January 9, 2010 by Rae

Campbell River to Nanaimo

There are two ways to get from Campbell River to Nanaimo. The first is the way I came after the ferry, highway 19, a new thoroughfare deemed the ‘inland highway.’ It is a speedway, pure and simple, with the highest speed limit I’ve ever seen in Canada (110kph) and nothing to see except a blur of trees. The second option is the older ‘ocean route’, highway 19A, which meanders its way quietly through sleepy hamlets. This is the route I picked to go to Nanaimo today.

It rained all day and most businesses were shut tight, so there wasn’t really much exploring to do. I simply savoured the coastal drive, occasionally stopping for photographs or to stretch my legs.

My longest stop before Nanaimo was in Qualicum Beach, a picturesque retirement community with the oldest average population in Canada. ‘Qualicum’ is from the Pentlach language and means ‘chum salmon.’ I took a small detour into downtown so I could see some of the murals. The town has a museum, but it is only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the winter.

I’ve known about Nanaimo since I was a girl because my childhood best friend moved there when were were about ten. I looked him up before coming to the Island, but have thus far been unable to find him and imagine that he’s probably no longer in town. Nanaimo is also famous because of the delicious dessert named after it, the Nanaimo Bar, a decadent confection featuring chocolate, custard, and coconut.

The weather made wandering around the pedestrian-friendly downtown unappealing, so I decided to visit the Nanaimo Museum and take a quick glimpse at the harbour, then call it a day.

Coming into downtown Nanaimo was frustrating. There were two signs for the city and then signs for Victoria, more than a hundred kilometres away. I assumed that I missed downtown and got off the highway, then spent some time trying to find the museum before my GPS was able to help me. As it turns out, Nanaimo is a long, narrow city, and there were more than ten kilometres left to drive before hitting the downtown exit. Nanaimo definitely needs a ‘exit at *** for downtown’ sign at the city limits. Once downtown the museum is easy to find, just follow the big blue M signs. I was happy to find free parking at the corner of Museum Way and Terminal Avenue, literally in front of the museum entrance.

The Nanaimo Museum is brand new. The $2 entrance fee was easily explained by the museum’s size; tiny. This is a fine museum that makes full use of its small footprint. Within a few minutes of arrival I knew what Nanaimo was all about, from its coal mining origins to its bathtub races and Native heritage. It was one of the best museums I have ever visited.

During the summer, the museum also operates the Nanaimo Bastion, a fort built by the Hudson’s Bay Company between 1853 and 1855 to defend its coal mining operations. I had a chance to view the exterior of the Bastion after taking a quick tour of the harbour, which was cut short by the start of a downpour that did not let up until I got home. The harbour was just a couple of blocks from the museum and my raincoat was soaked through by the time I made it back to the car!

Nanaimo has a reputation for being a working, charmless, city, but I found downtown to be quite beautiful and I would very much like to spend more time exploring it on a slightly drier day. Being just 150km from Campbell River, it is the perfect destination for a day trip; far enough away to shake off cabin fever, but still near enough to be easily doable as a round trip.

the first rest area outside of Campbell River

Oyster Bay Rest Area

next rest area

Baynes Sound Rest Area

Oysters underfoot at Baynes Sound Rest Area

Baynes Sound Rest Area

trawlers off of Baynes Sound Rest Area

Baynes Sound Rest Area

farm across from Baynes Sound Rest Area

Qualicum Beach

mural in downtown Qualicum Beach

details about the mural

mural in downtown Qualicum Beach

downtown Qualicum Beach

bathtub racing, what an idea!

Nanaimo bars

the first black teacher in BC

Nanaimo’s mines are notorious for their death and injury rates, hence the ironic messages.

Native dress

this trunk belonged to Joseph McKay, founder of Nanaimo

model of Nanaimo’s Bastion

world famous singer Diana Krall is from Nanaimo

arrowheads

these beautiful combs caught my eye

drum

Victrola

book of Victrola records

Victrola

historic building

close-up

downtown Nanaimo

🙂

Nanaimo Harbour

what a great staircase!

Nanaimo Harbour

I don’t know if I will ever be able to see a palm tree in the wild and not feel a tingle.

the Bastion

January 8, 2010 by Rae

Electric Space Heaters in RVs

Many RVers use electric space heaters to supplement their propane furnace. Some heaters are well suited to the purpose while others can turn your home into a death trap. An article recently posted to the RV News Service tells the tale of man in Oklahoma whose body was recovered from his burned out trailer before providing tips for safely using electric space heaters.

I’ve used cube-type heaters in the past and have always been worried my home would burn down while I was doing so, even with so-called safety features like tip-off switches and temperature gauges to shut off the machine before it overheats.

A fellow camphost in Oliver raved about electric oil-filled radiators and I decided to try one out, buying a large one on wheels at Canadian Tire for the front room. I liked it so much that this year I took advantage of a sale and bought a smaller unit for the dressing room and study.

The first heater I bought looks like this. It can run constantly without overheating. It’s kept in the front room and I store it in the entrance stairwell when traveling. It can draw 600, 900 or 1500W, so there is some amperage flexibility since you can use 5, 7.5 or 12.5A depending on how much is available to you.

This is the second one I bought. It’s tiny, but it gets a lot hotter than the big one! I occasionally turn it off to give it a chance to cool down. It’s kept in the dressing room and stored in the toilet room when traveling. It draws 550W, so it only needs 5A.

I like oil-filled heaters because they are:

-silent;

-safe;

-economical;

-low power consumers;

-dehumidifers.

These two heaters set on high can keep Miranda’s interior temperature to a reasonably comfortable level until about minus five Celsius. It’s a good idea in those kinds of temperatures to run a fan as well in order to circulate the warm air. I don’t have heated tanks, so there’s no reason to run the propane furnace when the electric heat is sufficient.

It’s been averaging plus four since before Christmas and I have them both set on low to cut through the dampness. This sure beats been woken up by the furnace cycling through the night and having to deal with the moisture from the propane in addition to the damp ocean air.

Electric space heaters exist in all price points and it’s definitely been my experience that the more expensive oil-filled radiators will pay for themselves if only in peace of mind.

January 6, 2010 by Rae

A Most Peculiar January

In the world where I grew up, winter was a bleak, cold, and white month. There were exceptions; I remember being able to go for a long, non-icy, run on a day in mid-January, but, generally, there was very little to recommend about January.

Last year in Surrey, January was sodden. I don’t know if the last few days will set a pattern for the month, but only one word thus far applies to January 2010 in Campbell River: mild.

At home, the heat is on low just to cut the dampness, I’ve switched back to summer bedding, and I can actually hang out in bare feet. At work, I do my outside chores very comfortably in only my long sleeve tee-shirt if it’s not raining.

Needless to say, I’m completely mystified by the Campbell Riverites who come into the store bundled up for doomsday, teeth chattering, and full of complaints about how cold it is outside!

It’s presently 4 degrees at 2AM and the forecast ahead is just going to get warmer and warmer; we might even reach the double digits next week!

Even with the few weeks I had in Oliver last year, I’m starting to forget what real cold is, although I’m pretty sure that the -27 in Dawson City tonight is unpleasant. 😀

January 4, 2010 by Rae

Settling Into a Routine, At Last

I am halfway through my first week on the schedule I should be having until I leave Campbell River. Once upon a time, I had a 2pm to 10pm shift and considered it to be the ideal work schedule for me. Fast forward eight years and that still holds true. I love working 2pm to 10pm on a consistent basis! I get home between 10:15 and 10:30, chill for an hour, have a light dinner, do some online stuff, then retire to bed between 1 and 3 to read. Last ‘night’, I fell asleep around 4am (the same time my colleague got UP to open the store!) and woke up without an alarm at 11:30.

Now comes the fun part; deciding what I’m going to do on my first four day weekend. Since it’s been almost tee-shirt weather here (almost only because I go out in a long rather than short-sleeved one!!!), I thought I’d be silly and go do something up in the mountains involving snow, but that’s only one option I’m exploring.

January 2, 2010 by Rae

Canyon View Trail, Campbell River

When I asked my Christmas dinner hosts for ideas on day excursions from Campbell River, the first thing they mentioned was the Canyon View Trail, just outside of Campbell River. Today I awoke to a day off and good hiking conditions (overcast with sunny patches and plus four) so I decided I would go check out this trail.

The Canyon View Trail is very easy to access. Follow highway 28 towards Gold River for about ten minutes (a mere 3km from downtown) to the John Hart power plant. That’s the official trailhead, but I saw two other places to park and access the trail before that. The power plant is on BC Hydro property, but much of the trail is actually in Elk Falls Provincial Park.

One of the things that appealed to me about this trail is that it is a loop. It is about six kilometres long and relatively easy; most of the hike is along established pathways. There is one sudden elevation change that I will discuss below, but, otherwise, it’s a very easy walk.

From the power plant and facing the river, you can either go left or right. I went right and feel that this is the way to best experience the Canyon View Trail as the trail starts off in a rather boring fashion and then, just near the end of the loop, suddenly climbs high above a canyon for stunning views. What a great reward for all those kilometres already hiked!

One thing spoiled the mood in the woods today; an atrocious stench along some stretches of the trail. The riverbank was littered with the rotting carcasses of hundreds of huge salmon. There has been a lot of flooding in that area, so I am assuming the fish all died of natural causes from being caught on dry land after the water receded. I’ve included a picture of dead fish, the least icky one I took, in the following picture gallery; viewer discretion is advised.

From the trailhead, if you go right the trail will pretty much follow the highway and you will need to walk on asphalt for a bit to get to a bridge to cross the river. The trail is definitely a lot more woodsy on the other side and you will have the chance to walk by some old growth Douglas firs. You will circle a BC Hydro installation and continue until you see the power plant ahead of you, on the other side of the river. Shortly thereafter, the trail will climb dramatically until it takes you to a narrow steel walkway spanning an impressive canyon. The walkway covers a natural gas pipeline.

I was surprised by how well I did on that bridge as it was surprisingly bouncy. I did keep an elbow on the railing most of the time, but I wasn’t clinging to anything and I took the time for plenty of shots. Might our intrepid author have actually conquered her height phobia?

After the bridge you will head down towards the power plant and will actually have to cross it to get back to the parking lot. The noise coming from it was deafening and two hours later my ears are still ringing! I’d suggest moving along rather than stopping to take photographs.

My only complaint about the trail is that it isn’t very well marked. I recommend stopping at the parking lot at the entrance to Elk Falls, which you will pass if you starting hiking from the power plant. There is a map there of the extensive trail network in the area which will help guide you along the correct route. Had I not done this, I would have had no idea where to go from this parking lot. As it turns out, it’s where you need to leave the woods for the short walk along the highway. The intuitive thing to do is to keep following the woodsy trail, which ends in a very sudden drop.

I very much enjoyed the Canyon View Trail and look forward to exploring other trails in the vicinity of Campbell River.

Look out for this sign on the right side of the highway if you want to park at the power plant. It’s easy to spot if you’re driving at the speed limit.