We camped overnight at Lac Le Jeune Provincial Park south of Kamloops, BC, on the weekend. We walked the lake trail morning and evening.
Category Archives: Travel
Deer Family BC 5A
Our hearts were in our mouths as we watched this family crossing the 5A on a curve near Nicola Lake in BC the other day.
Chipmunk Antics at Lac Le Jeune
We had fun watching these chipmunks at Lac Le Jeune Provincial Park south of Kamloops, BC.
Heading Up the BC 5A to Lac Le Jeune
We managed to snag a one-night camping reservation at Lac Le Jeune Provincial Park south of Kamloops, BC. We headed up on Sunday, taking the slower 5A from Merritt.
There was some fantastic weather along the way!
Sea to Sky Views, Sapsuckers
I tootled up the Sea to Sky highway between Vancouver to Whistler today to shoot photos.
I made several stops including Alice Lake and Porteau Cove. Spotted this Red-Breasted Sapsucker, and perhaps a juvenile at Alice Lake.
And I always enjoy stopping at Porteau Cove, where the views rarely disappoint.
Spectacular Aomori Sea of Japan Coast Marred by Plastics
One of my “nieces” (cousin’s daughter) is starting a project documenting all the plastics used in her life. That got me thinking about our trip to Japan last year when one day we went to the Sea of Japan coast in Aomori Prefecture.
The views were spectacular, but once you got up close, there were piles of plastic garbage strewn all over the beach. Much of the crap was not Japanese, but had floated in from other countries across the sea.
It occurred to me that I’d never posted these photos to my blog, so here they are. Shot in April 2019.
And then this. . .
Bando German POW Camp, Shikoku, Japan
Yes, still more photos from our Japan trip last year. I think I just posted a few of this site before, and here’s a broader set.
The Bando German Prisoner of War camp on the island of Shikoku, Japan. The place was nearly deserted in spring 2019.
German soldiers captured in WWI were kept here under incredibly tolerant conditions. The Japanese camp commander was way ahead of his time (and apparently stubbornly opposed to harsher conditions and constraints proposed by higher command).
The prisoners were allowed to fraternize with locals, hold musical concerts, etc. Some even chose to stay rather than be repatriated when WWI ended.
The area still has strong connections to Germany.
It was interesting to note some Slavic names on some of the monuments — European powers incorporated conscripts from assorted holdings into their ranks.
Some info here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wi…/Band%C5%8D_prisoner-of-war_camp
Japanese Black Kite, Shikoku
More wildlife from last year’s Japan trip that I’ve never gotten around to posting before. There were lots of these raptors all over the island of Shikoku. Thinking Japanese Black Kite?
Herons at Ritsurin Park, Takamatsu, Japan
The other day I posted something about taking lots of photos of herons 
. Well, here’s a bunch of photos from Ritsurin Park in Takamatsu, Japan, from our trip last year.
Spending tons of time on the computer in these Covid days, and discovering photos I barely remember looking at, much less having culled and edited!
We’re Driving 10% of What We Used To
A thread on FB about less driving these days made me curious about our situation.
I figured out our mileage since the beginning of March at about 6km/day (~3.7 miles).
It would have been even less, but when Yumi’s office in downtown Vancouver was shutting down we had to drive there twice to retrieve a computer, monitor, and key files.
If this average kept up for a year, that would make for a total of ~2,200km/year!
In previous years we’d drive between 15,000 to 22,000 km/year depending on how often we got out of town.
So at this point, we’re driving roughly 10% of what we used to.