Dodd Lake (July 15-19)

Dodd Lake looking north

16 km east of Highway 101 lies the campsite entrance for Dodd Lake.  I had never been this far up the logging road before and there are a few turn-offs and forks in the road that you need to be aware of, some of marked but some just assume that you know things like "follow the signs for Nanton Lake".  Luckily I didn't have to venture out on my own, my friend Theresa and her husband Rod would lead the way along the logging road along with their daughter Sarah.  The plan seemed flawless:  meet at Lang Bay and then I'd follow them up to the campsite.  Perfect plan for paved roads but add a very dry, dusty, dirt road and we've got a problem.  After about 1/2 km I decided I'd have to hang back because I couldn't see anything inside the big white dust cloud.  Also not a bad solution, there was a bit of a breeze and so, on most parts of the drive, I was able to keep them in my sights in the distance.

Ireland Lake with evidence of logging in background

Notably this is a logging road, a logging road means that loggers have or do work there which means a couple of things 1:  We can't drive on the road during the working hours of the loggers, 2:  there is logging going on or has gone on so there are large swatches of land barren of trees surrounded by the towering siblings left behind.   On one hand it's a sad state to look at.  Due to the missing trees it's easy to feel a sense a loss reflected in the gaping hole of landscape, on the other hand, look around... imagine your life, your existence without wood.  It has to come from somewhere.  On the other hand, trees are a renewable resource although in our short human lifetimes it may not seem quickly renewable but in comparison to coal or fossil fuels, our forests do get replanted and will regrow for another generation of wood consumers.

Pile-ons from old dock (Dodd Lake)

Returning to our dusty trail, the first lake we pass is Lois Lake (one of the 8 lakes making up the Powell River Canoe Route).  This is a man-made lake due to dam built pre-1950 with a length of about 14km and between 1-3km wide and the entire lake floor is a forest of trees.  From the ever-climbing logging road and the deep blue water colour it's almost impossible to imagine there are 1414 hectares of trees under there.   The road continues up past Nanton Lake (although we don't get a view) and finally when we reach km-marker 16 it's time to make the turn-off.  Did I mention the dust?  Well everything is covered in dust up there, the road, the bushes, the trees and of course the signs too !!  Thankfully Rod and Theresa knew where to go and I was extremely grateful, it made for a smooth drive.

Ice cold stream with Dodd Lake in the distance

Dodd Lake has about a dozen campsites.  Services are limited to outhouses - no running water, electricity or cell reception.  There are picnic tables at almost every campsite and fire pits have been provided by the BC Forestry Service.  Due to the extensive logging there is limited access to the roads so even the quads are pretty quiet up until the late afternoon when they can freely explore.  There is a beautiful trail as part of the Portage route between Ireland Lake and Dodd, it's upgraded trail and reminders of old growth cedars make the walk enjoyable as well as awe-inspiring.  There is a stream that flows out of Dodd into Ireland Lake and it accompanies the Portage route the entire way.  There are a few opportunities to head down to the stream and enjoy the temperate rushing water over your toes.  The Portage Route is a short hike, it would probably feel much longer with a canoe on your shoulders or a big pack with all your gear.   There are rustic benches along the way as well as canoe caddies where you can easily rest your canoe and then rest your body too.

Sarah and I on our first adventure

Sarah and I doing "starfish pose" on Chipmunk Peninsula

The one and only fish caught at Ireland Lake, drizzled
in olive oil and ready for campfire cooking

Ireland Lake is small, a couple of beavers make their way across the lake in the distance and the sun beats down on the long dock that welcomes paddlers to make their way to shore.  There's a large campsite, cut wood, an outhouse, picnic tables and a large pulley to secure your food out of easy access of the local bears just as you head into the forest from the dock.  On my second hike into Ireland Lake I took my fishing rod, 3 casts with my rooster tail lure and I had a bite.  He'd be our only fish caught that weekend.  Fishing in Dodd was beyond the abilities of my rod/reel.  The weather was warm, the lake is deep (500 feet) and my reel had about 150 feet on it.  I fished for hours and hours every day, I did get a bite the first day trolling but he was too small to keep.  In a way fishing was an excuse for me to get out on the lake.  Dodd is a fairly large lake when you're in an inflatable kayak.  From our campsite it was about 1.5km to the other side of the lake and the lake is about 6km long.  I did paddle around half the lake, making my way across to the other side (which was shaded in the mornings) and then followed the shoreline to the first cabin, headed back across and followed the shoreline home.  Every trip out was different but all were enjoyable.  The waves do kick up a bit in the afternoon and one day while I was out with Sarah there were whitecaps on the water.  It was a strenuous paddle home to say the least fighting the wind and being pummeled by the waves but the sun was shining, it was adventure and although Sarah wasn't keen on getting splashed as much as we did I told her the lake was giving her wet kisses and it was just showing it's love, she bought that for a bit but overall she was happy to get out of the boat that day.   Sarah and I did head off on adventures every day.  The first day we headed across the entire lake, found our own private beach, explored an overgrown stream in the kayak, went ashore at the Chipmunk Peninsula recreation site, shared stories, went swimming and had a picnic.   Each day we planned a new adventure of where we'd go, some were long, some short but all were fun.

Late night fishing with Sarah on Dodd Lake

Rainbow - it filled the sky in a perfect semi-circle.

Sarah's got a keen interest in fishing as well so we headed off to the main dock the first night and took in a glorious rainbow followed by an amazing blazing sky sunset.

Battery being charged by my new solar panel
Only picture with Miss Perception this trip :- |

I had purchased a solar panel that I was eager to test out, without going into too many details, I bought a 40 watt 2.3 amp panel and I think I may need a 2nd one, although there were a few factors not in my favour so I may give it one more try.  My battery wasn't fully charged when I left and I had to move the panel around all day since we were in shaded spot.  I do like the solar panel option better than a generator due to several factors: solar panels are quieter, only need light as fuel, low-maintenance and weigh less than 10 lbs each.  Price would probably come out about even with a low-end generator but in the long run the fuel price would need to be considered as well.   I'm happy with my choice and will continue to refine my knowledge and application of the solar panel(s).

View of Dodd Lake and surrounding mountains
from our campsite

Our trip had started Monday afternoon (July 15) and lasted until late Friday night for me.  I could have easily just forgotten about civilization and stayed up at Dodd Lake for the next week or the next month.  There are several people who spend their entire summers up there - what a lovely idea... if I didn't have to work.  We did fill our time with relaxing, chatting, visiting, paddling, fishing, exploring and meeting new friends as well as having a big visit from friends on Wednesday night.   There are so many more lakes to explore around Powell River and I can't wait to keep expanding my experience and camping horizons in this lovely place.

Drift wood between old pile-ons

Early morning paddle to the other side of Dodd Lake

Clear calm waters about half way to the head of the lake
Our campsite would be in the bottom right hand side

Exploring the shallow waters along the shoreline
Enormous old cedar decaying into the water while being a nurse log

Little cabin tucked away behind the point, this was as far as I went

Looking towards the head of the lake - the cabin was just behind the point on the right.

Selfi while sitting in the middle of the lake, can you see the reflection of the clouds in my sunglasses?

Ribbit, Ribbit.  Kissed him twice and still no prince - teehee.  Toads and tadpoles were prolific.

Seabreeze with no breeze

Happy Canada Day!! We had our first long weekend of the summer celebrating Canada Day on July 1.  Canada's been "Canada" for 146 years - good to know because 2017 is going to be crazy !!

Miss P in her happy spot for the weekend

Big sky down at the beach

My friend Andy was camping out at Kent's Beach and I had tried to get a spot out there but they were sold out so I'll camp at Kent's Beach another time.  Lotus and the Wildflower had a private party to play at on Saturday night so I decided to find a campsite close to our venue which happened to be near Palm Beach so the natural choice was Seabreeze.  They had some space available so Miss Perception and I headed out on Friday after work to check out a campsite that I had never ever stopped at in all my years of driving by the big Seabreeze sign in Lang Bay.  Luckily Miss P is a little girl and quite maneuverable as my confidence in backing her up continues to increase.  With  lots of spaces available I was able to back into a wonderful spot under a tall canopy of trees with the hookups literally peeking out from a loamy, mossy ground.  Delightfully whimsical.

Ocean view from the parking lot

Getting closer to the ocean

The weather this weekend was hot, hot, hot and peeping out of the ground was a seriously awesome 30amp plug - you may ask what's the big deal, well with 30amps I can plug in my air conditioning.  My AC had not been run since I bought Miss P and I've wanted an excuse to check it out, this would be the perfect weekend.  What did I find out?  Well a few cool facts:  AC works well,  I ran it for about 20 minutes before heading to bed and things stayed comfy all night, the thoughtful folks at Airstream also build in a little drainage tube that drips down by the left tire, how civilized!  Once the humidity is pulled out, the trailer stays comfy for hours, if I let the AC run on low you need to put socks on after about 30 minutes.  It works better than expected.

At the water's edge looking back up at Seabreeze Resort

Tiny baby waves with Texada Island in the background

I spent two hours on each Saturday and Sunday at the farmers market selling my crochet creations I always enjoy my time at the market.  After running some errands on Saturday I ended up having just enough time to make it back to the campsite to change and then get ready for our party and performance.  Fun times!!  When I got back to the campsite my neighbours had a campfire going and we started chatting, it turned into a fun evening of stories and songs around the campfire with (a different) Andy and Elaina with their two dogs.  On Sunday I headed out to Kents Beach to visit with my friend Andy and got  myself booked in for another long weekend.  Excellent.  I'm looking forward to spending some relaxing times at Kents Beach in the future.

Creek crossing before heading back up to campsite

A busy weekend is great and I'm happy with every chance I get to camp but this weekend was a long one so I had that extra day (Monday) for sleeping in and relaxing as well as having some company.  My friend Mariah came out for a visit, we had a time, scavenged on the beach for a while and enjoyed the big beautiful sky, the gorgeous shorelines and stories of growing up just next door.  Loved every minute of our beach time but I think we were both happy to make it back to the trailer, put up our feet and turn up the AC and have a snack together.

Blackberries were in bloom

Clam shell with heart "footprint" (where clam attaches to the shell)

Early Monday evening  I packed things up, hooked up Miss P and was ready to go.  I then settled back down at the campfire and relaxed with Andy & Elaina and our other neighbour Darren.  We had a great visit and then after 10:30pm I jumped in the car and headed home.  This has become my new routine, get ready to leave and then relax for a few more hours so that when the time does eventually come, I only need to close up my chair and turn the key in the engine.  It works well and when I'm not rushed I tend to remember everything.

"Kampers" Kitchen and covered dining area

A few things to consider when staying at Seabreeze:

• Full hook-ups are available "glamping time"
• There is a huge covered communal outdoor kitchen that makes cooking/cleaning up after a big group quite easy.  It includes a covered picnic table area and is nicely appointed with a woodstove as well as a sink for cleanup and a lovely balcony overlooking a pond surrounded by amazing gardens and forest.  Tranquil and relaxing.
• Bathrooms are clean and close to the campsites.  There is a laundrymat as well.
• The campsites are side by side but there's enough space to spread out and not feel like you're on top of eachother.  All the campsites are in a grove of mature trees about 100 ft from the road providing plenty of shade during the warm days.
• It's about a 3-4 minute walk down to the beach, it's a lovely walk in a farm-type setting with a few ducks waddling around and several horses in the surrounding fields as well as some sheep.   The ocean access is not conducive to launching any type of boat, even with my inflatable kayak it would be difficult as the parking lot still requires a long downhill walk past the cabins, then through a small trail and over some driftwood logs that make a temporary bridge over a small creek.   The beach is flat and when the tide is out there is plenty of beach to wander on, making it perfect for a relaxing walk along the shoreline and scavenging for treasures.
• The owners are very friendly, helpful and sweet.  They came by to check on everyone in the evening to make sure everything was ok and everyone was happy - extremely considerate and kind.

  

  Fire burning cook top

  
  
  
  

  

  Covered dining area with plenty of picnic tables

  
  

  

  Boardwalk gardens that meander around a pond

  
  

  

  Peaceful creek that runs through Seabreeze Resort and down to the beach

Three meals a day at Dinner Rock

Lois Lake

This trip actually started about a week ago over a Saturday morning breakfast at Edie Rae's Cafe with my Toastie Girls.  What better way to plan a camping trip than over a hearty breakfast.  By the time breakfast was over we landed on two options:  Nanton Lake or Dinner Rock.

Nanton Lake

Then next day after a fun-filled day selling my wares at the Powell River Open Air Market I headed out on a "recon" mission with Gill and my Mom to check out Nanton Lake.  I think I was 7 the last time I was there so I had some vague recollections left.  It was a lovely day and after a detour to Lois Lake we made it up to Nanton, checked out all the campsites, access to lake, proximity to bathrooms etc.  Gorgeous location but it lost out this time due to my weekend commute to Paradise Valley and the farmers market.  It's over 40km away from home, half of which is on logging roads, some of which are not maintained too well which makes for very slow progress with a trailer.  I will camp at Nanton Lake another time but may need to take a day or two off work to really enjoy myself up there.  This time Dinner Rock won!

My "happy" face and content heart when camping

Friday afternoon couldn't come soon enough.  I threw together a few rations, grabbed my ukulele and was out the door by 5pm.  Dinner Rock is only 17km away.  So I headed out along the highway, down a dirt road to the paved single-lane, winding Forestry Access Road to the campsite.


From my front door to the campsite in under 25 minutes - life is good.
Arriving at Dinner Rock and finding a water-front site in under 2 minutes - life is great !
Unhooking Miss P from Ella - well over an hour.  Life is still great - I've got an Airstream and look at this view!

Tip of Savery Island on the left looking north

Miss P in between the trees

Typically the unhooking takes me about 10 minutes but this time it was a tricky proposition, backing down a steep hill, jack-knifing the trailer into the spot and propping a tire with leveling blocks - no problem after a couple of tries.  Disconnecting the trailer didn't go "off without a hitch", actually I couldn't get the trailer (the right-side sway bar) off the hitch.  The next 45 minutes were noisy and sweaty; involving a hammer, coupled with a screwdriver, and eventually a crescent wrench.  There was some huffing and puffing, some banging and tugging, some kicking of heavy metal objects trying to loosen things and some hopeful pushes/pulls moving the car back/forth to help things along. Eventually I had to stop, everything just kept getting worse and the sway bar was so tight not even the Incredible Hulk could have helped - it was beyond brute strength, there was physics and angles and leverage involved.  I remembered the old adage "work smarter, not harder".  I called over my camping neighbour Alex, we looked at it for a while, then his wife Maya came over with their dog Kelsey.  Eventually it dawned on me, I could remove the L-bracket on the trailer that held the sway bar in place and hopefully that would drop the whole thing.  I dug out my largest crescent wrench... a few tight turns and some looser ones, with the bolt almost out and a few beads of sweat on my brow, everyone stepped back and out the way and then the last turn brought a CLUNK and a KA-POW!! The sway bar kicked out, L-bracket, pins, heavy metal objects flying all around but Miss P and Ella had "final separation" and no one lost an eye or sustained injury.  Success!  Now I could settle in.

Crashing waves with Dinner Rock in the distance

In no time Candace rolled up.  I couldn't give her a hug because I was still trying to air-dry after the sway bar fiasco but we were happy to see each other.  She had two tents:  a 4 person tent and 6 person tent.  She opted for the 4 person tent since it was just her and the 6 person tent would have seemed excessive.  After she was setup we headed down to the beach and enjoyed the fresh salty water air, the warm breeze, the loud crashing waves and the breath-taking view.   Cheryl and Clint weren't far behind.  They arrived with the most INCREDIBLE assortment of camping gear, gadgets, clothes etc.  The fascination kept going all weekend as new little things would appear.  Cloths that plumped up from tablets, camp stoves that folded up to the size of matchbox - on and on...  We eventually got a campfire underway and enjoyed our first evening together.  Cheryl's boss Jason joined us for part of the afternoon/evening as well, he was fearless and went for a a dip in the ocean.   Afterwards he took off with Clint and they came back with a truckload full of dead-fall - lots of firewood!!  Excellent work boys!

Blazing campfire with a huge root poking out

There's a certain happiness that wells up in my heart being near the ocean, with a campfire surrounded by friends.  We had so much fun telling stories, chatting and laughing.  I played a few songs on my uke and then had a few drinks and I started making up songs.  This made-up song has now been coined the Campfire Roast Song.  It will never be the same, it will always roast someone/something and I welcome sing-alongs!




Saturday morning I headed into the market, when I got back I discovered that Cheryl & Clint have a Cobb

2 Cobbs are better than 1

BBQ and they discovered I had one too, so we had a "Cobb-off" that afternoon making a hearty, eclectic dinner that included a chicken curry, onion-wrapped meatballs, tzatsiki, fresh butter lettuce salad and fire-roasted sweet potatoes and roasted yams. YUM!  I'd like to give a yum for each dish but we must move on...

sweet potato and yam halves in the fire 

The wonderful thing about Dinner Rock is the view, the space for privacy and personal personal reflection.

Candace through the grass

Clint enjoying solitude

Cheryl & Goose enjoying the view

As well as great moments of connecting with friends, playing hard, and meeting new people.

Candace with an amazing catch, incredible reach!

Clint with perfect vertical form making this catch look effortless

Alex looking down at Kelsey, Maya enjoying the view and Cheryl giving Goose a little cuddle

Laura, Clint and Kurt checking out the view from our campsite

Saturday night saw our campfire group grow from 5 to 10 with the addition of Cheryl's sister Laura and brother-in-law Kurt, they also have 2 adorable dogs - Goose and Candy Cane.

Goose

Candy Cane

Kelsey

Alex and Maya also came over with Kelsey (who enjoys the "sad" look so I picked the saddest look I could get from Kelsey - bless her heart!  She is a happy dog and is loved to bits but we all had fun making mock-SPCA commercials around her sad looks) and my friend Andy showed up for some good times around the campfire as well.  Clint and I had made a wood run earlier in the day and we were stocked and ready for a great night.  Jason came back to join us just after dark as well.  More singing, stories and laughter around a warm, blazing campfire.  When the day passed to night and most heads were sleeping... the ghost stories started with a handful of us.  Between Cheryl's creepy voices, heavy metal German youtube videos I tried to translate, and SUPER-creepy ghost stories we didn't head off to bed until after 2pm (same as Friday night).  The ghost stories were brutal - the boys were mean and the girls were scared but it was awesome!  Candace used all the camping chairs (about 8 in total) to make a barricade in front of her tent which made for interesting conversations in the morning.

I went to sleep in my Airstream Fortress which is impenetrable by ghosts, ghouls, goblins and zombies therefore I had some good sleep and after waking late Sunday morning I was off to the market again.  Alex, Maya and Kelsey had already packed up and were gone.  Everyone else was relaxing and enjoying the morning and another campfire before packing up and heading home that afternoon.

When I came back from the market everyone had cleared out but there were enough hot embers left to revive the campfire.  I had enough wood to keep the fire going for a while.

After cooking dinner I had some unexpected company, Nikki and Alfie had popped down for a walk. It was my first chance to congratulate them on their recent nuptials and they got a chance to check out Miss P too.  I spent the rest of the evening playing ukulele at the campfire and down at the beach, relaxing and then after much procrastination I hooked everything up so it was ready to go (I got the sway bar back on with the sway-bar tool which worked perfectly - first time using that thing too!).  I headed back to the campfire and stayed until 10pm.
 It was mostly dark now, the temperature was cooling off and as I doused the left-over embers I headed up the narrow winding road, along the highway and made it  home safe and sound before 10:30pm.

I would go back to Dinner Rock any time!  It's dry camping (no services) so bring everything you need and take everything back out with you when you leave.

The good:  well kept spacious campsites, gorgeous views, easy access from highway, primitive boat launch good for small non-trailered boats, open spaces to run and play, starry skies, sturdy strong fire pits.
The bad:  hungry mosquitoes
The ugly:  someone coming towards you on a blind corner on the narrow, single-lane, steep, winding forestry road.  Drive slowly and cautiously.

_________________________________________________________________________________

The story of Dinner Rock is a sad one.  It tells of 5  lost souls in a ship-wreck in 1947, the youngest life lost was little Jeannie Pavid at only 18 months.  For those of us who grew up in Powell River, you may remember Henry Pavid (her dad) as the gentleman who played the pipe organ at the Patricia Theater before the movie would start.  I also knew Henry through the Powell River Community Band we played together there for several years.  He has passed away now too but this is a story that would change his life forever.

Gulfstream Memorial 
by Catherine Adler 

October 11, 1947 had all the makings of a great disaster. "About a 15 knot wind was blowing. It was low overcast, a very dark night, with a light rain," according to Henry Pavid, a key player in the saga of the MV Gulf Stream. 

The MV Gulf Stream had been filled to capacity as nearly 200 people made their way home for the Thanksgiving Day weekend. Most of the passengers disembarked in Westview, while the remaining 19 people, with a crew of 22 continued on to Lund. The passenger ferry passed between Mystery Reef and the Atrevida Reef markers without a problem. Once the ship was safely through, Captain Jack Craddock turned the wheel over to the second mate, Roy Ketchum. There was talk of a party happening below. The only remaining obstacle between the ship and Lund was Dinner Rock - a rocky outcropping which sits between the mainland and Savary Island, eight miles north of Powell River. Roy Ketchum peered through the windows trying to see through the darkness and rain, having lost track of the coastal signs. Suddenly, the Gulf Stream plowed into Dinner Rock. The force of the 174 ton vessel hitting the rock at 15 knots drove the stern underwater and most of the bow upon the rock. 

Henry Pavid and his wife Josephine had been sitting in the aft lounge. Their eighteen month old daughter, Jean was asleep on the seat in front of them. Upon impact, the lights died and the stern rapidly began to fill with freezing water. Henry Pavid made a lunge for his sleeping daughter, but he missed her by about an inch, as the water swept him upwards. Fortunately for him, he came up under a window - and a bubble of air. Henry managed to smash the safety glass and escape with his wife and another passenger. Henry and Josephine searched for their daughter even after they got out, but to no avail. She had been swept away by the water. 

Four other passengers - two women and two children also died. However, their bodies were later recovered by divers. Jean was never found. 

After the accident, Henry built a cross, with Jean's name carved into it. In the spring of 1948, he placed it onto Dinner Rock. The community spirits of Powell River and Lund wouldn't allow this tragedy to be forgotten, so in 1991, Dragana Matic a visitor to Powell River and a member of a group called "Up With People", painted a time capsule and placed a memorial plaque upon Dinner Rock, next to the cross. 

Nearly 51 years later, the Powell River community began a campaign to provide a proper memorial service for the victims of the disaster. On August 3, the service took place. A new, eight foot, 1000 pound cross was lifted into place on Dinner Rock by a helicopter and a memorial plaque was unveiled at the Dinner Rock Forest Service campsite. The original cross is now at  the Powell River Historical Museum.

Big, beautiful sky and Dinner Rock in the distance off shore