Tag: Vanderhoof

B.C. Country Roads – No. 10 Visiting Vanderhoof for Family, Farm, and Fun, Part Two

August 2020

On my third day at Michelle’s farm, after all the various morning chores were done, Michelle, Kate, Olive, André and I went for a hike up Sinkut Mountain, a local landmark and high point on the surrounding plateau. The name comes from the Dakelh (Carrier) name Tsink’ut which means ochre peak. An expression in this region is, “If you can see Sinkut Mountain, you know you are home.”

I followed Michelle’s truck along various gravel roads in my Highlander and we let our vehicles do the first part of the climb up the mountain.

I love the line created by the lower edge of the clouds in this photo, and also the angle that the clouds are leaning which gives a sense of arrested movement above the heavy stillness of the land below.

When the road became too steep and rough, we tucked our vehicles into a small pullout and walked the last few kilometers uphill. Here is the gang at the start of our walk up.

And here they are at the top with the lakes, river, forests and farmland of the Nechako Valley spread out below.

There is a communication tower at the top of Sinkut Mountain and we had fun exploring the site and scrambling around all over the top of the mountain, taking in the views from every direction.

At snack time, I enjoyed taking some portraits of Michelle and the kids.

Michelle
Kate
André
Olive

And here’s one of me taken by Michelle.

Pleased with our outing, we headed happily back down the mountain.

On the return trip home we stopped off for a visit with one of Michelle’s good friends, Lisa. We had tea on her deck overlooking Sinkut Lake, with an excellent view of Sinkut Mountain in the distance.

Back at the house there were jobs to do, dinner to prep and enjoy, dishes to clean, and then an evening of cards, games, and piano and violin practice for the kids. Close to bed time, I walked down towards the garden to listen and watch for the sandhill cranes which regularly feed in the lower or adjacent fields and then rise up each evening near sunset to fly elsewhere, calling to each other as they depart. I found Yodel on the way. “So this is where you get so muddy!” I exclaimed. (He had gotten progressively muddier on each day of my stay!)

Michelle’s beehives at the end of the garden looked pretty in the soft light.

And I felt grateful to experience yet another beautiful sunset after a full and happy day.

The next day, Michelle had a second hike planned, this time to the Greer Creek Falls Recreation Area. Rain was forecast for midday but that didn’t put us off. I followed Michelle’s truck again along gravel roads and we had fun communicating back and forth with a set of walkie-talkies, “ten-four good buddy.”

The rain started to fall just as we arrived at the trailhead, but luckily it was not very heavy and so we set off happily down the trail.

After about 30 minutes of easy walking through a pretty forest and then along Greer Creek we arrived at the impressive and roaring falls.

A little downstream of the pool, we crossed a foot bridge built over Greer Creek to view the falls from the other side.

Here, André explored and leapt around, Kate and I worked at identifying various late-summer berries with the help of a reference book that she had brought, and Michelle gave Penelope an impromptu photography lesson.

Here are a few more photos from our time at Greer Creek Falls.

We enjoyed our walk back up the trail, Michelle and I talking all the way, and here is my final photo of our outing. Definitely a cool-looking family!

Back at the farm, it was time for more garden work in the afternoon as Michelle was having a Saturday Sale the next day for anyone wanting to drive out to the farm to purchase produce or eggs. I picked bowlfuls of shelling peas in the garden and cherry tomatoes from the greenhouse while André dug potatoes, Olive picked carrots, and Michelle washed and organized the produce in her open garden shed. After a while, I took a short break and fetched my camera. The sky had cleared and I walked to the far end of the garden to take this photo towards the west, the direction of each evening’s sunset.

In the center of the photo are several huge boulders, glacial erratics, accented by two tall leaning birch trees. This special place on the farm is called “The Rocks” and Michelle told me that the uniqueness of this feature helped her and Justus decide to buy this farm.

And here are my last photos from my last afternoon at the farm. A big thank you and hugs and kisses to Michelle, Justus, Louis, Kate, Penelope, Olive and André for being such welcoming hosts and for taking the time to show me around Vanderhoof and the beautiful Nechacko Valley. I’ll be back!

Note: I am very sad to not have one picture to share of either Justus, who was working each day, or Louis who was at a day program in Vanderhoof each day. Apologies! To learn more about Bioscape Farm (and to catch a photo or two of Justus and Louis), you can view Michelle’s excellent photos on instagram @bioscapefarm. You can also visit the bioscapefarm.ca website and visit its page on Facebook.

As always, thank you very much to everyone for reading and joining me on my travels.

B.C. Country Roads – No. 10 Visiting Vanderhoof for Family, Farm, and Fun, Part One

August 2020

I left Williams Lake early and headed north on Highway 97 to Prince George, then west on Highway 16 to the small town of Vanderhoof. My sister Michelle lives about 20 minutes out of town with her husband Justus, five children, Louis, Kate, Penelope, Olive and André, and many animals on her 309-acre, off-grid, solar-powered farm.

As soon as I arrived at the farm I was greeted by my wonderful nieces and nephews. André proudly showed me the house he built for himself, a short distance from the main house and close to the pond.

Then my three beautiful nieces, Olive, Kate and Penelope, took me on a tour of the farm. First, the pond which becomes a well-used skating rink during the very long and cold winters here.

Then, the new “shed”, a tall 3-story and 16-sided tower Justus is building to provide extra space and storage for this growing family.

Afterwards, we walked up to the barn area to see the chickens, turkeys, geese and pigs.

Here is a side view of the 16-sided main house, the outhouse (they now have an inside bathroom as well), and the woodpile as we returned from the barn.

And here is a picture of the front of the house. I wish I had a photo from further down the drive that also shows the expansive lawned area and pretty flower and herb gardens, including Justus’ dedicated lily and peony gardens.

I had a tour of the impressive new root cellar, then the girls and I stopped to admire the many coloured blooms in the lily garden.

Next, we walked down the drive to Michelle’s vegetable garden. It is huge, about 85 x 200 feet (!), and requires a lot of work by the whole family to keep it tended.

And here is Michelle at the door of her greenhouse which was full to bursting with ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, and even cantelope and a few small and very delicious watermelons. The greenhouse is Michelle’s quiet place where she can putter and catch a few moments of respite from her very busy life of work, family, farm, and volunteerism and friendships in the community.

After a wonderful family dinner (all meals are cooked on a woodstove for the family of 7 (!), or on the large barbeque outside), Michelle and I headed down to the lower fields to pen the sheep for the night.

Then Michelle, Justus and the kids all relaxed together with a movie before bed and I retired to my Highlander, very happy with my first day on Michelle’s farm with family.

The next day Michelle, Penelope, and I went on a walk around Vanderhoof and on trails in the surrounding forest. We began our walk at the excellent Riverside Park beside the Nechako River and Michelle proudly showed me the interpretive boards that she created for the municipality through her graphic design business.

We strolled the path that led downstream along the banks of the Nechako and around to the White Sturgeon Conservation Center. Michelle created this board as well, and has also helped with white sturgeon conservation efforts by developing extensive curriculum materials for the local schools. She has provided in-service to teachers who use the curriculum, has visited classrooms as a guest educator, and has led riverside field trips for all ages. The last time I visited Michelle I was able to see hundreds of baby sturgeon, only about 10 cm long, in their rearing tanks at the hatchery.

Next, Michelle, Penelope and I visited the Vanderhoof Community Garden which Michelle helped to establish. She created the information board here as well, and also an on-site resource book of gardening tips and tricks that was part of an inter-generational community project called “Growing Together.”

After our garden visit, we walked to a trailhead at the edge of town and into a forest of aspen, birch, spruce and pine. Many kilometers of trails have been created around Vanderhoof for use by walkers, cyclists, mountain bikers, and cross-country skiers in the winter. We were on the Heritage Nature Trail, and again Michelle had made the interpretive boards along the route that provided information about the local plants, animals, and human history of the area.

The trail circled around back into town and we then visited the local Vanderhoof Museum and Visitor Center which features a variety of beautifully restored historic buildings from the early 1900s and a brightly painted CN Rail caboose. The CN railway thunders regularly right through the center of town on its route between Prince George and Prince Rupert and it is a vital link for transport of the region’s forestry products. The O.K. Cafe was unfortunately closed due to Covid, but hopefully this summer it can reopen to visitors and locals alike. Apparently they make great lunches and pies!

We ended our walk soon after reaching this pretty spot where Stoney Creek meets the Nechako River, providing excellent habitat for a rich diversity of aquatic species, migrating birds, and other wildlife.

What a lovely afternoon we had! When we returned to the farm, it was “all hands on deck” in the garden to start picking vegetables to sell at the Vanderhoof Farmers Market on the morrow. But first, the geese had somehow escaped from the fenced barnyard and were happily enjoying the front deck of the house. Olive started to herd them back to the barnyard, but they decided they would rather go to the pond!

The next morning, Kate was up well before 6 a.m. to do her farm chores and to start baking her delicious muffins and cookies which she regularly makes to sell at the Farmers Market. She bakes them in the wood stove’s oven one batch after another!

The farmers market was so fun! “Bright, sunny, festive and colourful” describe the day and event. Michelle seems to knows almost everyone in town and was constantly socializing and connecting with people about various projects, while quieter Kate served customers and answered questions.

I helped and chatted a bit, most mostly I sat back and relaxed and ate some yummy treats. I also enjoyed making a few purchases and taking photos at this wonderful Farmers Market.

Here are two of my favourite photos from the day, a smiling Michelle and a bouquet of flowers that I bought from 7 year old Elizabeth. A market regular at her Mom’s stall, it was the first time Elizabeth had created something of her own to sell at the market. She was very proud, and the bouquet was lovely!

In the evening, after another enjoyable and lively family dinner, I decided to take myself out for a drive before bed. Before I left, I said hello to my good friend Yodel who was resting here beside the herb garden. He is a very muddy but fine and loyal fellow and I enjoyed his company during my days on the farm and felt safe with him patrolling about during my nights sleeping in the Highlander.

I enjoyed the drive along the quiet country roads and I stopped to take in this view of the Nechako from the north shore of the river just past the bridge into Vanderhoof.

And then this photo of the river a little later in the evening on my return trip to the farm.

Here is the approach up the road to the farm at dusk, with Michelle’s lower fields stretching off to the left.

And here is a sunset view taken from the end of Michelle’s garden.

What a lovely end to a lovely day. Goodnight.