Mt. Washington, BC

Greetings from the top of Mt. Washington on Vancouver Island, BC.  We took the chair lift up, as per our policy to get as high as we can in any area we visit, to get the fullest view of what's around. From the top we could see the BC mainland clearly, many of the mountains in Strathcona Provincial Park, Puget Sound, and the Georgia Strait.  We're getting great weather here now, after a long stretch of rain and clouds. 

You can see how beautiful it was in this picture of the Inukshuk at the top. Inukshuk are the small balanced rock piles you see all over Canada, along roadsides, on mountain tops and trails. They have become a Canadian symbol, especially since the Winter Olympics.

After going up, we of course came down, : ) and headed nearby to Strathcona PP to take a little hike in the mountain meadows. The snow has just about melted, and the marsh marigolds are just beginning to pop out,

but many of the trails are still blocked by snow. We took a short hike on a boardwalk through wetlands and around a few ponds, with views of the ski trails on Mt. Washington.

Along the way we met a new bird for us: a whiskey jack.  OK, it's not really new - it's a grey jay, but they call them whiskey jacks here. They are very assertive, especially if you have any food, which they will eat out of your hand. They should be called picnic jacks.

We've got a lot more to see and do around here in the next two weeks. We will be getting out on the water at some point, and driving over to the west coast for an overnight. It's certainly beautiful country. 

Today I'm headed up to the Campbell River farmer's market while Rick watches the Wimbledon championship.  Go Federer!