How lovely it has been to return to the coast and soak up all the moisture which falls frequently from the sky. Yes, the 'wet' coast is living up to its reputation. Dean and I have made the motorhome cosy, the furnace is keeping us dry & toasty and rain is kindly showing us where the leaks are.
January has been a catch up with the chores and paperwork month with a few excursions out and about the local area.
We enjoyed heading out on the logging roads and collecting two large trailer loads of wood with a friend. He appreciated the extra hands and really liked the wood pile once Dean had split the entire two loads.
The only sunny day that I recall, Dean and I made the most of it. We took our fishing rods, headed to Nimpkish Lake, lit a roaring fire and caught nothing but loved every second of being out there, alongside the lake in the brisk wintery air. Later on that afternoon we followed our noses, drove a few new loggging roads and stopped for a short hike in the woods. We had gained some altitude therefore had a grand view of Johnstone Strait and Alert Bay. From our point of view we looked out beyond the logging road, across one of many clear cuts, beyond natural forest then out towards the Inside Passage where our quaint village of Alert Bay was situated. It was quite the scenic vista. While we gazed admiringly at the scene we couldn't believe our next encounter. A herd of Elk, lead by a male carrying a mighty rack, wandered through the clearcut. One behind the other, they navigated through the obstacle course of stumps and tree debris then caught sight or scent of us. They quickened their pace and decided to head up a steep bank towards much denser forest. I have only seen Elk two times before, this was by far the most impressive.
We've been skiing twice up at the local Mt Cain and went ice skating once at the local arena in Port McNeil and frequently pop across to Alert Bay to tend to cottage. It's great to have some time to keep on top of some of the landlord chores that have been awaiting my attention for over a year. We are both enjoying a little more freedom and room to move now that we are based on what I consider to be 'the main land' (Vancouver Island). Having to skip the ferry ride when wanting to go and explore really motivates us.
It looks like February is shaping up to be a busy month. I'm excited to announce that we have a date, venue and event to premiere the finally completed documentary, Soul of the Sea (see details below) and I have a few presentations lined up which will help promote my book.
I'm finally heading home to New Zealand after being away for nearly 5 years. This is far too long to have not seen my family and re-connected to my home-land. I simply can't wait to get there and enjoy the last of the summer.
Dean is on stand by for work out on the west coast and in the interior of B.C. Unfortunately the work involves a number of people aswell as two companies, to come together and make a decision, until the work is scheduled to begin. Unfortunately it is a waiting game.
I've posted the details of the up and coming main events below and don't forget to check out the events calender for more 'goings on' in the presentation and book world of Kayaking to Save the Albatross.
Thanks for your interest. Enjoy!
Feb 12th at 7.30pm at the Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver
I am speaking at the FEAT (Fascintating Expedition and Adventure talks) event....This was inspired by TED talks.
I'll be one of 9 presenters and we each speak for 7 minutes. I'll be speaking on the topic....Finding a Feat in Failure. Should be loads of entertainment and fun. Check out http://www.featcanada.ca/
AND then......
Feb 13th at 7.30pm at the Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver - VIMFF (Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival)
Premiere of Soul of the Sea - finally the documentary film is complete.
I will be doing an introduction to the film, then the film will be shown for the First time ever - it is 45 minutes long.
I'll be taking questions at the end of the evening.
Oh and John Turk will be doing a presentation in the first half which will be very interesting.
http://www.vimff.org/
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