Sunshine Coast Adventure - Part 2

When we left Gibsons on Sunday afternoon, we drove directly to our "Inn" to check in. To be honest, we weren't impressed because the two-bedroom "suite" with kitchenette we'd booked had no microwave or kettle and the teapot was grungy! There was less than half a roll of toilet paper in the bathroom (which I must say was spotless) but only one tiny bottle of Pantene (you know the kind that has shampoo & conditioner in one). *sigh* But, we checked out the beds and they were great albeit with only one thin blanket so I pumped up the thermostat to warm the room. The view from our balcony was lovely, though, and we decided we'd make do.

We then decided to head up towards Porpoise Bay, an area inland from the coast. It was a nice drive and we pulled into the Porpoise Bay Provincial Park to check it out. I walked through the picnic area that was full of tables including some covered areas and headed out to the beach. What a marvelous view! I can imagine it in the summer full of families having a grand time. Be sure to click on all the photos to enlarge them.

Back in Sechelt, we drove to the beach downtown. We walked along the pier there (photo at left) and I spied a massive contraption out in the water with what looked like pipes going to the mainland and disappearing under the road. It then reappeared up the side of the mountains. Upon inquiries and research on the net since coming home, I discovered the following information about LeHigh's connection to the current Oakland Bay Bridge project in San Francisco.

It has been almost three years since Lehigh Pacific's Construction Aggregates Ltd.- Sechelt operation started supplying quality aggregates to this project's supplier in California. To date, the loading facility at Sechelt has loaded 61 ocean going ships, the largest of which carry approximately 70,000 M tonnes. They are called Panamax class ships because, at up to 115 feet wide, they are the largest ship capable of navigating through the Panama Canal. Suppliers have done an excellent job of marketing the aggregate coming from Sechelt. One example of this success is the Skyway section of the multi-billion dollar San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge project. The Skyway section is a precast segmental bridge almost 2 miles (3.2 km) long, which is part of the new East Span. The Skyway section will require the highest strength concrete ever used by CalTrans. Due to the massive foundations, the concrete has to perform to tight control restrictions related to heat released during the curing of the concrete.

The sand from the Sechelt area is a hot commodity for Hawaiian golf courses, California beaches, and around the world where other building projects require this particularly special aggregate. Later on, as we were driving around, we found the entrance to LeHigh and I took this shot.

On Monday morning we awoke to brilliant sunshine and headed into town for brunch. After a hearty breakfast of pancakes looking directly out onto the sunny beach, I headed outside to take some photos. The trees were naked of their summer clothing but the sun glistened through the branches creating intricate designs. The benches lining the beach were empty of tourists, but I just thought this made for more natural and unhindered photos.

This is the beach right outside "Pebbles," the restaurant where we had brunch at the Driftwood Inn in Sechelt. I think we might stay there next time we go over. The following two photos are looking left and right just above the beach line.

We turned away from this stunning view to drive all the way to Egmont to see the Skookumchuk Narrows. That will be Part 3, so stay tuned.