Paddling, Petroglyphs and Pow!

Actually, it all started with the 'Pow'! Yet another bird hit our window today and this time it was a little Common Crossbill. It had the colouration of a parrot up close and was thankfully only just stunned, albeit missing a good chunk of feathers on his neck. Those feathers stuck to the window where he hit.

We were getting our gear together to hit the water when buddy with the sand in his beak distracted us. After he went merrily on his way we set out to kayak.

This time we put into practice a plan we have been talking about for a while now. We left the Suzuki at Sandpiper Beach near our house and drove with the kayaks out to Ford's Cove where we launched. The brilliant plan was that we could launch off one side of the island and paddle around to the other on a one-way trip. Very clever.

Our kayaking destination was Chrome Island. This is a small island off the south coast of Denman Island where there is currently a working lighthouse, one of the 21 remaining manned light stations on the west coast. It is also the site of an archaeological treasure trove of petroglyphs, burial sites and midden. Sadly, many of the petroglyphs fell victim to dynamite when the station was built in 1890.

Alerted to our presence by the 2 large but friendly dogs, the friendly lighthouse keeper, Roger, met us as we walked up the immaculately kept walkway. . He just moved there this past November after having lived and worked at many of the lighthouses on the West Coast that we've been able to visit on our extended kayaking trips. Whilst giving us a great tour of the station, he regaled us with fabulous stories of whales, grizzlies, and mindblowing storms where the ocean surf was raining brine onto the roof of the house at the Triple Island light house.

This small island has a west-facing wall of rock walls that has been overtaken by a previous tenant's calendula, sage, parsley, fennel and bluebells. It is a stunning Mediterranean-like garden that smells as great as it looks.

The paddle home was on glassy summer ocean that was host to a flock of several dozen Harlequin Ducks, countless seals, feeding eagles, kingfishers, and some of the most stunning coastline in the area.