When you live in a small place, you sometimes feel the need to make yourself scarce. I have been feeling cooped-up lately, and I really didn't need a serious excuse to go exploring, so I jumped at the chance to spend one more summer weekend off-island... this time on Vancouver Island, somewhere above Jordan River... on the San Juan Ridge.
To get there, a rough ride on a logging road is required. This is truck and 4 x 4 country! The picture above does not do justice to the feeling of "driving on the edge" you get on logging roads... Steep and narrow, with no guardrail or anything. Can you spot the pickup truck up ahead? I took this picture through the windshield, while trying to avoid swerving...
This is an active logging area and fully-loaded logging trucks use the road during the week. I prefer to go there on weekends. Would not want to negotiate my way around a logging truck in that spot! To give you a better idea, here is an intelligent description:
Logging Road Language
Driving on active logging roads can be hazardous.
They're narrow, unpaved, and usually have no shoulder or guardrails. Bridges are invariably only wide enough for one vehicle. They are frequented by logging trucks, which are large and when loaded, heavy vehicles. A loaded logging truck carries anywhere from 45 to 100 cubic metres of wood. One cubic metre of spruce weighs about 450 kilograms. People familiar with logging roads know that the first rule of the road is:
A loaded logging truck has the right of way.This is independent of what the Motor Vehicle Code may say. You see, in the real world, the laws of physics trump social constructs. Now and then a few people, witting or unwitting postmodernists, who think that social constructs trump the laws of physics, are mowed down by logging trucks. Natural selection can be brutal.
(For more witticisms on this, click on this link...)
Once you get yourself safely to the end of the logging road, you still have to hike up to the top of the ridge. It probably takes no more than 30 minutes, I can't remember exactly. What I do remember is that it's uphill... Once you get to the top, and you regain your breathing, you can admire the view at your leisure. A clearing near a cellular tower reveals a spectacular view to the North, over an ecological reserve and some clearcuts...
Cool nights on the ridge signal the end of summer. The colours are starting to change, as evidenced by this blueberry bush, which has decided to blush...
And an hour's walk to the East - about 200 meters down the ridge - brings you to a magical lake. On Sunday, the water was a mirror, reflecting the cloud cover. The picture above only reveals a portion of the lake, which has many little inlets and secret corners. A truly beautiful spot.
Local enthusiasts have left canoes on shore, and we decided to go for a paddle. This was Jack the pitbull's first canoe ride. After an initial moment of trembling, he decided to go zen and enjoy the peaceful experience.
In the back of the canoe: ze woman who escaped. It will happen again, I promise!
