Icewind's Ramblings

Wednesday Russ and I drove to Mt. Washington for a few hours to possibly hike if the snow has melted enough to make the trails passable.  We both think that high up where the resort is will still be snow covered as the ski resort closed for the winter season last week and the summer bike season will not open until June several months away. It was about a forty five minute drive south of Campbell River to the turn off up the mountain.  The sun was out, it was warm about 60 degrees with little to no breeze.  The landscape was changing from the farmland at the turnoff to an alpine meadow with mixed forest tracks of thick groupings of trees. There were several high mountain lakes with partially thawed areas with ducks or geese swimming. We made our way on several switchbacks as our elevation changed the higher up the mountainside we went.  The air was fresh and took on a slight chill as the car climbed its way toward the summit. Looking east you could see the Ins...

Campbell River is a coastal city in British Columbia on the east coast of Vancouver Island at the south end of Discovery Passage, which lies along the important coastal Inside Passage shipping route between Seattle and Vancouver shipping docks to Alaskan port cities.  The  population is just over thirty one thousand people with the number growing in summer during the tourist season.  Known as the "Salmon Capitol of the World" there are many areas to fish the different salmon species including salt water and fresh water adventures.  This area enjoys a mild climate with temperatures ranging between 28 ° F to 73 ° F year round with November receiving the most rain during the wet season. I came by ferry from Vancouver via the Tsawwassen ferry terminal arriving in the town of Nanaimo at the Duke Point terminal.  The sailing took 1.5 hours and the time spent was comfortable in large seats with windows to take in the views.  I am a couple weeks early for whal...

As I am making my way south from Anchorage to the Lower 48 on the "Where's the Flamingo" International Tour I was invited by my friend Russ' house to stop in and spend a few days.  Now to "stop in" I had to travel through one large state (Alaska), one large Canadian Territory (Yukon), one large Canadian Province (British Columbia), a 1.5 hour ferry ride and a 2 hour drive from the ferry terminal to Russ' house.  So as we southerner's say, I "do drop in" on Russ and his lovely wife Rose for about a week to visit.   I met Russ online about 14 years ago on a gaming website where we quickly became friends after playing and chatting together for three years finally had an opportunity to meet, oddly in the Seattle airport on our way to a convention in Las Vegas.  I was arriving from Anchorage and Russ flew in from Edmonton Canada where our flights arrived about 20 minutes apart so I met him at his gate and we made our introductions and during t...

Placido Flamingo and Dirty Harry (or spending time on the water again) While I'm visiting my friend Russ and his wife Rose in Campbell River, British Columbia one of the the weekend conversations turned to seafood and fishing.  Russ doesn't like eating seafood or fishing for that matter but it was decided we (Rose and & I) would make a seafood dinner for supper and Russ would eat one of his favorites, spaghetti.  Our meal consisted of fresh live dungeness crab and salmon, scallops, prawns with potatoes, onion, corn, rice, and Cajun seasoning.  It turned into a very nice meal for all and Russ decided that coming from the north hinterland of Alaska where fishing is a big pastime that I should go fishing in Campbell River the "Salmon Capitol of the World".  He booked us a half day charter on the boat "Dirty Harry" and it's captain, Harry.  The trip was set up for Monday morning to arrive at the dock at eight A.M. which we arrived a few minutes early t...

I am sure there are times in everyone’s life that it seems like the hard times are the ones that keep finding there way into our lives which create stress within that person’s being. Every one of us needs to find that center where we can rid ourselves of those things which we may not be able to change or fix.  Lose those feelings of helplessness and pain. Next time you are stressed; Take a step back, inhale deeply and laugh. Laughter will ease muscle tension and allow your thoughts to flow into calmness all around you.  Laughter releases endorphin's that help you feel better and maintain a positive attitude. Remember who you are and why you are here. You're never given anything in this world that you can't handle. Prepare yourself for the unexpected.  Be strong . . . be flexible . . . love yourself and love others. Life changes and you do not want to waste opportunities in your life. Always remember, just keep moving forward. ...