Funny how sometimes it takes having a visitor to get you out and about and exploring the neighbourhood! That’s exactly what has been happening since we started hosting our lovely volunteers – we’ve been tootling around southern Vancouver Island, showing them the sights and falling in love with our amazing home all over again.
The Kinsol Trestle on Vancouver Island is the largest remaining wooden trestle in the Commonwealth – the recently rebuilt and refurbished structure contains 60 percent of the timbers from the original completed in 1920.
I’ve lived here for many years and our family visited the island a number of times before that, but today was the first time I’d ever been to the trestle. D and T made sure to document our visitors’ experience of the day:
![IMG_9076[1]](https://darkcreekfarmdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/img_90761.jpg)
Everyone was a little soggy, but the rain softened as the afternoon wore on and despite the weather we all enjoyed our outing.
A couple of weeks ago we all trekked out to East Sooke Park, another glorious destination not so far from here. ![IMG_8891[1]](https://darkcreekfarmdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/img_88911.jpg)
It would have been hard to have picked a nicer day! The sun came out and between the hiking, the dogs romping, and the tasty picnic, we all came home happy and relaxed.
![IMG_8886[1]](https://darkcreekfarmdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/img_88861.jpg)
Volunteers from our place and from Maypenny Farm enjoying a day at the beach at East Sooke Park.
Lambs at Ruckle Park
Frisbee golf is a lot harder than it looks. The course on Salt Spring Island is pretty cool – an easy stroll from downtown Ganges in a big park.
It was great visiting Salt Spring again and taking some time to poke around. If I ever leave the ‘big’ island, I could imagine myself living on Salt Spring once again.
For regular readers, there’s a connection to SSI in my books… I lived there in the early ’80’s and again a number of years later when my daughter was born at the Lady Minto Hospital. Those years on Salt Spring were great and when I was looking for a Gulf Island on which to model the fictitious Tarragon Island, I of course chose Salt Spring. Three books followed, two with Tarragon Island in the title, if you are curious and want to go searching. There is another planned and my recent trip reminded me why I set those books where I did. But, all that is the subject for another post… maybe T is for Tarragon Island?
[p.s. Who knew? I just googled ‘Tarragon Island’ looking for a cover photo to add and discovered that the third book, Trouble on Tarragon Island has its very own wikipedia page.]
darkcreekfarmdotcom 
Very impressive trestle but what on earth was it used for?!
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It was originally a railway trestle used for trains that hauled an awful lot of lumber off this island… Passenger trains also used it for a time as did supply trains taking goods to far flung communities before the road networks caught up…
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It looks too fine to take such a weight – there’s engineering for you.
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It was good to see pictures of the area you visited. It looked very wet. I liked the trestle. Reminded me of big wooden roller coasters.
Thanks for the excellent expedition.
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It is a bit like a roller coaster… it’s a pretty cool structure. The sun is back out this morning – looking forward to some consistent, warm weather as we moved deeper into spring!
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Lovely pictures. I terrified my youngest a couple of years ago, driving up to the lookout on Mt Maxwell in my little Echo, the road was in poor shape as we got near the top, and we slid back once. She was all for getting out and walking home. Good thing the view was worth it. The first Tarragon Island book is my personal favourite of your books, as I very much identified with the heroine’s life – my own life at that age was not dissimilar.
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That road is still in terrible shape! We took the farm truck over and I was a bit worried we were going to shake something loose and have to walk home!
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Excellent expeditions for sure – particularly SSI! Had a good chuckle over the Wikipedia article – Trouble on Tarragon Island, a once banned book? Too funny!
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That was a strange and funny incident – a school librarian in Saskatchewan took offense to the use of the word ‘bazoongas’ (and a few other things) and refused to include the book in the school library collection. By coincidence, the books was nominated for an award in Saskatchewan that year and I toured the province as part of Canada Book Week. I’m not sure who was more shocked when that school showed up on my list of places where I was supposed to make a presentation! Funnily enough, the librarian was ‘sick’ the day I was at the school.
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Ha! That’s great that the book won an award in Saskatchewan! Great story – thanks!
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Hi. Your island has much to show off! I could easily spend a day tooling around again. Have visited island twice now. I’m interested in reading the Tarragon series for MG. Now on my to be read 🙂
Just saying ‘hi’ from the A-Z.
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Thanks for stopping by!! I like the fruity theme you have going on for A-Z!
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