Kinsol Trestle

On our trip to Chemainus we stopped on the way back to Victoria to see the recently restored Kinsol Trestle, an old railroad trestle that is no longer used for rail traffic. It is now a part of the Trans-Canada Trail. The trestle is an amazing piece of wooden engineering - the largest such trestle in the Commonwealth and one of the highest in the world. It is 44 meters (144 feet) tall and 188 meters (617 feet) long. The photo to the left is taken from the trestle looking down to the Koksilah River far below. To get some sense of the height of this trestle note the size of the picnic tables on the upper right.

Saanich Fair 2

Well, the Saanich Fair has lots of horses and cows and agricultural events but the midway has an especially robust selection of rides compared to the urban midways we usually attend (Esquimalt Buccaneer Days and the Oak Bay Tea Party). And of course there is always cotton candy and a range of junk foods that makes the local McDonalds look like an organic salad bar. The shop below is offering "Chicken Fingers" - I never knew chicken had fingers, but then I never knew buffalo had wings until I saw some offered on a local bar's menu.

Saanich Fair

For the last 145 year Saanich Fair has been an event not to miss on Southern Vancouver Island. Running over the Labour Day weekend they have many, many interesting displays and events from horse riding, vegetable creations, farm animals and much more. We spent a pleasurable afternoon and evening there taking in the sights and sounds. Highly recommended! - Fern

Chemainus 2

This is a rather impressive statue of H.R. MacMillan (1885-1967) overlooking the waterfront area of Chemainus. The logging industry is a huge part of BC's history and this man was instrumental in the building of that industry. There is also a large mural with a nice portrait of him (on the right) with J.A. Hummingbird. There were so many fantastic murals, in so many styles, that it really was fascinating. - Fern

Chemainus 1

After our arrival at Mill Bay on the Ferry from Brentwood our first stop was at Chemainus. Chemainus was originally founded and thrived for many years as a logging and mill town. When the mill closed and the town was faced with extinction the residents decided to save it by converting it into a place that tourists might like to visit. They did this by decorating the town's buildings with a large number (39) of murals depicting aspects of the area's history. Chemainus is now a very attractive town with lots of things to do and see. We'll have a look at some over the next few days. Today's photo above is a wood relief of an early logging machine called a donkey spool that was used to haul logs from where they were felled to where they could be transported. Click here to visit an interesting site about early logging, donkey spools and to find out where the term "skid road" came from.