Red Rock Coulee, Alberta

Living on Gabriola is great, and there are a lot of new landscapes for a photographer to explore here on the west coast, but one thing I do miss from living in Alberta was the ability to get up and go somewhere without having to catch a ferry...

Here's a photo from the archives, circa 2005, taken at the Red Rock Coulee Natural Area in southern Alberta.  We had camped there overnight, so we could take advantage of the great light at sunset and again the following morning.  Thinking about this makes me wish we still had our VW Westfalia camper...

Red Rock Coulee at Sunset

Petroglyph Island

Gabriola is sometimes referred to as "Petroglyph Island", perhaps because of the book of the same title by Mary and Ted Bently, but certainly because of the large number of ancient petroglyphs carved into the exposed sandstone in various locations around the island.

The best place to view the petroglyphs is at the Gabriola Museum at 505 South Road, where concrete casts have been made of the most prominent petroglyphs on the island; this way visitors can see and enjoy the First Nations rock art without damaging the fragile originals.

Most of the original petroglyph sites are located on private land, but one of the best sites, near the United Church, is still accessible to the public.  If you do visit this site, take care not to disturb or damage the petroglyphs; even walking on them will eventually destroy them.

Church Site Petroglyph, Gabriola Island

Church Site Petroglyph, Gabriola Island

Malaspina Galleries, Gabriola

I finally managed to get over to the Malaspina Galleries one day last week to do some exploring.  I don't know why I waited so long to check out this site - it really is amazing.  I had great afternoon light for the photographs, but there were also a lot of other people there which greatly limited my choices for composition.  Here are some of the photos - I hope you like them!

Malaspina Galleries, Gabriola Island 

Malaspina Galleries, Gabriola Island

Malaspina Galleries, Gabriola Island

Humpback Whales at Green Wharf

A humpback whale and her calf have been spending some time in False Narrows this week, and yesterday I managed to get a few photos of them near Green Wharf.  The lighting conditions weren't exactly ideal for photography, but it was a wonderful experience nonetheless - these were the first whales I've ever seen in the wild!  Very cool to have them come this close and seemingly not pay any attention to the human activity around them.

Humpback Whale Approaching

Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale Up Close

Humpback Whale in False Narrows

Humpback Whale Near Green Wharf, Gabriola

Here's a short video clip of the whales exhaling as they float near the wharf:

Humpback Whales at Green Wharf, Gabriola on YouTube

Gabriola Waterfall

This autumn has been one of the rainiest in recent memory on the west coast, and the Gabriola landscape has reached the saturation point.  As the rain comes faster than the ground can absorb it, small streams are appearing everywhere, and the waterfall in Joyce Lockwood Community Park is doing its part to return the excess water to the ocean.

Climbing down to this vantage point is definitely NOT recommended due to the steep slope and slippery rocks - which my damaged camera lens can attest to.

Gabriola Island Waterfall

However, I am planning to return to this location to photograph it again when the light is better (and the rocks a little drier...)

Gabriola Island Waterfall

Drumbeg Provincial Park, Gabriola Island

This fall has been a particularly rainy one on the west coast, and between the weather and the seemingly endless list of repairs and renovations to our new house, we haven't had much time to explore our new island home.  

We did luck out last Monday, with a very sunny sky for most of the day, so we headed down to the south end of the island in late afternoon to check out Drumbeg Provincial Park.  It did not disappoint - here are a few of our photos from that outing.

Gabriola Sandstone, Drumbeg Provincial Park

Arbutus and Garry Oak

Arbutus Tree, Drumbeg Provincial Park

Elder Cedar Nature Reserve

We've spent the last couple of days (between rain storms) exploring the Elder Cedar Nature Reserve on Gabriola Island.  This beautiful reserve protects the last remaining fragment of old growth forest on Gabriola.

Elder Cedar Nature Reserve, Gabriola Island

The Elder Cedar (S'ul-hween X'pey) Nature Reserve protects 65 hectares of mature temperate forest.  Several streams flow through the reserve, and the habitat is home to a wide array of plant and animal species.

Elder Cedar Nature Reserve

A 1.4 kilometer loop trail leads visitors through the reserve. 

Stepping Stones

Rainforest Bridge

Rainforest Stream, Elder Cedar Nature Reserve

You can find more information about the Elder Cedar Nature Reserve by visiting the Islands Trust Protected Places web site.

You can see more images of the Elder Cedar Nature Reserve and Gabriola Island by visiting our web site:  Images West - Gabriola Island Gallery