Activity Group News Posts are like blog or FaceBook posts and cover the entire history of the Glacier Probus Club, you can scroll down and all the way back to our beginnings in September 2013.
The Wine and Appies group met at the lovely home and gardens of Marilyn and Steve Ray on Friday, May 18. The beautiful weather, great conversations and delicious appies were the perfect start to the long weekend. Thanks for hosting, Marilyn and Steve!16 Probus golfers gathered at Comox Golf Club for the Oyler Best Ball event of the 2018 season. Advertised with flair, executed with precision, good weather provided, and with carefully judged prizes for all (a sincere thank you to Ken’s cellar, and Taylormade ?) this was a most enjoyable outing. Many thanks to Ken for organizing. As usual much discussion revolved round how if only a putt went in and how nearly the team would have scored one better. The writer understands the frustration, sympathizes, but points out that it has been ever thus! And there is always next time! We look forward to our next meeting in three weeks’ time on Thursday 14th June, as the previous week is the Glacier Probus AGM.  Walking along the signposted trail in the North-East Woods is about a 50 minute walk. With direction from Bill Jorgensen, we took a detour down to Sandpines, which lengthened the walk to the normal hour and a half and took us to an area that few of us had seen before. Another enjoyable walk in the shade, much appreciated, as the morning heat increased. Coffee on the patio at QF, and no competition for seats-what more could you ask for!! Once again thanks to Bill for the photos, and the map Relive your hike Another beautiful day in the Comox Valley and to take advantage, a number of group hikers (including 3 new group members and 2 guests) headed up above Cumberland to try the circuit route around Allen Lake once more. This one tested our mettle a bit with a few uphill stretches - do many more of these hikes and we will be in great shape to head up mountain trails once the snow recedes! It was a very enjoyable outing, with a lunch break on the shores of the lake providing a pleasant rest mid-way. We finished off the outing with a 'debrief' at Cumberland's Waverly Hotel. We have two looks at the day's route via Bill Jorgensen's Relive and Bill Boham' Plotaroute . Do click on Bill J.'s photos for more views of the outing. Thanks, Bill. Beautiful sunny day at Nymph Falls, walking in comfort under the trees, UNTIL the siren started, and went on and on and on... It turned out that Tuesday and Wednesday of the week were the annual testing days for the sirens, something that we learned about from the paper that we received in the afternoon after the walk! So we turned round and walked downstream to the Falls and found the BC Hydro technician monitoring the other siren. At that point the sirens were off but we were told that they would be back on again, so we took off round the "Long Loop", which lead us away from the river as the siren came back on again! Even our coffee session was made more difficult by the fact that everyone else thought it a good idea to sit on the patio sipping their beverages, and we had to wait awhile to gather tables and chairs for 14. Even life in the Comox Valley has its complications! Thanks to Bill for the photos. Last Saturday was another lovely sunny day - the sort of day best spent on a hike. And, that's just what a group from the hiking group did, setting out from a William's Beach trailhead located at the end of Serenity Drive. The choice of trails within the system gave us a total of a bit over 10km of exercise and, as can be seen in the route detail links, followed a few meandering loops on the map. It was a wooded area, which meant we were quite comfortable on what turned out to be a warm day. Once back at the parking lot, we took another trail leading steeply down to the beach, where we enjoyed a half-hour lunch break before ending the hike back at the cars. The Merville café was a convenient venue for our debrief over coffee (well, truth told, there were slices of cake/pie in front of some of the hikers!). Thanks to Bill Jorgensen, Bill Boham, Cheryl McMahon, Katie Hubberstey and Dawn Moore for their contributions to the photos and route details. Click on Bill J. photos , Bill J. Relive route and Bill B. Plotaroute to view. Friday evening at Roy's Towne Pub we were entertained by Maple Keys (formerly and once again known as River Teeth). This duet featured sweet vocal harmonies and a repertoire ranging from bluegrass to classic rock and country. The dance floor was busy through most of their sets. Thanks to Vicki, Steve and Bill for the photos. To see all of Bill's pictures click here. The Intermediate Walkers made a circuit of the Valley View Greenway yesterday under blue skies and pleasant walking conditions. The highlight was wandering the Rhododendrum Garden by Hurford Hill Nature Park, off Glen Urquhart Drive - what a display of colour! Some birding group members headed for the Coal Hill area of Union Bay bright and early on Monday to check on the variety of birds to be found in spring throughout a range of habitats: on the water, along the seashore, in the woods, by the creek and around the back-eddy areas of the creek-mouth. All felt that the foray was a success, though it drove home the frustration of a birder once leaves appear on the trees: lots of bird calls were heard with nary a bird in sight! Birds noted were: Gulls, crows, Bald Eagle, Great Blue Heron, hummingbird, grebes, including the Red-necked Grebe, Common Loons, Green-violet Swallows, Dark-eyed Junco, Golden-crowned Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, Spotted Towhees, Northern Flickers, Killdeer and Common Mergansers. Click on BILL'S PHOTOS to check out Bill Jorgensen's contributions for the day. Thanks Bill! A bumper group of hikers hit the mountain-biking/hiking trail system alongside the Oyster River today for an excellent stretch-of-legs. Our route led us up onto ridge and along it until we reached the point of descent back down to riverside for our lunch break. We continued our loop-route, which brought us up the ridge again until time to descend once more to river level for the last stretch back to the trailhead. A good workout under mixed skies and warming temperatures: the day was enjoyed by all. Thank you, Bill Boham, for leading the hike. Click on Bill Jorgensen photos for a look at his perspective of the outing. Thanks, Bill, for sending the link. Our illustrious leader could not walk with us on Tuesday but joined us for coffee and chat on the patio at Mudsharks afterwards where we solved the problems of the world. 12 of us enjoyed a great walk from Comox Lake the weather was sunny and the lake looked enticing. Thanks to Bill for the great photos, and here is the link to the rest of his PHOTOS 16 cyclists went out today, they forded a stream that was far away, they cycled through woods and refreshed at the beach, where a chocolate gelato and coffee beckoned to each, remounting and continuing on down the road, they wound their way back in an orderly mode, and ended their ride feeling most gratified..... As usual Bill Jorgensen has provided links to his Photos and Trip Route. Thanks Bill!  14 intrepid cyclists took off from the Native Sons Hall in Courtenay on an incredibly beautiful day setting a course North up Dove Creek Rd . Shortly after crossing Dove Creek we veered right onto a Fire Trail which took us through the woods over to Fitzgerald rd. Next we visited the home of one of our riders where we checked out a lovely swimming hole on the Tsolum River, we might be back for a dip some day. On our way down Tsolum Rd we got a Birdseye view of a bald eagle feeding on the side of the road, and from there we carried on via Headquarters, Piercy and Condensory roads back to Courtenay where we finished with coffee at Frankie Joe’s Cafe. Bill Jorgensen has provided links to his Photos and Trip Route. Thanks Bill!  Another beautiful day for hiking - the warmest this year to date! Our destination was the Comox Lake Bluffs, to check on the Arbutus trees there. Nope - no flowers yet, so we'll have in check again in a month or so. Despite the constant noisy presence of the Search and Rescue helicopter over the lake (on maneuvers?), we heard our grouse once more, calling the ladies. It is a spring-time sound we are getting accustomed to up here. We had a relaxing lunch on the bluff, enjoying the lake view, before heading down once more. Debbie suggested a detour at the bottom of the hill, to see if we could locate a large tree she had been shown some years ago: we detoured and we found it...and yes, it is large for this part of the Valley. All in all, a very pleasant outing, culminating in drinks at the Gladstone Pub on 4th. Today was the Deb Haines led walk through the Puntledge Park and the Ruth Masters Greenway. Marvellous Spring weather (at last), had members taking outer layers of clothing off but not one complaint about the heat! We were pleased to have some newer members join the group, and hope that Rick and Donna Leche, Carla Van Dam, and Patti Spearman enjoyed the outing. Thanks to Bill for the photos, to which I have added comment, if you click on the photo. Under sunlit skies, the birding group was out bright and early (the early bird catches the worm, don'tcha know!) to wander the Cumberland's Coal Creek trail, checking out birdlife in the Cumberland Marsh area. The day was perfect for the excursion and with no breezes, we were able to enjoy all the mirror-reflections in the marsh waters. The Yellow-rumped Warbler was bird-of-the-day, flitting through the tree branches; their beauty was much appreciated. A highlight was sighting a Wood Duck pair as we were returning to the trailhead. In all, we identified Crows, a Bald Eagle, Turkey Vultures, Red-winged Blackbirds, a Rufous Hummingbird, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, American Robins, Dark-eyed Juncos, a Hooded Merganser female, Violet-green Swallows, Mallards and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. For sure, we heard Woodpeckers while various other bird calls were noted without determining their source (darn it!). We had a wonderful sunny day as we explored the Royston to Cumberland Railway Trail, along an old mining railroad. This is a nice flat well maintained trail, and this is a wonderful time for flowers. And woodpeckers. And birds of all kinds. And people. And for those who really want to know, yes, we found some coal. Sunday was the perfect day for a hike and the hiking group took full advantage, heading up to Campbell River's Snowden Demonstration Forest to "do" the Lost Frog/Lost Lake trail system. Sunshine and warming temperatures - the perfect scenario for demonstrating the good sense in layering clothing! Most certainly were losing a few outer garments as we made our way along the trails... Lunch was enjoyed at the Lost Lake picnic site and then we wended our way back to the Lost Frog trailhead, detouring over Mudhoney Pass for a bit of extra exercise. After the hike, the obligatory stop was made at the Royal Coachman Pub for refreshments and the opportunity to rehash the highlights of the day. Bill Jorgensen's photos-of-the-day can be perused at BILL'S PHOTOS while the trip route can be followed at ROUTE VIDEO. Thanks, Bill. The Lunch Bunch crowd is still active and busy reviewing the dining establishments in the Valley. In February, about 18 of us checked out the Timber Room at Crown Isle and tested each other on trivia related to St. Valentine. We were 17 in number at the Black Fin in March. That time we shared jokes with an Irish theme. In April, we met on the 18th at the Union Street Grill. We were only 11 in number but from the sounds of laughter at the table, we had a good time sorting out some Canadian trivia. Join us! Edie and Murray Lindman  We had a departure from our usual fare. We attended the annual presentation put on by the Comox Valley Photographic Society of pictures and videos. There were 9 of us from the group and several other Glacier Probus Members in attendance. The presentation was slick and very enjoyable. I think everyone enjoyed the presentation that featured pears, called Snap Decisions. Who knew that a person could find so much humour in pears and other household objects? Congratulations to the Photographic Society on an excellent evening! Prior to the show, most of us went to dinner at the High Tide Public House, and found the food very good. It was a great time again!
Gary planned a circle tour he calls Cumberland/Inland Hwy/Dove Cr/Loop. After discussion at the start we modified the route slightly by substituting most of the highway travel with Marsden Road and Duncan Bay Main. We called our route Gary's Loop Using Roads Less Travelled. It was a beautiful spring ride capped off with coffee on the patio at Mud Sharks. Bill Jorgensen has provided links to his photos and trip route. Thanks Bill!  Look at the photos below to see just how much the hikers on Sunday's outing enjoyed themselves. A bit of Spring Fever, methinks! We were off bright and early to Hornby Island for a loop-hike up and along the Mt Geoffrey Escarpment, down its far end to reach Ford's Cove for our lunch break and then returning via a trail paralleling the shoreline. All very beautiful, with plenty of new spring growth. A stop at the Roys Towne Pub ended the outing suitably with all looking forward to future hikes. Bill Jorgensen has provided links to his Photos and Trip Route . Thanks, Bill There was nothing unlucky about this evening. Our group filled as many seats close to the stage as the pub was willing to reserve for one group. We were there to hear Luke Blu Guthrie perform. When we heard Luke play at the High Tide and at the 40 Knots Winery in the past he was playing a fairly mellow mix. This night Luke was rocking out through three energetic sets. It was a treat to see and hear him work magic with his guitar while he sang some covers and some of his own compositions. Thanks to the Bills for the pictures. To see all of Bill Jorgensen's pictures from this evening click here.    The Movie Group continued to be busy in March, seeing two movies in March. This author was having her own cultural experience in Mexico and was unable to see the movies. However, I'm assured that the movies were good, with most people preferring "The Leisure Seekers". Here are brief descriptions of the movies the group saw:
Back to Burgundy, March 11: Ten years after leaving his native Burgundy to make a tour of the world, Jean returns home with his father who is at the point of death. Once together with his sister Juliette and his brother Jérémie, and following the death of his father just before the beginning of the harvest, Jean will have to find and reinvent his fraternity. The Leisure Seekers, March 25: Canadian acting legend Donald Sutherland and Academy Award winner Helen Mirren star in this wise and witty road movie set in today’s divided United States. The English-language debut of Italian director Paolo Virzì (Like Crazy), The Leisure Seeker takes an entire country as its canvas and a couple of ageing adventurers as its lovable heroes. Ella (Mirren) is dying of cancer. John (Sutherland) is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Neither is interested in quietly fading away surrounded by nurses and machines just to needlessly prolong a winnowing life. With the end of the road in sight, Ella opts to tune up their vintage RV and hit the highway, travelling from Boston to Florida with John behind the wheel. He may not always be cognizant of the nature of their trip — she assures him it’s just a vacation — but he gets into the spirit. As they pass through cities and towns they see how much the world they know has changed for ill or for good. And they try to leave it on a graceful note. We are currently planning an outing to Imagefest at the Sid Williams Theatre. While it's not a movie, I think our group will enjoy the multi-media aspects of the Comox Valley Photographic Society's presentation. |
