Englishman River Falls 2022

After we left Miracle Beach Provincial Park, we camped for a week at Englishman River Falls Provincial Park, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada during our recent vacation. The campground has lovely scenery, friendly camp staff and neat campsites. The camp is children and dog friendly. Nearby attractions include Englishman River Falls, Coombs, Goats on the roof, Cathedral Grove, Little Qualicum falls, etc.

   

We camped there before in 2019 and in 2015. We also visited the falls in 2008.

 

  “Situated along the pristine Englishman River north of Nanaimo, Englishman River Falls Provincial Park features two stunning waterfalls cascading along the descending riverbed into a deep canyon.” “This picturesque destination, set amid a lush old-growth and second-growth forest of Douglas fir, cedar, hemlock and maple, is an ideal location from which to explore and appreciate the incredible diversity of south-central Vancouver Island, including nearby Cathedral Grove, the Pacific Rim, and the sandy shores of Parksville and Qualicum.” – Englishman River Falls Provincial Park

Englishman River Falls.

Erik loved the river.

 

  “Established in 1940, the 240-acre park was named as the result of an old legend, wherein First Nations people found the skeleton of a white man along the river near the waterfall, thereby giving the falls its name. The area was declared parkland to protect the old growth Douglas Fir forest and the area around the Englishman River and the falls. ” – Vancouver Island beyond Victoria.

There was a fire ban due to the drought, so we used our portable propane fire pit in the evenings.

 

 We saw many stars at night and even a bank of Starlink satellites launched by Elon Musk's SpaceX company.

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Englishman Provincial Park 2019

Englishman River Provincial Park 2015

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Miracle Beach 2022

We camped for three nights at Miracle Beach Provincial Park on Vancouver Island during our recent vacation. We have camped there before in 2019, and in 2012 We saw many stars at night. The campground is very popular booking is recommended. The Saratoga Speedway is close to the park, so I suggest one camp the furthest away from the road.

   

We found the campground excellent, with friendly and helpful staff, clean washrooms, hot showers, etc. There was a fire ban, due to the drought and forest fires.

"Miracle Beach Provincial Park is a popular oceanside family campground with a popular day-use and beach, conveniently located 22 km north of Courtenay and 22 km south of Campbell River off Hwy 19a." - Explore B.C Parks 

 

"Miracle Beach Provincial Park: A cherished family campground located next to a stunning stretch of ocean shoreline! Visitors will love exploring and beach combing year-round at this popular provincial park." - Explore B.C Parks 

The walk to the beach.

"The park has 2 km of trails that start at the campground and day-use parking lots and weave through second-growth and old-growth forest. Most of the trails begin at the north beach parking lot, including a designated dog-walking trail." - Explore B.C Parks 

"The day-use area is located on a beautiful stretch of ocean; at low tide, a fantastic sandy beach is great for beach combing. Activities at this destination family campground include sunbathing, swimming, sandcastle building, and exploring the many tide pools along the shoreline. At low tide, visitors will see a variety of marine invertebrates including purple shore crabs, clams, mussels, starfish, sand dollars and kelp isopods." - Explore B.C Parks 

 

“The tide along this stretch of the shoreline goes out for over a quarter of a mile, creating a hard-packed oceanfront playground perfect for children. The gently sloping beach continues for well over a mile into the calm waters of the Strait of Georgia, creating warm, shallow and safe swimming conditions, free from powerboat traffic, deep water or strong currents.” – Vancouver Island

Erik got a lot of attention.

While we were there we visited Campbell River, which we have visited before in 2019 as well as in 2015 and 2008

Miracle Beach Provincial Park is located 22 km north of Courtenay and 22 km south of Campbell River off Hwy 19a.

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Lost Lake Trail near Campbell River, 

Elk Falls  Campbell River,	Elk Falls Suspension Bridge Campbell River,	Elk Falls Provincial Park.  Campbell River,

Miracle Beach 2019

Miracle Beach 2012

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Saltery Bay Provincial Park.

We camped for three wonderful days at Saltery Bay Provincial Park,  on the Sunshine coast of British Columbia, Canada during our 2022 Vacation The campground was quiet, clean, and dog-friendly. The camp host was also friendly. 

The campground is conveniently located close to the Ferry terminal, camp the furthest away from the road for traffic noise. Saltery Bay is about a 29-minute drive to Powel River for all your shopping needs. 

 We camped next to the short trail that leads to the beach called Mermaid cove, which lives up to its name and deserves its own post. Coming Soon. We have camped at Saltery Bay before, you can see the post here.

   

 "Saltery Bay Provincial Park was established in 1962 to provide ocean access on the Sunshine Coast of Georgia Strait. The park is divided into two separate sites: the campground and the day-use area. The day-use area with its rocky beaches is a popular swimming and picnic site. Lush forests with large, old trees create a quiet setting for the campground at Mermaid Cove. At low tide, the rocky shoreline often has tidal pools with starfish, sea urchins, small fish and crabs. Scuba diving provides a close-up look at the abundant marine life and a 3-metre bronze mermaid statue." - B.C. Parks "Saltery Bay Provincial Park is a great place for visitors to stop if they have a couple hours to spare before catching the ferry, but also boasts a campground and swimming beach if you would like to extend your stay. This is also one of the best diving spots in the region – divers who set off from Mermaid Cove in the park can find a 3 metre bronze statue of a mermaid in the depths."- Sushinecoast Canada

Colourful neighbour,

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Saltery Bay Campground is a great oceanfront campground in Powell River, BC.

[WHERE'S WALDE? - Episode 2 - "Saltery Bay"

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Saltery Bay 2012

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Road-trip 2022

Roadtrip 2022

Our trip from Calgary, Alberta, Canada to British Columbia, Canada, didn’t start too well, there was a major accident on the Trans Canada Highway and the road was closed for hours. We had to take a huge detour, adding time and extra gas costs.

“…a wildlife corridor is a protected route that allows wildlife to move safely between areas of suitable habitat. In the Banff area, corridors are typically narrow, funnel-shaped tracts of land between the developed areas and the steep mountain slopes.” –Parks Canada.

"Snow sheds are designed to withstand the incredible forces involved with vast amounts of sliding snow, however they’re not meant to stop it. Instead, the sheds deflect the snow, allowing it to pass over top while traffic continues to flow underneath." Tran BC 

We had hoped to stay the night at a Canadian provincial campground near Hope, British Columbia, but there was construction going on nearby on the highway, so we stayed at Telte Yet in Hope, British Columbia where we had stayed before.

We had a pull through site, without power or water, although there are sites with power and water. The campground has washrooms and friendly staff. There was a fire ban due to thr drought. 
Telte-Yet is just off the Trans Canada highway, so there is some traffic and rail noise. It is within walking distance to some Restaurants.

More coming soon.

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Eric's epic adventure  2019	2015 Vacation	British Columbia Vacation 2012

Tokeloshe ©

Boondocking at the James River.

We couldn’t camp near Limestone Mountain as we had planned, because the area was closed, but we found another great site, next to the James River near Sundre, Alberta, Canada, where we hadn’t boondocked before,

There were many birds...

...and even a birdbath.

James River Camping.

The first few days were warm, but we had thunder-showers and cooler weather for the rest of the time.

James River Boondocking.

We saw quite a few Wild horses on our way there and going home. "DNA studies conducted by both the University of Calgary and University of Texas show that our Alberta wild horses are indeed genetically unique. They have DNA related to the draft horse, Indigenous ponies and the original Spanish horse. There are multiple genetics found, but these studies show that this blend of genetics is only found in our Alberta wild horses. Leading scientific researchers have stated that if we were to lose these horses it would be a very large loss to Alberta." - Wild Horses of Alberta

We were the only campers in the area for the first few days, but soon many people came moving in before the Canada Day long weekend.

We made improvements to our Ozark Gazebo, by adding a bigger tarp (20”x 18”) which made our shelter even bigger.

Another tarp is fastened over the fire to prevent sparks.

Rebars prevent the Windshield and heat reflector for a firepit from falling over. You can read more at Camping hacks, hints and equipment.A small coal shovel hangs from the rebar.

Another neat hack is using a hammer to pick up a hot lid.

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Camping Season.

In Alberta camping season officially starts with Victoria Day Long Weekend. We left home on the last day of the weekend; we saw many returning campers, deer and Wild Horses on our way.

We were impressed with our new canopy set-up, which you can read about here.

We camped for a few days at one of our favourite spots near Limestone Mountain in Alberta, Canada.

The first day or two there were still some lingering campers, but we were alone till the next weekend.

Two honking Geese flew up and down the creek twice daily.

We saw many wild horses during our stay, one evening a whole herd came galloping past and the next evening they grazed near us.

Alberta's Feral Horses.

“Our study involving the samples from Wild Horses, submitted by volunteer donors has revealed some extremely interesting results. Here’s what we do know. Our horses here in Alberta, are not of “Canadian Horse” decent, such as the ones studied by the same researchers in the Brittany Triangle, in B.C.. However, the most interesting connection is that just like the horses in the Chilcoltins, both studies show a connection to Russian breeds. The B.C. horses show markers indicating a connection to the Yakut, from Siberia, and our horses here in Alberta, are showing strong markers indicating a connection to the Altai, breed from Russia.”– Help Alberta Wildies

The photo was taken from our vehicle. You can read more about Feral Horses here. 

Erik as usual was a champion and didn’t even bark.

Two Canada Grayjays also popped in to greet us.

 

  "Canada Jays are dark gray above and light gray below, with black on the back of the head forming a partial hood. Juveniles are grayish black overall, and usually show a pale gape at the base of the bill."-All about Birds

"Canada Jays live in evergreen (especially spruce) and mixed evergreen-deciduous forest across the boreal forest of the northern United States and Canada, as well as in high mountain ranges of the West." All about Birds

There is a big boulder near our campsite, I wonder if it is an erratic. Erik scaled it like a mountain goat.

Most left their campsites without litter except for chopped firewood, which we helped clear up. There were some neatly built toilets and some people even built a fireplace. Because there are Gas Plants in the area, two or more gas workers drive past us about twice a day. There is no reception. Note that a the moment one needs a permit to camp on Alberta crownland. Public Lands Camping Pass

A big Inukshuk 

Erik doesn't tire of fetching.

Erik goes Glamping,

The Rocky Mountains

It was quite cold, with snow and ice at lower elevations.

That water is C-O-L-D!

Erik doesn't mind.

Happy dog.

Stay out of the tracks.

Erik loves the Quad.

 Stir fry vegetables. You can read more about our fireplace here.

Chicken wings and shrimps in a Nandos Peri-Peri sauce. 

Nandos Peri-Peri sauce. The medium is hot enough for me.

Low carb pancakes for breakfast anyone?

We use a wok stand over the burner. You can also use a trivet.

Our adaptation of Low carb pancakes for breakfast. Zero Carb PancakesOriginal recipe KETO ZERO CARB PANCAKES! Easy Keto Pancakes with 2 ingredients! from Low Carb Love.

We leave the eggs and cream cheese out of the fridge overnight. We just use a whisk and not a blender. We added chopped chives, bacon bits and grated cheese.

Our low carb cream cheese omelette for breakfast is based on the Low carb pancake recipe.

Related: Easy Eggs from One Good Thing.

Our camper in the evening.

 

You can read more about our lantern here.

Our fireplace, you can read more about our set-up here.

We went to bed after 12 at night because we were binge-watching.

A soft but effective light in the evenings.

How staring at an open flame can be a ticket to calm.

THE SURPRISING HEALTH BENEFITS OF SITTING AROUND A FIRE.

Canadian Geese.

 

  "Canada Geese live in a great many habitats near water, grassy fields, and grain fields. Canada Geese are particularly drawn to lawns for two reasons: they can digest grass, and when they are feeding with their young, manicured lawns give them a wide, unobstructed view of any approaching predators. So they are especially abundant in parks, airports, golf courses, and other areas with expansive lawns." - All About Birds. "This big 'Honker' is among our best-known waterfowl. In many regions, flights of Canada Geese passing over in V-formation -- northbound in spring, southbound in fall -- are universally recognized as signs of the changing seasons." - Audubon.org

Take what you need and leave some for the next campers.

White-Tailed Deer,

"The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia.[2] "- Wikipedia

"The white-tailed deer is tan or brown in the summer and grayish brown in winter. It has white on its throat, around its eyes and nose, on its stomach and on the underside of its tail. The male has antlers. Males weigh between 150 and 300 pounds and females weigh between 90 and 200 pounds." - Nature Works 

  

We saw a Mosse on our way home

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