Blue Heron

On my way to the Get Out Migration at Surge Narrows today I ran across this marvelous creature ...

In recent days I've had numerous Pacific White-Sided Porpoises go by the lodge as well as a huge California Sea lion. Sorry no new pics of those.

Big Day for Wild Salmon at Surge Narrows

No, this is not just another fish story about the one that "got away". This is about a grass roots effort initiated by thousands of "locals" interested in preserving one of our earth's great gifts ... the wild salmon. Spearheaded by Alexandra Morton, a biologist from the Broughton Archipelago area, a direct challenge has been made in the court system to the way wild salmon are currently treated by Fisheries and Oceans, the BC Provincial Government, and the Federal Government.

The concern is the future of the wild salmon and the habitat they occupy. Wild salmon are in jeopardy as indicated by the serious reduction in the annual counts conducted by F&O. Many things have played into their demise, but almost all relate to the manner in which government has allowed poor resource management primarily in the fish farming and timber industries. It has been all about the money with only a cursory concern over the impact to the local environment.

Alexandra and her supporters believe this habitat destruction and loss of salmon must come to an end. She is in the process of traveling over land and through the salmon waters from the northern part of Vancouver Island all the way to Victoria in an effort to continue the fight. Along the way people are turning out in large numbers to show support for the cause. If you would like to know more please check out Salmon are Sacred , Alexandra Morton's blog , and Adopt a Fry .

Today, the Get Out Migration came to Surge Narrows on its way to Heriot Bay. Preparations have been underway in the community for weeks. The school children made signs, flags and banners (with Lannie Keller's help). Organizers wanted a flotilla of boats to meet the Migration as it came through Beasley Passage. They wanted a big turnout. I'm happy to say they got it! People came from the entire area. Lots of them. My guess is that there were at least 25 boats to greet her and well over 150 people ... all in the mouth of Beasley Passage at flood tide.  

Alexandra Morton is pictured below - 2nd from the left - aboard the Columbia III

Front Deck Wrap up

This project is almost complete thanks to Max Primgaard. Max is the most amazing guy ...78 years old and you'd think he was barely 50. In unbelievable shape, the man is like the energizer bunny ... he just goes and goes and goes, but he does so with amazing skills and finesse. I'd love to tell you the story of his life, but it's allot better if you get it from him. Suffice it to say I am very proud he is my friend and favorite fishing companion.

Back to the story. The concrete for all the post bases was completed over a week ago. Max showed up at the lodge yesterday ready to complete the job. Frankly, I didn't know he was coming and when he arrived the tide was too high for us to get to work. So, we had tea and coffee and swapped stories for an hour or so.

Once we got into the swing of things the posts went up quickly. Max cut all the bottoms of the creosote posts with a chain saw to match the post bases and also cut them to length. We then either drug them to the water and floated them around to where we could drag them up the rock face or carried them. Believe me they are heavy! We then jacked up the deck and fitted each one in place. Our teamwork was beautiful and things went smoothly.  We also built a bit of a sea wall to protect the posts from the "Bute" winds and the trees and debris that comes with them. I have a few hours works left drilling and bolting the posts to their bases and bolting the wall together, but that's nothing compared to what has already been accomplished. The most wonderful thing is that the deck is now level and plumb. Imagine that! Thanks again Max.

Deck Repair Update

Not too much to report on the deck repairs. The concrete work has been completed for all of the permanent post bases and they are all curing. Most of the work came out fine the first time, but not all. The ocean washed out 3 of the concrete pads the first time they were poured. Doesn't seem like a crisis, but getting concrete out to the lodge is a big job, not to mention having to re-form and then get the concrete down the rock face and under the deck one bucket at a time. The second time I poured them the tide was higher than the first. This time I wrapped them in plastic, however, attempting to make them as water tight as possible. From what I can see (the forms are still in place) it appears that this minimized the washout even though the pads were several feet under water at high tide - and had not fully set prior to their submersion. Tomorrow I'll remove the forms and then I'll know how it really worked. If it was successful I'll take a few photos and post them. If not, I'll grumble a bit and then figure something else out.

Deck Repair - Day 2

Not too much to report today. As planned, we installed the two other main girders and two permanent posts. All the bounce is now gone from the deck and we are back to level. Tomorrow I'll pour the three post bases for the permanent posts and then we'll probably finish the job wednesday after the cement has had ample time to cure. We'll also build a wall that day to prevent large floating trees from entering under the deck from the northwest and creating similar damage in the future. More pictures tomorrow.

Deck Repair Day 1

When Max came strolling down the stairs at about 9:30 this morning it was obvious he was a man with a plan. Like me, he had spent some time last night thinking about the best way to tackle the project. We grabbed the 4X6X12 and headed toward the deck. This was the perfect piece to use as a temporary beam while we laminated the permanent beam in place. Today, we were able to get three of the permanent beams in place supported by temporary posts. Hopefully, tomorrow we'll get the remaining two beams put in as well as a couple of permanent posts. I'll have to do some concrete work before we can install the final two posts.

This picture shows the installation of one of the beams. A couple of things to note in the picture; 1) see the damage to the old beam exeacerbated by taking the weight off it when we jacked up the deck 2) note the joint in the beam just to the left of the temporary post. The permanent post will actually go just to the left of the temporary, centered under the joint.

The next photo shows the other two beams and their temporary support posts.

Look at the improvement in the deck surface level with the installation of only one of the three beams that support that area. 

Finally, here is a look across Calm Chanel at the snow that was deposited on the mountains (?) last night. What a sight to enjoy after a successful day ... and only a few minor heads bumps!

Back at the Lodge - April 2010

OK. So it's been awhile since I've posted anything to the blog ... that's for good reason. We haven't been here since the fall, but I'm back now and preparing for a great 2010 season!

It's always good to be back in the beautiful Discovery Islands. Regardless of the time of year, there is always something beautiful or amazing to be seen or experienced. Sometimes that comes with a bit of a price as being on a remote island can create challenges.

Consequently, I can't wait to arrive back at the lodge to see what challenges I'll face. Initially, when I arrived at Rendezvous Lodge this year I thought things were in pretty good order. I propmptly got the electrical system operating as well as the water and propane systems. No visible damage to any of the buildings. No trees down.

It wasn't until the next morning when I went to unload the boat that I noticed the main deck was very "springy". When I got on the ramp I looked back under the deck and immediately the problem was obvious. A huge tree with a big root ball was under the deck. It must have been there for some time as it had cleared out 6 of the support posts and broke 3 of the beams. Sorry, I didn't get a picture before I removed the tree.

I'll insert a few more photos so you can see the current condition.

 Hopefully, the weather will permit us to get started repairing it tomorrow. I'll try and post updates daily so you can see how things are progressing. I'll insert on more picture so you can see the top surface of the deck and the "belly" that resulted from the damage to the structure.