Big moon on Gabriola

Caught in the act?

It was Wednesday morning; the garbage bins were lined up for a feast - but this little fella was being tailed by a horde of noisy crows. He seemed to be looking for somewhere to hide!

Picnic places

Today's snowy weather seems to have suppressed demand for Whalebone's favourite picnic spots.  Amazingly, there was no-one dining out in either Hummingbird or Blue Heron Park.

 

No diners, maybe..... but the views were still spectacular!

Snow morning at Nanaimo Airport

This morning I had a conversation with my daughter in England - went something like this : Air Canada has changed my flight times, I now only have 45 minutes to transfer in Nanaimo on my way back. Nanaimo flights aren't delayed too often are they?

No, of course not I said. And out of curiosity I checked how YCD was coping with this morning's snow. It's 0930 and that's the 0740 to Vancouver sitting on the apron shivering. The 0605 should be boarding soon....

  
By 0945 a path has appeared from the departure gate to the waiting aircraft (out of sight to the left)

and eager passengers throng to the plane at 0955

It's 1010 and the Vancouver flight makes a dash for the runway (above), only to return to the terminal (below) at 1030. 

 After de-icing and more ploughing (or is that plowing?) it's off again - and it's now 1108.

ok, so there are some slight delays to arrivals into Vancouver - but you'll be fine!

 Oh, and the 0740 finally left Nanaimo at 1245. No problem!

Missed opportunities

It's great to see that Port Place mall in Nanaimo is finally starting to re-emerge with some retailers and services moving into the shops facing the new roadway that will eventually run up the centre of the revelopment.

Such a pity though that it looks like the area has already been set out as just another parking lot - wouldn't it have been so much better for Gabriolans if the street layout had been designed to accommodate a new transit exchange? 

Instead we will still have to walk to the top end of Front Street for buses to the hospital, and (in March) we hear that the 'express' bus to Woodgrove (replacing routes 8 and 9) will no longer serve  Port Place, but will instead follow the same route as the hospital buses, departing from the top of Front Street, close to the Service Canada building. Only the snail-pace #1 bus to Woodgrove will serve Port Place - and that's hardly going to entice us to leave our cars behind, is it?

No doubt the thousands that were spent on 'upgrading' the Prideaux exchange rule out the common sense alternative of relocating the terminal to the new Port Place. Foresight? I don't think so. 

Don't mess the seats......

So finally we have some decent seats back in Quinsam - well, the same seats really but with some padded seats and backs bolted on.

Strangely, we're told these were "left over" when alternative seats were ordered for the Bowen Queen. They're a one-time opportunity though - and if they're vandalised, they're gone.

Within days, notices have appeared in Quinsam's lounges indicating that some damage has already been reported - and (if the perpetrators can be identified from the security CCTV footage) the RCMP will be brought in.  Let's hope there's something on the CCTV tape - and if it's not enough to identify those involved, maybe BC Ferries will post the images in the lounge so someone else can identify them.

After all, as the notice says, if it happens again we'll all be "back sitting on cold, hard metal seats". Now, I'm trying to remember - did BC Ferries tell us at the time that we would be getting "cold, hard metal seats" as part of the $16m refit?

Just a hop away.....

For those of us who have travelled through airports in Vancouver, Seattle or London, the greatest frustration is the time spent standing in line for check-in,  security, and at the boarding gate. Then, when you arrive it starts all over again at immigration, at customs control and baggage reclaim.

It's a world-wide problem - and all for our own good, we're told - but it really does put the 'pain' into plane travel.  We've flown to many destinations in Europe with 'budget' airlines that seek out smaller (and presumably less costly) regional airports and although these are often remote from the cities that they claim to serve, it's always a pleasure to discover how much more relaxed and friendly those smaller airports are. Many of them, and the communties they serve, depend heavily on tourism for their economic survival and with just a handful of flights each day, it's surprising just how much effort some airports make to woo the traveller back. My personal favourite has to be Nimes, France which handles a mere handful of flights each day to Britain and Belgium, yet boasts (for me) one of the best restaurants in town - the “Côté Sud”  open lunchtimes only, with a daily 3-course menu for just 15 euros ($20). It's worth checking in early for an afternoon flight just to experience the restaurant!

Nearer to home, Nanaimo Airport strives to achieve that same excellence in customer service - especially for long-haul Air Canada passengers who can avoid the long check-in lines at YVR with check-in and security this side of the water. 

With no more than 50 passengers to check-in for each flight, the whole process is completed in a matter of minutes, leaving you time to relax before your short flight to Vancouver. And yes, you can hop outside to talk to the bunnies while you wait!

Facilities for passengers are, in fairness, functional rather than exciting - yet the calmness and cleanliness of the surroundings go some way to making up for the lack of things to do. 

So what are the downsides of travelling through Nanaimo airport? 
 
Well, cost can be a factor - though not always its seems. Flying from between Nanaimo and Ottawa in February can cost just just $40 more than flying from Vancouver.  Flying transatlantic to London, the cost difference can be $75 - again, less than the cost of a one-way floatplane ride to YVR.  However, book a flight from London to Nanaimo on the same dates and the extra cost rockets to almost $300! It's time that Air Canada acknowledged the value of incoming business as well as offering inducements to local passengers.

There's also the question of getting to the airport. Nimes Airport, 22km from Nimes itself, provides a shuttle bus meeting each flight for just 5 euro (under $7) each way. That's $2 less than the cheapest advance fare from Nanaimo to the airport by Greyhound bus (connections not guaranteed) and just a quarter of the price of using the Nanaimo Airporter shuttle. 

Nanaimo Airport Commission's mission statement is “To provide a safe, efficient and financially viable airport, offering excellent services and value to all users while fostering economic development.”   It seems that their objectives of excellence and value to users have yet to be embraced by some of their partner organisations. 

BC Ferries closes Duke Point until further notice

I wondered why there was no 3.15 departure from Duke Point today. Now we know!

My perspective

No matter how long I spend gazing our from our home across the Georgia Strait to the Sunshine Coast, I still cannot reconcile the fact that this view is pretty much the same distance away as the French coastline is from the cliffs of Dover. 

There's not much of the Pas-de-Calais to see from Dover Castle - and even from Cap Gris Nez, the cliffs of Dover seem incredibly distant and small.

So I'm still blown away by the sheer scale of the view from our window - and in some light conditions it's just begging for a photo. And yes, I can cheat a little using a telephoto lens.

Yet there remain so many unanswered questions. Where is the horizon?  My guess is that the sea ends about 8-10 miles out. But how much of the Sunshine Coast is hidden below the horizon? And most perplexing of all, how many trees are there in this picture? Answers on a postcard please. You may need to click on the picture to view it larger.

As others see us......

After three years, I'm still discovering Gabriola - and it's often difficult to describe the place to those who've never been.


Such was the challenge set to a group of ethnology students enrolled at Royal Roads University in Victoria - to describe the meaning of Gabe in a postcard and 400 words. 



The result? Well, take a look for yourself here on the Royal Roads website.



This series offers a view of our island culture that maybe we're all still discovering........

Halloween on Gabriola

Under clear skies, Gabriola celebrated Halloween this evening - with bonfire, fireworks and its very own 'golden mile'.  For one night only, the tunnel (North Road's tree-canopy) attracted a constant stream of families driving at walking pace enjoying the spectacle of hundreds of carved pumpkins flickering in the dark. Our own offering joined a small, select group marking the start of the display.

For a short while, the line of traffic was vaguely reminiscent of that other 'golden mile' in north-west England. The difference?  In Blackpool, the illuminations don't get eaten by the deer!

Flying in the face of reason

We're always being told that flying from Vancouver is expensive - but it seems that's only if you start your flight in Vancouver. Take a look at this price comparison -  based on the same Air Canada flight from Vancouver to London Heathrow and back.....

The basic price - including taxes - is $1,126 for a return flight from YVR to Heathrow. That's $545 in fares and a massive $581 in taxes.

But we're also told there are great deals for flying out of Seattle, where the taxes are lower.... or are they? Let's have a look:

.....yes, that's a full $350 saving on the same flight if you make the journey to Seattle before boarding your Air Canada flight from YVR.  But just look - the taxes are only $6 less than flying from Vancouver - but the round trip fare has dropped to just $187!!!  Now far be it from me to ask why.....


Mind you, you don't have to look that far before you find similar "deals" for local flyers.  Have you noticed that Tofino Air's Silva Bay flights now continue to Nanaimo?  And that a flight from YVR to Silva Bay is now $82 + taxes?  

Not bad, you may think - but did you realise that if you stay on the same plane for the extra 15 minute flight into Nanaimo, you could save yourself nearly $20 each way? Even with the cost of a ferry ride, that's still a round trip saving of more than $30!!

Someone's taking us for a ride.........

A visit to Seattle's Museum of Flight

Time to spare in Seattle?  Down opposite Boeing Field is the Museum of Flight - a great place to while away a few hours, with an awesome collection of aircraft from more than a century of aviation.

Mister Boeing's Airplane Company has recreated the original woodworking benches in the "Red Barn" on which the first production airplanes were handcrafted

Meanwhile, across the road are some of the icons of modern aviation - including the prototype 747 Jumbo Jet, Air Force One - the presidential aircraft used by Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon, and one of the world's 18 remaining Concordes, donated to the museum by British Airways.

Reflected in the windows of the Museum's latest addition, the new space gallery (opening soon), this magnificent aircraft has lost none of its magic.

In the Personal Courage wing are fighters from World War I and World War II 

Ten fighter planes from World War II 
represent all the major combatants.

Iconic images at every turn - like this Lockheed Super Constellation of Trans Canada Air Lines

and the Douglas DC-2 of Trans World Airlines.

Just look at that for luxury - real curtains!

Among the 'flying' exhibits in the Great Hall is this lovely DC-3 of Alaska Airlines

And, not to be forgotten, the ubiquitous deHavilland Canada Beaver DHC-2. Designed as a bush plane, many were subsequently fitted with floats.  A museum piece, maybe,  but with more than 1,600 built between 1947 and 1967, it's amazing to think that there are hundreds still in daily service along Canada's coastline today.

Dozens of DHC-2 Beavers still ply the islands and inlets of the BC coast - a tribute to the rugged simplicity of the original design.


This Tofino Air Beaver flies regularly to and from Silva Bay on Gabriola.




Read more about this fascinating museum at www.museumofflight.org

First signs of fall?

 

New colours are emerging as our short summer draws to a close.

Creature comforts

Labour Day weekend brought wall-to-wall sunshine on Gabriola. A leisurely walk through the island's trails revealed just a few of the many species who live side-by-side on this island.

There can't be too many places in this world where such varied wildlife co-exist - but Gabriola's campground is one of them.  It was a little early in the day for the deer to return to their pitch, and the turkeys were too busy playing chicken with the traffic on North Road to pose for the camera. Too bad they weren't around to read this cautionary sign so beautifully posed by this island ape....

Undeterred by such frivolity, the turkeys continued to evade the public eye - but the island's guinea fowl population just carried on regardless - shaving whatever they could find from the lawns around the retirement village. No sign that these guys are undernourished.....

 Further from the hubbub if village life, the woodland sunshine brought out many smaller species - though you had to look a little harder to spot some of them, like this grasshopper....

Not everyone stays home on a holiday weekend, but there's still the opportunity to gaze in awe at the creative genius (or is that engineering expertise?) displayed in many island homes.

Most of all, the sunshine encouraged species out of their natural habitat in what, for many, was the first time this summer. Even homo sapiens could be seen poking their heads out of the chilly pacific waters. Some were even brave enough to climb out onto the shore!

Duke Point reflected.......

Waiting in line

The great Gabriola ferry debate

Let's be honest.... Gabriola has a much better ferry service than most of the gulf islands. Why? Well, for one thing, we live on the only gulf island with a ferry that takes us right into town, where we can shop, eat out and so much more within walking distance of the ferry terminal. And, with an experience card, the round trip passenger fare is only a buck more than a round trip on Nanaimo Transit. 


OK, nothing's perfect - and some believe that our ferries should be free because they are our highways - and we've already paid for the highways through our taxes haven't we? Well, maybe so..... but the reality is that ferries (and bridges, for that matter) take a whole lot more maintenance than highways and if we value living on a small island so much then we should expect to pay something for the privilege.


Love'em or hate'em, BC Ferries provides a service that is important to all of us - and which has to be paid for somehow. True, they aren't the world's greatest at customer service - and the ethos of the organisation seems increasingly to put profit before service. But the reality is that there is no profit any more - and BC Ferries is faced with having to cut costs just to stay afloat (sorry, no pun intended). No surprise then that the corporation favours moving the Gabriola ferry to Duke Point, where it already employs terminal staff (who, let's face it, are not exactly rushed off their feet dealing with one ferry every two and a half hours) and from where the crossing to Gabriola is only about half the distance from Nanaimo Harbour. 

To their credit, BC Ferries acknowledges that the community has given this idea a big thumbs down and has said as much to the Ferry Commissioner. Yet, just because some hapless truck driver manages to close down the Nanaimo Harbour terminal by ignoring warnings that (so we are told) he was given about the structural integrity of the ferry ramp here we are, with the terminal closed, a ferry to Duke Point, a water taxi to Nanaimo ....  and conspiracy theories galore. 

At least we have been given an alternative - if the same thing had happened at Chemainus or Buckley Bay, how would residents of Thetis, Penelakut, Hornby or Denman get into town?  In all probability the answer is they would be provided with a water taxi for foot passengers, maybe a barge service for essential supply trucks - but no means of taking their car on or off the island. We're lucky here on Gabriola, and maybe that's worth remembering.


So here we are, three days into an emergency transport plan that has actually worked remarkably well, thanks to the good weather (smooth crossings so far on the water taxi) and the fact that the kids are home from school for the summer - so that, at the drop of a hat, the Scholarship can be released from its normal school run duties on Salt Spring Island to provide a day-long service for Gabriola. No-one questions how long the Scholarship's crew worked on Friday (best not maybe) or how much they, or Gulf Islands Water Taxi, were being paid for their efforts. Let's just say that the company will likely make a comfortable profit out of BC Ferries' misfortune. But we don't mind that, do we? After all, it's a private business isn't it? Just like BC Ferries. Or maybe that's different. But why so?


Back in the UK, the conservatives privatised the National Bus Company in 1986 and British Railways in 1993. In both cases, screams of public outcry echoed round the country for more than 10 years until suddenly we started to realise that the quality of service we were getting from the private companies was, in many cases, far better than had been the case while the industry was in government hands. Yes, there were the Fat Cats along the way who had walked away with millions - but generally, that was because they had taken the financial risk by re-investing in new, more efficient infrastructure and had actually listened to what customers said they wanted. Result? A more reliable service, fewer complaints - and (usually) happier customers. 

Few now believe that a return to government-run buses and trains would benefit anyone. The private sector has proved itself capable of running services more efficiently and at lower cost. Yet still the argument rolls on that these are public services and the public should have a greater say in how they are run. In a sense, the public does have a say, since it elected the local and national governments that are tasked with regulating the systems. If the system falls down, it's just as likely to be through lack of expertise and poor contract management on the part of the government than through any malpractice by the private contractor.

All of which sounds horribly familiar in the context of BC Ferries, doesn't it?  Have BC Ferries really done such a bad job of meeting their obligation to government under the Coastal Ferry Act? Or is it the Act itself that has failed to adequately protect public interest?  In reality it's probably a little of both, and maybe it's time that the Province and the Ferry Commission took a long hard look at whether the Ferry Advisory Committees - supposedly the public watchdogs for ferry users - are really achieving what they should. 

Critics point to a lack of impartiality since FAC members are appointed by BC Ferries, and not by public nomination. Little surprise, therefore, that the public's confidence in the role of FAC's is wearing thin. To be effective, FAC members need to be adequately briefed by BC Ferries on how the business is run, and the financial implications of any proposed change. But that doesn't mean that the FAC should be run as if it was part of the company.  Public watchdogs should function independently of the service provider, but within clear terms of reference to ensure that the viability of the business (and therefore the service to the customer) is not prejudiced.  

The Ferry Commission should take advantage of the extra time allowed for its review of the BC Ferries contract to make one simple change to the constitution of FACs - to give them true independence in their role, and regain the confidence of their customers. It works with the privatised railway and bus industries in the UK, and it can work here in BC with the ferry system.

Ferry disruption

Workcrews resurfacing the Nanaimo Harbour ferry ramp last night got a nasty shock when a paving truck went through the barrier and toppled into the Harbour. Judging by the Nanaimo Daily News photo (below) it's not going to be a quick fix. Latest reports suggest the wooden trestle may have given way - so divers are now inspecting the structure to assess its condition.

While repairs are taking place, the Quinsam will continue sailing to Duke Point and a water taxi will be provided to and from Dock F in Nanaimo Harbour.  Sounds like this arrangement will continue over the weekend at least.  Could this play into BC Ferries' long-term plans I wonder?.......

The morning after

Just before 9 this morning, readers of the island's Facebook Community Bulletin page got the news they had been waiting all night to hear - police had caught the person they were looking for in connection with a brutal stabbing of a mother and her 18 year old son yesterday afternoon.

Throughout the night, the Community Bulletin page had been buzzing with activity - as had the skies and roads of the island, as police mounted a search for the perpetrator. 

For many folk on the island, last night was probably the first time they locked their doors before heading for bed. Many undoubtedly found it difficult to sleep; others probably didn't even try.  As the news of the arrest broke this morning you could almost feel a sigh of relief from the whole island.

As a relative newcomer to the island, following the Bulletin page for the first time during the event provided a warts-and-all insight into the community we now share. Long before the media revealed the name of the person that police were seeking, there were contributors who knew those involved but were keeping tight lipped about their names. Most observers respected the privacy of those affected; others were adamant that the community should know. Now and again, tensions spilled out as comments were posted - probably in the heat of the moment - that caused offence to other readers of the board. At times the generation gap opened up and sensitivities boiled over. Just like any other community, but maybe just a little to publicly for many's liking.

The horror of the night may be over, but the aftermath will be present for a long, long time.  For those who were close to the victims, yesterday will never be forgotten. I'm sure there are folk on the island who have yet to learn what's happened, but if nothing else, the past 18 hours have demonstrated the power, good or bad, exerted by social media in distributing (and sometimes creating) news long before the traditional media can do so. 


My quotes of the evening, from contributors on the island.....

      -    how did it make the news already - if it only happened a few hours ago?
 and
      -    When I lived in [ - ]  I didn't hear nearly the amount of sirens that have been screaming around here lately. I realize there is sometimes a need for them, but this is getting a bit much.

Welcome to the world.

A giant reborn

In February 1911, the Canadian National Pacific Railway dedicated a new line on Vancouver Island to connect Victoria to the northern logging communities of Nootka Sound, passing through Cowichan Lake, Port Alberni and Duncan Bay. In the event, the line never reached Nootka Sound - indeed it never even made it to Port Alberni, ending instead at Youbou, on the north shore of Cowichan Lake.

Construction was painfully slow and by 1918 only 4 miles of track had been laid. The line posed many challenges, including numerous creeks that would have to be crossed on wooden trestles. The greatest challenge was to be the crossing of the Koksilah River, north of Shawnigan Lake, where the Kinsol Trestle (named after the nearby King Solomon mine) would number among the largest Howe truss, bent pile wooden trestles in the world. The Howe truss formed a high level bridge over the deepest part of the valley, and over the Koksilah River itself.

Following devastating floods in 1930, the Kinsol Trestle had to be extensively rebuilt and the decision was taken to lower the Howe truss so that it rested directly on stone piers on either side of the river. The trestle was then reconstructed over the top of the truss, where it remains to this day.  The completed trestle is captured in this [undated] print entitled "Across the Abyss" by Gabriola artist, Paul Grignon.

   
The last train crossed the trestle on June 20, 1979 and the rails were removed in 1983. Fires, vandalism and neglect took its toll on the structure and, eventually, the north and south accesses were removed for safety reasons.

The CN line and the trestle are now part of the Trans-Canada Trail. Finally, after years of campaigns to save the trestle, rehabilitation work began in 2010. Throughout the reconstruction period, work was monitored by an on-site webcam and this fascinating time-lapse film has been produced by the Shawnigan Lake Historical Society.

The Kinsol Trestle was reopened for hikers and cyclists on July 28, 2011 - finally closing the 'missing link' in the Cowichan Valley Trail and moving the concept of a coast-to-coast Trans Canada Trail another step forward.  The sheer scale of the task - and the beauty of the finished project - will surely make the Kinsol Trestle a "must-see" for years to come. Click on the images for a larger view.

Legpower replaces steam in today's view "Across the Abyss"

A stunning walkway spans the missing link

The scale is breathtaking

The Howe Truss still spans the Koksilah River

Separate sections within the trestle.

Amazingly, more than 50% of the original timbers have been saved

The view from below.......

.... and a reward for tired legs!

The Kinsol Trestle can be accessed along the Trans-Canada Trail from either Shawnigan Lake or Riverside Road, south of Duncan.