On a summer weekend we took the grandkids for a hike on the McQueen Lake Trails. We started at the southwest corner and worked our way past Clay Lake and Griffin Lake, looping back past McQueen Lake. We steered away from the Day Center and stuck to the trails. There was no one else on the trails. Our route was … Continue reading →
Remarkably Bright Creatures is a delight from the first page to the last. The three main characters (a senior, an octopus, and a young man) have all suffered from losses in their lives and cope on their own, but their lives intersect, and they find each other and themselves in the process. This book will not win any literary awards, … Continue reading →
The Trail is a story of a young man who is lost in his life in life in Los Angeles and an older man who is at the end of his life. Through family connections, they set out to backpack the John Muir Trail, a rugged and difficult route in the Sierra Nevada. Gil has lost his father, his job, … Continue reading →
Fred Lake is a small lake in the forested area between Lac le Jeune and Ross Moore Lake. We can drive backroads to an area above the lake, but the last kilometer is on a narrow, rough road. Fishermen mostly access it by quad or by walking in. On a warm summer day, I put my folding kayak on my … Continue reading →
A Sight for Sore Eyes is a compelling but disturbing psychological thriller written by master storyteller Ruth Rendell. She has written about 70 books and over the years I have read about 1/3 of them. Every one has been engaging, providing deep insights into characters that are reflections of ourselves and the people we know. Like Stephen King, she asks … Continue reading →
Black Lake is located in Roche Lake Provincial Park. It is reached by a 1km rough road. I have hiked that road many times, but i have been reluctant to drive it, but I also wanted to paddle the lake, On a warm summer morning, I put on my kayak pack (a backpack with a folding kayak), and carried my … Continue reading →
A Question of Blood is a Scottish crime novel by Ian Rankin, part of the John Rebus series. Rebus is a bit of an incorrigible character that gets the job done, but he can be hard-to-get-along with and prone to repeated bad habits and poor communications. The plot involves a school shooting and the suspect seems obvious, but the motive … Continue reading →
Robert Galbraith’s (J.K. Rowling) fifth book in the Cormoran Strike series is a a 927 page detective story about a 40 year old cold case concerning a missing doctor. It is intricately plotted and full of well-developed characters – investigators, suspects, and witnesses. The author takes great care to keep the dialogue fresh, characters believable, and plot development without resorting … Continue reading →
On a mild June morning we hiked from Dallas into the Dallas – Barnhartvale Nature Park, then over to the Blackwell Horse and Hiker Trails for a 6 km loop route. We started up the Hoodoo Trail toward the dump, then followed trails that traversed the open forest and grassland slopes. There were signs of the start of a dry, … Continue reading →
Sandy (Tree) Island Provincial Park is located about 1 km north of Denman Island. It is a marine park, most often accessed by boat, but at low tide it is possible to hike over to the island. The route is to drive to the north end of the island on The Point Road and to hike the signed trail to … Continue reading →
I hiked the dry south-facing western slopes of Kenna Cartwright Park and stopped to observe and record what I saw along the way, now captured in this YouTube video:
Continue reading →Stake Lake is a favorite location for snowshoeing, paddling, hiking, biking, and running. During the warmer months, a combination outing is a great choice. On a recent spring day I paddled around the lake twice, once in each direction, then hiked around the lake. On another day in the following I week I paddled a nearby lake, then ran the … Continue reading →
Island Lake lies in the Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area and can be reached by hiking for about 800m on and off trail to the lakeshore. Any effort to paddle the lake will require carrying a boat over the grassland hills. It has probably never had a boat on it. On an early May morning, … Continue reading →
There are many short, interesting hikes in the Kamloops area. On days where conditions or personal reserves don’t permit a longer hike, we sometimes choose one of the shorter ones we have done in past explorations. From the Uplands Drive Trailhead (the junction of McLeod Drive and Uplands in Barnhartvale), we hiked west along the double track, then turned uphill … Continue reading →
The Secret of Chimneys was published in 1925. It was one of Agatha Christie’s first novels and compared to her other earlier books at that time – The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, and the earliest Poirot books, it doesn’t compare, nor does it age well. She wrote 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections. … Continue reading →
In mid-April we drove onto the Quilchena Plateau and hiked the Hamilton Corrals Commonage track. At 4000 feet there was still lots of snow and the ponds were still frozen over. We hiked out and back on the track, enjoying the quiet hills and ponds. We usually hike this route in June and we hope to be back when the … Continue reading →
