Transitions-Oakville, Burlington and Mississauga Real Estate Blog

Victoria, BC is home to one of Canada's oldest western forts, Fort Rod Hill.

Set on a beautiful property overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Fort Rod Hill was built in 1890 to defend Victoria and the Esquimalt Naval Base from possible Russian attackers.

For a complete history of Fort Rod Hill visit Fort Rod Hill National Historic Site .

We spent a few hours exploring the fort when we visited Vancouver Island in September.


The fort is surrounded by a beautiful, weathered stone wall.

Entrance to one of the underground artillery magazines. If you visit, you'll be able to go down in the concrete tunnels and explore the old rooms and artillery stores.


The soldiers stayed in these military barracks. They had all of the basics necessary to be comfortable and stay warm while living at Fort Rod Hill.


Artillery magazines being stored underground at Fort Rod Hill.


Fire equipment at Fort Rod Hill.









Black-tailed deer wander freely at Fort Rod Hill and are relatively tame.







Fort Rod Hill artillery guns.

Wildflowers grow freely on the beach below Fort Rod Hill.

For a lesson in Canadian history and to view some beautiful scenery and wildlife, a visit to Victoria would not be complete without visiting Fort Rod Hill.

Located at the same site as the Fisgard Lighthouse, Fort Rod Hill is a short drive outside of Victoria.

©2010JoSmith

Fisgard Lighthouse - Canada's Oldest West Coast Lighthouse is Still Operational!

Growing up around the many lakes of Ontario, lighthouses have always fascinated me. I often used to dream of what it would be like to be a lighthouse keeper, living on some remote island or on a driftwood strewn beach along the Lake Ontario Coast.

With my love of historical lighthouses intact, one of the first places I wanted to visit when we landed in Victoria, BC last September, was Fisgard Lighthouse,  Canada's oldest west coast lighthouse.

The lighthouse was built in 1860, before Vancouver Island was even part of Canada, by the British. It stands at the entrance to Esquimalt harbour and used to be a beacon for the British Royal Navy's Pacific Squadron.

The Royal Canadian Navy still uses the lighthouse today as a marker showing the way in to the home base.

I was looking forward to touring the inside of the lighthouse and the lighthouse keeper's red brick house. Unfortunately when we arrived, the lighthouse was closed for renovations.








Fisgard Lighthouse was automated in 1929 and the lighthouse keeper's house has stood empty, except for tourists, ever since.

I was able to capture some pictures of the beautiful Fisgard Island setting (no longer an island since a road is now built out to the site) and take in the stunning views out over the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

If you visit Victoria, be sure to take the picturesque drive out of the city (only about 30 minutes or so) to Fort Rod Hill and the Fisgard Lighthouse.

©2010JoSmith

Last Leg ot the Journey Through Jasper National Park and the Beautiful Mountain Town of Jasper.

The last few nights of our trip to British Columbia was spent with friends who own an ecotourism hiking company in Valemount, BC called HikeInc.
Carol Ann and I grew up together and were the best of friends from ages 14 onwards when she moved in across the street from my house.

Valemount is a small British Columbian town at the base of Mount Robson, the tallest Rocky mountain.

After spending a pleasant weekend taking in the Banff Film Festival, hiking around Carol Ann and Ernie's beautiful Rocky Mountain ranch and making a giant pot of delicious borscht with vegees we had all picked fresh that day from Carol Ann and Ernie's garden, we packed our car and headed east for Edmonton where we were catching a plane to fly back home.

Driving from Valemount to Edmonton took us through the Rockies and through the beautiful mountain town of Jasper which is situated in Canada's largest Rocky Mountain Park, Jasper National Park.

Jasper National Park is a UNESCO world heritage site and covers 10,878 sq km (4200 sq miles). 


This is one park you will want to visit sometime in your life. Words won't do it justice. To get an idea of what you will see when you visit Jasper National Park, watch a few of the videos on Jasper.

The town of Jasper, British Columbia is absolutely gorgeous with an abundance of clean mountain air, beautiful vistas of mountains, unique shops and restaurants and wonderful lodges.

Taking a stroll down one of the main Jasper streets you will get an idea of Canada's western heritage and a feel for life in the mountains of British Columbia.

Visitors often see elk walking through the town or grazing on the lawns of the historical Jasper buildings.

Jasper, British Columbia is one town where I would like to spend more time on my next trip to British Columbia. There's so much to see and do, no matter what season, that one could spend weeks here and still not experience all of the wonders that are to be found in Jasper National Park.

©2009JoSmith

One of the highlights of our visit to Vancouver Island, BC was stopping in a small Cowichan Valley town called Chemainus, "The Little Town That Did".

Chemainus has been settled for over 140 years and thrived as a mill town until the 1980s when the slowing of the forestry industry caused the mill to close down.

Faced with devastating unemployment and a possible demise of their industrious community, Karl Schultz sought to save the town by creating the 'Chemainus Mural Project'.

Artists came from far and wide to paint detailed murals depicting the town and surrounding area's history on the exterior walls of the buildings.
Soon tourists started to flock in by the thousands to view the murals and the town was saved.

Take a tour of all of the murals here.

If you visit Vancouver Island, don't forsake the hour's drive north of Victoria to visit this lively and curiously beautiful little town. Take a stroll around and try to see as  many of the fascinating murals as you possibly can.

Stop in and shop at some of the unique little shops and boutiques. There's an especially good coffee place called the Book Nook Coffee Shop that doubles as a used bookstore and the day we were there I noticed that it was a drop-in for many locals who seemed right at home in the comfortable atmosphere.
I have a dairy allergy and was very grateful to find that they offered soy milk for the delicious cup of coffee I had ordered.

Chemainus has a very picturesque harbour and many day trips for viewing Ladysmith Harbour, wineries, totems and more.

Chemainus, British Columbia is one of the most fascinating and picturesque places you will visit on Vancouver Island and will live on in your memory and heart for long after you return home.

©2009JoSmith

Mackenzie Beach and the TinWis Resort Near Tofino, British Columbia.


It's a quiet, overcast New Year's Day and the perfect time to catch up on blogs reflecting on the past year.

I discovered some very beautiful places in 2009; places that I'll always remember and hope one day to return to.
One of these places was Tofino on Vancouver Island, British Columbia which I wrote about yesterday.

When we were exploring the Tofino area, we stayed at the TinWis Resort on Mackenzie Beach. The TinWis is a beautiful post and beam resort overlooking the Pacific Ocean just a short drive outside of Tofino.


The views from our balcony were absolutely stunning with the changing sky and tides filling my gaze everytime I looked towards the ocean.

The grounds at the TinWis are impeccable with many benches overlooking the Pacific Ocean to relax on after a long day sightseeing.

If you plan to visit Tofino, consider staying at the TinWis Resort. You won't be disappointed.

©2009JoSmith

Tofino, Vancouver Island, British Columbia is one of those small towns that everyone must visit at least once in their lifetime.
A mysterious, uplifting energy envelopes the whole region and once you've been, you vow to return (many even devise a plan to move there).

When we visited in September, I absolutely fell in love with the whole Tofino area. Situated at the end of a long peninsula that juts out into the Pacific Ocean, Tofino is at the Pacific terminus of the Trans-Canada highway.


A myriad of beaches line the coast of this breath-taking penisula and it is said that the cleanest air on our planet can be found here. 
Perhaps this partly why a visitor feels so wonderful when walking around Tofino or strolling along one of the misty beaches near town.

The best restaurant I've even eaten at is found in Tofino. It's called 'SOBO' and is the only place I have eaten where the food is such a culinary delight that no matter how full you are, you continue to eat just to have one more bite of a taste experience you'll never forget in your entire life.

With an abundance of freshly caught salmon, scallops, crab and shrimp, Tofino is a seafood-lover's paradise.

For whale and other wildlife viewing, Tofino has an abundance of ecotourism outfits who will take you to the spots the whales are feeding.  We saw beautiful Gray Whales when we visited.



Some residents enjoy the water so much they've built their little homes right on it!



If you plan on one trip this coming year, Tofino should be your destination. With the most beautiful natural environment I've yet to see on this planet, Tofino on Vancouver Island, British Columbia will stay on in your heart long after your vacation has ended.

©2009JoSmith

Robertson Creek Fish Hatchery near Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, British Columbia is a state of the art fish hatchery producing millions of Coho Salmon, Chinook Salmon and Steelhead Trout yearly.

It was amongst my favourite places to visit in September when we were in British Columbia. Of course, being a zoologist, I love all aspects of the animal kingdom and am especially fascinated with fish and their life cycles.

Here are some photos taken at the Robertson Creek Fish Hatchery. If you go, be alert and watch for bears who frequent the hatchery site looking for a free meal.


Adult salmon trying to return to the tanks where they began their lives.



The lake (filled with salmon - see the ruffling on the water surface?) at Robertson Creek Fish Hatchery, BC.


Fish tanks at Robertson Creek Fish Hatchery. When we were there, we saw a young river otter sneaking in around the tanks looking for a tasty morsel.

©2009JoSmith

Make Sure You Vist the Hot Springs Near Tofino at Least Once in Your Life.

This past September when we took a two week trip to British Columbia, one of the most memorable parts of our trip was the three days we spent in Tofino. I've never been to a more beautiful spot in my entire life.

I'll write about Tofino in my next blog, however I wanted to tell a bit about the surrounding beauty that is to be found within a short boat, plane or car ride away.

One morning we got up early, packed our sunscreen, water, lunch, windbreakers, sunglasses, bathing suits, towels and of course, camera and headed to the docks in Tofino to catch the boat Louis had booked tickets on the day before.
We were going on a whale watching and hot springs tour!

We traveled by boat over the swells of the ocean dipping in here and there into quiet coves in search of the Gray Whales. We saw many.

In the picture to the right you can barely see the blow of a Gray Whale surfacing.

Their majestic beauty was awe inspiring and I felt sorry for these gorgeous gentle creatures of the oceans who's numbers are dwindling each year.











We then continued on to our destination...Hot Springs Campground. Hot Springs Campground is on the mainland of Pacific Rim National Park and can only be reached by boat or by plane. Once you dock, you have a 40 minute hike ahead of you through beautiful rain forest.

We saw many ancient trees on your hike and a friendly marten seemed to want us to stop and chat, so we did.

He followed us for quite awhile and seemed to want to ask us a question.
Perhaps it was "Hey you! Do you have anything tasty in your knapsack for me?"

Louis gave him some of his french loaf but this marten seemed to be more carnivorous in nature and wanted something more substantial.

















Once we neared the hot springs, we crossed over a lovely steaming hot stream coming down the mountain side and knew we were near to our destination.

                                               








Louis has much tougher skin than I and he was the first to jump right in and take a shower in the VERY hot water that streamed over the sides of the cliff.

I timidly entered the hot pools and found a cosy spot in one of the rock crevices where the cool water coming in from the ocean moderated the hotness of the hot spring water to make it tolerable for me.

















We ate our lunch on some rocky cliffs that looked out over the ocean and then hiked back to our waiting boat. Some of our boat mates chose to fly back to Tofino via Tofino Air, the local float plane company.

I hope everyone gets to experience the natural hot springs near Tofino at least once in their life. They're  absolutely heavenly.

©2009JoSmith

Hiking the McDougall Rim in Westbank, BC.

             This past September when we visited my sons in Kelowna and Westbank, we hiked up the McDougall Rim trail where much of the forest fires had raged in late summer.

                                                                                                                                                                            The trails are very rocky and dry and one could see how easily fire could have started in the tinder dry forests of the mountainsides.




                                                                                                                                            The trail traverses over the McDougall Rim of the mountains surrounding the Okanagan Valley. In the picture above, my son Iain is standing on a cliff that looks out over the valley.


                                  The view from the top is incredible with the beautiful blue Lake Okanagan stretching out below and the new floating bridge which joins Westbank to Kelowna seems small in the distance.

                                                                                                                                                                                          The incredible beauty of Kelowna is very evident from the top of the trail with a sandy ribbon of beach following the coast of the city.

Remnants of the fire are clearly evident on one side of the trail where all that's left of the forest are blackened stumps rising from the dusty soil and rock.

                                      We had a beautiful afternoon hiking and I'm looking forward to hiking the trail again next year.

©2009JoSmith

Hardy Falls, British Columbia - Hiking Next to the Brook to See the Kokanee Spawning.

In September of this year, we visited my sons in Kelowna and Westbank, British Columbia. Every morning during our stay, we would plan an outing to some beautiful and wildish place unique to the Okanagan Valley.

One such trip was an enchanting hike along a rocky path at Hardy Falls Park. My son, Iain, is in the picture above.

We just happened to be visiting a the right time to see the brilliant orange Kokanee salmon swimming upstream to spawn. Like glittering jewels in the gurgling waters, the salmon held their spots in the tiny pools of  Deep Creek long enough to spawn and fulfill their life's purpose.

We stopped numerous times along the path to watch in amazement these beautiful creatures who still followed the same paths their ancestors had followed thousands of years ago.
One can't help but be in awe of all of nature's glory at times like this, especially when you've never seen salmon spawning before.

Hardy Falls Park is at the south end of Peachland just off of Hardy Road. The hike to the falls takes about 10 minutes (depending how often you stop to gaze into the creek at the beautiful Kokanee).

This is a hike with my sons that I will always remember and I'm looking forward to visiting it again next year!

If you want to see the salmon spawning, be sure to time your visit for September/October. The weather is still beautiful and warm in the Okanagan that time of year and is perfect for getting out and enjoying the beautiful natural beauty of British Columbia.

For more beautiful pictures of Hardy Falls Park visit this link.

©2009JoSmith