thinking about Gibsons

After more than a quarter of a century in San Francisco (more than either Lynne or I has lived in any other single place), we are planning a return to Canada in 2012. Our currently targeted destination is Gibsons, on the southwestern coast of British Columbia, not far from Vancouver and Horseshoe Bay (where we lived for many years, and our children attended both elementary and high schools).

Gibsons (population ~4,200) has the singular honour of having been named (in 2009) “The World’s Most Liveable Town”, one of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) endorsed International Awards for Liveable Communities. It also won (in 2005) the “world’s best municipal water” award at the International Water Tasting Competition, its water being drawn from a subterranean aquifer, and so pure that it requires no additional chemical or ultraviolet treatment.

Gibsons is at the lower end (Lund being at the upper) of a region known as the “Sunshine Coast”, as seen on the map at left. Although this coast is on the mainland, it is separated from the Vancouver area by Howe Sound, a 45km (28 miles) long body of water. You can drive up the eastern side of Howe Sound (to the town of Squamish at its tip, on the way to the Whistler ski area), but there is no equivalent route on the western wilderness side. Consequently, the Sunshine Coast must be reached by ferry from Horseshoe Bay (our previous home, just northwest of Vancouver).

The dashed blue lines on this map represent ferry routes, and you can see that one connects Horseshoe Bay and Gibsons; actually, its western terminus is Langdale, just 4km (2.5 miles) north of Gibsons. This is a 40-minute ferry trip, a full hour shorter than the one to Nanaimo (on Vancouver Island, another area we had considered). It’s also less than half the cost of a Vancouver Island trip (though note that senior BC residents travel free as foot passengers on all ferries, on non-holiday Mondays through Thursdays). Horseshoe Bay is 71km (44 miles) from the U.S. border, and 105km (65 miles) from Bellingham, the closest major American city. Consequently, a shopping/whatever excursion to the U.S. is a doable day trip.

From Gibsons to Lund is 153km (95 miles), and involves an additional 50-minute ferry trip, between Earls Cove and Saltery Bay (crossing Princess Louisa Inlet). Powell River can also be reached directly from Vancouver Island, via an 80-minute ferry that connects to Comox.

Gibsons is sufficiently close to Vancouver to share fairly similar weather, though the Sunshine Coast is reputed to get more sun and less rain. Rain in this area is different from rain in the east in any case: few people out here even own umbrellas, as a light weatherproof jacket offers more than sufficient protection.

You can learn more about Gibsons from the town’s official Web site, which includes a modest photo gallery (though you can find more photos by doing a Google image search).

There’s also a very informative site that covers the full length of the Sunshine Coast in considerable detail.

Save the photo below to your computer to view full-sized.

a two-wheeled tale

I pretty much grew up on a bicycle (living in an area in Canada where it was a fair distance between houses), and also used one as my principal around-town vehicle when living in Cambridge, England. But I eventually progressed to something a bit faster. My first motorized two-wheeler was a Lambretta TV 175 scooter, and after a few years on that, I "graduated" to my first motorcycle, a 650cc BSA Super Rocket (which, alas, was eventually stolen when I lived in New York City). Both of these classics are pictured below.

Ultimately I chose the shaft-drive dependability of BMWs, and have owned and ridden both the classic opposing twins and the newer "K" bikes. My current favourite is a BMW K75s, seen in the photos at right. It's neither the biggest bike I've owned, nor the smallest, but it seems ideally suited to my desire to feel that I'm actually on a motorcycle, not a two-wheeled motor home.