Vancouver Island

A few photos from a road trip to Vancouver Island. Still some fall colors here (unlike Saskatchewan).



The temperate rain forest always seems so ... overgrown ... to a prairie person.



According to iNaturalist, these are Orange Spot Jellies (a kind of fungus). They were about the size of a teaspoon and the consistency of jello.



There aren't a lot of birds around this time of year. We saw a few bald eagles in the distance but none close enough to photograph. Lots of gulls though.



I think this is a Yellowlegs, but I'm not sure if it's Lesser or Greater.



I always like to see Great Blue Herons.



When we checked in to the hotel at Cowichan Bay there was a sign warning about the noisy sea lions. Apparently this time of year they like to haul up on the docks. Obviously they don't sleep because they kept up their cacophony all night. It was nice to see them in the morning though. There were supposed to be both California and Stellar sea lions but from a distance I'm not sure I could tell them apart.







Of course, being around the water I couldn't resist a few reflection shots.



We've done a few hikes. This was the view from the top of Mt. Tzouhalem near Maple Bay.



And the view from the top of Bruce Peak on Saltspring Island. (We went to check out the paragliding launch, but it seemed a little sketchy to us - not much room, rough ground, and big trees)



Nice view of Mt. Baker though.



We stayed overnight at Moon Water Lodge on the Malahat and were treated to a wonderful sunrise.







The night view from our room at the Coast Harbourside Hotel. The night mode of the new iPhone 11 Pro does an amazing job.



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Point No Point

My family has been going to Point No Point since I was a kid. It's on Vancouver Island, west of Victoria. I'm not sure why we started going there, it's not famous, and there are lots of other beaches. But it became a tradition that we've continued. I think it was mostly just a tea house when we first started going there. Now there are rental cabins and a restaurant. This was the first time we actually stayed in one of the cabins. It's a little pricey, but we had a nice cabin and enjoyed the private hot tub and a cheery fire. The supper at the restaurant was good. We also had lunch there before we left and were delighted to see two orcas go by.

On the way there we stopped at Whiffen Spit near Sooke, a nice easy walk with good views. This white-crowned sparrow was a cooperative photographic subject.



This hummingbird also sat still for me, but straight over my head wasn't the best angle!



I love flowers of all kinds, but I'm terrible at identifying them so I have no idea what these were.



Despite the rainy weather we had good walks through the forest and on the beach at Point No Point. (The beach is private for guests and restaurant customers.)





Interesting how the ferns unfurl. Unfortunately, these are not the edible fiddleheads.

This looks like a giant mosquito but I think it's actually a crane fly.



This blue jay flew out of the tree where it was hiding and landed right close to us. Which was nice since I only had the little ZS100 since it was easier to keep out of the rain under my jacket.



Once you emerge from the forest you are greeted with this wonderful view.



I love looking in the tidepools of rocky shorelines. When I was a kid and we travelled to the coast, the first thing I would do is run down to the shore and start turning over rocks to find a crab. I'm not sure why this one was out in the open.



Goose neck barnacles and mussels.



Unfortunately the sea stars are less common now (due to disease) but there are still anemones. As kids we would poke the anemones with our fingers to make them pull in their tentacles.





We watched a large group of river otters go by but they didn't come very close. But just after they passed we saw what we thought was one of them on the rocks near us. But looking at the photos afterwards, I think it's a mink.



Sunset from our cabin.



See also Shelley's post

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