"THE KINGDOM OF BHUTAN. THE LAND OF THE THUNDER DRAGON".

 Are you looking to go somewhere unusual where you can walk, hike, bike & explore majestic mountains & valleys, get a glimpse into a rare ancient culture where all life is revered, & arrive home inspired & rejuvenated?

Walk, hike, bike in an environment of mystic & grandeur as you explore the Himalayas and meet the people of Bhutan. 
Thanks to their strong Buddhism beliefs, the 
Bhutanese have treasured their kingdom with their deeply rooted values on all forms of life, not just human life, as being precious and sacred, & have successfully preserved their land & culture.

Since ancient times the Bhutanese have lived in harmony with nature allowing the environment to be intact today. The ecosystem is home to exotic plants, birds & wildlife such as different rhododendron species, medicinal plants, orchids, snow leopards, golden langur & blue sheep.

Golden Langur

Punakha Dzong fortress

In order to preserve Bhutan's treasures, tourism is a controlled industry. However,  there are a wide variety of activities to enjoy, such as the Snowman trek, kayaking down the Mochhu & the colourful festivals in the fortresses. 

Snowman Trek

Map of Snowman Trek

The Kingdom of Bhutan is a famous destination for people seeking wisdom, inspiration, solitude & happiness through contemplation & meditation.

THIMPHU FESTIVAL

The Thimphu Festival is one of the biggest annual religious events in Bhutan held in September in the capital city Thimphu. The festival is to honour the great Indian Guru Rinpochhe who introduced Buddhism to the Himalayan Kingdoms. 

Yours Bhutan Travel Agency are offering The Thimphu Festival Tour as a 7 night/8 day excursion where visitors will experience a unique cultural experience signifying a deeper meaning to life through mask dances & religious performances. If you book now, they are offering a 10% discount.

For more information on Thimphu Festival, CLICK HERE

HAPPY WALKING, HIKING, BIKING, EXPLORING

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QUALICUM RIVER, A CHARMED WALK, HIKE, BIKE, EXPLORING EXPERIENCE

Trees are the earth's endless effort to speak to the listening heaven - Rabindranath Tagore

There are a couple of options to walk, hike, bike & explore the Big Qualicum River which is roughly an 11 km journey from it's source at Horne Lake to the ocean. 

It is broken into two sections, the upper Big Qualicum River & the lower Big Qualium River with both sections connected by a wide, level, gravel road; great for walking, hiking, biking & exploring. If you are looking for an easy bike ride with kids that enjoy biking, this is a good outing. As mentioned, it is 11 kms & a fairly level road except at the beginning of the trail (upper level), where it is rocky & a little steep.  Check this site for more info on directions etc.

My favourite area to explore is the lower Big Qualicum River where you walk & hike a well worn trail that is protected by large, old trees covered in moss as the trail meanders along side the rushing, flowing, rippling or cascading river as it journeys down stream. I get the feeling that this is a very old trail, it certainly is a well used trail for walking, hiking & fishing. Lots of salmon, steelhead & cutthroat trout are to be found here thanks to the Qualicum hatchery. Personally, I don't think this is a great trail for biking. There are numerous areas that are a little challenging & the experience could be more of a nuisance than enjoyable. The trail crosses streams by using fallen logs, lots of stairs to climb up & down the cliff face, very narrow areas that have been washed out & during the rains it is muddy & slippery.  

Walking, hiking & fishing on this trail during the fall is an amazing experience. Last years salmon spawn was a real experience in observing the wild-life cycle. There were so many salmon swimming up river that the water was bubbling & the fish eagles, ravens & seagulls were all waiting their turn for a feast. This was bear time & what a time they had feasting before hibernating. Fish carcases were scattered everywhere, on bridges, all the way up the trail, even hanging in the trees, where I am assuming birds had picked them up & then dropped them from being too big & heavy. The smell was rather whiffy from the decay & it took all winter for the smell to disappear. Walking the trail today you still see lots of fish bones in areas along with a slight whiffy smell of fishy decay.

I was babysitting my daughters dog before Christmas, & let me tell you, she was in seventh heaven, rolling in & wanting to eat this decaying matter, UGH, I had to watch her like a hawk!!

If interested in the fish hatchery, click here.

Some of the challenges faced on Big Qualicum River Trail.

When you go up, you also have to come down!

To find lower Big Qualicum River, take exit 75 (Horne Lake) if coming from Nanaimo, turn right & follow Horne Lake down the hill & over the tracks & then turn left. Immediately you will see the Qualicum River Hatchery sign on your left, follow the dirt road to the parking lot. 

If coming from Courtenay area, turn left on exit 87 (Cook Creek) head down to the old highway, turn right, drive through Bowser & Qualicum Bay. Just outside Qualicum Bay you will pass the First Nations camp-ground on your left, then on your right you will see the First Nations Reserve sign & a road going to their reserve, drive past that & look for the second road on your right which is Horne Lake Rd, take that until you come to a stop sign, just before the sign look for the dirt road on your right which will take you to the Qualicum Hatchery parking lot. 

Walk towards the hatchery & over the bridge & follow the wide gravel road. 

To find this particular trail follow the gravel road under the train bridge & on your left you will see a fish fence structure with a bridge, cross the bridge & turn left onto a joining bridge, you will see the trail ahead of you on your right. Bear signs are posted, so be aware, this is bear country.

There is a tricky section where the trail branches off & it is difficult to know where the break is. It is about 5 minutes from the beginning of the trail & if you start to walk uphill away from the river, you have then passed the spot. Back track & you should see the trail on your left running by the river, that's what you want. 

If you end up climbing up to the top of the hill you will come out to a dirt track, turn right & follow that for awhile until you come out above the inland highway, follow the track down a steep decent, under the highway & keeping to your right walk along the bank down to the river & onto the river trail. You have to look for the trail under the highway which goes down to the river as it is not used very much. Once onto the river trail you can continue by turning left or head back by turning right. 

First log bridge

There is a log bridge up river that you can cross over & walk back that way, or you can continue until you come to a 500 year old cedar tree. (signs posted) There are a few very big old trees in the area, so I am not 100% sure which is the actual 500 year old one!! The trail is not very used this far up, so be aware that it is a bit rugged & over grown in areas, so take care. This is as far as I have gone, it looks like the trail does continue, but I have no knowledge on that. 

Log bridge can be slippery

If you make it as far as the old cedar tree, you can turn around & go back a little way where there is another crossing over the river that gets you onto the other side & onto the gravel road. You need to be very careful here, it is slippery & unstable, so be responsible. 

Trail washed out

Otherwise just back track the way you came, or cross the first log bridge that I mentioned. You can either take the gravel road  or there is another track along the river that will take you back. 
This is approximately 1 1/2 hr walk, hike, explore venture.

Remember, bear country, be prepared, have a big heavy stick & bear bells, carry bear spray, have a cell phone & water. Wear good hiking shoes & be prepared for rain. Be responsible for yourself & others in your party & clean up after your dog taking your doggy bags out with you.

HAPPY WALKING, HIKING, BIKING & EXPLORING



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CLOSET COOKING RECIPES

Have you ever heard of the Closet Cooking blog? I just found this site & thought I would share it with you as it has some very interesting & healthy recipes. The blogger, Kevin Lynch experiments with all kinds of crazy combinations, such as balsamic strawberry & chicken pizza with sweet onions & smoked bacon, or fiddlehead (never heard of fiddlehead!) & gruyere tart, the picture looks very yummy. (Will be on the hunt now for fiddlehead). Or how about a strawberry BBQ chicken club sandwich with bacon, avocado & goat cheese.

Kevin offers a free newsletter along with a free copy of his ebook "The Best of Closet Cooking". So I have just signed up & have received the ebook with 41 pages of very interesting sounding recipes which I'm excited to try out!!   If you are interested in taking a look at Kevin blog, click here.

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well - Virginia Woolf

EAT HEALTHY, BE HEALTHY

HAPPY WALKING, HIKING, BIKING & EXPLORING

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LIGHTHOUSE COUNTRY, THE ENCHANTED LAND FOR A VACATION

"Vacations are necessities, not luxuries" - Linda Bloom

Vancouver Island, being the largest Pacific island east of New Zealand with a length of 460 kms & its widest point at 80 kms, has so many walking, hiking, biking trails & so much more to offer for adventurous, relaxing, spiritual, transformational, educational, rewarding exploring holidays.

The possibilities are endless suiting whatever fancy you are feeling. Visiting Vancouver Island for just a day, a weekend or a few weeks, whether it is spring, summer, fall or winter, the island welcomes you. 

My blog so far has focused on the walking, hiking, biking & exploring trails in Lighthouse Country, but there is so much more to experience here & I would like to give you a little peek into what you can enjoy here. This part of the island covers an area of roughly 300 sq kilometres situated on the eastern shore of the island. The coastline & beaches stretch for about 90 kms allowing for countless recreation & leisure opportunities.

Lighhouse Country extends west of the island crossing over the new Inland Highway for approximately 20 kms & includes Spider Lake & Horne Lake which are both fresh water lakes & provincial parks offering trails for walking, hiking, biking & exploring. 

There are three main communities in Lighthouse Country which are situated along the coastline; Qualicum Bay to the south, Bowser in the centre & Deep Bay to the north. 

Just to give you a little tasting of things to do in the area, I am going to paint you a little picture of what is on offer in Lighthouse Country. 

Horne Lake Provincial Park is famous for it's caves where there are different tours to go on with experienced guides to take you through. 

There are also a couple of caves open to the public that do not require a guide, but it is advisable to bring a helmet, a torch & suitable shoes. You can rent a helmet with a light at the park. The caves are dark & narrow so it is easy to hit your head if you don't have the suggested equipment. Click here if you are interested in learning more about this adventure.   

Horne Lake Cave Provincial Park also offers Family Adventure Camps where families can  spend the weekend having fun camping in a teepee & a weekend full of adventure.  

Horne Lake caves

Horne Lake is also home to Horne Lake Regional Park where there is a fantastic family orientated camp ground. This is wilderness camping, so be prepared to rough it. The camp-site is very popular, so make sure you book ahead so as not to be disappointed.  There are canoes & paddle boats for hire, it is a popular lake for fishing & there is a boat ramp, plus the caves are right next door, so lots of fun things to do.Click here to find out

more.

To find Horne Lake, you take the Inland Highway from Nanaimo heading north to Courtenay until you reach exit 75, turn left & follow the road for approximately 15 mins. You will hit a dirt road, so be prepared for that; generally it is well maintained, but it can become pretty bumpy due to the traffic. Folk up north, just drive south heading for Nanaimo until you come to exit 75, then turn right!

Horne Lake camp ground.

Spider Lake is closer to the Inland Highway than Horne Lake. You again will turn left off exit 75 & almost immediately you will see the sign for Spider Lake on your left, turn there & follow the road for about 5 mins until you see the lake. There is no camping here & no motorised boats allowed. This is a popular lake for swimming, kayaking, canoeing & fishing, both lakes have walking, hiking & biking trails to explore.  Click here for more info on Spider Lake Provincial Park 

If wondering whether there is anywhere in Lighthouse Country to buy provisions for camping, wonder no more. Bowser is the centre for this area where you will find Tom's grocery store where the shelves are well stocked & fresh veggies & fruit available. Georgia Park has a liquor store, post office & general store where they carry propane & ice. There is also the Lighthouse Gift shop that has an array of things ranging from food to beach toys & right next door is the Bean Counter Cafe, great food & coffee to be found there. In Qualicum Bay there is a vets in the event of an emergency. The trip from Lighthouse Country to Horne Lake takes about 30 minutes along a very beautiful drive.

Camping, kayaking, canoeing, sailing, water-skiing, beach-combing  swimming, fishing, digging for clams, picking oysters,(don't forget your fishing license), golfing, photography, relaxing, walking, hiking, biking & exploring are some things to be enjoyed in Lighthouse Country. There are tours to be taken or do it yourself.    

    

   

Parrot Sanctuary

       

Goats on the roof

A tasting of some of the popular places to visit close to Lighthouse Country are; the famous Coombs Market where the goats reside on the roof & where you can purchase fresh veggies/fruit, cheeses, different food products from all over the world & funky clothes, jewellery etc. 
The Parrot Sanctuary can be found just down the road from the market. 
This is home to over 800 parrots living there that had previously been abandoned or abused & now have a permanent home there. Browse in their thrift store for unusual treasures, this is one of their main avenues to raise money in order to take care of these parrots. The Butterfly World & Gardens is also in the same vicinity as Coombs Market where you can see butterflies, turtles, orchids & different reptiles. 
While touring around, just branch off & follow the artist signs to their galleries & discover beautiful & unique pottery, jewellery, paintings, carvings etc. 
Heading west towards Port Alberni is the home of the famous Cathedral Grove Provincial Park where you will be in awe of the giant Douglas Fir trees, some of them are more than 800 years old. If you carry on this road you will eventually reach Tofino & Ucluelet where there are spectacular beaches & home of the surfers & whale watching.

Tofino

Qualicum Beach

Cathedral Grove

Just south of Lighthouse Country is beautiful Qualicum Beach which is a treat in it's self. It is always fun to go exploring the unique shops here which have a range of unique gifts, art work, clothing, home décor etc. This is a quaint little town where you will not find any fast food restaurants, instead you can enjoy a variety of fresh foods from diverse eating establishments. Every Saturday morning during the summer Qualicum Beach hosts a farmers market where you can purchase local products, but you have to get there early as it sells our fast!! There is a great beach to be enjoyed here, especially when the tide is out & there are some great trails to walk, hike, bike & explore in the area.
Check out this site to learn more about Lighthouse Country & the surrounding area.

So whether you are living on Vancouver Island, mainland Vancouver, the other side of Canada, North America, or any where in the world, Lighthouse Country has something for everyone & welcomes you to come & experience a taste of life here. 

HAPPY WALKING, HIKING, BIKING & EXPLORING

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ANOTHER TRAIL TO WALK, HIKE, BIKE & EXPLORE IN LIGHTHOUSE COUNTRY.

Lighthouse Country Regional Trail

Ever wonder where you would end up if you took your dog for a walk & never once pulled back on the leash? - Robert Brault. 

Lighthouse Country Regional Trail is roughly a 5 km trail south of the Nile Creek Trail. This is a very straight & easy walk, hike, bike explore outing. This trail is built to allow wheelchairs, so it is of a different character to the other trails I have so far talked about. 

The trail is wide & smooth with a gravel road allowing for the accessibility of wheelchairs. 

Lighthouse Country Regional Trail

The trail is part of the Lighthouse Country Trail talked about in a previous post. Both these trails are joined by a bridge that crosses over Nile Creek. Once I have talked about each individual trail, I will then talk about how you can walk, hike, bike (on most trails) & explore the trails from Horne Lake Rd   

to Bowser as they all join up to make one long 

walk, hike, bike, explore adventure. 

Check out the site below to find out more information on the Lighthouse Country Regional Trail.

http://www.rdn.bc.ca/cms.asp?wpID=2584

There are two places to access Lighthouse Country Regional Trail. If you are coming from Nanaimo down Horne Lake Rd you  

turn left towards Qualicum Bay. As you drive through the village, please watch your speed, you will see the Sandbar Cafe on your right & opposite the cafe is Lions Way. It is right on a curve so go slow as it is easy to miss. Turn left up Lions Way & then turn right onto Lioness Blvd. Follow the road to the parking area at the end of the road & you will see the trail on your right. If coming from Courtney side take the Cook Creek exit & turn right into Bowser. Head straight through the village, please watch your speed, until you come to Charlton Dr. This is the same road as if going to the Nile Creek Trail, but you will turn left onto Linx Rd which is half way down Charlton Dr. Just follow Linx to the end & park either in the cul-d-sac or over the tracks. You will see the trail on your left. 

What I enjoy doing is starting from Linx Rd, 

walk, hike , bike, & explore Lighthouse Country Regional Trail & then at the end of the trail on Qualicum Bay side, turn right onto another trail. Now you are back onto a natural, rugged trail which is not wheelchair accessible, but is great for walking & hiking. Unless you are an experienced mountain biker, I would hesitate to bike as there are a couple of areas that are tricky. As you walk, hike, (bike), explore through  

the first part of this trail, you will see trails branching off, as mentioned above I will talk about how to join these trails up. So for the time being stay on the main trail & follow it down over a creek & up a fairly steep hill. The trail becomes wider & eventually you reach a dirt road that is a driveway. Turn right & walk across the road a little & you will see the trail continue which will come out to a dirt road. If you can't find the trail, don't worry just continue down the driveway & you will come to the dirt road. (Just make sure you have turned right onto the driveway!). Upon reaching the dirt road, turn left & walk across the road, look for a blue jerry can hanging in the tree indicating where the trail carries on. If you found the trail across the driveway, when you reach the dirt road, cross over, you should see the blue jerry can opposite.

After a bit of time of walking, hiking, biking & exploring you will come out to a pine forest where there are numerous tracks for dirt biking etc. This is where it gets a little confusing, just keep walking, hiking, biking in a straight line as best as you can, watch out for ribbons in the trees as these are markers for the trail; after a bit you will see the trail ahead of you. 

Keep heading straight

Once on this part of the trail, it becomes somewhat steep & narrow, so if on a bike be cautious.  

Steep climb down.

Once you have reached the bottom of the walk, hike, (bike) down the hill there is a bridge that takes you to the Big Qualicum River Hatchery if you are interested in exploring that. From here you can either head back the way you came or before crossing over the bridge the trail continues around & back up the bank running next to the train bridge. This is where it is tricky with a bike as you have to haul it up. There is a rope in-bedded into the ground to help you climb up, but it is slippery & if it has been raining, it will be muddy. 

Upon reaching the top you will see trails off to your left, I haven`t explored them yet, but my guess is they are the dirt biking tracks.  

Just keep heading straight, you will see some buildings & railway tracks ahead of you.

Steep climb with rope

Once you reach these structures turn left & walk, hike (bike) & explore the dirt road until you come to the blue jerry cans. There is one on either side of the road. Turn right & follow the trail that will take you across the driveway and down the trail again. You are now back tracking & will eventually come back down to the Lighthouse Country Regional Trail. This is approximately a 1 1/2 - 2 hour walk.  

Ready for an ice-cream, well the Cone Zone in Qualicum Bay is open. They have 32 flavours to choose from!! Just turn right when you come out onto the West Island Highway & you will find it on the right just past Henry's Kitchen.

NOTE: Most of these trails have a coloured ribbon tied to a tree which indicates a trail, they are generally pink. Don`t count on these ribbons though, always be cautious, don`t attempt things you are uncomfortable about, & remember to be responsible for yourself & others in your party. Don`t forget the bears are out, so take precautions as mentioned in previous posts & don`t forget your water bottle & cell phone.  

PLEASE be responsible for your dog(s), take doggy bags out with you if using, otherwise push doggy poop into the bush off the trails. THANKS. 

 

Please let me know if links are not working, or pictures are not showing. 

HAPPY WALKING, HIKING, BIKING & EXPLORING

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