#BeautifulBC

[whereifindsanity]

facebook.com

San Josef Bay, Cape Scott Provincial Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, by Dylan Benson.

[wicer1]

Bowser, BC, Canada

[handcraftedloghomes]

The snow on Mt. Cheam behind us looks as pretty as a snow-globe. Mt. Cheam or Mount Cheam stands at 2,112 meters (6,929 feet) tall and receives substantial snowfall during the winter, often covering the mountain in a thick, white blanket. The mountain is part of the Cheam Range, which spreads out across the eastern Fraser Valley, offering breathtaking panoramic views from its summit.

It's definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Cascade Log Yard!

[britishcolumbia]

Cathedral Grove, BC

[mooseknckle37]

[stackdat]

[deadcnt]

[gwensmithx]

Christmas snowshoeing 🎄#beautifulbc #christmas #snowshoe #kootsroots #mastiffsofinstagram #mastiff (at Castlegar, British Columbia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmnIuKbv2kt/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[travelandhik]

“Some beautiful paths can’t be discovered without getting lost.

[kat-lady]

Decided to bless your feeds again on this lovely Wednesday morning 🌞 🐪 happy hump day 🐪 to my lovers and friends 💝🍑 #myhumps #beachpeach #modelsofig #fansonly #wreckbeach #vancouver #canada #beautifulbc #ubc #linkinbio #ilovesummer #takemeback #faveplace #funinthesun #bumpitup #katlady 😽 (at Wreck Beach, UBC, Vancouver) https://www.instagram.com/p/CosGNHNgo5c/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[dynamicduoadventure]

Another beautiful day at @silverstarmtnresort ! Snow was fantastic and it was amazing to get out in the sunshine! Who doesn't love spending time in the trees! . . . . . . . . . . . #dynamicduo #adventure #MtnMoments #destinationsilverstar #skisilverstar #trees #sunshine #silverstarmountain #vernonbc #beautifulbc #northokanagan #mayhavegottenstuckonce #noonelikesflatspots #snowboarding #skiing #outdoors https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnx-jN1L5v3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[whereifindsanity]

Glad I got up to take a pee!lol

[wicer1]

Westcoast morning mushroom.

[handcraftedloghomes]

Sunshine Valley Cabin & Garage Project - Jan 2024

Here's a great great post from Buy Sunshine Valley (buysunshinevalley.com) of the snowy cabin we posted yesterday, as it was being built!

》》》Repost

@buysunshinevalley

⁠

@elkhornconstruction.ca⁠

@cascadehandcrafted⁠

-⁠

Contact us today to learn about our remaining lots for your next cabin build!⁠

⁠

[awanderingcanadian]

Winter Life on a Small Island on the West Coast of Canada

I live on a small island on the west coast of Canada. A Mecca for boaters, a summer retreat for many, (when our population soars to 12,000-13,000 from the usual 4500 permanent dwellers), it’s a different story in the winter months. Last week the vaunted “bomb cyclone” blew through, leaving around 150,000 people ‘powerless’ on Vancouver Island, and the many small Gulf Islands.

Vancouver Island is the size of England, but the population is a mere approximate 864,000. This means that, with the exception of a few larger communities, we are scattered and remote. Some communities require people to drive on dirt logging roads, like the one below, while others are one ferry, (or more) away from the main island. To reach one of our nearby islands, crews had to be barged over, (as it’s not serviced by a ferry).

Because there was a warning, our publicly owned utility company was able to bring trucks and crews from other parts of BC in advance of the storm. This was necessary because at one point all ferries were cancelled due to the 160km winds, (105mph for American readers). Some crews drove 4-5 hours, then took a 2 hour ferry to get to Vancouver Island, then were deployed to smaller communities, up to 5 hours away from their ferry landing, or to small islands. I’m sure it was an experience for all!

These crews worked tirelessly. Major centres were up first, but our little island sustained so much damage that at one point we had 15 trucks over here. You would see the Hydro, (electric company), trucks zigzagging with the tree removal people. The volunteer fire department was out and about, manning the station, (as we lost cell service as well for a day), helping to remove trees, and putting up caution tape around downed wires. These are some views from my little neighbourhood:

For 5 days the sound of chainsaws filled the air. Crews were working 16 hour days, then they sent over 3 more crews to work through the night. November is the wettest month of the year here on the coast, as well as being dark and cold, so residents were out in force offering warm drinks and warm food to the hard working crews.

Being on a small island, we are somewhat prepared for these events. Many people have wood stoves to keep heat on, many have natural gas stoves, (although it’s run on propane here), so they can cook on the stovetop. Everyone has lanterns and candles. Some have generators. We have a trailer, that has a generator, so after a few days without power, we decamped there for a few hours one morning, enjoying filtered coffee and heat. It felt quite luxurious.

Another thing about living in a small, close knit community is the generosity of neighbours, and the communication. We have a few Facebook groups, but the one I belong to was being constantly updated, by our elected RDN official, (kudos to Vanessa Craig), by the volunteer fire department, and by residents who would post when their power was restored, so we could follow the progress. People with power were offering showers, heat, and hot food to others did not yet have power. One couple who were stuck in Vancouver, asked people to stop by their place to see if it was okay, (no trees on the building). They put their address in the social media group, and many of us went by to check, (it was fine), and reported back. No one looted the house. Now, I’m not sure I personally would post my address in a public forum, but this entire experience showed in the best of humanity.

Despite gas rationing at the island’s only gas station, as of today, (Monday), they had run out of regular and premium gas. With one “dangerous cargo” sailing per week, that means no gas on the island until Wednesday afternoon. Fortunately, there are many gas stations in Nanaimo…and the ferries are running!