Mapping my routes

I spend a lot of time mousing down roads on Google maps, zooming in on no-name lakes and tracing the windings of logging roads up and down the mountains. It's not as good as being there, but I often discover trails and sights for future wanderings. Tonight's map showed me something about a place I have stopped at twice before; it looks like I missed something.

I had gone down to the new Upper Campbell Reservoir campground. Just following my whim of the moment: turn here, take the left fork, why not go down to the water, see what's happening today? The campground was quiet, under a few inches of snow, although I was surprised to see several campers, one set up with tents, a full establishment. I'm not the only winter wanderer.

Mists lay low across the hills, turning all the distant colours into dark blues. There was a scent of campfires blended with the smell of evergreen sap. Juncos foraged among the bare stems of shrubs at water's edge.

Upper Campbell Lake, from the campground. The sun is attempting to break through the clouds. The blue peak barely visible in the mist is Mount Flannigan, over 1500 metres high.

A closer look at the opposite shore. Bits of the Elk River road are visible.

Downstream, where the lake narrows, there's a trestle bridge. This was close enough for the colours to shine through the mist.

A fork in the road to the campground leads to this end of the bridge. And there, it's gated.

View of the hills beyond the bridge.

I call these hills the Three Faces. They're low hills, only 600 metres at the highest point, and unnamed on any map I can see.

And here's the thing I saw on the map:

Upper Campbell  Lake, campsite, Hwy 28, and trestle bridge.

There's a figure of a hiker on the bridge! That means that it's accessible on foot. I've been right up to the gate, firmly locked, twice, but never would have dared cross the bridge without some evidence that it was safe. There I have it. When the spring comes, when the serviceberries and wild strawberries at this end of the bridge are in bloom, I'll drive down and cross that bridge. Just because.

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Paso tiempo viajando por medio del ratóncito al lado de mi computadora, explorando los mapas de Google, siguiendo los caminos de las compañias de madereros y aumentando laguitos sin nombre. No es tan divertido como estar allí en vivo, pero tiene sus beneficios. Muchas veces así descubro senderos que puedo seguir cuando el tiempo lo permite. El mapa que examiné esta noche me mostró algo que no había visto, aunque he visitado el sitio dos veces antes.

Siguiendo el impulso del momento (tomo ese camino lateral, doy vuelta allí, ¿qué tal si bajo al valle? ...) había bajado a ver el nuevo campamento del embalse del lago Upper Campbell. El campamento estaba silencioso, aunque me sorprendió encontrar varios sitios ocupados, uno con todo un establecimiento de vehículos y carpas. Yo no soy la única loca.

La neblina cubría los cerros, cambiando todos los colores distantes por azules sombríos. Había un olor a fogata, mezclada con olor a pino. Juncos buscaban comida entre las ramas sin hojas a la orilla del lago,

Fotos:

1. El lago desde el campamento. El sol trata, sin mucha suerte, de romper las nubes. La cima de la montaña que apenas se ve entre las nubes es el monte Flannigan, que mide un poco más de 1.500 metros.
2. La orilla opuesta del lago. Se ven tramos del camino Elk River.
3. En la dirección opuesta, donde se estrecha el lago, hay un puente de caballete. Esto, tan cerca que hasta se distinguen los colores. Un camino lleva al pie del puente y allí hay una barrera que no permite el paso a los coches.
4. Vista de los cerros al otro lado del puente. Yo les llamo las Tres Caras. No los encuentro con nombre in ningún mapa, pues son sin importancia, midiendo a lo más alto apenas 600 metros.
5. Y aquí es lo que vi en el mapa. En el puente de caballete, hay un símbolo de caminante. Eso quiere decir que se permite cruzar a pie. Dos veces, he llegado a ese punto y he regresado a casa, no queriendo arriesgarme si el camino no era seguro. Pero parece que sí lo es. En la primavera, cuando los saskatunes (Amelanchier alnifolia) y las fresas salvajes están en flor, regresaré a cruzar el puente. Porque sí.

Hoppers and a jumper below the dam

Last week, I was travelling with my granddaughter. She's as crazy as I am, and more energetic. (I seem to be slowing down as the years mount up. Funny how that works!)

In a simple day trip to Gold River and back, we stopped along the way to clamber through the bush to look at the back of the beaver lodge, to take photos of spiders in the hardhack and shelf fungi on the trees, to look at birds at Strathcona Park Lodge, to chase grasshoppers at Strathcona Dam, to climb a rock face beside a waterfall, to look at flamingos in Two Boat Pond, to try out newly-carved animal seats, and to chase crows at the Gold River docks. It was raining as we headed home; otherwise, I'm sure we would have stopped a couple more times.

I have tons* of photos to sort and process. These are from the campsite below Strathcona Dam.

Dam sign.

Text of sign:

You are standing below the largest hydroelectric dam on Vancouver Island. Strathcona Dam is part of the Campbell River Hydroelectric System which includes the Ladore and John Hart developments and the Salmon River, Heber River, and Quinsam River diversions.
Strathcona was the last dam completed on the Campbell River Development project. This 53 meter high earth-filled dam created Upper Campbell Lake, a 48 kilometer long reservoir for water storage. The water that flows through this dam will drop over 200 meters, passing through three generating stations, Strathcona, Ladore, and John Hart, before it reaches the ocean. As you drive towards Campbell River, you will pass near two other reservoirs, Lower Campbell Lake created by Ladore Dam, and John Hart Reservoir created by John Hart dam. This major project was started in 1945 and took  over 13 years to complete.

The campground, with the dam looming over it, has 11 overnight free campsites and large areas for day parking. When we arrived, there was almost no space left to park; cars and trailers and RVs were everywhere; it was the long weekend. It seems that no-one worries about the mass of water ready to drop on you. Signs warn visitors to clear the water and river banks if a siren sounds; water will be rushing down the spillway. The backwaters were alive with kids in rubber boats; the geese I've seen on other visits were in hiding.

We wandered around the weedy area between parking lots. First find: a humongous jumping spider. Or so it seems.

About 25 meters long. As advertised on the campground map.

And then there was the grasshopper. We chased him and his family for quite some time.

It's hard to sneak up on a grasshopper on bare gravel.

But we tried. Pop can half tab included to show size. (I moved it on the photo; it was a couple of inches away.)

Trying to blend in on a mossy rock. And still aware of us; with the next leap, we lost him.

Lichen and moss on a rock. At least it stays put.

More lichen and moss.

Bladder campion, Silene vulgaris, going to seed.

Nearly one o'clock, and we were hungry. Next stop, Strathcona Park Lodge.

*tons. Of photos. Digital. So not really tons. But you know what I mean.