rainy day on Mt Macdonald

 Hiked up Mt Macdonald the other day in the rain. It was more like spring showers with a little frozen rain mixed in, the sun came out number of times and the wind picked up as I got to the summit. A little chilly. but the low cloud was pretty cool with the sun came out causing some neat lighting.

Victoria is in the background over the misty mountain of Mt Wells. 

Out to the E & N goldstream lookout

Hiked up along Arbutus Ridge trail today, out the E and N Railine, to the lookout above the Trans Canada highway. It was a bright high overcast morning at the start but cool, still some ice on the rail ties. I was actually checking out the trail I was going to take on the Christmas bird count in a few weeks. It will be pitch dark when I head out that day so I was familiarizing myself with the route again. I often see golden eagles from this lookout so I was hoping one would appear today. no luck, it was pretty quiet except for  a few Pacific Wrens and a Bald Eagle.

first snow of the season

looking south from the top of mt finlayson after the first snow fall

 looking over the Estuary towards the malahat and the nature house below

gonzales

gonzales, originally uploaded by robinnestridge.

from King George Terrace , victoria

uplands fall leaves

uplands fall leaves, originally uploaded by robinnestridge.

a few pics from my last few hikes around victoria, east sooke park, mt finlayson

this was on a Hike towards Sugar Loaf mtn. in the sooke hills, looking towards Helmchen mtn. and the "sookeahalla"... Victoria is directly behind the mtn. apparently I took the shot from Camass Ridge.

this one is from near the top of Mt Finlayson, looking westerly over the Goldstream estuary. The Nature house in in the shadows at the head of the delta. and the Malahat Highway is the cut you see just above the inlet heading to the right.

 These are part of the Olympic mountains as seen from East Sooke park above the hawkwatch lookout at Beechey Head. The shot below shows beechey head and the hawkwatch lookout

 a nice looking mushroom, Gomphus floccocus, on the trail edge. and Here is brent scrambling out of the thick tall Salal bush that seemed to go on for far too long. Lots of dead falls and stuff to climb through in east sooke park once you get off the trails.

Never say Never.

Went on a Quad ride the other day with a friend from work. He said I would likely be interested in the Wye Lake area that he is familiar with. I said a Quad Eh... hmmm. never been on one of those. Never have been impressed with the noise, or the beer cans left behind, and the damage that many of them cause to the environment. but he assured me that he doesnt drive that way, and will bring out others garbage regularly. So we went. It was a quick 10 mile trip up Jordan river and past the two dams. Up the San Juan Ridge to Wye Lake

  The fall colours of the huckleberries and fireweed on the hillsides were great with the nice weather this day.

We saw one bear on the hillside above us, he stood up on a stump to see what all the commotion was about as we rounded a bend in the roadway

Wye Lake from the logging road above

floating camp roof