John's Overnight Page

It's not camping, it's not international travel, it's spending a night in a bed that isn't yours

Kayaking Trips

Up until my first trip with Due West Charters, I held the dubious distinction of "flipped every kayak I've ever entered". I've done a number of Kayaking Trips with Due West Charters since (Okay, maybe one more wet exit) and enjoyed them all throughly.

Desolation Sound June 22th to June 26th, 2007 Desolation sound is the sailing "backyard" for Vancouver. Far enough to be "away", but not so far that you can't get back in a reasonable amount of time. We explored in our Kayaks, saw petroglyphs and more than our fair share of Jellyfish.
	Winter Harbour To Brooks Peninsula July 23rd to 28th, 2006 Another Kayaking Adventure on the Curve Of Time. This time we depart from the Northern Vancouver Island village of Winter Harbour and Kayak in the sounds that dot this coast.
	Kayaking in the Gulf Islands (2) October 14th to October 17th, 2004 Near the end of the Season, Jan had took us to many of the parks that now compose the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve of Canada. I was amazed how much wildlife was waiting to meet us.
	Aristazabal Island August 28th to September 5th, 2003 This year Jan was offering a new trip to the area surrounding Aristazabal Island - a region North of Bella Bella. This was a trip into one of the least populated places on the coast of BC and unspoiled wilderness.
	Mid Coast of British Columbia July 30th to August 9th, 2001 This 2 week trip started at the northern end of Vancouver Island and ended in the Mid Coast of British Columbia. We explored parks and ghost towns.
	Kayaking in the Gulf Islands September 22nd to September 24th, 2000 I enjoyed my first trip so much, I jumped at the chance to go out again. This trip was more oriented around kayaking and we spent time on Saltspring visiting the Saturday Market.
	Photo Cruise in the Gulf Islands April 7th to April 9th, 2000 My first trip with Due west charters, it was oriented around photography. Peter Hubert lead the photography as we explored the southern Gulf Islands, including Tumbo and Cabbage Islands and Montegue Harbor on Galiano.

Road (Driving) Trips

The classic way to get outside. One of the first trips big trips I organized by myself was my Grand Canyon road trip and road trips have had a special place ever since.

Catherdral Provincial Park June 29th to July 2nd, 2005 I've started a new tradition of trying to stand on top of mountains for Canada Day. This year I drove to Cathedral Provincial park in the South Okanagan for hiking, but also explored the desert in the Osoyoos area.
	Northern Vancouver Island September 6th to 9th, 2004 Eric was fresh back from Japan and I wanted to show him around a small part of BC. We went bear watching, whale watching and visited some of his family in Alert Bay.
	Banff and Area for a Few Days October 14th to 18th, 2003 Another road trip to Calgary, but this time we took the high speed route and didn't take photos. I spent a few days in Banff and took some pictures including Banff, Bourgeau Lake, Johnson Canyon and Drumheller.
	A British Columbia Road Trip September 29th to October 4th, 2002 A road trip from Vancouver to Calgary and back without covering the same road twice. Kermeos, Castlegar,Radium Hot Springs,Banff,Jasper,Kamloops and Back.

Vacation Rentals

British Columbia has huge vacation rental market that goes back at least a hundred years. In spring Canada celebrates the Victoria Day long weekend (Queen Victoria was born on May 24th but Canadians celebrate Victoria Day on the Monday before May 25) but the weather is often dodgy so for a get away trip we take advantage of the cheap shoulder season pricing.

Bowser May 15th to May 18th, 2009 Bowser is on the inside coast of Vancouver Island. We visited nearby Hornby and Denman Island, caught a pottery tour, visited the local waterfalls. My favorite part was watching the Bald Eagles feed just off shore from our rental.
	Seaside, Oregon May 16th to May 19th, 2008 We like a nice trip on the May Long weekend. This year we decided to go South of the border and explored a very nice bit of Oregon state. We saw sea lions, bird colonies, sand dunes and some fantastic beaches.
	Gabriola Island May 18th to May 21st, 2007 Gabriola Island is just off the coast of Nanaimo. We went for walks on the beach, prepared food and went to the local market.
	Galiano Island May 19th to May 22nd, 2006 This years May Day getaway is to Galiano Island in the Southern Gulf Islands. We hiked, prepared food, hiked some more, kayaked and unwound.
	Port Renfrew May 20th to May 23rd, 2005 The traditional May long weekend trip tries the West Coast of Vancouver Island. We get in some serious hiking as well as a trip to the beautiful Botanical Beach.
	Mudge Island May 21st to May 24th, 2004 A little different this year - we chartered airplanes a flew in! Mudge is completely without retail (we usually make a combined liquor/oops run) but had lots of things (including a hot tub) to keep us entertained.
	Pender Island May 16th to May 19th, 2003 Another huge rental but on a much quieter island without a hot tub! There were a few good hikes within walking distance and the food was second to none.
	Salt Spring Island Weekend trip May 18th to May 21th, 2001 We really didn't lack for space - or food. This great vacation rental was on a working farm on one of my favorite Gulf Islands.
	Tofino and Hot Springs Cove May 19th to May 22nd, 2000 Really, the blame for all of these trips rests squarely on Sean's shoulders. He was the first to come up with the idea and organized much of the first trip. We drove over in his car and Mark's car and were surprised how many of us lived in a such a "cozy" place.

Bed and Breakfast Trips

I really prefer the personal connection of a bed and breakfast over a hotel. Being able to talk to a local about life in their area adds to the travel experience - lets you understand a place that much better. Below are some trips where we stayed in a Bed and Breakfast.

Wells Gray Sept 1st to 3rd, 2009 About two hours north of Kamloops is Wells Gray provincial park. This park has several dramatic waterfalls and no end of medium and longer hikes. .
	Salt Spring Island Apple Festival Sept 29th and 30th, 2007 Saltspring has a long history of farming and their climate is almost ideal for Orchards. The Apple festival was a rare opportunity to visit farms and see how farming was done on the island.
	Pentiction Long Weekend July 6th to 9th, 2006 The Okanagan has a wonderful collection of things to do. We had a long weekend to explore the local wineries, hike in Okanagan Mount Park, visit the Kettle Valley Railway and hike Brent Mountain.
	Tofino March 17th to 19th, 2006 Tofino is a tiny town on the west coast of Vancouver Island that has a reputation way beyond it's dimunative size. We went for a weekend of storm watching but were disappointed by nothing but sunny blue skies.

Dancing With Head Dress
Tags: costume

Motion Blur Eating
Species: Tamiasciurus hudsonicus (Red Squirrel)
Tags: motion blur

Coming into Beach
Location: Go To...
Tags: beach, kayaking

Spines On Urchin
Species: Strongylocentrotus franciscanus (Red Sea Urchin)
Tags: sea urchin

Kayaks In The Morning
Location: Go To...
Tags: coast, dappled light, kayak

Lady Slipper Lake
Tags: lake, vista

Canadian Butter Apples
Tags: produce

Kayaking Off Beach
Tags: beach, gulf island, kayaking

Heron With Lighthouse
Species: Ardea herodias (Great Blue Heron)
Tags: bird, lighthouse

Loading Beaver
Tags: boat, plane

Western Coral Root Flowers
Species: Corallorrhiza maculata (Spotted Coralroot, Summer Coralroot)
Tags: flower, shallow depth of field

Lions Mane Jelly Near Shore
Species: Cyanea capillata ()
Tags: BC fauna, jellyfish

Spruce Grouse Looking At Me
Species: Dendragapus obscurus (Blue Grouse)

Athabasca Falls
Location: Go To...
Tags: waterfall

Looking Down Hull
Altitude: 6m (19 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: beach, wreck

Arriving At Night
Tags: long exposure, Okanagan

Playing Badminton
Person: Andrea, Mark
Location: Go To...
Tags: farm, game, gulf island

David Taking Photos As We Leave
Person: David
Tags: camera gear, ferry, gulf island, sunset

Helen On Rock At Sunset
Person: Helen
Altitude: 11m (36 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: beach, sunset

Jaques and Charles Kayaking
Location: Go To...
Tags: coast, kayaking

Beach With Reflections
Altitude: 4m (13 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: beach

Sea Lions on Rocks
Species: Eumetopias jubatus (northern sea lion, steller sea lion)
Tags: BC fauna, marine mammal

Kayaking Past Seal
Species: Phoca vitulina (Harbor Seal)
Tags: marine mammal

Hiking Through Forest
Tags: boardwalk, forest, hiking

From: John Harvey Photo > John's Overnight Page

Last Modified Sunday, October 4th, 2009 at 18:24:04 Edit
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