled. What sounded like a windstorm was actually the torrent suddenly running through my neighbor's property to the ditch out front, and I'm thankful for the couple of yards of gravel I had delivered some time back to make a path through the swamp to my outhouse, which suddenly has it's own water supply, just like a civilized toilet.
The rain pounds on the roof, but as long as the electricity flows, it's cozy in the country. And, of course, compared with what the folks on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. are dealing with, our weather provokes little more than inconvenience.
And speaking of electricity... the ubiquitous NO TRESPASSING CORIX signs have not deterred the smart meter installers here on this cantankerous outpost, who surprisingly have been making their rounds free of torch wielding mobs of dissenters. Chances are, the population will survive the threatened digital plague.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Dec 31, 2012 22:14:03 GMT -8
I suppose New Year's Eve can make one thoughtful, if partying isn't on the agenda. And I don't suppose three or four light beers counts as partying.
I've been away from Hornby since the second week of November, tending to a change of marital status and a move to an apartment I'm buying from my late mother's estate. Apartment life is... apartment life. It'll do, for now.
But Hornby feels like home. And as soon as the legal stuff is put to bed- hopefully this next week- I'm going back for a bit... as long as the forecast doesn't call for a cold snap. My plywood shacks would not work at minus five. I'll take my chances with the winds and power failures.
It will be something new; I've never been there in December or January. As well, I hired a couple of contractors to take down some trees and put in a culvert, and I'm told the property is a swamp, with a seasonal stream overflowing from torrential rains. I'm told I'll need to put down some boards, for now, so that I can access one of my cabins through the muck, and it's been so wet they weren't able to get their equipment in to clean up and remove the trees. So I really don't know how gross it might be.
I've always wanted to hike the island's trails in the dead of winter, when everything's really wet, and all the seasonal waters and waterfalls are flowing. A new, sturdy pair of hiking boots is in order.
Mr Horn mentioned the rain on the roof on his Sointula work/adventure... and that's one thing I really miss in this hermetically sealed condo. I'll even take a frozen outhouse seat in the morning... as long as the power stays on in the cabins. And for improving my flabby arm muscles, there's a massive, bucked up alder, ready for chopping on a chilly winter afternoon.
Hopefully, I'll be sailing on the good ship Kahloke in very short order.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jan 21, 2013 19:22:48 GMT -8
Wanting to get out of the clammy grey weather I've had since I arrived on Hornby on Wednesday, I figured a good bet yesterday afternoon would be to head up to the towering summit of Mt Geoffrey, a thin-aired nine hundred and something feet above sea level. After a reasonably vigorous walk up the trail from the Strachan Valley and twenty minutes or so along the cliff trail, the mist ended and I was in brilliant sunshine, looking out over invisible Denman Island across the pillowy fogbank toward the mountains on Vancouver Island. It was neat watching the fog slowly wend its way south, like a glacier made of cotton batting.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Feb 23, 2013 19:29:53 GMT -8
One of the more odd features of Hornby Island is the outdoor 'gallery' of Jeffrey Rubinoff, seen in this view from the cliff trail on Mt Geoffrey that I caught today. For ages I had no idea what I was looking at on the many times I walked this trail. I thought that someone perhaps had some eccentric collection of old derelict farming implements, or some sort of machinery items. Then, last year I saw an ad for a public opening for the Jeffrey Rubinoff Sculpture Park. So that's what it was. I'm afraid the abstract steel sculptures do nothing for me, and I find his writing about the meaning of art too dense and academic . I've never noticed any human activity on the property in the times I've walked the trail. There are apparently a hundred or so, although there are nowhere near that many visible from above.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Mar 19, 2013 21:19:18 GMT -8
Here on Hornby, I used to get three TV channels with my cabin-top antenna. But a few years ago, I lost City TV when they had a fire at their Courtenay transmitter, and then CBC shut down their analog signal... which left Global.
Since I had decided to try pretty much full time living here for this year, I decided I had to get a bit more reception, especially since I had purchased a decent TV. Satellite was out. Too many trees. Telus doesn't do their Optik thing in this community, and Shaw isn't available either. That leaves Gulf Islands Cable, surely the minnow of BC's telecommunications providers.
I phoned them up, noting that their customer service is only available between 9am and 1pm, Monday to Friday. Told them where I was, and selected from their three TV service packages. I wasn't asked for a credit card... just a mailing address. I was told that the install might be anytime from tomorrow, to two weeks, depending on the installer's schedule. A couple of days later, the installer, Kevin, showed up in his own rusty truck, to see if I was in, and said he'd be back that afternoon. Asked me if it was okay that he brought his dog.
So, his very friendly little pooch explored my property that afternoon while Kevin did his thing. Gulf Islands Cable had previously been serving Denman, Hornby, and Quadra islands, but Kevin said they were abandoning Denman because, unlike Hornby, Denman's population has no relatively concentrated neighborhoods, and infrastructure is just too expensive. The company supplies Quadra with some high definition service, but here on Hornby, the signal isn't even digital... that may be coming later this year.
So, now I have about forty five channels; their full package. Sort of wide screen, although you don't always get the banner scoreboard on hockey games, and the top of heads on the newscast might be cut off if they're doing those stand up shots in the studio. Depends how you set your TV. The price is right, though, about forty dollars, and I get HBO, so I can get my dose of left wing politics from Bill Maher. Forget about PVR convenience, though... you watch things when they're actually on, including commercials, and you need the TV guide out of the Times Colonist.
The thing that amazes me is that a tiny company like this exists in the ever more concentrated world of telecommunications. Kevin told me that the company lost money on Denman, made a bit on Hornby, and a bit more on Quadra. Something tells me that I might need a different option not long from now. But I like the idea of giving my money to a company that is definitely an anomaly in today's business world.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on May 21, 2013 20:19:05 GMT -8
This one is for Mr Horn, who I know also has a fondness for graveyards. I like inscriptions that are a bit irreverent or offbeat.
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Post by Low Light Mike on May 21, 2013 20:28:36 GMT -8
This one is for Mr Horn, who I know also has a fondness for graveyards. I like inscriptions that are a bit irreverent or offbeat. Thanks very much for that. I love it.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Dec 31, 2013 23:21:40 GMT -8
Just back from a walk around the neighborhood, scoping out the New Year's madness. Apparently, Grassy Point is not exactly party central for Hornby Island... although there are a lot more occupied cabins and houses than one would normally see in the winter. I gather that for many, celebrating New Year's means actually being up at midnight, and not necessarily being barfing drunk and howling at the stroke of twelve. Although, I have to admit, I did take a beer with me on my walk, in a nod to the debauched tradition of the evening.
A lovely winter night, with the sky full of stars, and a glow over the water in the direction of Powell River, indicating that there is indeed urban civilization out there... a safe distance away. Earlier today, a long walk that eventually took me around Helliwell Park, and a rather impressive sea lion show, with a group of fifteen or twenty just offshore, lolling about with fins in the air in some sort of mating display or slumber party... I couldn't tell which. A couple hundred more lining the west side of Flora Islet, with the group at the north end belching and growling, and the southern most bunch barking. Ethnic differences, or hormonal conditions, who knows. Combined with the thousands of seagulls on the adjacent rocks, I had to just stand there and marvel at the diversity and energy of life on this planet of ours.
A new year about to break... so salutations from this quiet corner to everyone on the forum up at this time of night. May 2014 be a good one for all.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Feb 9, 2014 22:11:26 GMT -8
There's a spot at Helliwell Park where people leave their names and sentiments in driftwood. The bone chilling cold apparently hasn't deterred good cheer.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Mar 21, 2014 21:31:12 GMT -8
Sandy Island Marine Park is accessible at tides of less than eight feet by foot from the north end of Denman Island. You have to drive through a rather unattractive part of Denman which was logged a number of years ago, where a real estate company is selling 'view' lots which will lose their vistas in short order, when the new trees grow up. In any event, the trip is worth it. A forty five minute walk takes you to Longbeak Point, from which you walk across the sand to a beautifully peaceful little island, north of which lie even smaller islets, also connected, the furthest one being just a rocky spit which is fully covered at high tide. At the north end of that one, you're not far from Comox.
Many Hornbyites actually know nothing of Denman Island, other than the fact that BC Ferries chooses to have them drive across it to access their own island. I'm not a big Denman fan either... it has no nice sand beaches, no towering peak like our own Geoffrey, and no pub or decent store. Fillongley Provincial Park is a bit of a joke, with ten parking spots each separated by a bit of shrubbery, passing for campsites beside an undistinguished scruffy beach. Longbeak Point and Sandy Island Marine Park, however, are very much worth visiting. Sandy is also known as Tree Island, or, as this sign shows, by its Komoks first nation name. A coupon for a plastic wrapped microwaveable Island Sky mcmuffin for anyone who can pronounce a name with a 7 in it. I think the Komoks folks do this just to mess with white people's brains.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Mar 22, 2014 8:19:25 GMT -8
A coupon for a plastic wrapped microwaveable Island Sky mcmuffin for anyone who can pronounce a name with a 7 in it. I think the Komoks folks do this just to mess with white people's brains. Sometimes the lack of a "7" doesn't make much difference: - I'm calling it "Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Park". ;D
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