One of the outlooks along the walk. It was beautiful. Sunny yet cool with the breeze.
This tree was overwhelmed with carpenter ant and woodpecker holes. I wish I could have captured it’s holy state with better clarity.
This outlook was at the top of the island. It was a neat building with tiered platforms to sit on. From here you could see the Departure Bay (to Horseshoe Bay) ferry pass by fairly close.
A little fun along the way. We walked on a couple pretty high up fallen trees. My height phobic friend walked around and snapped some pictures!
This tree has split into three at the top:
Here is a working replica of a machine that made sandstone grinders that were used in pulp mills back in the mid twenties to early thirties.
Here’s a cut out from the sandstone which is now filled with water and pretty green algae.
Climbing on some leftover rubble.
View of downtown Nanaimo from Newcastle before we headed home on the Newcastle Island ferry.
Afterwards we walked up to our friend’s house for a supper of salad rolls with delicious peanut sauce and homemade chili sauce. The rolls were filled with fresh from the garden lettuce, cucumber, shisu (sp?), basil and carrot, bean sprouts, rice noodles and crushed peanuts. It was a great day with a bit more than 10 km of walking/hiking.
I remember my first trips to Newcastle and Protection Island quite well and love that you photo documented your trip. It looks like they’ve been doing some work to improve the interpretive side of things at Newcastle which is good. The Nanaimo area has so much history and I think it’s so great that you’re sharing the learning with the next generation. I’m not sure if the museum still does the tours or not but in the spring there was usually a mining bus tour. It’s definitely not child oriented but you could go to most of the sites afterwards with the kids and do some more exploring.
Where are you planning to go for your next adventure?
I’ve been before but hadn’t taken the time to photograph many of the neat things we saw and talked about. Still I had to pick and choose photos because I took too many. It was a really nice day.
I love how they’re getting more info about Nanaimo and Newcastle out on display. It’s true that the history is rich and interesting! I’d like to go to the museum on Protection Island some time soon. The one in Nanaimo is now in the conference centre and a little disappointing to say the least. But they are still moving in so it might get better? I would love to go on some tours and learn more! I’ll keep my eye out for something like that!
I think we’d like to explore Mount Benson a bit more. Cam especially would like to find a closer route to the top for mountain biking rather than driving around the back. We’re thinking about looking into the trails that start at Westwood Lake. Have you spent much time around there?
Sadly, I didn’t spend much time in the Mount Benson area at all. I think you get out way more than I did. As for the library I never actually visited it, but I went to the one in Cumberland in school a few times and I remember enjoying the interpretive mining displays. If you go you should be prepared to swim at Comox Lake and/or send Cam to the trails.
Cumberland I imagine will be a place I’m going to have to visit before I leave. Well, we have been there before but I’d like to take my bike next time. I’ve been drooling over the bike trail map for some time.
I mean museum. Yeah, there’s some crazy mtb in that area. The folks at DCC are good to talk to too.