On the mud – looking toward Comox from 19A
I saw this sailboat a day after the first major winter storm blasted the Comox Valley with a deluge of rain driven by 70 km/h winds – I suppose the owner could have purposely moored the boat here to work on her bottom, but I suspect it may have been blown off of it’s moorings near Goose Spit.
McLean Mill National Historic Site
McLean mill was operated by R.B. McLean and his three sons from 1926 to 1965. The original plot of land was purchased by Robert Bartlett (“R.B.”) McLean, and he moved there with his wife Cora, and his three sons Arnold, Philip, and Walter.
The business was eventually taken over by Arnold, who then passed on the business to his son Howard McLean, who ran it until its closing in 1965. One of the main reasons for its closing was competition from the larger lumber companies in the area.
McLean Mill was named a National Historic Site in 1989 to commemorate the history of logging and saw milling in British Columbia. The mill is typical of the remote coastal lumber camp and sawmill complex from the middle of the last century.
Since 1995 the site has been restored with funds from Heritage Canada, Forest Renewal BC, the BC Heritage Trust, BC Community Futures, the Regional District of Alberni-Clayoquot and the City of Port Alberni. MacMillan Bloedel donated the land.
The sawmill has been rebuilt to operate as it did in 1965, including a replica of a 1928 log carriage, and today, McLean mill is the only commercial steam-operated sawmill in Canada.
Strong arctic outflow winds turn the waters of Georgia Strait into a frenzy of waves…
Air Force Beach looking toward Kye Bay
A bit of mist at Elk Falls
Just my luck to head up Mt Washington two days before the first large snowfall of the year…
BC Ferries MV Island Sky at the Little River terminal
Clouds – Little River
Island Sky at BC Ferries Little River terminal
In late October BC Ferries redeployed two vessels in the Powell River area in order to make repairs to the Queen of Burnaby and to accommodate the Queen of Nanaimo’s refit.
The MV Island Sky, which usually sails between Earls Cove and Saltery Bay, was redeployed to the Comox – Powell River route to replace the Queen of Burnaby on the evening of October 14 through late November. Island Sky was replaced by the Bowen Queen on the Earls Cove – Saltery Bay route.
The Queen of Burnaby proceeded to dry dock on October 15 for several days to repair a propeller hub. Once the repairs were completed, the Queen of Burnaby replaced the Queen of Nanaimo on the Tsawwassen – Southern Gulf Islands route to accommodate the Queen of Nanaimo’s refit.
I like the Island Sky – a pretty ship, and quite capable.
Alberni Pacific at the E&N station in Port Alberni
…and pulling into McLean Mill
Alberni Pacific passing the Catalyst paper mill in Port Alberni
The forestry industry has had highs and lows, with many saw mills and paper mills being sold to overseas companies, shut down, and dismantled. It’s perhaps more than a bit ironic that the steam locomotives of the Alberni Pacific have outlasted much of the industry, thanks to the efforts of the Western Vancouver Island Industrial Heritage Society.
