Bootcamp In Sooke with MIJO Fitness
As some of you know, I’ve been working on losing some weight and getting back into shape. It’s a typical story: boy is single, boy gets in shape. Read more
Posts from the ‘Sooke Activities’ Category
Oct 4
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Three New TV Spots Encourage People To Discover Sooke
If there’s one guy who loves the Sooke region as much as I do, it’s my pal Jason at Discover Sooke. Jason was the first friend I made when I moved to the Island 6 years ago. He and Mrs. Discover Sooke eventually decided to move out here from Langford and haven’t looked back. Read more
Sooke Parks in Profile: French Beach Provincial Park
French Beach Provincial Park is a 59 hectare (146 acre) camping and day-use provincial park, about 22 km from the centre of Sooke. It’s a scenic 15-20 minute drive along West Coast Road. Roughly triangular-shaped, the park fronts upon the Strait of Juan de Fuca and its sand-and-pebble beach is about a mile (1.6 km) long, so there is lots of shoreline to explore and places to relax and enjoy the scenery. Read more
Oct 19
Sooke Seeks Your Opinion On Galloping Goose Connector
Cyclists get a great view of Sooke Basin on the Goose.
A few weeks ago, my Twitter feed for Sooke turned up a post from a justifiably irate cyclist from Vancouver, who heard about this little town called Sooke at the end of a fantastic little bike trail known as the Galloping Goose. Much to his chagrin, to actually get to Sooke from the Goose required hopping off the trail and heading west along Sooke Road (Highway 14). As we all know, the only road in and out of Sooke is very busy at peak periods. Not surprisingly, our friend from Vancouver didn’t exactly feel safe, and was even introduced to one of our more, shall I say, colourful locals in a “… giant pick-up truck who … while honking loudly … roared away… giving us the finger…”
Way to welcome the visitors, buddy.
Anyway, his scathing blog post got me on the defensive, because I knew that the town had already recognized the problem and had been working to fix it. In fact, Joe the Cyclist posted an update with quotes from emails he’d received in response from Mayor Janet Evans and her staff (good job!).
The District of Sooke has been contemplating a separate crossing of the Sooke River for cyclists and joggers for quite some time. And, as it turns out, the design work for this project is well underway. At The District of Sooke Community Open House on October 21st, residents (and visitors) are invited to give feedback about the four proposed designs. All four designs will also include the associated connecting trail networks to link the Galloping Goose with the east-west trail network north of Sooke Road/West Coast Road that has been quietly building out over the past decade or so. Construction of the crossing is expected to take place in 2012.
Another thing that Joe mentioned was the lack of cycling-friendly facilities in the town centre. Even something as simple as a bike rack was difficult to find outside a business. This is something the Chamber should get behind – perhaps a bulk buy of some bike racks or arranging sharing the cost outside a central location near several businesses. Also mentioned was the lack of a bike rack at Whiffen Spit Park. Cyclists are not allowed on the Spit, but should certainly still be provided a safe place to secure their bike so they can enjoy the best views in Sooke along the Spit.
I’d like to thank Joe for his constructive criticism of our cycling infrastructure. It’s direct input like this, from visitors to our town that carries the most weight for improving our increasingly tourist-based local economy.
Thoughts? Opinions? I’d love to hear from the business community, if you’re reading.
The District of Sooke Open House will take place on Thursday, October 21st, 2010. It starts with a tour at Municipal Hall from 1:30-4:00 and then the open house at the Sooke Community Hall, Sheilds Road, from 4:00-8:00. More information can be found in the latest District Quarterly.
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
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Sooke Potholes Camping To Resume Spring 2010
Image Credit - The Land Conservancy of BC
Since the Capital Regional District and The Land Conservancy bought up some formerly private land around the Sooke Potholes a few years back (they recently bought some more), lots has been done up there. Expanded parking, trail work, Galloping Goose Trail upgrades, and the Sooke Potholes Campsite.
Unfortunately, due to CRD water main construction, the campsite was closed for the entire 2009 season. I’m pleased to report that the campsite will be open from May 21 to September 6, 2010. The Sooke Potholes Campsite, operated by The Land Conservancy of BC, features 65 campsites (55 tenting sites and 10 RV/trailer sites), including 5 that are along the Galloping Goose Trail and are designated as bike-in only. Reservations are taken for most of the sites, but some are held for first-come, first-served park visitors.
Activities at Sooke Potholes Park include hiking, cycling, mountain biking, fishing, and of course, swimming in the crystal-clear waters of the Sooke River, in the naturally-formed “potholes” that give the area its name.You can even hike or bike up to Leechtown, a real-life ghost town and relic of a short-lived gold rush on the Leech River in 1864.
Camping is just $21 per night, plus a $7 reservation fee. Firewood is available for purchase (as long as no fire bans are in place – typically in the hottest summer months) for $6.
Find out more information on the Sooke Potholes Campground website, including frequently asked questions and fact sheet. Online reservations for camping at Sooke Potholes will be available mid-April, 2010.
I also noticed that they are hiring support staff for the campground.
What’s your favourite campsite in the south-Island region? Why?
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
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Feb 1
Sooke BC at the 2010 Olympics [Video]
Sooke 2010 Booth Under Construction
With just 10 days to go until the 2010 Olympic Winter Games open in Vancouver, the excitement is growing and reports from Vancouver indicate the atmosphere on the streets is electric as athletes, supporters, and visitors are already arriving in town.
Sooke is one of several British Columbia communities taking part in the B.C. Street exhibition, which is taking place throughout the Games at the Richmond O-Zone, just minutes away from the speed skating oval and a short ride from the airport or downtown on the Canada Line.
A team of artists, designers, visionaries and builders have been hard at work in the Sooke Fire Hall building what is sure to be an amazing display of the Sooke to Port Renfrew region. The display is about 40 feet long and is designed around the theme “Wild by Nature.” It will feature an “ocean” and “beach”, trees, and boardwalk, overlooking a 40×8 foot panoramic photo of Sooke Harbour. A killer whale is captured in sculpture, breaching the water, and the familiar site of Sheringham Point Lighthouse is also present.
Local graphic designer, photographer and videographer Jason van der Valk of Inktvis Creative shot the panoramic photo and produced the Sooke 2010 website and video, shown below. The work he put in was extensive and the results definitely show. If you’re looking for somebody with creative vision and skill for your next project, Jason is your man!
For those of us that live here, the video reconfirms that we live in an amazing place – perhaps Vancouver Island’s best-kept secret. For everyone else, perhaps it’s time to have a look at the video, and find out what you’ve been missing.
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
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Jan 19
Sleeping Around In Sooke – Reb Stevenson’s Toronto Star Column [Video]
I love Twitter. I also love living in a town with a unique name. It’s easy to monitor the goings-on in the online world with a search for Sooke saved as an RSS feed or in one of the many Twitter desktop clients like Tweetdeck. A month or so ago I discovered that travel and lifestyle writer Reb Stevenson had found her way out to our little seaside community from the Center Of The Universe (Toronto), to stay a few nights in the Sooke Harbour House and see what our town was all about. Reb’s column, Sleeping Around, runs in the Toronto Star the fourth Saturday of each month.
Below is the video she put together about her stay. Looks like you had fun, Reb, despite the cold and drizzly December weather. Hey, beats the snow in Toronto. Thanks for profiling Sooke and come back soon!
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
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Victoria Christmas Events: Sooke Santa Skate This Sunday, December 20, 2009
Sooke Santa Skate
The annual Sooke Santa Skate, put on by our team at Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty and SEAPARC, will be held this Sunday, December 20th, 2009 at the SEAPARC Arena. Join us from 1:30 until 3:00 for a fun, family event. Admission is by donation of non-perishable food items, new, unwrapped toys, or cash to support Sooke families in need this Christmas.
Your local REALTORS® from the Royal LePage Coast Capital office will be on hand passing out free and tasty hot chocolate and hot dogs and collecting your generous donations. Skate rentals are also included if you do not have your own. Bring your camera and get a memorable picture with Skating Santa Claus!
Last year’s event was a success, despite having been postponed due to adverse road conditions brought on by the wild winter weather we had last December. Hopefully we’ll have a typically mild day, making it easy for everyone to safely get to the arena.
I hope to see you there!
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
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Sooke Spirit Festival was a Success – Sailpast Video
This past Saturday saw the 2nd annual Sooke Spirit Festival which was a resounding success. What started as a small event in a snowstorm last year, grew into a well organized and well attended family affair this year.
I was driving the lead boat (the Coast Guard Auxiliary boat) in the sailpast, and managed to shoot a little bit of video to give you an idea what it looked like out there if you missed it. What a perfect night to be on the water. A little chilly, but the wind held off until after the sailpast, which was a big plus. There were lots of people on the boardwalk watching the dozen-plus decorated boats sparkle on the crystal-clear and calm evening on Sooke Harbour.
Check out the video I shot below. It’s mostly of the boats getting ready and of the beautiful harbour before sundown, as I was driving the boat during the actual sailpast. If anyone has any better video, shoot me an email and let me know and I’ll post it!
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
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Life In Sooke #1 – Storms (And Storm Watching!)
Welcome to a new series on the 642Blog, Life in Sooke. The idea for the series came to me as I was out for a run the other day – I thought it would be fun to carry my video camera a little more often and shoot video of Sooke and the surrounding area to give visitors and potential new residents an idea of what it’s like to live here.
This month has been one of the wettest, stormiest Novembers I can remember. It seems there has been non-stop stormy weather, with one system after another pounding the coast with strong winds and heavy rain. Today it looked like we were having a break in the weather, so Marg and I decided to take the dog and head up West Coast Road (Hwy 14) for a little adventuring. We’d hoped to do some beachcombing and I had hoped to capture some nice images on my camera.
We had planned to stop in at Point-no-Point Resort for lunch – something we’d been meaning to do for a long time – Jason from DiscoverSooke.com and Inktvis Creative has been raving about it. Along the way it became apparent that this morning’s calm was only the eye of the storm, as we could feel the wind buffeting the car as we cruised along the road. By the time we got to Point-no-Point, the rain had resumed and was flying sideways.
We had an amazing lunch in the restaurant – overlooking the beach below, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and – if we could see them – the Olympic Mountains. The food was great, service friendly, and prices very reasonable. Because the weather had turned even worse, we just decided to hike for a half hour or so along the trails that run about the resort property (available to cottage and restaurant guests). Below is a video I shot of the waves and wind pounding the shores as we watched in amazement. If you’re looking for a fun way to spend a stormy winter day, Point-no-Point is a great destination for lunch and a hike. If you’re looking for an overnight romantic getaway, the resort or one of the many other oceanside B&B’s and inns would love to have you!
-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional
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