Goldstream Park, Vancouver Island

(+ 7 insets) (Please view large!!) Trip Talk: Cameras for Travel Some months ago, one of my contacts, George ( Tiabunna ), wrote an article about the fast-rising quality of phone cameras and how they are impacting the industry. He even compared pictures of a subject taken by his DSLR and his phone, showing all of us how similar they are. The interesting discussion solidified my feelings about my phone and I decided not to discriminate against these pictures when picking my main image to share. I think phone pictures look great--and even if they may not be the quality of a DSLR, who of us is really needing that all the time? (This is George's article, well-worth reading! Smartphones and cameras ) It would turn out that on our trip, I used my phone’s camera more and more, to the point that by the end, at least half of my pictures were taken with my phone. I used my Sony for most of the others and just a few days-worth were taken with my Canon and 100mm macro lens. Isn’t it interesting how your expectations can sometimes be so far from reality? I imagined many happy days filled with me creeping around with my macro lens, photographing endless cool subjects that I’d never seen before. I did have a few days like that but for the most part, I didn’t use my Canon. I need to feel relaxed and creatively free but I rarely felt comfortable enough to escape into this mode. Seems like there was always something in the way…too many activities calling our attention to go do. Wrong place/wrong time, or just plain not in the mood. As I mentioned in a previous post, Steve and I discussed our shared feelings of needing open-ended travel. With this set-up, we’ll be able to do things like Steve dropping me off at a trail that we hiked previously—one that brimming with zillions of super-cool macro subjects. (There were countless trails like this on our trip—but had I brought my macro lens, we’d never see any of the trails at all except the very beginning!) And while I am lost in my macro world of bliss, Steve would be able to go fishing nearby or perhaps just hang out in the car. Steve understands the importance of being alone for my macro outings and he also loves fishing on his own because he can just kick back and enjoy all things fishing without worrying whether or not I’ve had enough. We do love fishing together but sometimes I’d rather do something else. Regarding travel photography, I have to admit that when on a trip, the best sort of pictures highlight the places you went to, the things you saw. No matter how much I love macro photography, those sorts of images aren’t as important except as specialty highlights. So, though it would have been awesome to have the time and freedom to do more macro photography, it’s not the end of the world! Today’s Pictures The first place that we stayed at on Vancouver Island was at Malahat Mountain. Though situated in a park-like area, we were only 30 minutes away from the British Columbia capitol of Victoria. That was perfect because we were looking forward to at least a couple of days in town. For our first adventure, we went to the extremely popular provincial (state) park, Goldstream, just a few minutes from our campground. There were many hikes available but the one we wanted to do included a visit to Vancouver Island’s very own Niagara Falls! We really enjoyed this hike, which took us to the Falls and then onwards to a railroad trestle (those pictures will be posted another day) and through extremely beautiful forests along meandering, well-maintained trails. My main picture features this beautiful and elegant waterfall, which drops from an impressive height of 156 feet/47.5 meters to an enticing swimming pool below. The number of people playing around and enjoying this noisy waterfall and its chilly pool made it challenging to get an unpopulated picture but eventually I succeeded! Inset 1: With the extreme drop of Niagara Creek down to the rocky bed below, the view upwards and through the trees was really breathtaking. Inset 2: Looking up the steep canyon walls revealed beautiful, lush ferns that got my attention. Inset 3: Take a look at this Bigleaf Maple growing out of an old Red Cedar stump! The roots are so fascinating to me and remind me a bit of strangler figs that grow in the rainforest. I’d never seen a tree growing out of a stump like this before, but apparently Red Cedar stumps must make a nice place for tree seedlings to grow, as I saw a bunch of these while we were on the Island. Inset 4: I saw some Spring Beauty blossoms at the edge of the canyon walls and couldn’t resist taking a picture with my Sony. Inset 4: Moss grew on everything it seemed and it was fun to take a picture of Steve in a setting with some moss-covered branches. Inset 5: The shadows on this trio of leaves were so pretty to me, along with the lovely russet color. Inset 6: The dappled light on the road that led to the Niagara Falls trail was just too lovely to resist this picture! Pam, this is a place that Steve and I sat at for quite some time. Partly waiting for the hoards to leave so we could take pictures, but also to soak up this glowing place. It was also fun to watch people enjoying the area as well. I even watched a supervised toddler tossing rocks into the water that she could just barely pick up! A lovely place you would have surely loved. I'm sending my love and hope all is as well as can be today! Explored on 9/12/19; highest placement #2.

(+10 insets!) (bigger = better) :) Trip Talk: Balancing Planned Itineraries with the Wonder of Unexpected Surprises It was my job to come up with things for us to do on our trip to Vancouver Island…what a challenge! There seemed to be no end of things we could do, should do, and couldn't miss. We agreed that the best idea would be a list of 3-5 possibilities for each leg of our trip and that meant coming up with ideas for 9 places. Almost every spot we stayed at had seemingly countless activities for us to do so it took a while to find out which ones would be the best choices for us. At the same time, we didn't want to set all of our ideas into stone. One of the best things that can happen on a trip is when you discover something really cool that you didn't know about. We definitely wanted some of that and happily, the balance of planned destinations vs. unplanned special discoveries was really good. I didn't dig too hard into exact details of a place because I wanted us to have these surprises, and we sure did have them! In fact, our hike at Goldstream Park featured a totally memorable surprise which turned out to be a really exciting and unforgettable adventure for us! Today's Pictures Goldstream Provincial Park is located in the southern end of Vancouver Island and is very popular due to its easy access and proximity to Victoria. There are lots of hiking trails, one of which ascends steeply to the top of nearby Mount Finlayson. We opted to go on the much shorter and more reasonable Gold Mine trail instead. The trail climbed quickly from the Niagara Falls creek bed and brought us to a feature we weren't aware of until a passing hiker pointed the way…a railroad trestle with access! Hot dog!!! The trestle crossed over a very deep gorge and had many signs warning of the extreme danger for any who dared travel over the trestle. Did they think that would stop us? We would not be denied! No matter how terrified of heights that I can be, I refuse to let my fears stop me from certain activities. Such as walking on a trestle that spans an abyss! There were plenty of others who braved the trestle walk and all of us took great care to watch our footing. There were no railings so the safest place to walk was directly down the center of the trestle. Passing one another meant stepping to the side to allow them to get by and everyone was careful as they went. Naturally I had a battle of wills going on as I made my way across. The trestle was so unbelievably HIGH that I only peeked a couple of times through the tracks to see the tall trees underneath. Holy heebie-jeebies, what sort of insanity led me to cross this thing anyway?!! Seriously, I couldn't help thinking about the reality: if you tripped and went terribly wrong, you'd fall right off the side and plummet for what seems like forever! Insanity. Shaking my head in amazement as I slowly made my way along, I also reminded myself that the bridge was totally safe if one was careful. And after all, it could support entire TRAINS so one puny little person would probably be fine. On either side of the trestle there were a couple of places where you could walk out to the very edge and stand on a platform complete with metal railings to cling to. When I first noticed these spots I was all, "Not Gonna Happen." But by the time I got to each of them, I was able to creep over to the platforms and appreciate the (terrifying) view beyond. I couldn't help but notice various people who were actually sitting at the edge with legs dangling over the side as they enjoyed a snack and some conversation. The thought of doing such a thing totally freaked me out! Even Steve agreed: CRAZY! The trip across the entire length took about 10 minutes because I went slowly and stopped on the platforms along the way. When I got to the far side I was very pleased with myself for conquering my fears, but I was also very relieved to have solid ground under my feet again! :D Standing from the safety of the ground, I enjoyed watching people crossing over and returning. It was comforting to see that I wasn't the only one who was obviously quite nervous but there were plenty who were so relaxed they almost seemed too incautious. They walked near the edges with calm indifference but all I could do was scream inside as my mind's eye saw them tripping and falling to their doom. Still, it was nice to see everyone enjoying this awesome place. The fact was that each of us made a conscious decision to walk on the trestle despite being strongly discouraged against it. I liked being in the Cool Club! :) Steve had fun taking pictures through the tracks as he slowly went along. I watched him curiously while he studied the changing views, stopping now and again for another picture. I wondered how he managed to deal with seeing the dizzying sight below without freaking out. I can handle compartmentalizing my fears to a point but actively looking as Steve was doing…NO WAY JOSE!!! My main picture today shows the trestle as we made our way up the hillside trail to the track above. What an awesome sight! I am such a fan of this type of bridge construction and I also love the way the trestle emerges from the forest before disappearing into it again on the other side of the chasm. Inset 1: I couldn't resist taking a picture of Steve taking a picture of the trestle! Inset 2: "RAIL BRIDGE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS" Yeah, yeah…we're still going! Inset 3: The straight path across seemed safe enough when there weren't any people on it! Inset 4: I forced myself to look down and take this picture…holy freakout Batman, that's HIGH! Inset 5: The view of the trestle when standing on a platform near the edge. I actually liked the graffiti on the bridge. For some reason it seems to fit--what a switch…I usually detest graffiti! Inset 6: An abstract view showing the edge and bottomless pit below… Inset 7: A graffiti-adorned post with a lovely view beyond. Inset 8: The tracks from where they came on the starting side. Inset 9: The tracks heading away from the far side. Inset 10: Lil' ol' me clinging to one of the platform's railings. Pam, would you have been able to cross this trestle? I bet you would have done fine, especially since we'd do it together! :) I do appreciate working on my fear of heights because the rewards are always so huge and meaningful. I'll never ever forget this trestle because it was so potentially deadly but was just that much more cool because of the danger! I hope that your day is going well my dear, many hugs going your way! :) Explored on 9/14/19; highest placement #2.