Quick Shuttle Bus Service to Vancouver, BC

Today I took the easy way (relatively speaking since it was a holiday weekend) south from Powell River to Bellingham to visit with Mom. This route uses both Pacific Coastal Airlines and the Quick Shuttle bus.

Quick Shuttle provides international bus service between the greater Vancouver area and Seattle, Washington. Scheduled service from Canada starts at all major downtown hotels and cruise ship terminals (in season), continues through downtown Vancouver, followed by a stop at Vancouver International Airport. One final stop is made at the Campbell River Store in South Surrey before crossing the border at the Pacific Highway (Truck) Crossing.

The Quick Shuttle has resumed direct service to Vancouver Airport. Drop off is on the upper departure level of the International Terminal. If you are catching the bus heading southbound at the airport, the pick up location is on the lower arrival level of the International Terminal, just outside the main set of doors at pillar number 4.

There are also some new border crossing rules. You must make a reservation by phone or online thirty minutes before the bus leaves it's first stop in the direction you are traveling and you must provide travel document information that can be transmitted to Customs prior to your departure. This makes travel planning a bit more difficult. You can't just hop on the bus like the old days.

A special U.S. Customs and Immigration building takes care of bus passengers. After everyone has been cleared, the bus continues south with stops at Bellingham International Airport (perfect for those cheap Allegiant Air trips to Reno, Vegas and Palm Springs), Tulalip, downtown Seattle and finally Seattle International Airport. The cost $55-56 for adult one-way or $98-99 round-trip. Fares can be paid in either Canadian or U.S. dollars and you save 5% by booking online. You may select your own start and stop points within their route (as long as it includes a border crossing) for a reduced rate.

Heading north from Seattle, the stops are in reverse order. Canadian customs and immigration is handled in a special building as well. All passengers must remain on the bus until their luggage has been removed for inspection. You take all personal items with you, pick up your luggage and get in line to meet with a Canada Border Services Agent. You will need to present your travel documents (see the U.S. and Canadian websites to verify the current requirements) and a completed Customs Declaration Card. Once you've cleared, it's back on the bus for the remainder of your journey.

Wayne and I use the Quick Shuttle frequently for our trips between Bellingham and Powell River. The buses are clean and comfortable, have a restroom onboard and free WiFi so you can surf the web to your heart's content as you roll down the road. In fact, I'm sending this post right from my comfy bus seat.

The Quick Shuttle is a good way to miss some of those longer border lineup waits. So, if you need cross-border transportation, check out Quick Shuttle online at www.quickcoach.com or call them at 800-665-2122. They'll be "quick" to take care of your needs. - Margy

2010 Texada Island Airport Fly-In is July 25

Mark your calendars! The Texada Island (Gillies Bay) Airport Fly-In will be returning on Sunday, July 25, and yours truly, my husband Wayne, will be participating for the third year in a row. To start things off, he will be giving presentations as a part of the Aerospace Camp from July 21-24 for Powell River and Texada Island youths aged 10-18. Then, during the airshow on Sunday, he will have a book signing booth set up.

The fly-in will have lots of activities for pilots and non-pilots alike. Pilots can come and stay at the airport campground for a weekend of fun. Everyone is invited for the festivities on Sunday. Just looking at the planes and talking to the pilots is well worth a visit. With all the hard work by Doby and the other planning committee members, it's going to be another outstanding year!

On Saturday night, July 24, there's a Fly-in Fling at the Royal Canadian Legion. Then on Sunday morning, the gates open at 8:45 and a pancake breakfast will kick things off at 9:00 am. That will be followed by displays, presentations, live entertainment, games for kids and a lunch BBQ at 12:30. Bring a folding chair or grab a place on the grass for aerial demonstrations. The highlight of the afternoon will be the Fraser Blues Flight Team.

If you are flying in, please e-mail ahead to reserve one of the 70 available airplane parking or camping spots at texadaannualflyin@gmail.com. For more details about the event and runway, click here. It's a bit early for details, so check back periodically. Wayne and I hope to see you there. -- Margy

7 Awesome Things about Summer in Powell River

Today is the first day of Spring and I'd like to invite you to my favourite place on earth, Powell River, BC. Here are 7 awesome things about Powell River for this summer.

1. An exciting ferry ride to get here. BC Ferries serves Powell River. You can easily turn your visit into a Circle Route vacation. Check out the CirclePac and Experience Card for extra savings. On the Vancouver to Powell River route you will travel through majestic fjords and pass towering snow-capped peaks. It's an E-ticket ride for sure.

2. Uncrowded campgrounds. We have a special place in our hearts for Willingdon Beach Campsite. We stayed at this oceanside campgound when we discovered Powell River. Hookups are available at Kent's Beach near Saltery Bay, Garnet Rock near town and Sunland by-the-Sea near Lund. We love the remote forest and wilderness campgrounds such as Nanton, Dodd and Khartoum Lake. You can even rent a float cabin to experience off-the-grid life on the lake for yourself.

3. Offroad adventures. Do you ride a quad, off-road motorcycle or drive a 4X4? Logging and forest roads take you to trails, lakes and quiet forests. The Powell River ATV Club loves to help visiting riders. They have an ATV Trail Guide with GPS coordinates. Contact our president Dave through the ATV/BC website or in town at Guy's Cycle Works or Quality Parts. Some of our favourite destinations are Theodosia, Fiddlehead Farm, Poki's Place and Khartoum Lake. You can read about more ATV adventures in Up the Main.

4. Restaurants with views. From everyday to fancy, we have it all. South of town at Beach Gardens is the Savoury Bight, great for sunset dinners. North of town on Okeover Inlet is the Laughing Oyster for great seafood. Continue to the end (beginning) of Highway 101 to the Lund Hotel's for a marina view. And don't leave town without a brew and steak at the Shinglemill Pub on Powell Lake. Sit and watch boats coming and going from logging sites and float cabins up the lake.

5. Events and festivals. Summer is event time in Powell River. The International Choral Kathaumixw from July 6-10. July also brings the Texada Sandcastle Weekend on the 10-11th, the Texada Aerospace Camp for kids from Jul7 21-24 and the annyal Fly-in on the 25th. The 47th Annual Seafair at Willingdon Beach from the 23-25th. Then Marine Avenue closes on Friday, August 20, for the annual Blackberry Street Party. The weekly Farmers Market in Paradise Valley is open April to September. For more activities, read Around Town in the PEAK or PowellRiverDirect.com.

5. Beaches. Powell River is overflowing with fresh and saltwater beaches. In town, Willingdon Beach is the place to go with it's grassy park, sandy beach and Beach Hut. South of town there's Saltery Bay Provincial Park and north there's Gibson's Beach. Keep going towards Lund and you will find Dinner Rock Park tucked away on a gravel road. Or take the Lund Water Taxi to Savary Island for some of the best sandy beaches in BC. Prefer fresh water? Try Mowat or Haywire Bay on Powell Lake, or one of the many smaller lakes in the region.

4. Hiking. Whether it's a stroll down historic Willingdon Beach Trail or a hike on the 180 km Sunshine Coast Trail, we have a path for every ability. Inland Lake's circumnavigating trail is wheelchair accessible. Stop by Breakwater Books or Coles to get Eagle Walz's books (Sunshine Coast Trail Guidebook and Along the Edge of the Salish Sea) about hiking in and around Powell River. They are a must! Also, stop by the Visitor Centre for maps and information.

6. Kayaking and canoeing. Powell River is a great destination for both kayaking and canoeing. Bring your own, or rent one when you get here. Choices include Skeeter Jacks, Powell River Sea Kayak, Alpha Adventures and Y-Knot. Each outfitter also offers lessons and guided tours. The Powell River Forest Canoe Route through pristine lakes is world famous. So are nearby ocean destinations such as Desolation Sound.

7. Boating on the chuck. Around here we call the ocean the salt chuck. The Westview Harbour is the perfect fueling, restocking, maintenance and jumping off for Coastal BC cruising to Desolation Sound and all points north along the inside passage. Nearby Lund also has a marina with fuel and moorage. Check out some of the exciting anchorages and marinas along the way in Wayne's book Up the Strait.

Stop at the Tourism Powell River Visitor Centre in the Crossroads Village Shopping Centre next to Quality Foods on Mondays through Fridays 9:00-5:00. They will give you great tips about our wonderful community. Pick up a free Powell River Living magazine or buy a Powell River PEAK to see what's happening around town. Need more reasons to come? Visit the Tourism Powell River website. I'll see you here soon! -- Margy

Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park

We had a wonderful overnight cruise in the Bayliner. We left Powell River in the afternoon and arrived at Heriot Bay on Quadra Island in time for an early dinner at the Inn. With Halcyon Days' tanks and our tummies full, we motored over the adjacent Drew Harbour to spend the night at anchor.

Today we stopped at Mitlenatch Island. The whole island is a Nature Provincial Park. The environment is very different from neighbouring islands. Because it is in a rain shadow, you will find the rocky cliffs covered with low growing bushes and few trees.

In winter, you will find California sea lions basking on the shores and feeding in the rich waters. In spring you will find wildflowers and nesting sea gulls. Today, most of the wildflowers were gone, but the gulls were roosting in every nook and cranny on the exposed cliffs.

If you follow the path from the north anchorage, you will come to a bird blind. From here you can view the gulls on the cliffs below without disturbing them. A handy guide above viewing window give you tips on behaviour and species identification.


We hiked back down the trail to our waiting Halycon Days. It was such a nice day that we decided to slowly troll on the way back to see if we could catch a salmon. Wayne did hook a nice ling cod, but we let him go. We are the catch and release kind of fisherpersons.

What a wonderful place to live. So many options: boat, quad, hike, kayak and live up the lake. Powell River has something for everyone to enjoy. -- Margy

Welcome Aboard

Last night we took the Bayliner out for her first cruise of the season to our favourite anchorage in Theodosia Inlet. This year we got a short-term slip in the North Harbour. That's going to be much easier for us since it's within eyeshot of our condo. I thought you might like to take a tour of boat. Her name is Halycon Days which means happy, joyous, peaceful.

Halcyon Days packs a lot into her 23.5 feet. Up front is a bed big enough for Wayne's long legs. Shelves and plastic bins hold our clothes and personal items. Under the bed is our fresh water tank and bins for stuff you don't need very often. There's a hatch for fresh air and with mosquito netting. You'd be surprised how many mosquitoes there are in anchorages. Tucked under the bed is the outboard motor for our dinghy and a BBQ. Just aft of the bed is a storage area and the captain's chair.

Further aft is a small galley (cupboards, sink, ice box and alcohol stove). Wayne and I don't cook much when we go boating. A box of Chubby Chicken from A&W makes a good first meal and there are lots of places to stop along the way for provisions. Our boating excursions follow the KISS principle as much as possible.

Behind the galley is a head. Don't leave home without one. A holding tank makes it good for the environment as well. Opposite from the galley is a table with two bench seats. It can be converted into a small bed, but we use it mostly for holding "stuff" that we use more often.

The space we use most often is our aft deck. There's enough room for two chairs and a little table. We cook here on our BBQ or a small butane burner (easier than inside). We eat, read, fish and just relax here. If it gets hot, we pop up our umbrellas. It may look silly, but it's perfect for a summer day. Our dinghy (Mr. Bathtub) rests here on the swim grid when not in use.

Up top is the command bridge. This is where we prefer to drive the boat. It gives you a commanding view for both cruising and docking. Plus, it's the perfect spot for a sun bath in private anchorages.

So, welcome aboard. Come cruise with us in Up the Strait and we will take you through the Strait of Georgia and Desolation Sound to islands, bays and inlets where the mountains drop into the sea, and the people have a different sense of purpose. -- Margy

Horseshoe Lake Kayak Adventure

The Powell River Forest Canoe Route draws paddling enthusiasts from around the world. It follows a chain of 8 lakes through the back country and is best navigated in a canoe or small kayak. That's because of the 5 portages between the lakes. Wayne and I own what we lovingly call the Big Yellow Banana. It's a Current Designs Libra XT that's almost 22 feet (660 cm) long and 92 pounds (41 k) soaking wet.

Add our camping gear and you can barely lift her off the ground. Obviously, we aren't going to take her on the whole Canoe Route, but you can access portions of it by vehicle. Last week on a warm spring day we transported the Yellow Banana to the Nanton Lake Campground. Nanton is a beautiful Forest Service camp on the Goat Lake Main logging road. This is an active logging road, so use caution and obey signs.

After launching we paddled the north side of Nanton. It's shallow near the shore and the bottom is covered with plants, perfect for trout but tough on lures. We let this little guy go home to his mama. Nanton connects with neighboring Horseshoe Lake through a wide channel. The waterway is dotted with lots of old snags from logging early in the 1990's before the dam was installed on Horseshoe.

Horseshoe also has lots of floating logs and stumps. We found hundreds (maybe thousands) of them in a solid log jam blocking the opening. We decided to work our way through. At times we felt like explorers moving through ice floes in the Northwest Passage. We would nose forward and pull logs past our hull. Sometimes we were blocked by a solid mass and had to reverse course. After about an hour we made it to open water.

We followed the north shore to the campground at the portage to Little Horseshoe Lake. It was late afternoon and the camping area was already in full shade. We decided to continue south to find a sunnier spot. About two thirds of the way down the lake (just above the canoe symbol on the map) we crossed to the west side and found a perfect spot on the bluff of an island.

It was a rustic site with a stump bench, a mossy flat area for our tent, a fire ring that we chose not to use and a dynamite view. Our kayak floated safely below tied to several beached logs. From the healthy look of the Bearberry plants and moss on the ground, we were the first occupants of the season. After our dinner of subway sandwiches we turned in to be serenaded by frogs and loons.

After a leisurely morning in camp we worked our way north fishing and trolling. About half way to the head of the lake we encountered the log jam. We paddled around it and back through the channel without any obstruction. It must move back and forth en masse with the wind. Back in Nanton, we stopped at the new picnic site built by the ATV Wednesday Trail Building Group.

After a snack and rest we paddled back to our car. On the way we passed this empty Osprey nest. It looks ready to receive its new occupants for the summer season. Osprey must need and claim a large fishing territory. We only saw one other nest in Horseshoe Lake.

Back at the campground we took time to unload and organize our gear for our next kayak trip. If you are planning to visit Powell River and want to camp, Nanton is an excellent choice. It has several lakeside spots, some with their own launch ramps. You can also headquarter here for ATV rides on the extensive logging road and trail network south of town.

If you have any questions, just leave a comment. If you want more information about exploring Powell River's back country, I recommend reading Wayne's books Up the Main or Up the Winter Trail. They are both available online at www.PowellRiverBooks.com. -- Margy

Sailing into the Sunset

The city of Powell River BC looks across the waters of the Strait of Georgia towards Vancouver Island. That makes for some really spectacular sunsets.

Not long ago I looked out my front room window and saw this lovely sailing ship passing by.

We are in the middle of some of the best cruising territory in the world. To the south of us are great little coves like Pender Harbour and Princess Louisa Inlet. To the north of us is world famous Desolation Sound and the many glacial carved inlets and islands along the BC coast. They would all be wonderful to explore in a magnificent ship like this. Can't you just imagine yourself on board? -- Margy

7 Awesome Things about Spring in Powell River BC

Today is the first day of Spring and I'd like to invite you to my favourite place on earth, Powell River, BC. Here are 7 awesome things about Powell River for this spring.

1. Very friendly people. One of the first things we learned about Powell River is that it's filled with friendly people. Stop at the Tourism Powell River Visitor Centre in the Crossroads Village Shopping Centre next to Quality Foods on Mondays through Fridays 9:00-5:00. Pick up a free Powell River Living magazine or a Powell River PEAK to see what's happening around town.

2. Great places to stay. In the middle of town is the Town Centre Hotel, lounge on the beach at the Oceanside Resort and Cabins, or immerse yourself in history at the Townsite's Old Courthouse Inn. We have a special place in our hearts for the Willingdon Beach Campsite. That's where we stayed when we first discovered Powell River.

3. Tasty restaurants. From everyday to fancy, we have it all. Start the day with coffee and a cinnamon bun at Rocky Mountain Pizza, great eggs benedict at Starvin' Marvins, or a really big breakfast at my good friend Margaret's Magpie's Diner. Grab lunch in the mall at Moose n' Eddies, but don't leave town without a brew and steak at the Shinglemill Pub on Powell Lake. Sit and watch boats coming and going from logging sites and float cabins up the lake.

4. The Mill and Historic Townsite. Powell River was founded as a mill town for the Powell River Paper Company. The paper mill is now owned by Catalyst, but Powell River is no longer a company town. Homes are now privately owned and the Townsite was designated a National Historic District by Parks and Monuments Canada in 1995. Discover more about Powell River's history at the Museum.

5. The Open-Air Market. Powell River's farmers market is open April to September. Watch Around Town in the PEAK for opening and special event dates. Come for fresh produce, flowers, home baking, hand crafts and local entertainers on the Open Mic Stage on Saturdays 10:30-12:30 and Sundays 12:30-2:30.

6. Lots of outdoor activities. Whether you favourite activity is boating, hiking, ATVing, winter sports, kayaking or just relaxing, Powell River has it all. We are famous for our scuba diving, Sunshine Coast Trail, Powell River Canoe Route and rock climbing. Forest campgrounds and easy access to the back country make it paradise for outdoor enthusiasts.

7. Heading up the lake. Powell Lake is a land-locked glacial carved fresh water fjord. I love living in a float cabin up the lake in Hole in the Wall. You can rent a float cabin or boat to experience life on the lake for yourself. You can also read about off the grid living on Powell Lake in Up the Lake and Farther Up the Lake by Wayne J. Lutz at www.PowellRiverBooks.com.

Need more reasons to come? Visit Tourism Powell River. Hope to see you here soon! -- Margy

Power to the People

Along the ferry route between Saltery Bay and Earl's Cove you will see power lines spanning high over Jervis Inlet. On Google maps you can follow the path of the lines carrying much needed power from the Powell Lake dam south to the Vancouver area.

High on a ridge just east of the Saltery Bay ferry terminal you'll see the northern starting point for the wire span and then the ferry passes under the three heavy cables crossing the watery expanse. Each of the cables has large orange marker balls attached to them. These balls help low-flying aircraft see the nearly invisible cables in enough time to avoid a collision. They are clearly marked on aviation charts, but the extra visual precaution can prevent accidents.

What you can't see on the Google map is the new power line coming in from Toba Inlet. It's from the new run-of-river green energy project being installed by Plutonic Power. A new swath of bare ground and with tall power lines heads south from the remote fjord to join the grid here near Saltery Bay. There's quite a bit of controversy on both sides about this project. No matter which side you take, you have to give them credit for a huge undertaking. Click here to see video of how the new power cable is put in place by helicopter. - Margy