Monday 8th May 2017...Day 30 !!!!!!

The early part of the morning was lovely and the view from my room..

Then it turned cloudy and some light rain as i went into town for my Doctor's visit..I had some blood work done two weeks ago and went to see the Doctor for my annual check up..

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This never applied to me I walked right in no wait!!!




...how can anyone look good in this silly gown???

I like this new Doctor he is very young but his manner is very good...he gave me a complete check up and this is what he told me!!!
"Your blood pressure is better than mine and you are in great shape and you are going to be on old healthy man"
So that was good news for me!!!

I went from here to the PB courts and there was just 4 of us but we had some great games ..a lot of fun and a good work out!!!

Came home and worked out in the front yard again taking a whole pick up truck load of garden waste to the dump and then Boomer and I went on 2 hikes....

History Of Nanaimo

Nanaimo is the second largest city on Vancouver Island with a population of 79,000 and is located 110 km northwest of Victoria. Although most people might not know it, the reason Nanaimo came to be was because of the vast coal reserves in the area.

Nanaimo was first visited by Spanish explorers in 1791 where they named the area Bocas de Winthuysen where the existing First nation's people, the Snuneymuxw (Snuh-NAY-moo) were already living. The Spanish were initially met with mistrust and their vessel was surrounded by their canoes in a standoff for a time. 

First Nation midden sites in the area date back 4,000 years but petroglyph carvings date back 10,000 years to possibly and even earlier civilization. These can be found in nearby Petroglyph Provincial Park and also in the power line right of way around N 49° 07.845 W 123° 57.832. Unfortunately the power line location ones are being eroded by ATVs and advanced weathering.

Following the discovery of abundant coal deposits in 1849, Nanaimo was later established as a Hudson's Bay Company trading post in 1853. The bastion from the fort still exists to this day. The area was renamed Colville Town after the HBC Governor where at this time, the population was 125. In 1860, the name was finally changed to Nanaimo, a rough adaptation of the original First Nation's name. The population grew as the industry expanded with the population at 650 in 1869 and 1,000 in 1874.

Robert Dunsmuir, a coal baron, was the first man in the area to start mines which were then built in what is now downtown Nanaimo, Wellington, and Northfield. With the success of these mines, others were quick to follow. As a result of the mining boom, Robert Dunsmuir constructed the E&N railway to transport his coal, and gain access to more coal reserves through the Dunsmuir Land Grants.

We first went here my first time at this park..

Great to see Dad and his daughter fishing!!!

The next hike was to try and find the abyss!!!!

Lovely views of the ocean but the area has been decimated by clear cutting!!!

After a few wrong turns I eventually

found the abyss!!!

Pretty cool sight!!

I held on tight whilst Boomer took a look!!

These trees are Arbutus trees...

Arbutus Tree Decline The Arbutus, often referred to as the Madrona, is a native species to British Columbia. These evergreen trees can grow to a height of 25m with a trunk 60cm in diameter. They have a signature smooth, red, peeling bark, and shiny leaves. Recently many Arbutus in BC and down the coast to southern California are showing signs of stress. The problem was first reported in urban areas in California but it appears that Arbutus of all ages and sizes and locations are effected, however the larger, and oldest Arbutus show the highest rates of mortality (Pacific Madrone Decline, 293). Causes of arbutus decline: 1. Abiotic stresses can increase the probability of an arbutus becoming susceptible to disease or damage: • Urbanization o Including reduced growing space o vehicular and marine traffic o pollutants • Climate change • Possible suppression of wildfires • Root disturbance and damage • Competition for resources • Shading and drought stress 2. The biotic stresses: Arbutus trees are host more than 21 fungi species of pathogenic (Elliot 1999). Many of these fungi result in leaf spots. The majority of these leaf spots develop in the fall and winter, and the leaves are shed following development of the new growth, and therefore, the spots are not considered to be a significant problem. However, if the leaves discolour and drop prematurely (i.e., before development of the new leaves), this could suggest a more serious problem, such as root rot or canker disease (Justice 2001).

 Extension Ridge (AKA: The Abyss) – South Nanaimo

Extension Ridge is known locally as ‘The Abyss’ because of a 16″ earthquake fissure found there. Although not much is known about this large crack in the earth, there is speculation that it could be a result of a collapsed mine tunnel that was triggered by an earthquake. To date there is no information about how deep the crack is.

Another good day ending with a hockey game..what is new you may ask????

Yashi Kochi!