Revisiting the "Marianas Mars" CF-LYJ Crashsite

Some time ago we visited the crash site of the "Marianas Mars" CF-LYJ water bomber near Moriarty Mountain on Vancouver Island.  The "Marianas Mars" was one of four water bombers in service in the Vancouver Island region, each charged with putting out forest fires for Macmillan Bloedel.  We had looked briefly at the site during a ride to Youbou in 2015, but time was short on this earlier ride and we left the site quickly without really giving it the time it deserved.  Click here for details of that ride.

More recently, Dan F., one of our readers, fellow rider and associate of the local Nanaimo Historical Society, contacted us and invited us to a presentation by a past Mac Blo Administrator who has first hand knowledge of the crash and who was present during the extraction of wreckage during the aftermath of this tragedy.

His presentation was excellent.  He included historical details of the four Mars bombers, and covered details of two major fires in our local area, one being the large fire on Mt. Moriarty where the Marianas came down.  The plane had been in military service until 1956 and was eventually sold in 1959 and converted into a forest fire fighting aircraft (CF-LYJ) by Macmillan Bloedel.  The plane crashed on June 23rd, 1961.  It's believed that the water drop mechanism failed and the aircraft was unable to achieve the altitude necessary to clear the mountain.  All four crew members on board perished.  (Wikipedia reference).

This was a perfect ride to open the season and a great reason to begin posting blog entries once again. Paul and I decided to revisit the site and spend a little more time looking around.  Let's get a look at the track for this ride.  Here's an overview using Google Earth to fly over the route: (After you hit play, you'll see this better at full screen settings.  Takes a few seconds for the view to settle down).

Here's the track viewed with Garmin Navigator (at 1000x speed):

1.  We entered the logging roads from our usual Doumont/Biggs Rd. side.  Neither of us have been through here for a while since Timberlands began their most recent war against riders entering the region.  We were pretty interested in seeing how impregnable the "tank traps" area is to date.   

2.  Whaddaya know, you can get through!  That's right, it needs patching up again guys!  Get your finger out!  ;)  Quadders and bikers have bridged the newly dug traps and a route goes through to a location very close to the old "tank traps" exit.  (I've been asked in the past not to reveal news of entrances into the area, but quite honestly there's no secret here.  We're all using these common routes and the logging company is well aware when these major routes become compromised again.  In fact, they must expect it to happen pretty much on schedule.  It's nothing new:  They patch it...  We get through... They patch it...  etc).

3.  Turned N.W. onto Branch 142

4.  Turned left traveling  S.W. on 155 Main

5.  Turned left onto 155N.  This logging road entrance was recently gated.  Access is possible by bike and likely by quad, although it's tight.  You won't get a truck in there.

There are some pretty good views of the Strait of Georgia looking N.E. from high points of the road on 155N as it curves its way up towards the crash site.

 
 We hit snow as we got a little higher towards the crash site.  We were able to ride through it and managed to get right up next to the coordinates.

 
6.  The crash site at  N49° 10.996' W124° 22.996'.  It's pretty easy to find.  Park your bike on the logging road near the coords, and walk into the bush on the right side (A).

 
You can make out a clearing from the road where trees are thinned over an old logging road that runs at 90° to the road where you park.

You continue along this old remnant of a road for a couple of hundred yards and then enter the trees on the right side (B).  Look for trees marked in blue paint.

 
 Most are numbered and some appear to have the word  "OUT" painted above a number.  We were speculating on whether this number referred to a piece of wreckage or perhaps even human remains.  Numbers appear to reach into the twenties.  There are quite a few blue markers sprayed near the coords given above, although they continue as you proceed towards the N.W.

We stumbled upon an empty bear den half way along our short hike.  Not the sort of thing you want to get too close to during the spring, but it appeared to be safely abandoned some time ago.

(Er.... no, didn't happen).

Eventually you reach a steep downward slope where there is old fire damage visible in the remaining stumps and roots.  Pretty clear evidence of a fiery crash site is visible here (C).  We both looked carefully for any sign of wreckage all through the track shown above, but found no metal at all.  We looked in a few areas which appeared to be compressed from impact using a metal detecting probe, but found nothing metallic at all.

 
 At location C we separated and Paul traveled down the slope in the hope of finding fragments that might have made it to the bottom, (at the fire site).  Great idea, but unfortunately he didn't find anything there either.  Kudos to the MacBlo cleanup crew!  You guys removed every trace!  It's a heavily treed area and it very likely gets deep annual coverage of needles, covering any small traces they might have been left.  It's an interesting site to investigate nontheless; if you look carefully, the direction of travel can be seen by following broken stumps and old fractured and fallen trees from the fire location towards the blue marked trees at the coordinates.

 7.  We retraced our route and continued on towards Cottle Lake to see if the route was still blocked by gate.  The gate was locked.

8.  We looked at alternative ways of getting back through the tank traps, but had no luck.  The route we followed, which we have referred to earlier as the "tank traps alternative route," ended at a dead end with no clearly visible path through.  We then returned the same way we had entered the area.

9.  ESB poured like rain at the Black Bear Pub!

Here's a quick look at the elevations on this route:

You can get a better look if you click on these pics.

The movie feature.  Go get some popcorn:

Excellent ride!  Big thanks to Dan for inviting us out to hear that presentation.


Track for this ride is available here, at wikiloc.com


*UPDATE: May 22nd, 2017*

YouTuber "Cars show Island" send us a link to the YouTube video "Marianas Mars The Dean Fire 1960 British Columbia" which shows excellent footage of the Marianas Mars in action over the Nicola Valley.  He tells me it's the only known footage of this Mars water bomber.

Go give him a "like" if you get a minute:

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As a side note, the Aviation Safety Network website list this crash location with a lower level of accuracy.  (Possibly they desired it to be this way, but more likely they just found Moriarty Mountain on a map and pinned it).  Their listed location is 7km out, so don't go there!  ;) 

Lantzville Loop II

Old man winter is getting closer, the sun is getting lower, and, worst of all, my insurance runs out in early December, so today Mother Nature provided us with a respite between systems and me with a bonus ride, albeit a short one.  Andy was locked inside in a self-induced purgatorial work-binge and Ryan had no oil in the KTM's sightglass,  Ouch.  So it was a lone ride today.  I like solo rides, and thought I'd stay local (Lantzville Foothills to Nanoose) and look for some new trails.  Found some good'uns!

Sundew Main: having a slash when I see three dirt bikes heading north-east, way below.  They take a curious trail that I've never seen before.  The elevation lets my eye follow them, and I listen to the throttle blips.  It sounds good. I follow.

Their tracks and lead to this gate, after passing several looking juicy looking trail junctions on the way.  Curious as to where I am, I get the trusty iPhone out.  Sywash Ridge Road it tells me.  Never heard of it.  But handy if you need another route into the foothills/Sundew main...Below, the gap is adequate...

Backtracking from the gate for 80 metres or so, and taking a partially hidden single track path to the right you hit some hydro-lines.  I turned left (north-east) and came out to Lorenzen Lane in Lantzville (I know, never heard of it either, but it's off Superior Road).  Could've gone right, but it had a more "civilized , dog walking look" , so I decided to leave that for another day.

Turning back, and taking some alternative routes into the woods on the west side of the hydrolines, you get into some great trails with some very tasty side routes...This is FAR steeper than it looks from the wide-angle elevation-flattening iPhone cam....

And another.

Above...Ingrid peeks over the ravine trail...You can see the memorial off to the right. Below, Ingrid-eye view from the top down.  There's a slight right hand descending trail across a creek and up the other side.  It's a great ride (vid at end of this drivel).  

There's a little footbridge across the creek.

Footbridge with trail down from the memorial

Above: Overview of the route; Below: Close up of the Lorenzen Lane and Sywash Ridge Road access routes

GPX File Here...

Side note.  I have to mention the memorial for a young man that I came across.  It's a moving tribute to newly married man (August, 2011) called Garrett Paquette who passed away 6 months after his marriage, on November 11th, 2011.  He left a grieving wife and an obviously loving family.  If you take this route, you will see the moving memorial to Garrett.  The memorial was erected for two reasons: one to remember Mr. Paquette, and to "safeguard others not to fall into the ravine below". The ravine is the one I rode down, pictured above.

The fenced entrance, maple tree, and bench serve not only as a tribute to Garret Paquette, but it was also designed to shepherd others across the ravine safely.  You can see that without it, it might be tempting ride straight on towards the gently rising and curving trail on the other side of the ravine.  This is what Garett did.  It cost him his life.  

Be safe out there.  Ride on the right, and slow down.  See you next season.

Foothills to Bonnell Main - Alternative

(Click to Enlarge)

GPX File HERE

1 Second yellow gate on right on Weigles/Dumount Road.  Easy ride around.
2 Steepish gulch, winds through trees.  Could be muddy in wet weather.  Surface is sandy duff. Ends in potentially boggy area.  Little technical, but fun.
3 Right goes to Vipond, left to some interesting trails and new access to the Bonnell Main logging road.
4 Right goes to the more traveled Foothills trails and eventually to Phantom or, if you wish, to (6) the open red gate to the Sundew Main logging roads.
5 View point spur.  Steep decline onto a vista where you can see the red gate across the valley.  Scenic. Fun to ride.
6 The popular route into the Sundew Main Logging roads.
7 Steep incline on your right.
8 Overgown lake, now a reedy bog.  Scenic, especially if you climb up the outcrop where you will see the NW Bay logging area on the other side of a small fringe of trees.
9 Descends into a single track alder trail, which may continue into the promised land...or not.
10 Access to Bonnell Main via an easy burm and small sandy single track trail through a small fringe of trees left by the logging company.
11 Bonnell Main (Goose Corner if you look at the associated photograph on GE).  From here NW Bay is your oyster.
12 Viewpoint over Nanoose Bay, Maude Island etc.  Nice small BBQ too!
13 Steep but fun ride up the "loop".
14 Red dirt descent.  Again "fun".
15 Active quarry operation.  Keep out.  Let's not vandalize here and get our access blocked please...
16 Vipond Road Gate.  Locked.  No easy work around.  A small ramp would work as the gate is low.  But why?  Head back past 15 and continue north to Phantom or Harwood Roads.
17 Rewarding connector back to gulch.  Try this on your pegs, weight forward, clutching and at jogging speed in the dry.  In the wet, make sure you have a trials tire on the back.

All in all this was a great ride!  A few B level technical trails, but nothing to stop a dirt bike and average rider.  Mostly, just great fun and as fast as you like.  Watch for other riders, keep right and stop to look at the views.

Time Lapse Video is here...see more recent post...Explanation for late arrival in detail!  (Couldn't get rid of the art below...too funny).

Paul.

"Tank Traps" Dug Up Again

Recent activity by TimberWest has sprung up at the Doumont Rd entrance to the logging roads once again, creating yet another challenge for local recreational riders wanting to enjoy the local lakes and surrounding areas.  The popular entry point of the tank traps was dug up and blocked some weeks ago and local riders managed to successfully blast their way through it.  TimberWest has responded with yet another attempt at blocking this regularly used entrance.  :

Earth mounds placed at the exit point where the last ditch was (Facing towards logging road)

Deep trench replaces last attempt of rock line (Facing logging road)

Deep trench replaces rock line (Facing away from logging road)

New mound at side entrance

Trench

 I'm afraid it's not going to work TimberWest!  Maybe something more like this is needed. 

Doumont Rd. to Moriarty Lake and Nanaimo River Rd.

FINALLY, we did it!  We managed to punch through to Moriarty Lake and Nanaimo River Road from the north.  We tried this a few weeks ago when there was still snow up in the nose bleed region, (1015m).  This time, the ridge we were climbing to the east of Mount Moriarty was clear all the way, (sweltering hot actually), and we were able to ride right over the top at 1090m (3576ft).

Here's the route in brief:

 

1.  Started at Doumont Rd. entrance to logging roads
2.  Turned right at the intersection NW of Boomerang Lk. onto Branch 142
3.  Left onto 155 main
4.  Turned left off of 155 towards mountain ridge NE of Moriarty Mountain onto 155N
5.  Passed "snow" waypoint
6.  Turned right onto key trail linking the northern logging roads to the southern roads (thanks Google E).  There's a nasty downhill section full of young alders shortly after this location. 
7.  Right turn to Moriarty Lake
8.  Lunch at the lake shore
9.  Descent towards Nanaimo River Rd. on Branch G
10.  Nearly went to 4th Lake... oops.  (I've been staring at this route for too long).
11.  NO GUARD at the gate on Nanaimo River Rd.  Their schedule is extremely odd!
12.  Turned left to follow the lower Blackjack Ridge route back to Doumont
13.  Doumont Rd.

Plenty of dust out there today.  The logging trucks were working and we had a few of them blast past us doing 9 869 862 km/h, leaving us confused and dazed in a cloud of thick dust.  The bikes were kicking up plenty too, measurable by the layers of dirt up my sinuses.

The ride up the ridge, (a left off of 155 Main), was noticeably different from the last time we came this way:  The dryer weather and some wear from quads and bikes have loosened dirt and rocks making the road surface quite a bit looser than we both remembered it.  It was pretty easy going, only the wheel had a tendency to spin out more times than last.  It's a great climb up there...  I love how Moriarty Mountain opens up on your right as you get higher.  The weather was so good today; it would have been a good day to bring my decent camera.  Hindsight is 20/20...  I was stuck with only my GPS pics again.

We reached the end of the road as planned and explored the "brownish key trail" we have both been spying on Google Earth, (item 6 above).  Part of me thought this was going to be a complete waste of time and I thought we were in for a line of dead branches and stumps that only appeared to be a trail from satellite.  I was delightfully surprised!

A big log marks the entrance on the right, which starts about 120 yds before the end of the road.  This short joiner trail is about 100 yds long.

It was a good quad/bike trail and had obviously been carved into place by riders who were doing exactly what we were doing;  looking for a route to the lakes and Nanaimo River Road.  i.e. Getting access to the Nanaimo Lakes area even when the logging gates are closed.  (Of course, this is completely legitimate, otherwise there would be signs posted to prevent it).

We made it through with little trouble.  Occasional ditches have been strategically placed to make access more difficult than a straight trail, but these ditches are more of a mild nuisance than a trail stopper.  We continued downward through a series of these ditches, perhaps four or five.

After descending a fair way we reached a "T."  From here you can turn right to Moriarty or left to Nanaimo River Road and Fourth Lake.  Time was an issue today and we decided on saving the " check Fourth Lake gate" ride for another time.  (Note, Aug 31/12:  We've discovered there is no gate.  Hahaha). We began to climb once more and than started to descend towards Moriarty Lake.  There are terrific views of Moriarty Lake and a couple of other no-name lakes as you crest the round road leading to the lake.  We stopped at a large "tank trap" at the end of the road and decided to walk the remaining 170yd four iron shot to the lake.  Ahhhh, lunchtime at the lake.

Moriarty's Lake Shore

We rode the circle road once again and arrived back at the "T" intersection.  Continuing straight we rode a steady and quite lengthy descent down to Nanaimo River Road.  From here we continued along the less-than-exciting N. R. Rd. back towards more familiar logging roads and zipped straight through the unguarded open gate.  This annoys me!  They stopped us a week ago when we attempted to ride through here and turned us back with fully loaded bikes, forcing us to ride the #1 highway down to Cowichan Lake.  Today, they decide that it's okay to leave the open gate unattended.  Who's writing their rule book?

A quick left turn took us back onto more familiar roads.  We rode the lower Blackjack Ridge road back past Boomerang Lake and followed the tank traps back to Doumont.

What an outstanding ride today!  Finally, we conquered Moriarty Lake and we found a way through to Nanaimo River Road and beyond.  :)  It might be a bit of a struggle going the other way, although it looks quite do-able.  We'll see. 

Quad riders:  We need you guys to ride between location 6 and 7 to help stop those alders coming through the road!  :)