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We have been travelling quite a bit this summer and finally had the opportunity to go to Bere Point on Malcolm Island. Malcolm Island is across the water from Port McNeil on Vancouver Island.

Bere Point offers a small camping area and gorgeous mountain views, great fishing but most of all a whale rubbing beach!! I couldn't wait to get there!
There is a viewing platform that is to offer you a great way to to see the Orca's rub along the bottom of the ocean near the beach.
The way there was along "The Beautiful Trail".

Alright, take the ferry from Port McNeil to Malcolm Island, follow signs to get to Bere Point from ferry exit. We arrive and park at the start of the trail. There is beach access here as well.

We head out on the trail which starts out beautiful - nice wide trail, smooth, flat and quite enjoyable. Suddenly it narrows, and is over grown with grass and small shrubs. There is another beach access (which is the last beach access) by trail that is a short but a bit steep down.

The trail gets worse and worse from here - there is so many fallen trees, slippery mossy areas, roots, mud, water, open crevice on each side of the trail and it is dark! The trees are tall and no sunlight comes in. It is also muggy from all the heat being trapped under the tree tops. We come across two peek a boo ocean views in the hour we have been hiking. We come to a platform that tells us the "Rubbing Beach Viewing Platform" is still another 1.5 km away and the next part of the trail is accessible down through the rabbit hole which is really a small opening in the bush that descends down into even darker depths.

Time to turn around. The trail has been brutal up to this point and looks like it doesn't get any better. (We later find out that there was a wind storm in 2005 that knocked down many trees but were never cleaned up due to public protest and fear of ruining the landscape near the rubbing beach.) The trail probably once was "beautiful".

We get back to where we are parked and head out on to the beach. The beach is all smooth rocks - big and small - the type that when you walk on them your footing is a bit unstable as your foot sinks into the rocks. However, the air is fresh, the scenery in beautiful, and then . . . . . .

A humpback whale appears! He is fairly close to the shoreline too. I am so excited!! I think if I was still on the trail I would have missed seeing it. The humpback dives and emerges several times exhaling high into the sky through its blow hole. It hits the water with its flippers and smacks his tail a few times on the top of the water and goes down deep into the ocean.

I wait for it to come back up and am really hoping he will come towards the area I am in. He emerges and goes in the exact opposite of me. Of course.

To access the rubbing beach by foot along the beach is 2.5 km from the parking area. We decide that because we are only here for the day that it would be a long treacherous hike because of the rocks and no sand that we wouldn't attempt it. We think the best bet would be to go by kayak, canoe or small boat that you could pull up onto the beach and then reach this platform. But then again - maybe just sitting in lawn chairs on the beach would be sufficient as the whales are visible from the beach.

This a great place to see whales and a great place to fish! The campground is nice but small. There is no water here so bring your own for sure.
I think about returning soon to Malcolm Island. Forget the trail and just enjoy the beach and the view!

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The annual Herring migration along Vancouver Island is an exciting time for everyone!

The fishing fleets are all out ready for the action, as well as the seagulls, sea lions, seals, brant geese, and of course people. Such an awesome time to observe nature. The water turns a turquoise blue as the herring migrate along the way which reveals their where a bouts. The colours, the sights and the action make this a memorable experience for all.

This takes place early March if you are wanting to make the trip to see for yourself. Best places to view is Qualicum Beach, French Creek and Parksville, British Columbia, Canada.

To see more images of this amazing natural event - check out my website for the galleries titled Herring Season and Herring Roe.

Recently we went for a drive through the country side of rural Alberta, Canada. It was a bright sunny day but cold and crisp as winter seems to last longer on the prairies. We love to see the old buildings that dot the prairie landscape. There were a few that we came across during the day and we have posted them in a new gallery called Prairie Buildings.

Winter always feels sooooooooo long that sometimes it's nice to stop and smell the roses - even if it is just from memory.
Enjoy! Spring is near and soon all the flowers will be blooming with beauty and colour. I wait with anticipation.

My husband loves to go fishing around here on Vancouver Island and well usually I am taking pictures as he is fishing. Often, the salmon will jump out of the water and many times I try to capture them in "action" and many times my images of these amazing fish jumping out of the water look more like the "big splash"!
In late October I took a random shot of the seagulls on the shoreline at Nile Creek. The waves were coming in strong and the wind had picked up. It was a real fall day. Later when I got home and loaded the images onto the computer to my surprise here was a really big salmon that had jumped really close to the shoreline.
Unbelievable! To be honest neither one of us saw it happen at the time but it was sure great to see in the image later. See they do jump out of the water!

I really enjoy living here on Vancouver Island and all the photo opportunities it provides! There is a never ending supply of subjects.
The Ocean is one of the most captivating wonders Mother Nature offers to us. As the blue sky reflects on the top of the water and the waves softly roll creating an abstract only nature can provide. Please see my entire collection of Ocean Blue by clicking on the link.

Hello Everyone!

I just wanted to let you all know that I have just added three new galleries to my webiste - POPPY ART, HAMILTON MARSH, and LILY PADS!

Also just in time for our:

SALE!

Save on All images on all products are on sale for 25% off regular price!
Enter code NKPSGF at checkout to receive the sale discount.

Sale ends January 1, 2014. 

Perfect time for to buy for the hard to buy for person in your life - images are available in 
Canvas, Acrylic, Metal, Prints, Posters, Greeting Cards and I Phone Cases plus matting and framing!

All of our images can also be seen in a Gallery that shows them with other images that are similar in colour and complimentary to each other.
New Images are being added continually so check back often.
http://roxann-hurtubise.artistwebsites.com
 
Thank you for shopping online with RoxyWallHanger - Season's Greetings!!
Roxy & Trevor

SALE ON ALL IMAGES!

"Outdoor Images for Your Indoor World!" Sale

SAVE 25% on all my images on my website!

Enter Code NKPSGF at the checkout!

SALE starts now and ends January 1, 2014 - Happy Shopping!!

Thank You - Roxy

Welcome to my first blog on my new website!

Our goal is to provide you with "OutDoor Images For Your Indoor World"!

If you are looking for images that are within the same topic, landscape, colour and/or are complimentary to one another - then you have come to the right place. All of our images can be viewed in a Gallery that will provide you with other images that are similar but not the same and are complimentary to one another. All of our images help you to create your own harmonious environment - at home, at work, or for your recreational property.

Also perfect for gift giving - Christmas, Anniversary, Birthday, Wedding, and more! We offer the images in several different media types - canvas, acrylic, metal, prints, posters plus framing and matting so we can exceed your expectations.

All the images are of high resolution so the image you select will be sure to please you both visually and spiritually.

We love to travel and adventure here on Vancouver Island and anywhere the road leads us. We are inspired by the natural beauty that surrounds us and we want to share it with you.

We really enjoyed operating our gallery in Parksville, British Columbia, Canada however the calling of the great outdoors was stronger than we ever imagined and so we closed the gallery and now offer it all to you here online at our website.

We sincerely hope you like the website and we invite you share our site with others and follow us on twitter and check out our Facebook page.
Thanks so much for visiting us today and be sure to check back often for future blogs and new images.

Enjoy the world around you!

Roxy