The Whiffin Spit Christmas Tree

When I first came to Sooke to look at the house I eventually bought, I took a walk out Whiffin Spit. I knew nothing about the community that would become my home and my chosen place to start a family. I didn’t even know what Whiffin Spit was, I was just driving around exploring and found this cool seaside park with a light at the end of the path. It was just after Christmas, and as I meandered along the path, in addition to the many friendly people I saw and lots of dogs, there it was, this tree.

A lone Sitka Spruce, perched somewhat precariously on this exposed, windswept, salty spit of land. It had been decorated with all sorts of different ornaments. It was clear to me immediately that it was something special, and the eclectic array of ornamentations amused me. The salmon flashers and other bits of maritime and fishing-related items hung from its boughs and other home-made items made me think “How West Coast is this?!” I’ve enjoyed visiting the tree every year since and today went down to the spit to snap a few pictures for you.

With everything from plain old Christmas balls to driftwood, this is a real display of Island culture and I was amazed once again at the variety. There were many cute kids’ crafts on the tree, and also a number of touching tributes to lost family members, both human and canine, which is fitting as the Spit is a favourite for both to stroll.

I think my favourites are the ornaments fashioned from fishing gear, floats, and crab trap bait containers:

So, who decorates the tree every year? Well of course, it’s a public park, so anyone is welcome. But there is a group of local elves who has been taking care of the decorating and un-decorating of the tree since 1995. Read the interesting story, and learn about how you can help, here.

A bit of a bonus to my stroll down on the Spit today were the waves. They were big. I used to live very near the Spit so I know that’s not terribly uncommon in the winter, but it was a lot of fun to watch, and to photograph. The sun even poked its way through the clouds for a while and it looked spectacular. Here’s my favourite of the wave pictures. See more on Facebook.

The weather forecast isn’t great for Christmas, but I hope you’ve had a chance to stroll by the Tree in the days leading up – we’ve sure had spectacular weather for December. But if you haven’t, make sure you head down when we get a break in the weather like we had this afternoon! Below are all the pictures I took of the tree today. Merry Christmas, Sooke (and beyond)!

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.

When the tide is low, there is lots of sand for exploring

Named after James French, an early pioneer who pre-empted lands west of Sooke in 1885 after an arduous 2-year journey from New Brunswick, the park represents what was his home and favourite beach which was dedicated by his family in 1974. Consisting of the shoreline, marshes, several creek estuaries, and plenty of large second-growth Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, western hemlock and western red cedar, this park truly has it all: Camping, picnic areas, trails, playgrounds, and more.

Camping in the park is a popular way to enjoy it – there are 69 year-round vehicle-accessible sites and one large group site. There is a sani-station for those with recreational vehicles. Camping is handled by the Ministry of Environment and can be  reserved online, here.

There is a large day-use parking area and a short walk from the parking lot leads to the picnic grounds, playground, and of course, the beach. If you haven’t visited a provincial park in the last little while, remember that the government recently repealed the parking fees in provincial parks, so it’s now free. There are pit toilets at the top of the trail and at several other locations throughout the park.

Playground at French Beach Park

Looking out from the beach, you might see grey whales, or even killer whales, depending on the season. The waves at French Beach can be very large, and there are also strong ocean currents, so swimming is not generally recommended.

Have a look at my Parks Map – you’ll notice there is a residential area that borders the park’s eastern edge. For a change, why not park at the end of Seaside Drive or Alderbrook Place and hike through the forest to get to the park? The Seaside Drive entrance has a path that leads to the far southern end of the beach and it is often very quiet and peaceful at this end of the park.

French Beach is one of my favourite spots to go in the evening. It faces west, so you can catch some amazing sunsets. It can be cool at French Beach, especially if the wind is blowing off the water, so bundle up. If you’re camping, even in the summer, it can get very cold at night and into the morning if the fog rolls in, so plan accordingly.

Enjoy our parks – get out and explore this summer. Here are a few more shots of French Beach.

What’s Your Favourite thing about French Beach Park?

The Coast Trail in East Sooke Park

Welcome to a new series on What The Sooke?!: Sooke Parks In Profile. Sooke has some amazing parks – and I want to tell the world about it. From East Sooke to Port Renfrew, our region is dotted with pockets of green space and vast swaths of wilderness, and I’m sure there are even parks you never knew were there. This series is dedicated to profiling our region’s parks.

East Sooke Park will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s the first place I went hiking when I moved to the Island nearly six years ago and I can remember how it felt to drive 20 minutes from my house and be in complete wilderness. East Sooke Park is one of the largest regional parks in the Capital Regional District, with over 1400 hectares (nearly 3500 acres) of mountaintops, rainforest, coastline, and beaches. There are nearly 50 km of trails through and around the park.

There are three entrances to the park – Aylard Farm (eastern end of the park, near the Metchosin border), Anderson Cove (somewhat in the middle), and Pike Road (at the far west end and furthest from other communities). Aylard Farm is probably the most popular entrance due to its proximity to other communities and its large parking lot. It also features a huge, grassy meadow, an old orchard, and a short stroll to one of the best sandy beaches in the region.

Beach at Aylard Farm, East Sooke Park

When my family and I went out to East Sooke on Sunday, the sun was shining, and the parking lot was packed. Once again I was reminded of one of the reasons I love East Sooke Park so much – even if the parking lot is packed, the park is so huge you’ll feel like you’re all alone. We did a fairly familiar hike for us – the Coast Trail. The Coast trail is approximately 10km from end to end, and a popular day hike. The best way to do the Coast Trail is to take two cars, parking one at Aylard Farm, and the other at Pike Road. On Sunday, we did the most popular portion of the trail, which goes from Aylard Farm to Beechy Head. The terrain is varied, from forest paths to clambering over the rugged rocky shoreline. Overall, it’s not too challenging – we had our 7-month-old with us.

Many Arbutus Trees dot the shoreline on The Coast Trail

I’ve never hiked the Coast Trail very far past Beechy Head. As it is a popular turnaround, the trail is easy to lose past this point. We opted to turn inland and take the trail back to Aylard Farm. Our total distance was probably about 4km, and we hiked at a leisurely pace, spending about 3 hours in the park.

Besides the Coast Trail, there are many other sights to see in East Sooke Park. Remnants of the park’s resource-economy-based roots are evident in the park – areas like Iron Mine Bay, The Copper Mine Trail, and The Trap Shack at Cabin Point have many stories to tell. Babbington Hill and Mount Maguire have good views and are challenging inclined trails.

Ferns on an interior trail in East Sooke Park

There are pit toilets at each of the parking areas and at the end of the Pike Road Trail. East Sooke Park is considered a wilderness park, so please go prepared and let somebody know you’re gone and when you’ll be back. Cell phone service is sketchy in the park, but you may be able to pick up a U.S. tower (turn on roaming) in an emergency. If you find yourself stranded in the park, your best bet would be to get to the coastline as the Strait of Juan de Fuca is busy with fishing boats and whale watching  just off shore, especially in the summer. There are also shelters at Cabin Point and Pike Point.

What’s your favourite part about East Sooke Park? Share your stories and pictures in the comments!

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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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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Photo credit: sometimes_anna on Flickr

The Capital Regional District (CRD), along with non-profit The Land Conservancy (TLC) has agreed to buy up more than 2300 hectares (nearly 5700 acres) of land that was slated to go up for sale today. The land, belonging to Western Forest Products (WFP) has been the subject of much controversy in our area since the provincial government allowed WFP to remove its private lands from a tree-farm license (TFL) in 2007.

The lands being purchased include Sandcut Beach, the Jordan River surfing beach and townsite, and lands surrounding the Sooke River near Sooke Potholes Park.

While some of the land on the interior side of the highway may be sold off to help finance this purchase, most of it will be dedicated as park. One exciting feature of this deal is that the land acquired near the Potholes completes the Sea-to-Sea Green-Blue Belt, which, besides having the distinction of being the most awkwardly-named park reserve/network on the Island, will now stretch all the way from the Sooke Basin to Saanich Inlet.

The land deal is worth nearly $19 million, most of which is coming from the CRD’s parkland acquisition fund, and will be paid over 3 years. The rest of the money will come from TLC, and hopefully, the provincial government, who have been under fire since the land was released from the TFL three years ago. Many see it as an opportunity for the province to right a wrong that caused great controversy.

And speaking of the parkland acquisition fund… this is part of your yearly property taxes. Since it was established in 2000, it has been $10 per household per year, which has been well used in my opinion, protecting  nearly 3000 hectares of land at a value of nearly $31 million. Your contribution to the fund will be going up this year by $2, and will eventually rise to $20 per year, allowing the CRD to purchase lands such as the Jordan River WFP parcels for everyone’s use and enjoyment, forever. I’d happily pay $50 or even $100 per year to pad this fund and enable the special areas in our region to be protected. It’s a great example of taxpayer money going into something we all benefit from.

The deal is still tentative, but is slated to close in August. I’m looking forward to the CRD’s plan and longterm vision for these newly acquired lands.

What’s your take on this announcement? Good, bad, otherwise? State your opinion, but be nice to one another!

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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As I watched the sun rising over the back fence and into my home office, I was reminded why I love this season so much.  The crisp, cool air, a bright blue sky, and the golden hue of the morning sun on the colourful autumn leaves prompted me to bundle up and shoot a few photos on a walk along the spectacular Sooke Harbour boardwalk.

Parking the car at the lot on Murray Road, I walked up Murray towards Sooke Road to capture some of the leaves in the trees. I had noticed this the last sunny day we had and had meant to get back there to capture it. Unfortunately the wind over the past few days has pretty much stripped the trees, but they still look pretty on the ground.

Walking down the hill towards the Rotary Pier/boardwalk access, I snapped a few photos of the sun shining through the leaves, and reflecting off the harbour.

I love looking at this house whenever I head out on the boardwalk.

The pier and boardwalk are framed perfectly by the trees

Just because it isn’t summer doesn’t mean you can’t toss a trap in the water for crab. It was deserted on the often-busy pier, save for this couple.

There were lots of leaves left on the trees along the water. The harbour was so still, it was like a mirror, reflecting the trees. Gorgeous!

The harbour boardwalk is a real gem, we’re lucky to have it. It goes from the bottom of Murray Road all the way to Ed Macgregor Park, where it switch-backs gently across the slope offering easy access to and from the water.

I hope you enjoyed the photos! If you’d like to see the whole set, you can view it on Flickr.

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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