What I Wish I Knew Before I Retired
Distance Walked: 9.14 km Walking Time: 2.5 hrs Pubs: Mount Arrowsmith Brewing Company and The Black Goose Inn Route: Easy Richard and I had unanimously agreed that the final day of our #30hikesin30days Challenge should be the Oyster River Pub-to-Pub Hike near Courtney, BC. What a perfect way to walk and celebrate at the same… Continue reading Day 30: Pub-to-Pub Hike or Bust!
Shelly Creek Park and Rail Loop: 4.25 km Coffee Loop: 4.02 km Total Distance Walked: 8.27 km Total Walking Time: 2 hrs Shelly Creek is a tributary to the Englishman River. It begins on Little Mountain and flows into the river near Parksville's Orange Bridge. Shelly Creek Park is the last healthy riparian section of… Continue reading Day 29: Shelly Creek Park and E & N Rail Loop, Parksville
Distance Walked: 9.4 km Walking Time: 2 hrs Trail Rating: Easy The Fern Road Woods Trail gives Qualicum Beach residents a scenic, low-traffic, multi-purpose route to travel to the downtown core or to simply use for recreational purposes (it includes a No Through Road). This trail is part of the 13 km Parksville-Qualicum Beach Link… Continue reading Day 27: Fern Road Woods Trail / Qualicum-Parksville Link
Trails: Parksville Wetlands, Maple Glen Walkway (The Walkway of ♥) and Surrounding Forested Trails Wetlands Address: 790 Hirst Avenue West, Parksville Access Points: The foot of Despard Avenue or The Maple Glen Linear Walkway at the southern intersection of Magnolia Drive and Chestnut Street Distance Walked: 7.86 km Walking Time: 1 hr, 45 min Trail… Continue reading Day 19: Parksville Wetlands & Surrounding Trails
Trail: Englishman River Estuary, Parksville Distance Walked: 4.3 km Walking Time: 1 hr Trail Rating: Easy Trail: Rosewall Creek Trail, Comox Distance Walked: 7.4 km Walking Time: 2.5 hrs Trail Rating: Moderate Combined Distance Walked: 11.7 km We had planned to hike The Abyss in Nanaimo today. We were actually on our way there when… Continue reading Day 16: Englishman River Estuary and Rosewall Creek Trail
Distance Walked: 9.2 km (total return distance from our home) Central Park & Area Loop: 5.2 km (as shown) Walking Time: 2 hrs Rating: Very Easy This is a walk that Richard and I have done (with minor variations) literally hundreds of times. During the first three months of COVID sheltering, we walked this route… Continue reading Day 8: Parksville Community Park, Boardwalk and Low-Tide Loop
#30hikesin30days Trail: Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park Total Distance Hiked: 10 km (5.78 Trail + 4.25 Walking Home) Time: 2 hrs 6 m walking time (app), 2 hr 30 min total time (watch) Difficulty: Very Easy The Challenge Continues When embarking on a hiking challenge with a partner, it's imperative to have a teammate with a… Continue reading Day 3: Rathtrevor Provincial Park
Earlier this week, I published a Guest Post by Anabel Marsh on ‘Hidden Histories.’ Her thoughtful, provocative post led to much reflection, including “Who does your town/city honour?’ It’s a great question. Vancouver Island, where I currently live, is home to influential and well-known actors, artists, athletes, journalists, musicians, philanthropists, politicians, Prime Ministers, scientists, Nobel… Continue reading A Local Hero in Our Midst
You’d think that I would have gotten the hint at Paint Night (or long before that, actually). I seriously cannot paint! But when two friends mentioned that they planned to take part in a mosaic painting activity that was taking place in our town, I immediately signed up! In celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday (July… Continue reading Canada 150 Mosaic: My (Brief) Stint as a Painter
Retirement Reflections 