Tracking down some local totem poles

 Today is a brilliant blue day!!! And I am headed off to the local university because... my trip to Victoria got me thinking... we have totem poles here... I've found some before, but they weren't standing up....

So let's find the ones here!

Ah-hah!! I see them!

There are three totem poles here and they are not going to win "tallest totem pole in the world" award but... they are beary pretty.

They are also relatively new, so have bright colours on them.

We couldn't find anything that told us what the totems represented...

But I'm pretty sure there is a bear here somewhere...

Like... right there... maybe? Holding a salmon? Maybe...

Oh wait.... I see something!!!

Well, this is helpful!! Although this plaque doesn't tell me if that is a bear or not....

And one for another pole...

That write-up is for this one... They are quite spectacular... This is a wolf holding onto the fin of an orca.

And on top is a thunderbird holding a whale and below that is a warrior holding a spear.

Two of the totems went up in 2015 and the third in 2016... I know there are more totems elsewhere in town... might have to go on a totem pole hunt!

Sandy's Bearbnb is Beach-Ready

Hullo again! Today I want to show you some of our beach-ready gear. Because the lake is only a 3 minute drive you know... and everybody knows that stuffies love the water... NOT! But their humans do.... and sometimes we have to cater to the humans... sigh.

We have a goodly section of beach towels for big and small folks.

With some beach blankets...

And, of course, beach bags...

There is also a big insulated cooler bag...

Because there is nothing worse than having your chocolate melt in the heat of the sun... ewwwww...

And what do we need to keep our cooler bag cool?

Can you guess???

Yes! Freezer packs! All ready to go in the freezer...

Pack your beach gear, your picnic and you are good to go! And remember... don't leave your stuffie alone in the Bearbnb.... or you might find a shredded tissue to greet you. Stuffies should always be taken on every adventure!

A Visit to Victoria with Trails and Totem Poles

Hullo! I went to Victoria!! It was a bit of a last-minute trip so don't ask me where the hotel photos are. Apparently the humans forgot to take pics! Seriously... Anyhow... 

It still got my Starbucks hot chocolate so this little bear is happy!

We went for a walk at Beacon Hill Park...

Look at all the moss and lichen on these tree branches.

They look beary cool.

The ocean shore here is pretty cool too. Do you see way in the background...

Yep... them... they went swimming in the ocean!!! Brrrrrrrrr....

Somewhere out there is Washington State and the Olympic Peninusla. That is on my bucket list...

A beach walk is in order too...

Someone built a nifty bench out of driftwood... so we can just sit here and admire the view.

And then we have these stairs up to the walkway on topo of the bluffs.

The history of these concrete turret stairs is a bit mysterious...

The salmon mosaics are cool though!

Are these turrets from the war? Maybe... not sure!

And yes... I found some spring flowers!!!

Our next stop is this totem pole in Beacon Hill Park...

It's beary pretty...

And beary, beary tall... We need to back up a bit more...

There we go!!!

Am I in the picture still? Excellent!

It is the world's tallest (free-standing totem pole at 127 feet and 7 inches). It was dedicated on 2 July 1956... that's a beary long time ago!

There aren't actually any bears on this totem... but there is a seal, sea lion, whale, killer whale, sea otter, beaver, and several first men.

There are actually several "world's tallest totem poles" but it's a beary contentious title, apparently. There's one in Alert Bay (near top of northern Vancouver Island) that is 173 feet tall but it is built from two sections of wood (163 ft and 10 ft) and seems to be held by cable wires... plus the top 10 feet got knocked off by a storm a few year's ago. There's also one in Kalama WA that is 140 feet tall but it wasn't carved by Indigenous artists... so it gets knocked off the list too... It's complex!

We then poked around the waterfront a bit and went for a beary long walk.

And found The Great Trail (aka... the Trans Canada Trail). It starts here in Victoria and a section follows the Galloping Goose Regional Trail (which follows an old rail line).

There is a LOT of traffic on this trail - lots of commuting cyclists and joggers and people with strollers.

The sun is going down and we are at the Selkirk Trestle which crosses one of the inlets here...

It's beary pretty... and the trail goes across the trestle which is kind of cool!

Sigh... I love sunsets!

It was nice to get away for a few days!