Ian Cook's Blog

The Mojave Desert

ianjcook — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:14:11 +0000

There is more to California than the coast and in a recent trip I was smitten by the Mojave Desert. Sparseness is a suitable adjective for the desert so I will be sparse with my words here. Who would have thought, though, that a landscape essentially made up of various brown hues could elicit such strong emotions?

The West Coast

ianjcook — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:05:52 +0000

It’s easy. No need to plan ahead or buy a ticket; just hop in the car and go. Take some Jack Kerouac to read with you if you like. And it only gets warmer as you work your way south. About half way through Oregon, at the ambitiously-named small town of Lincoln City, is probably the best place to slow down and hit the coast. From here south is a slow, winding route with stunning vistas that you wouldn’t want to rush past. And then you wind up in Southern California. The more time I spend in California the more I like it. No wonder so many contributions to the arts have come from there — music movies, TV, photography — and so many people have been inspired by it.

Paris

ianjcook — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:27:59 +0000

I think it’s safe to say that Paris is the classiest city in the world. While the museums and galleries are well worth seeing, even more appealing to me is just walking the streets. I mean, modern Paris life takes place inside a magnificent museum. And then there’s the café culture. Museums are best left for the off season when things aren’t so crowded, I think, and in summer just walk and walk with regular rests in cafés of course.

Granville Street

ianjcook — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 05:27:23 +0000

I went downtown the other night and saw a new Granville Street that tried to imitate the old one and forget about the one in between. Until the early 1970s, Granville Street downtown was known as the entertainment district or theatre row and was famous for its neon lights. Then the city, in its wisdom, deemed neon lights tacky and had most of them removed. It also made Granville Street into a “pedestrian mall” — I believe the only pedestrian mall in the world where you could jet a jay walking ticket because buses and taxis still travelled the street. At the same time as all this, Gastown was gentrified and its residents displaced. Guess where they went. Well, Granville Street is returning to its former glory, and the city has grown up enough to realize that the people don’t just disappear when removed from their neighbourhoods. Bring in the old.

Tent Island

ianjcook — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:11:24 +0000

There is a small island in the Gulf Island chain of British Columbia that seems to be off the radar of, well, just about everyone. I’m hesitant to give its exact whereabouts but it is, after all, on the charts so I’m not giving away any secrets.

Tent Island is off the southwest corner of Kuper Island and has no apparent official status. It is just there, as all land once was. As far as I know, it is not a park so does not come with lists of rules nor with uniformed officials to enforce these rules. It does, however, have trails among magnificent arbutus forests that also include gargantuan Douglas firs and western red cedars.

There is a small bay, not particularly sheltered but suitable as an anchorage in settled weather. Of course, a kayak could be used to approach the island and there are a number of suitable campsites. Don’t tell anyone though.

San Francisco

ianjcook — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 01:05:57 +0000

I spent a couple of days in San Francisco recently and it is still one of my favourite cities. On a clear day, which it always seems to be when I’m there, the crisp light and unbelievably blue sky seem unique to this place and that’s what struck me when I emerged from the BART (subway) at Union Square. This sky and the classic architecture were at the top of the escalator. San Francisco’s streets are alive and it has the best counter-culture bookstore in the world – City Lights Books. The city’s nod to the importance of the arts in its history is evident in the renaming of some streets after writers who have at least a connection to San Francisco. I never tire of this city and I’ve still only touched the surface of it.

Baja California

ianjcook — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 18:40:11 +0000

Verdant desert – does that seem like a contradiction of terms? Well that’s the best way I can think of to describe the mountainous terrain of Baja California. A mist makes its way across the peninsula from the Pacific and, while never turning to rain, leaves enough moisture to blanket the desert with a hint of green. Of course there are the remote beaches and idyllic offshore islands of the Sea of Cortez, and not too far away, the wild Pacific coast to complete the picture. Throughout Baja California there is a sense of remoteness and absence of habitation, interspersed with the occasional 300-year-old mission. It is a magical place with which you can easily become smitten.

Early Snow

ianjcook — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 02:11:43 +0000

A couple of weekends ago we had an early dusting of snow. In Stanley Park (arguably the most magnificent urban park in the world but I’ve mentioned that before) there was an odd combination of a few still green leaves, many fallen autumn leaves, and snow. I walked by Beaver Lake then down Beaver Creek to the seawall where evening light was beginning to fall on the North Shore Mountains.

A Walk in the Snow

ianjcook — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 08:30:09 +0000

I’m not a fan of winter but as I sit aboard my boat with the flicker of the oil-fired heater in the corner of my eye, I’m reminded of two winters ago when Vancouver had a bigger than normal snowfall and I went for a long walk with cameras in hand. I walked along the Coal Harbour seawall to Gastown, had lunch at the Chill Winston Pub, then walked home again along Hastings then Robson Streets. I thoroughly enjoyed my day. The city looked and behaved so differently. It was quiet, not only because snow quite effectively muffles noise, but because Vancouver drivers are not used to snow and it was a Sunday, people stayed off the road. There weren’t many cars. It looks like there won’t be an escape to the tropics this winter but I think I’m ready to embrace it.

Gulf Islands Cruise

ianjcook — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 19:09:45 +0000

I finally got the boat up to snuff in early August and we went for a cruise in the Gulf Islands and a bit of Vancouver Island. We revisited some old stomping grounds, and Tod Inlet is still one of my favourite spots on the planet.