Poltrack Blog

Petroglyph Provincial Park   One of my side excursions in Canada was a quick visit to Petroglyph Provincial Park located at the south end of Naniamo, BC on Vancouver Island. However I'll admit that I was a bit underwhelmed. They had concrete representations of the Petroglyphs because the originals were very hard to discern. Still it is thrilling to see images that have been created 1000 years ago. Illustrations show what drawings were discovered The flat rock surface had no petroglyph and appeared to be defaced a bit These were the only images I could find on the actual rocks. A fence blocked another path which might have held other carvings. Sproat Lake Provincial Park In 2004 I saw a much more impressive collection of petroglyphs at Sproat Lake in Port Alberni, BC. These were much larger and carved on the side of a cliff. If you can only visit one, I would suggest Sproat Lake. Petroglyph Many carvings Sproat Lake is also home to Coulson ...

We visited the pier at Gold River after an absence of 13 years. We were hoping to catch a ride on the Uchuck III  to Nootka Island. Sadly this was a case of poor planning on our part. I was dismayed to see that this beautiful spot is still an industrial site. At least the air quality has improved since my first visit in 1974. One view from the view Now the location of Western Forest Products. Judging by the lighting I'm guessing that this operation runs 24 hours a day. What a view The landslide was evident in 1974. My wife told me bears would migrate down the scar. There are risks of course Noisy but better than the pulp mill of the 1970s Gold River Site of the former reserve, now a parking lot for tourists Former Reserve Flashback to 1974. How would you like this in your backyard? Personal observation, it STINKS! Pulp Mill 1974 which did pollute the water My wife and her folks. We saw Joey on our 2017 trip Meeti...

My parents celebrated their honeymoon in Vancouver. Among the photos was this one of my dad in 1946. Note the Thunderbird House Poles on left and right. They were carved by Charlie James in the 1900s. These poles were used to support the main bole of the longhouse. (January 1946) In the center is a replica of the original Thunderbird House pole. It was carved in 1987 by Tony Hunt. The original pole is in a Vancouver museum. (July 2017)   www.poltrack.net

Early in our marriage my wife impressed me by pulling off these strange creatures from a rock along the coast of British Columbia. When raw they had a nutty flavor but look like something out of the first alien movie (the thing on John Hurt's face). These were cooked and weren't as tasty. I don't have the exact spelling of the name, but phonetically it sounds like Hy-ish-toop. These side clings to the rock Front and back  Removing "bones" or what appears to be a backbone. Inedible parts There are two ways to eat herring roe. Either on hemlock branches or salted on a flat piece of seaweed My favorite, smoked salmon with onions and potatoes   www.poltrack.net

In September of 2009, my wife's niece traveled from Nanaimo, British Columbia  to new Ipswich, New Hampshire to visit us. It was an epic coast to coast journey for them. I wanted to make sure that they visited the Atlantic Ocean so they could say that they traveled coast to coast, so after a New England lunch of lobster we headed over to Odiorne State Park in Rye, NH. Paul took a dip in the Atlantic Ocean, something I would never do and the girls did some exploring. During the visit I asked about a vest that Paul was wearing that bore the title "Prince Charles Canoe Club". It was an interesting story about the queen and a young Prince Charles visiting Canada. Recently I found a video by Bill Seward describing the club. At the end of the visit Paul gave me the vest as a parting gift. This is a detail of the embroidery. Paul gave me his vest as a gift after he told me the story Margie Robinson and family visiting New Hampshire in 2009 Paul Wyse-Seward...