My Mother’s Journal of the West Coast Trail circa late 1970’s
I found a treasure yesterday. My Mother’s ashes are on the West Coast Trail, because I knew she’d hiked the trail not long before her death and loved it. Ray was paging through a book yesterday and out fell a collection of small notes. Turns out it is an incomplete, and rather inaccurate journal that […]
Third Annual Pinawa Great Trail Hike
Under a crystal clear blue sky, with a kaleidoscope of fall colours as a backdrop 42 intrepid hikers showed up to walk the entire length of Pinawa’s Great Trail, 44 if we include Jasper and Tucker. In the run up to this event, hosted by myself on behalf of the Pinawa Friends of the Trans […]
Global Climate Strike
When I heard about it, I knew I had to be there. An earnest young man at the Harvest Moon Festival last weekend handed me a tiny flyer and said, “we need old people to support us. Please come.” We old people have not been good stewards of our planet. This kid was right, the […]
A Secret Discovered – Pinawa!
Disclaimer: this blog entry represents my own personal opinion, and does not represent any particular organization I may belong to or even be President of. I’ve lived in Pinawa for a quarter century now, twenty-five years of listening to, and sometimes being personally involved in marketing Pinawa as a tourism destination. Relatively suddenly, we are […]
Winnipeg Folk Fest 2019
Before my busy life moves onto the next thing, I must reflect on the zen I’ve come home with from another successful Folk Fest weekend. Despite intense heat, late nights and blue biffies, I’ve arrived feeling refreshed, recharged and optimistic. The music, the main event obviously was as usual exciting and fabulous. When Toubab Krewe, […]
Trail Maintenance by Helicopter on the Pinawa Trails
“Batabatabata”, the sound of the helicopter hovering around Pinawa all afternoon today, June 27 couldn’t be missed. Is there a forest fire nearby? A major tragedy calling for STARS over and over? No, just Marsha Sheppard and her team of trail maintenance volunteers spreading some gravel, by helicopter. The Problem Even the “wild and wonderful” […]
Sombrio Beach
Sombrio Beach was a happening place this past Easter weekend, tents crammed in every nook and cranny that the high tide wouldn’t reach. Campers were either surfers or hikers, lots of hikers from the Juan de Fuca trail, as this is kilometre 29 of that world-famous route. You can’t drive your car here, no campers, […]
Salt Spring Island – by bicycle, ferry and bus
Salt Spring Island is the largest and most populated of the Gulf Islands in the Salish Sea not far from the coast of Vancouver Island. Three ferries service Salt Spring, with direct access from Vancouver, Swartz Bay (Victoria) and Croften. The island has a colourful population of artists, farmers and other weirdly wonderful personalities. The […]
Still Standing
Did you know? The CBC show Still Standing is coming to Pinawa! Johnny Harris (and his team) travel across Canada, finding the funny in the struggles of small towns to survive and thrive, and it’s Pinawa’s turn. The shows researchers are already busy, conducting video interviews with many of our residents (me included). They will […]
Exploring Mount Washington
We’ve driven into another world, like nowhere I’ve ever been. The snowbanks lining the road are so high it’s like driving through a tunnel. Only the rooftops of the many ski chalets are visible. The mountains that surround us are stunningly beautiful. Within a 20 minute drive from the highway 19 turn-off the temperature dropped […]
My Mother’s Journal of the West Coast Trail circa late 1970’s
I found a treasure yesterday. My Mother’s ashes are on the West Coast Trail, because I knew she’d hiked the trail not long before her death and loved it. Ray was paging through a book yesterday and out fell a collection of small notes. Turns out it is an incomplete, and rather inaccurate journal that […]