Paradise Acres Ranch

It is not often that we get to horseback ride. When we do Geordie is very sporting and game, doing longer rides that he would likely normally like. Here we are at Paradise Acres Ranch on Vancouver Island near Parksville. It is a lovely property with a variety of trails: road, forest, cut block etc....  It is hard to take pictures on horseback.  Geordie rode an arabian/ quarter horse cross that was supposed to be a smaller horse but turned out quite freakishly large and pretty.

The views were stunning that day. Clear and crisp mountains from the island interior.  This is the view from the ranch itself looking East.

I like to thank my ride by giving them a brush down after. It is a nice bonding experience and I think they appreciate it.  This was really fun as we got the hose out for a bath.  The horses were sweaty as it was a warm day so it was bath time for ponies.  Horses sweat like humans do. 

Sun Running

Before May is too far gone here is some photos of the annual Vancouver Sun Run.  The route goes right by our apartment. We set up a timelapse camera which unfortunately crapped out just as the main body was coming through.  We were biking that day and had to do a kind of convuluted route so as not to cross the race route.

This was taken on a pedestrian bridge somewhere in the Fairview Area. People also were dressed up in various costumes.  We saw a cookie man and superman.  Many kudos to those who ran or walked. I haven't done serious running in a while and admire the people who do so.  Geordie and I also saw the front runners. We don't have a picture but they were made out of tendon and sinew and little else.

Outside the Horne Lake Caves

I already did a post about the inside of Horne like Cave. Here is the outside.  For all the forest you would not expect there to be limestone, karst formations below.  Well maybe if you were a geologist you would. The area looks like unassuming hilly Vancouver Island forest.

 

Every once in a while you get these formations. This is a cave entrance with a small opening than a shaft that is vertical but climbable. It lead into a small chamber than through a narrow low overhang to another vertical drop and to a 2nd chamber.  There is another exit but I was too short to reach it.

More rock formations with Geordie for scale.  The whole hiking route without doing the caves takes maybe 45 minutes and there is some information about the area posted.  Better for those who are interested but aren't into caving or spelunking.

Horne Lake Caves

Geordie and I finally made it to the Horne Lake Caves.  Preserving any cave formations has kind of gone by the way side here.  Wearing grubby clothing and helmets with lights Geordie went into the pitch black caves.  In one cave, the spring run off was flowing fast so we had to wade throw the water coming out of the cave in a fairly fast flow.

With some mild spelunking and squishy bits we get further in to the passage where water is flowing out.  You can see the pearly mineral deposits.  The passage narrows to nothing that a human could pass throw.  The water takes some weeks to perculate throw the limestone.

I got squicked out by the huge daddy long leg cave spiders that appear not only singly but in clumps.  That is what those things are.  And they moooooove when light is shined on them.