Sunday, June 26, 2016

June 26 – Discovery Pier and Elk Falls

We gave the farmers market experience one more try and went over the to the Discovery Pier area of the waterfront to check it out. We knew that the parking area was small so we parked a short way away and walk along the waterfront. Crossing a bridge over an old shipyard railway we noticed this down below.

IMG_1031100

A seaman’s shrine?

IMG_1031099

We got there around 10:30 and it wasn’t very busy.

IMG_1031106

A few interesting booths. Jennie looked at this one a long time, getting ideas as to what to do with all the shells she has collected.

IMG_1031109

IMG_1031110

Funny painted rocks.

IMG_1031104

IMG_1031108

And some unique paintings. They seemed to be made up of dots and not brush strokes but at $800 a pop, no thanks.

IMG_1031116

IMG_1031117

We went out on the actual pier.

IMG_1031120

We noticed that the water was really rushing past the pilings, parallel to the shore.

IMG_1031135

Another couple explained that when the tide goes out it has to get by Vancouver Island as a whole. Just south of Quadra Island is Mid Island, which is the halfway point of Vancouver Island. South of it, the water goes south around Vancouver Island and north of it, vice versa. I had never thought about something on that large a scale happening with the tides before.

The pier is set up for fishing. You can buy bait and rent poles. There are lots of cleaning stations and the railing even has holes in it so that you can insert your rods.

IMG_1031130

As we headed back to the car, there had been a few interesting food booths in the market, especially a Lebanese one, but we weren’t really hungry yet so we continued on. Then we saw a sign at Crabby Bob’s for seafood chowder. We succumbed and had a bowl.

IMG_1031139

Farther along we wondered which parents we could torture by buying this little drum set.

IMG_1031144

Jennie had bought some cod and scallops at Crabby Bob’s so we dropped it off at the RV before driving the short distance to Elk Falls Provincial Park.

There is a dam upstream from the falls and a generating station downstream. They are in the process of decommissioning the station along with the giant penstocks between them. The normal road into the falls parking lot is closed and now you have to park a bit farther away and take a detour trail over the penstocks.

 IMG_1031415

IMG_1031147

They have also just last year opened a new trail (in blue below) to a new suspension bridge across the canyon and a viewpoint across from the falls.

Elk Falls Phase 2 - Final V2

There was a teaser view part way down the trail that didn’t even show the main part of the falls.

IMG_1031153

IMG_2442

I took the suspension bridge. It was way too wobbly for Jennie.

IMG_2444

Jennie went down to the viewpoint.

IMG_1031215

IMG_2448

It was 60 meters down to the canyon floor from the middle of the bridge which was of course see through.

The Elk River goes over the 25 meter falls and then turns towards the bridge.

p1

IMG_1031177

I wobbled my way off the bridge and down to Jennie. That viewpoint was also see through but she overcame her nervousness to get a good look at the falls.

IMG_1031229

We got the almost front on view here.

p3

IMG_1031223

IMG_2489

IMG_2485

We headed back up to the original trail around to the old viewpoint over looking the other side of the falls.

IMG_2510

It was at the end of the canyon looking back at the falls with the new viewpoint and bridge over it.

IMG_1031238

IMG_1031265

And a not so smart person sitting on the edge of the falls.

IMG_1031266

We were at a much better angle for the rainbow to show up.

IMG_1031278

IMG_1031324

It almost looked like fire.

IMG_1031302

Finally we went down on to the rocks above the falls.

IMG_1031397

IMG_2630

IMG_1031364

p6

I had a tight grip on my strap and held the camera out as far as I dared.

p5

IMG_1031380

I did a bunch of photospheres during the day but this was the only one that really added anything.

Elk Falls Photosphere

Jennie saw some kids jumping into this deep pool right near the top of the the cascades.

IMG_1031402

And then we retraced our steps back to the car. We had spent about 3 hours in the park mostly staring at the water and rainbows.

Altogether the GPS said we did just over 4 km.

26-06-16_18-13-36

Another really great day.

1 comment: