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01 Oct - Snowden Forest, 08 Oct - Cumberland - Fuji Jim, 15 Oct - Puntledge River - Nymph Falls, 22 Oct - Bevan - Comox Lake, 29 Oct - Cumberland - Lily Pad Lake. The season commenced with a taste of Turkish cuisine - interesting spices and loads of yogurt but generally dishes weren't too peppy to taste. Hosted by Nina Goodman. Below is a list of the dishes prepared Kabak mucver - zucchini and feta patties Kofte -carrot and apricot rolls Manti - chickpea parcels karides guvec - baked prawns with tomatoes Fesinjan - chicken stew with walnuts and pomegranate juice Yogurt tatlisi - yogurt cake in orange syrup We were 13 hikers including two guests visiting form Utah. We headed up to Croteau Lake and the new yurt and dock and tent pads and food cashes and ... There has been a lot of work at Croteau and it was fun that we had it mostly to ourselves as we ate lunch on the very nicely provided chairs or the edge of a tent pad. It took two hours to get to the lake in near perfect weather for hiking. Native plants were spotted in new locations and we were all pleased at the water in the the creeks. We lounged for awhile at Croteau before heading back to the parking lot. On the way back we saw two fishers in floaters trying their casting skills on Battleship Lake. Going up and back we met a number of back packers enjoying the park. The dock at Battleship is still broken but we did spend time at the table area. It was a great group , thank you all! We were gone about 4 1/2 hours and covered about 13 km. Elevation we were not so sure of however seems to be about 300 m. A fun day On Tuesday 12 hikers did the hike from Nymph Falls to the Comox dam & back. We first visited the falls with the new accessible trail upgrades recently completed by the Regional District, took the River Trail to the upper hatchery, then the Bear Bait trail (more or less!) to the Comox Dam where we had lunch, encountering another Probus group that we had seen at the trailhead. Other than that there were just a few cyclists & other dog walkers on the way - although when back at the parking lot, it was full up! (on summer weekends here, cars are parked on the road for a km or more!) After lunch we took the River Trail back to the hatchery & then the Midline Trail back to the parking lot. Depending on the measuring devices, we travelled anywhere from 13 km to 17.6 km! (I think somewhere between 14.5km-15km would be accurate). Total time was about 4 hours. The hike was in the trees & shade most of the way with some interesting plant sightings, wood carvings and a few bird sightings ( most birds were heard only - about 25 different species total!) Thanks to all for another great outing. Two recent rides included a ride we called Gelato at Benino’s on June 2nd and a second ride we called Lunch at Kitty Coleman Provincial Park on June 9th. It probably wasn’t my magnetic personality that attracted the large group of cyclists that participated in our 24km ride that ended up at Benino’s new location in Comox. No, it was definitely the gelato. The ride took us from Comox Mall past Quality Food as we made our way past the airport to Seiffert’s market. After a quick shopping stop and taking time to change a tire with the help of Steve Hill we continued along Lazo Road into the Sand Pines and back to Comox for gelato. On June 9 we started our ride at Thrifty Mall at Ryan Road and Lerwick. We headed east on Ryan Road turning left on Anderton Road, then along Waveland to Coleman Road. We turned right on Left Road and made our way to Kitty Coleman Provincial Park. Bev provided a nice surprise for our bikers when she showed up with a box full of yummy timbits. Thank you Bev. The Probus Peddlers are a like-minded group of people who enjoy what is more of a social bike ride on good weather days. We do 20 - 30km, all year, weather permitting usually once every week or two during the "good" weather months and then about "once a month" maybe, during the poor weather months. We try to avoid busier routes. Helmets are required. There is no pressure in this group as you only show up if the ride appeals to you. There is no need to confirm that you are coming. We leave on time. Members on our contact list will receive details of upcoming rides a few days before they take place. We will give you a detailed itinerary, an estimate of the duration and/or distance of each ride as well as the elevation gains. We have at least a couple of stops on the way to "smell the roses" and there is always a coffee stop during or at the end of the ride.   Todays hike was 15 fun hikers traveling 9.6 - 10.1 km, depending on device, in 3 hours 30 minutes. We started out by heading along the logging road for a brief time then up a rather steep draw to start the ridge trail. It was wonderful,the ferns were amazing and there was lots of bird chatter. We headed down to our first river stop to have a snack and enjoy the river. There was contemplation about swimming but no one went in. Then off to our second river spot and lunch. The river sounds provided a pleasant back drop. After relaxing and eating and chatting for half an hour we headed back along the lower trail. We include a new trail, Three Pistols, on the walk back. It is a fun trail with lots of short up and down sections. The final section along the river gave lots of opportunities to stop and admire the river. There was also time to stop and admire a very large frog or toad which was our wildlife sighting for the day. Thank you all for a wonderful long walk in the woods and by the river.  Seven Left but Only Five Returned For the second group motorcycle ride of the season, riders chose to do an exploration of Denman and Hornby islands. Seven of us showed up at the chosen meeting place – Royston Roasterie – and ran through final details of the day before taking the Old Highway down to Buckley Bay and the first ferry. That’s when two riders split off for an abbreviated trip, but they had provided an escort for the first part of the journey. Five us continued to the smaller islands. Denman, we discovered, is a little short of paved roads. We found ourselves on a couple of unintended gravel roads and then did our best to avoid them. Gravel roads and cruiser motorcycles simply don’t go well together. After a bit of a wait, we crossed from Denman (Gravelly Bay) to Hornby Island and encountered a greater variety of pavement to explore there. Lunch at Forage Restaurant was pleasant and the laid back small island life was on full display. These smaller islands have distinct personalities from one another and that showed on this trip. Everyone we met was friendly, relaxed and outgoing. Too soon we headed back. There was plenty more to explore but we needed to coordinate with the ferries. But it was a relaxed day, at a relaxed pace, on 2 very relaxing and charming islands. |
