We've had some very busy weeks, but it’s a new year, and this year I definitely want to post more. It’s hard to believe that I joined Hive 8 months ago—it’s been a great adventure sharing the journey with you all. This time last year, we had just entered the Philippines, and now we’re all the way in wild Canada. Anyway, Happy New Year to everybody!
The Hakai Institute has some fascinating history. We anchored just in front of the dock and went ashore, where we were greeted by the caretaker, who gave us a quick rundown of the area. Back in the early 2000s, some investors bought the land to build a huge golf course. After spending lots of money, they realised the soil was too poor to sustain a golf course due to the climate, so they went bankrupt. Later, another wealthy individual bought the property and turned it into a 5-star fishing lodge, which was successful for a time, even hosting visitors like George Bush and other famous figures.
Eventually, the land changed hands again. The new owner, who pioneered converting X-ray images into digital computer images, decided to transform the fishing lodge into a research centre. Today, it hosts students from around the world who study the seafloor, trees, water, and wildlife. The lodge is entirely self-sufficient, with its own gardener, water filtration system, and lots of solar power.
The gardener was very friendly and even invited us to go surfing, but we kindly declined—it wasn’t exactly the ideal time for 5°C water!
One of the pictures we took shows sand. Now, you might wonder what’s so special about sand. Well, it means we finally have a beach—our first in a very long time, maybe six months! Beaches in this area are quite rare, and this particular one suggests the region might have been a water passage long ago, possibly bringing glacial meltwater from way up inland in Canada, obviously thousands of years ago.
We had a wonderful walk through the BC park trails. This is definitely a place to return to in the summer!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this blog.
Until next time,
Paul
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