A Beautiful Day For A Drive

Yesterday was Paulette’s Hand Quilting Group get together, so she was out the door just after 9:00am. I mentioned on Monday that it was going to be a quiet week for me and as I sat at my computer Wednesday morning, that was still the case. When I looked outside, the sun was shining and it looked like it was going to be a great day. What to do?

I decided I didn’t really want to spend another nice day inside, so I got Molly and Rylie loaded into my truck and thought we’d go for a drive and see where we eventually ended up. I knew Paulette wouldn’t be home until 2:30pm, so we had lots of time to explore. Instead of heading south to Victoria, this time we took the highway north to Duncan and then headed over to the scenic route that would take us along the ocean all the way to the Town of Ladysmith which is about 25 miles from Cowichan Bay.

The view from Transfer Beach in Ladysmith looking south towards Victoria

It was another beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky and the temperature was in the mid 40F’s, although with no wind and the sunshine, it felt a lot warmer than that. I stopped at Transfer Beach in Ladysmith to give Molly and Rylie a chance to have a run and stretch their legs a bit. Back at the turn of the century, Transfer Beach was a coal port used to transport coal from the mines in Ladysmith. In 1930, when the coal finally ran out, the site then was turned into a sawmill which operated right up until 1985, when it too closed.

Thetis Island sits just across a narrow strait from the Town of Ladysmith

Rather than turn the land over to developers to build condo’s and office buildings, the Town Council, with support of Ladysmith residents, opted to turn the site into a public beach area, picnic grounds, sand volleyball courts and a children's outdoor adventure area. There is also a very nice 1,000 seat open-air amphitheatre facing the water.

A few of the restored heritage buildings on 1st St. in Ladysmith

Ladysmith is located right on the 49th parallel which forms part of the United States-Canadian Border from British Columbia to Manitoba on the Canadian side and from Washington to Minnesota on the U.S. side. The town is also famous, perhaps infamous might be a better description, for being the birthplace of Hollywood celebrity Pamela Anderson – her mother still lives there.

This Steam Donkey was the workhorse of the logging industry in the early 1900’s

Logging has always been a big part of the history of Ladysmith. The Steam Donkey, pictured above, was a workhorse of that era. Originally fueled with wood from the logging operations and creating steam with water from nearby streams, the Steam Donkey represented a big improvement in logging power in the early 1900’s. The Steam Donkey signaled the end of the era when horses or oxen dragged logs over ‘skid roads’ constructed of small logs. Some Donkey engines, converted to oil, remained in use as late as 1949.

Looking from 1st St., out over Ladysmith Harbour to Thetis Island

Today, Ladysmith is best known as a touristy type place with lots of shops and galleries in it’s Old Town area. A walk along 1st Avenue shows the results of a revitalization program, which has restored a number of historic heritage buildings. The buildings and sites bring back memories of a rugged past built on coal mining and forestry.

It was a great day for a drive that’s for sure. We got back just as Paulette was driving up, so we ended up taking Molly and Rylie over to the dog park before heading back home and calling it a day.

Have a great Thursday, and thanks again for visiting.