Katherine Bickford

Top Bridge suspension bridge

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Katherine

I stopped at Top Bridge to visit the suspension bridge over the Englishman River near Parksville. The bridge is downstream of the waterfalls at Englishman River Falls Provincial Park, and upstream of the E&N railway trestle adjacent to Highway 19.

suspension bridge,Top Bridge,Englishman River,parksville

Vancouver Island has quiet a few pedestrian suspension bridges, including Haslam Creek, Logan Creek, and Pete Wolf Creek on the trail to Mystic Beach.

suspension bridge,Top Bridge,Englishman River,parksville

The Top Hat Bridge is wheel chair accessible – the trail beyond is a different story, although much of it could be navigated with a trail chair.

suspension bridge,Top Bridge,Englishman River,parksville

More images in a FaceBook album…

Posted in bridges, Parksville, river, Vancouver Island, Vancouver Island Images, video | Tagged Englishman River, Parksville, suspension bridge, Top Bridge | Leave a comment

Amphitrite Point

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Katherine

Another beautiful day in Ucluelet – at least it is to me as I love stormy days, What better place to safely enjoy the waves than Amphitrite Point?

Uclulet,Pacific Rim,Lighthouse,Barkley Sound,Amphitrite Point Lighthouse

Of course, the rain and wind and waves do present a bit of a challenge as the noise of the wind plays havoc with audio recordings and the rain tends to leave an artistic effect on the lens. I can deal with both with a smile on my face!

Uclulet,Pacific Rim,Lighthouse,Barkley Sound,Amphitrite Point Lighthouse

Posted in history, lighthouse, ocean, Pacific Rim, Ucluelet, Vancouver Island, Vancouver Island Images, waves | Tagged Amphitrite Point Lighthouse, Barkley Sound, lighthouse, Pacific Rim, Uclulet | Leave a comment

Graveyard of the Pacific

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Katherine

According to legend and travel brochures, there is a wrecked ship for every mile of coast along the Graveyard of the Pacific. Perhaps – I have read several books about shipwrecks along the coast of Vancouver Island, and the list of notable wrecks is quite lengthy.

storms,pacific ocean.juan de fuca,pacific rim,pacific graveyard,Uclulet,Bamfield,Tofino

Other than the development of radar and the establishment of a more robust communication system, very little has changed along this section of Vancouver Island since the days of sail. The rocks and reefs are still there, waiting for unwary or unfortunate mariners to be tossed onto the rocks during a storm.

storms,pacific ocean.juan de fuca,pacific rim,pacific graveyard,Uclulet,Bamfield,Tofino

It’s hard enough to hike on these rocks in daylight while wearing good boots – imagine trying to do it at night, during a storm, barefoot, after you managed to survive being tossed about by the waves after abandoning the ship you were on me moments before…

That’s not something I would want to do; I’ve had sea survival training and have jumped off of warships in a few oceans on nice sunny and calm days – you realize very rapidly how powerful the ocean is and how insignificant you are.

Posted in history, ocean, Pacific Rim, Vancouver Island, Vancouver Island Images, video, waves | Tagged Bamfield, pacific graveyard, pacific ocean.juan de fuca, Pacific Rim, storms, Tofino, Uclulet | Leave a comment

Wickanish Beach

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Katherine

Tofino, Wickanish Beach,Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Wickanish Beach- Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Tofino, Wickanish Beach,Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Posted in Beach, nature, ocean, Pacific Rim, Vancouver Island, Vancouver Island Images | Tagged Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Tofino, Wickanish Beach | Leave a comment

M/V Frances Barkley

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Katherine

The MV Frances Barkley is a freight and passenger vessel operating in the Alberni Inlet and Barkley Sound. She was named for Frances Barkley, the wife and travelling companion of Captain Charles William Barkley.

Port Alberni,harbour,fish boat,Lady Rose Marine,Frances Barkley

MV Frances Barkley at Port Alberni Quay

Launched on November 7th 1958 as the M.S. Rennesoy in Stavanger, Norway, she was renamed the M.S. Hidle, and was employed in the Norwegian ferry fleet operating out of Stavanger. In 1990 M.S. Hidle was purchased by the Alberni Marine Transportation company and her name changed to MV Frances Barkley. On August 11, 1990 she reached Port Alberni were she is operated by Lady Rose Marine Services.

Built: 1958
Builder: Brodrene Lothe Flytedokken Haugesund, Norway
Gross tonnage: 300 tons
Cargo Capacity: 100 tons
Length: 128ft
Beam: 24ft
Draft: 9.5ft.
Engine: 8 cylinder Bergen Diesel, 400hp @ 450 RPM
Speed: 11 knots
Passengers: 200

And now you know

Posted in history, Port Alberni, ships, Vancouver Island, Vancouver Island Images | Tagged fishing boats, Frances Barkley, harbour, Lady Rose Marine, Port Alberni | Leave a comment

Port Alberni – Maritime Discovery Centre

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Katherine

Port Alberni Quay,Maritime Discovery Centre

Port Alberni’s Maritime Discovery Centre is constructed from an actual coastal lighthouse – do you know which one? The lantern on top is from the old Chrome Island Lighthouse…

Posted in Port Alberni, tourism, Vancouver Island, Vancouver Island Images | Tagged Maritime Discovery Centre, Port Alberni Quay | Leave a comment

Port Alberni

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Katherine

Port Alberni has long been a gateway for me when travelling by road or by sea – a safe harbour in a storm, a place to grab a coffee before heading to Ucluelet or Bamfield, and more recently, a place to explore some more of the history of Vancouver Island.

Port Alberni,Harbour,Fishing Boats

You can see that forestry and fisheries are important to Port Alberni – they always have been and hopefully always will be. What you can’t see is that there is a real possibility that coal may once again factor heavily in the port, and that is somewhat scary from an environmental view.

Port Alberni,Harbour,Fishing Boats

Hopefully the development of coal on the Island will be closely regulated to ensure that, tourism and recreation and nature are not adversely impacted. I’m just a bit sceptical as they always are, yet at the same time I am optimistic as industry often opens up access to otherwise inaccessible areas.

Posted in fishing boats, marina, Port Alberni, ships, tugs, Vancouver Island, Vancouver Island Images | Tagged fishing boats, harbour, Port Alberni | Leave a comment

Buckley Bay – Winter water

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Katherine

The road connecting highways 19 and 19A at Buckley Bay is one of my favourite places to poke about – it’s a huge bed of fossils, and in the winter it becomes a frozen forest of ice.

Buckley Bay,ice,icicles,winter