Water on Three Sides

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What are you looking at here? Let me help you get your bearings.

The hills in the distance, and beyond them the mountains you can’t see because of the low cloud cover, are on the mainland of British Columbia, just north of Vancouver. I am standing on Vancouver Island. You can deduce from that, that the city of Vancouver is not on Vancouver Island. In this photo we are looking to the east.

I’ve climbed up a hill a little way and am now looking to the south. You can see a spit of land that reaches out from the land’s end. The spit has been formed by a gazillion years of wave action swishing the sand along and dropping it to form a giant finger of sand. All the land you can see in this photo, including the mountains, is on Vancouver Island.

Looking to the west, you can see the sheltered water on the inside of the spit, and the harbour of Comox in the distance. Those toothpicks sticking up are the masts and trolling poles of fishing boats and sailboats in the marina. The two boats at anchor in the foreground are getting free moorage.

A few weeks ago, the Captain and I went for a walk that took us to the inside of the sheltered bay. You can see part of the spit in the distance on the far right horizon.

On the way to the trail we noticed the run-off from the excessive amount of rain we’d had. This is not a year-round creek, but a temporary run-off creek. I feel sorry for the large tree that has its feet in water, day and night. It may soon go the way of the broken off tree trunk in the photo below this one.

It may be broken off, but this tree is still serving a useful purpose. It is making many birds happy. Nuthatches and woodpeckers will make holes in the trees to nest in,  and the bugs they find in the trunk help give them strength to continue their work and to feed their babies.

Farther along, we came to the boardwalk. I love this scene. You see the run-off creek completing the water cycle as it brings the rainwater back to the sea. It’s great to have the boardwalk and not have to wade through the creek.

The trees along the water are mostly deciduous types. They are probably cottonwoods and a few poplar or alder types mixed in. My guess is they are cottonwoods because those grow taller than the others, and these are a good size.

Even in the cool weather, you can have a great day going for a walk around your neighbourhood.

56 thoughts on “Water on Three Sides”

  2. Thank for taking us on a walk with lots of beautiful places to see on Vancouver Island! Greetings from the Interior of BC, where we are still struggling with old man Winter, who refuses to leave and make room for Spring!

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  8. This scenery is amazing! Thank you for the tour, Anneli. I have never been to Canada and Vancouver, but I know that many refer to Vancouver as the most beautiful city in the world. The panorama is breathtaking and Vancouver Island looks very nice indeed. x

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    • As cities go, Vancouver is very nice, but I prefer the island, with a smaller population of people and a bigger population of birds and other wildlife. But we do like the whole area in general. Can’t imagine living anywhere else.

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  10. Wow, what a lovely neighborhood you have, Anneli. I enjoyed seeing the beautiful vistas, and also hearing about how it is all integrated into your life, being aware of the runoff, the birds, the trees, even the boardwalk. Thank you for this glimpse.

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  16. Umm, my neighborhood looks nothing like this one. Yours is so much more beautiful. What a wonderful trail to have nearby where you live. Do the dogs go with you? You’ve seen some of the trails we’ve been on at my blog. No big bodies of water or mountains, but nice rivers and creeks.

    I enjoyed going for that walk with you among the mountains and the ocean. Have a great weekend.

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  21. Anneli, these photographs are stunning! I liked the hill with houses and the Bayside. The peeking between trees shot was also beautiful! Your books are full of the landscape creating setting and another part of the story’s “characters.”

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