Port McNeill

Port McNeill is a town on the north-eastern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, with a population of app. 3000 people.
The town is a popular tourism destination during the summer, with a large population of animals; Orca, humpback whales, eagles, black Bear, Cougar, Deer and Elk.

The people in town are probably some of the most hospitable I have ever met, especially Angela Smith, www.orcaadventures.com and
Don Wilson www.silverkingventures.com who are both helping me out a great deal with showing me around.

The 'Rainbow Chaser' watertaxi

The whole area here is just simply amazingly beautiful. A perfect mix between the mountains with still a little bit of snow on top, and the still water in between the rugged islands,
eagles soaring over your head or in the distance almost all the time, the whales spouts can be spotted sometimes in the distance, sometimes close by.
The ocean here is so alive, it makes me want to place every single human being on this exact location, so they can see and hear for themselves how truly amazing this planet really is…

Dolphins and orcas


Telegraph Cove, a small town on the waterfront..

I have seen so many fantastic, beautiful and thrilling sceneries today, that I don’t even know where to begin.
I have absolutely fallen in love with this place and the surroundings here!


A sockeye salmon flew onto our boat and I had to (as a dare - not voluntarily) lift it up for a picture. The thing is, that dead fish are not dead when they are dead! Every time I tried to lift it up it wriggled and jumped around and it kind of made me jump around like some schoolgirl, acting all sissy like... But being my stubborn self, I managed, with a little help, to lift it up for the picture and not a second longer :o)

Here are some of the sights I have seen so far...

Shorebirds of some sort...haven't figured out the species yet... :o)


Flying bald eagles


Dolphin


Immature bald eagle


Seals


Orca


Bald Eagles - The local supermodels


Dolphins


Humpback whales


Orcas and dolphins


Bald Eagles

Outdoors B.C.

G&T on a boat! aaaah

I am now a couple of days behind in writing my blog so even though I am now on Vancouver Island, I will post a few pictures from a sailing trip and from these past couple of days.
Not much to tell other than it was fantastic to be on the ocean on the B.C coast, Bald eagles, coastal mountains in the background, the silent water splashes on the boat and GinTonic in our hands....aaaah!! I love the ocean..


The Cheevers family and Tracy. What a wonderful crowd!!


Tracy, Sarah, and me...


ALL you can eat sushi... I left that place extremely full... !!
I went to the sushi place in Vancouver with an old friend of mine, Kosta, that I haven't seen in 15 years... Good times!

Kosta & me.

I also passed a milestone...a personal one... being with good friends that I trust... I tried rock climbing in Lighthouse park...And I have the pictures to prove it :o)
That is something I am definately trying again, and something I had NEVER thought I would ever try.. It's all in your head, the fear.. It's the monkey within you that comes out and it is fun!




Getting in to the gear!


...And here I go...


EEk...loong way down..
That's it for now folks! ... next post will be all about bald eagles...

Eagles...or not

We went to a place called Brackendale near Squamish to try and spot some bald eagles, but deep down I guess we already knew that there probably wouldn't be any, since the time of year to see them is November-January... And then there will be thousands of them hanging around waiting for the salmon run where the salmon return from the sea, swim up and spawn, their very last act before they will give their life to the claws of bears and eagles and seals. Just as the salmon has always done..





But it was a really nice drive up there, with a fantastic view along the coast, turkey vultures flying along the road, trying to find roadkill, the McDonald fastfood for them.. Easy food... yum yum..
When we arrived in Squamish the first thing to pop up in the view is The Chief, which is a rock climbing mekka for people all over. 700 metres of massive granite cliff.. almost horisontal, people climb that thing and will be rewarded with an amazing view.. WOW... must be the ultimate thrill to do that.. eeek! See more on this website: www.stawamuschiefpark.ca

Having given up on the eagles we went to look at some kitesurfers, the wind was howling and standing still in the wind actually demanded some effort, so needless to say, it was pretty amazing to watch the kitesurferes and windsurfers out there..


We met up with some of Tracy's friends, had some beers and a BBQ, so it was a really great day.

The birds in the backyard offer a symphony that could be recorded and sold as a meditation cd, and here are a few of them:









A few night shots are a must so here is Vancouver by night, with a fullmoon, and a couple of beers this is what you get :o)

Selfportrait:o)

Day 3 - send more money

Money - What a wonderful thing - the canadian dollar is really low at the moment compared to the danish kroner... But the thing is... You just buy more than you normally would and end up spending much more... Gotta love your camera gear :o)
hmmm I may need a new strategy.
I thought I would share with you a fun little thing that happened yesterday.
We were about to start the BBQ and the next door neighbours cherry tree seemed to be having a pretty large guest sitting way up there, eating cherries.
That guest turned out to be a black bear...
I ran as fast as I could, inside to get my camera, and an hour later it was still there, eating its heart out, and snapping those branches like they were toothpicks..

Really a great evening, eating BBQ salmon, in West Vancouver while watching a bear enjoying his cherrydinner..

...and the view of Downtown Vancouver and almost fullmoon on the other side...


Since the internet connection didn't work after my trip to Grouse mountain i have now posted the pictures on the first post - so have a look..I got some great bear shots...


just an extra note for the day today.. I was sitting by the pool, enjoying the nice weather, when I heard branches snapping and in the corner of my eye I saw a lot of movement in that exact same cherry tree as the bear was sitting in yesterday...
And a raccoon was munching on cherries, climbing up and down, attacking the tree and the berries... Popular bear/raccoon climbing tree...right in the backyard... how lucky am I?






Not so lucky that a skunk has moved in to this same place..with babies...it stinks like nothing I have tried before.. my eyes are running and I feel like I have been drugged...eeeek!
cute looking thing, though...

Arrival in Vancouver

After a very long trip, middle landings in both Frankfurt and Calgary, finally I have arrived in one of my favorite places on this planet - Canada!
The next 10 days or so, will be simply vacation, preparing for the next 2,5 months of uncertainty..
I am absolutely thrilled to be here, excited about the things waiting to happen!
I have started my trip with a Grouse Mountain fun day with Tracy and Andreas, trying out my new lense...And it did not fail, I am very happy with my new investment...Damn can it ever zoom, not on my dear friends, but the Grizzly bears and the birds of prey were the objects of my never ending fascination:o) just call me paparazzi, haha.
The bears from Grouse Mountain have a special place in my heart, I have seen them grow for the last couple of years.
Pictures will be posted as soon as I can get my internet connection going from my computer.
All is well on this side of the world, I hope the same goes for you, wherever you may be!
Stay tuned for more info..
HEre are some pictures from today..