Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts

Saturday, October 15, 2022

Homeward bound.


After we left the Queen of Cowichan we headed home. Most of the photos were taken through our windscreen.

"The Golden Ears Bridge is a six-lane extradosed bridge[2] in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia. It spans the Fraser River, connecting Langley on the south side with Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge on the north side. The bridge opened to traffic on June 16, 2009. The bridge replaced a previous ferry service several kilometers upstream and will be run by a private consortium, the Golden Crossing General Partnership, until June 2041.[3]" - Wikipedia  

On a clear day, Mount Baker can be seen from Vancouver.  "Snow and ice-covered Mount Baker, located in northern Washington, is the highest peak in the North Cascades (3,286 m or 10,781 ft) and the northernmost volcano in the conterminous United States." - USGS 

Great Bear Snow Shed, Coquihalla Highway, BC

"The most impressive structure on the Coquihalla Highway, the Great Bear Snow Shed is located in one of the highest snowfall regions of the Province. with a total length of 920 feet (280 metres), and 36 foot (11 metre) high portal walls, the structure shelters 6 lanes of freeway traffic from the threat of snow avalanches." - CWMM Construction

Inside a snowshed. 

"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 

The first evening we camped one night at Shuswap Lake Provincial Park in B.C., Canada. We have camped there before, you can see the post here and here.
They didn't have a fire ban so we made a fire. 

We left early the next morning for the rest of our trip home.

"Snow sheds were first created in the late 1800s and became the foundation for sustaining rail transportation in colder regions. They are what they sound like – structures with sloped roofs that deflect snow over the top of long sections of track, sort of like long car ports." - BNSF Railway
Snow shed on the trans-Canada highway near Rogers Pass, British Columbia, Canada.

"The Rockies vary in width from 110 to 480 kilometres (70 to 300 mi). The Rocky Mountains contain the highest peaks in central North America. The range's highest peak is Mount Elbert located in Colorado at 4,401 metres (14,440 ft) above sea level. Mount Robson in British Columbia, at 3,954 metres (12,972 ft), is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies".- Wikipedia

Improvements to Highway 1 through the Kicking Horse Canyon near Golden.
Photo from B.C. Government website

Construction between Golden and Kicking Horse.

"An amazing feat in and of itself at a cost of over $1 billion, the TCH is now considered the world’s longest national road, covering some 4,860 miles (7,821 km) over mountains, across prairies, through forests, and beside majestic waters, crossing six time zones. The TCH truly traces the heartbeat of Canada." - Route Magazine

A glacier.

Field, British Columbia, Canada.

“…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.

Getting close to home now. 

Victoria Glacier. Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.
Click here for more photos and information about Lake Louise.

Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.

"Banff National Park is Canada’s first national park, established in 1885. From Banff’s humble beginnings as a 26 square kilometre hot springs reserve, Banff National Park now consists of 6,641 square kilometres of unparalleled mountain scenery nestled in the heart of the magnificent Canadian Rockies. Banff is only 150 km away from Calgary."- Banff National Park

“The Trans-Canada Highway near Banff has million-dollar overpasses just for wildlife”- Canada Cool

Mount Rundle and Vermilion Lakes.

"Located in Alberta's Rocky Mountains, 110–180 kilometres (68–112 mi) west of Calgary, Banff encompasses 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 sq mi)[3] of mountainous terrain, with many glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine landscapes."- Wikipedia

The Canadian Rockies.

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The Road Home 2019Heading Home 2014
Heading Home 2012Going home 2010

TOKELOSHE ©

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Queen of Cowichan.



After we left the Englishman River Falls campground on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada during our recent vacation, we took the MV Queen of Cowichan Ferry from Nanaimo (Departure Bay) to Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay)

 

Our rig is inside one of the two-vehicle decks.

Another ferry is next to us at the ferry terminal, taken through the window.

 
"MV Queen of Cowichan is a BC Ferries vessel, built in Victoria, British Columbia in 1976. It joined the other two C-class ferries built that year, Queen of Alberni and Queen of Coquitlam, and was followed by Queen of Surrey and Queen of Oak Bay. The ship, like all C-class ferries, is double-ended. This means the ship never has to turn around in port during regular service. The ships two MaK 12M551AK engines turn out 11,860 horsepower (8,840 kW) which gives it a service speed of 20.5 knots (38.0 km/h; 23.6 mph). Like all the C-class ferries it is 139.28 metres (456 ft 11 in) long. Almost identical to Queen of Coquitlam, the vessel has a car capacity of 312 and a passenger capacity for 1,494 people. The ship has two car decks. A lower car deck capable of carrying trucks and buses carries the overheight vehicles while the upper car deck can carry the majority of the cars on board. She is named for the regional district of Cowichan Valley Regional District." - Wikipedia

 
  Built: 1976, VictoriaOverall Length: 139.29 m (457')Gross Tonnage: 6,551.18Car Capacity: 362Passenger & Crew Capacity: 1,500Service Speed: 22.0 knotsHorsepower: 11,860Amenities: Coastal Café (featuring White Spot Triple O burgers, Villages Pizza and Bread Garden Sandwiches), Coast Café Express snack bar and Passages Gift Shop. You'll also find a video arcade, children's play area, two outdoor solariums, telephones, elevator, washroom for people with disabilities and tourist information (brochures). - WebArchive

The weather was very nice.

I always try to take a photo of the lifebuoy, so that I know which ferry the photos were taken on.

One of the vehicle decks.

It's quite windy up front.

The wake of the ferry.

Another ferry.

British Columbia mainland and another ferry.

The crossing time is approximately 1h 40m with a distance of 54 km

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Ferries.

TOKELOSHE ©

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Top Bridge Park.




We visited Top Bridge Park while we camped at Englishman River Falls Provincial Park, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada during our recent vacation. We were fortunate to see fish jumping, possibly Salmon, but they were too quick to photograph.

 
 

Top Bridge Park.

"Top Bridge Park is a favourite local swimming hole where residents and visitors can spend a sunny afternoon cooling off in the waters of the Englishman River. The park is also an opportunity to reconnect with nature. One of Top Bridge's best kept secrets is the petroglyphs, which can be seen by observant visitors to the park. According to a local historian, three separate and distinct First Nations carvings, discovered by a local fisherman in 1940, can be found on the rocks near the river." - Parksville

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6 Kinds of Fish to be Caught in the Englishman River

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Englishman River Falls.

TOKELOSHE ©

Sunday, October 9, 2022

Coombs 2022



While we were camping at Englishman River Falls Provincial  Park on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada during our recent vacation. We visited Coombs again. We have been there many times before. You can see the posts here for more information and photos: Coombs 2019,  Coombs 2012, Coombs Market, Goats on the roof and No Goats on the roof. 

Coombs is situated between Nanaimo, Qualicum, Cathedral Grove, Port Alberni, Tofino and Ucluelet.

“The original market was created by Kristian Graaten. Kris and his wife, Solveig, emigrated with their children to Vancouver Island from Norway in the 1950s. Kris, who grew up in the small community of Lillehammer, was inspired to include a sod roof in his design of the market. Many Norwegian homes and farm structures are built directly into the hillside with the sod roof becoming an extension of the hillside. With the help of sons, Svein and Andy, and son-in-law, Larry, Kris unwittingly began to build what would become perhaps the most famous sod-roof building in the world.”

“And now the question, “What if we put goats on the roof?”” – The Old Country Market

  

Coombs 2022

“Coombs was established at the turn of the twentieth century by families who arrived as part of the Salvation Army’s immigration program, a humanitarian scheme that brought nearly a quarter of a million poor English and Welsh to Canada.’ – Vancouver Island

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Coombs, More than just Goats on the Roof

 

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20192012
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2009

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