LIGHTHOUSE COUNTRY BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL IS HAPPENING 27TH - 30TH JUNE, 2013.

"Alas for those that never sing, but die with all their music in them!" - Oliver Wendell Holmes

Lighthouse Country is celebrating its 3rd bluegrass festival this weekend. The event starts this Thursday 27th @ 7.00 p.m. with last years band contest winners, The Maple Mountain Boys opening the show.

The Lighthouse Community Centre in Qualicum Bay will be filled with the sounds of bluegrass being played by a wide selection of bands beginning Thursday evening & going until 10.00 p.m. Sunday.

Saturday & Sunday morning visitors & players can enjoy Lighthouse Community's famous pancake breakfast which will be in the community hall. This is open to the public.

How to find the Bluegrass Festival, Lighthouse Community Centre.

Coming from Nanaimo.

Coming from Courtenay.

Camping is available on site, suitable for camping vehicles & tents. There are showers & flush toilets. 

Check out the Lighthouse Bluegrass website: http://www.lighthousebluegrass.com/ where you can find out all the information on the different bands, the times, prices, camping rules etc.

Where is Lighthouse Country?

Lighthouse Country, Mid Vancouver Island.

OTHER THINGS TO ENJOY IN LIGHTHOUSE COUNTRY WHILE VISITING DURING THE CANADA DAY LONG WEEKEND.

Arrowsmith Golf & Country Club, an 18 hole club.http://www.golfarrowsmith.com/

Horne Lake Caves.

Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park. http://www.hornelake.com/

Spider Lake Provincial Park. http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/spider_lk/

Rosewell Creek Provincial Park. http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/rosewall/

Deep Bay is a cosy little corner of Lighthouse Country.

Sleepy Deep Bay.

A great place to launch a kayak or canoe, go fishing off the dock or hire a charter boat or going swimming down at the spit. This is home to Vancouver Island University Shell Fish Research Centre which is open to visitors. 

 Ship & Shore restaurant has a great little menu & is open until around 6.00 p.m. depending on the traffic. http://www.vancouverisland.com/regions/towns/?townID=52

Walking, hiking, biking & exploring Lighthouse Country.

Don't forget Lighthouse Country has some fantastic walking, hiking, biking & exploring trails. So take some time off & get out & enjoy the beauty of this area. To find out where the trails are just re-read this blog. 

Remember you are in bear country, so be prepared, carry a heavy stick, wear bear bells/bear spray. Have sturdy shoes with good grip, water bottle, cell phone & rain gear & be responsible for self & others in your care.

PLACES TO EAT IN LIGHTHOUSE COUNTRY.

There is an interesting selection of restaurants & cafes to enjoy in the community. 

Sandbar Cafe.

Sand Bar Cafe, Qualicum Bay is just down the road from Lighthouse Community Centre where you will find great food & live music on Friday & Sunday evenings, jamming is encouraged, so come along & meet the locals & have a sing along.

Alpaca Cafe & gift shop, Qualiucm Bay is a quaint little cafe serving great soups & crepes & has a selection of unique gifts.

The Ice Cream Zone, Qualicum Bay has 32 different flavours to choose from!

Crown & Anchor pub.

The Crown & Anchor pub serves fresh & delicious food.

The Bean Counter Cafe, Bowser has the best bread & makes scrumptious sandwiches along with soups, salads, desserts & fancy coffees.

PLACES TO STAY.

If you fancy visiting Lighthouse Country, but are not interested in the Bluegrass Festival, there is a choice of accommodations whether you want to camp or stay in a B&B or a resort. Take a look at http://www.lighthousecountry.ca/visit/ for some suggestions.

NOTE: This being a long weekend, if you are coming from the mainland, it is wise to pre-book your ferry passage, the traffic will be heavy.

HAPPY WALKING, HIKING, BIKING & EXPLORING.

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LINKING TRAILS IN LIGHTHOUSE COUNTRY THROUGH WALKING, HIKING, BIKING & EXPLORING.

"Summer time & the livin is easy, fish are jumpin & the cotton is high". (George Gershwin)

It's been a while since my last post, summer has hit here with a bang. It has been busy in my home with visitors, travelling & babysitting my grand-dog, Kaya who has had to have surgery on her paw & so is now out of commission & is not very happy about this. Needless to say we are not doing much in the way of walking, hiking, biking or exploring & my guess is we will be in this state for the next week or so. 

Poor Kaya, out of commission

Before we ended up in this situation we did manage to get in a couple of walking, hiking, biking & exploring adventures. The last trek we did is one of the longest trails in the area lasting roughly 2 hours. It consists of 5 different trails & completes a loop, so there is no back tracking. 
This is a popular biking trail for those folk who are comfortable with mountain biking. 
To begin this walk, hike, bike & exploring trek one can start on the northern end of Lighthouse Country Regional Trail South Loop which is off Linx Rd. You head south on the  Regional Trail walking towards Qualicum Bay. Or you can start the walk, hike, bike trek from Lioness Boulevard in Qualicum Bay. 

Map of Lighthouse Country South Loop Trail

Whether you start north from Linx Rd or south from Lioness Blvd you will want to head up the red dotted line (connector trail - Black Brook Trail) down by Lioness Blvd. (See map opposite or check out http://www.rdn.bc.ca/cms.asp?wpID=2584). This section is called Black Brook Trail & it roams through the forest up to a logging road, turn left & head down back into the forest to Black Brook Creek keeping to your right. You will see a log across the creek, take your time & be careful while crossing it. Once over enjoy the trek through the forest until you come out into a new growth forest & then an old logging road.

Black Brook Creek

 Here you will turn right & walk, hike, bike down the logging track for about 5 mins or so. Just before you come out to a clearing, there is a trail on your left, DNA Trail, take that & follow that until you eventually come out to another old unused track & just across the way you will see the trail continue back into the forest, this is Holly Trail. 

Black Brook Trail

By this time you will be hearing the traffic from the inland highway as you are walking, hiking, biking & exploring parallel to the highway.

DNA Trail

 Holly Trail will come out to another old & unused track & lots of blooming alders. Walk the track for about 5-10 mins, you will come to another logging track & hydro lines, turn right & follow the track for another 3-5 mins watching out for Dales Trail which is on your left side. There is a sign on the trunk of a tree, so just head into the forest following the trail. You will now be walking parallel to Nile Creek where you will hear the creek rumbling along down below in the valley. There are times when Dales Trail wines in & out of the forest, you will come out to a logged area, just follow the trail around & back into the forest, from there you will come out to the hydro lines. Again follow the track until it joins another track, turn left & follow this track back towards the forest. Watch out for the trail here, it can be a little difficult to follow,just keep more or less going to your right & you will see the trail heading back into the forest. 
Walk, hike, bike & explore through the forest enjoying the sounds of Nile Creek & the beauty & majestic trees of Dales Trail where you will come out to another trail, turn right & follow that until you come to another logging road. 

Dales Trail

Turn left & you will be at the north end of Lighthouse Country Regional Trail South Loop, Linx Rd. If you started at this point, you have completed the loop, if you started at Lioness Blvd, then you still need to walk, hike, bike & explore the regional trail back to Lioness Blvd.

Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, heading south

To find this loop if you are coming through Bowser from the north you want to look for Charlton Drive & then turn up Linx Rd. 
If coming from the south down Horne Lake Rd towards Qualicum Bay, you want to turn left on Lions Way which is in Qualicum Bay & then turn right on Lioness Blvd.

So after this walk, hike, bike & exploring adventure you have a choice of places to go for refreshments whether you fancy a coffee & treat or maybe a lunch or dinner or maybe you fancy an ice cream, both Bowser & Qualicum Bay have great cafes, restaurants, an ice cream parlour & even a pub. Come on in & meet some locals.

Remember before heading out on your walk, hike, bike exploring adventure to take a water bottle, cell phone, sturdy hiking boots, a strong walking stick, bear bells/bear spray, this is bear country & they are definitely out & about. 
Please remember you are responsible for yourselves, so take care & watch out for everyone in your party.

HAPPY WALKING, HIKING, BIKING & EXPLORING

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 WALKING, HIKING, BIKING, EXPLORING LIGHTHOUSE COUNTRY TRAILS DOGGY STYLE.

"The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog" (Edward Hoagland).

Summer is almost here, life is getting busy with visitors, road trips, sailing, gardening, walking, hiking, biking & exploring!! The weather is unpredictable, warm & sunny, chilly & cloudy, but not too rainy.

Where is my ball?

Walking, hiking, biking & exploring are definitely one of my top priorities at the moment as I am babysitting my grand-doggie Kaya for a month or so while my daughter & her partner are off trekking Europe. So we will be having fun exploring the area looking for new walking, hiking, biking trails in & around Lighthouse Country.

It's in here somewhere.

Kaya loves coming here & exploring the trails & having fun sniffing for squirrels & rabbits, & the thrill & chase when she finds one!! Then there are all the creeks, rivers & ocean where she has fun bounding after seagulls, ducks & geese, swimming for her ball & just having the delight of charging into the water with sheer joy; she is a retriever, so all her senses are off & running.

Beginning of trek, Princess Kaya, looking beautiful, fluffy & clean.

Today's walk, hike, bike, explore adventure was one we have done many times in the Bowser area. 

Rex leading the way.

Rex, her friend came trekking with us & the 2 of them had moments of utter nuttyness crashing through the bush & splashing & chasing each other in the water in utter abandonment. There is nothing like witnessing dogs enjoying moments of total happiness.

Grannie Frannie, throw me this stick.

Kaya having a soak or looking for fish!

We came home stinking, wet, muddy & full of burrs & things along 

with big smiles. Now we are crashed out for a while!!

Love tearing sticks apart.

Heading home, wet, dirty & shaggy, but oh so happy.

Please remember to clean up after your dog. If he/she poops on the trail where someone can step on it, just take a stick & push it off into the bush. If you rather use a doggy bag, PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE THE BAG BEHIND. 

If your dog is un-predictable & not sociable with other dogs, please have it on a leash. Lighthouse Country trails are off leash trails & we want to keep it that way for the enjoyment for all dogs.
NOTE: Take water, cell phone, heavy stick, bear bells/bear spray (remember it's bear country). You are responsible for self & others in your party.
Thanks.

HAPPY WALKING, HIKING, BIKING & EXPLORING

 

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HAVING FUN WALKING, HIKING, BIKING, EXPLORING OUT ON THE WATER!!

20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the Trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. (Unknown)

Thetis Island, Telegraph Harbour 

It has been a busy, busy week or so having fun walking, hiking, biking & exploring with relatives visiting, a sailing trip down to Thetis Island for the annual Hunter rendezvous & a road trip down to Victoria. 

Captain Judy, 1st time out on the boat.

The weather for the past few days has been glorious with blue sky, warmth in the air and smiling faces everywhere. You can feel the island waking up from it's winter slumber; people are shaking out their camping gear & getting their RV's warmed up & ready for camping & enjoying BC's wilderness. The fish eagles are screeching & chasing each other as they compete within themselves & the fishermen for salmon & cod. Boaters are cleaning down their boats, stocking up with supplies & getting out on the water; another summer season is upon us.

Judy & Bon, having fun cleaning the boat.

My husband & I are proud owners of a 45' Hunter Passage sail boat & we spend much of the summers sailing, walking, hiking, biking & exploring the many islands scattered up & down the BC coast. 

One of our annual adventures is participating in the yearly Hunter Rendezvous on Thetis Island, an island situated off the southern end of Vancouver Island. 

This is a full weekend of events where specialists share their knowledge on the maintenance of hunter boats whether it is to do with the engine or the masts or any other issues & concerns that arise. 

Hunter Rendezvous, taking over.

It's a great social event where you meet up with other Hunter owners, have fun going aboard the brand new 2013 models to see what is the latest, participate in a hilarious dingy competition where the rower is blindfolded & the navigator has the challenge of controlling this jumbled up mess of a rowing race! Saturday evening is a feast of a whole pig traditionally barbecued on the rotisserie along with beef of baron. 

Mr. Bean, loving the action.

This year they had great musicians that had us all up and shaking our booties late into the night.

Everyone says good bye for another year at a fantastic breakfast brunch that the marina put on Sunday morning before all of us sailors head back home.

People come from all over the place, Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, up island, the States; I was told that there were about 90 boats that came this year. It's an amazing site to see when you arrive into Telegraph Harbour with all these Hunter boats tied up. I'm not sure where the regular boats are taken too when this event occurs, as the Hunters surely take over for the weekend. 

Getting ready for a feast.

Happy hour.

This year my sister-in-law Judy, her son Trevor & his girlfriend Mel came with us to the event. It was a blast, we had loads of fun, but we didn't do any walking, hiking or biking!!! 

Judy, Bon, Trevor & Mel.

HAPPY WALKING, HIKING, BIKING & EXPLORING.

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