Auuuuugh... My Bloody Hip!

Great ride today!  I feel like we fooled the weather completely; not a drop of rain for the entire ride.  With that said, there was enough rain sitting in pools and around wet logs to get me flying off my bike.

Here's the route today:

Click Me to Big Me!

We left from Metral Starbucks today and entered the logging roads from the usual direction: We decided to risk going through the tank traps again, boggy pools and all.  Paul wanted to show me an alternate route to Nanaimo Lakes Rd. via the logging trail that leads to the Boomerang "boatramp."  We turned right at the Boomerang Lake Y junction and headed through some really great twisty logging roads, (pink on the map).  That is, without doubt, one of the better local trails in that neck of the woods.  We ended up joining onto Nanaimo Lakes Road at an open gate very near to the main First Lake entrance.  It's a far better ride than my earlier "Behind Benson" route.  We both had our rods with us and we decided to head towards Second Lake where I had seen some pretty busy swirling fish action a week ago.

Second Lake was alive with rising fish again today.  We both clambered down a steep embankment just past the Second Lake Bridge and fished there for about half an hour.  It was frustrating as hell watching masses of bloody fish swirl on the surface while casting into them with every lure in the tackle box.  We both left with nothing but tired legs from climbing the embankment.

First Lake looking right from the fishing spot

Looking left from fishing spot

 We clambered back onto our bikes and flew off down the half gravel logging road to Fourth Lake, (which we nearly missed because some clown has knocked over the sign).  We fished to the right of last weekend's spot.

A normal photo of Paul fishing at Fourth Lake.  He was practicing his highly unusual, (and slightly anti-social), "Gandalf cast" this afternoon, but I wasn't lucky enough to capture it on camera.  Look at those two rising trout to the left.  Trust him to be looking the other way.

Fourth Lake

I caught two monsters in there!  I assure you they would have appeared as monsters to any passing mosquito larvae.  I chucked 'em back in.  Paul claims to have caught a 13" trout of over two pounds, although I never did actually see it.  The only evidence of the catch was his constant flitting around on a nearby rock with a cheap wooden handled knife.  Should you visit his blog I suggest both comparing his new trout shot with earlier posted photographs in addition to heedful checks for flakey Photoshopping technique.

We returned to Weigles Road the same way we had come.  The ride back was equally as good as the ride out to the lakes until we hit the Tank Traps.  I'm well aware that motorbike tires have no traction when riding over wet logs when approached at an angle... did that stop me?  No, I made a stupid error and cleared one of the wet traps only to glance off a small wet log at about 45° as I reached the top.  I dumped it, bending my brake lever and bruising my right hip.  That %^@#& hurt!!  I beeped my horn to get Paul's attention and luckily he heard me and did an about face, leaving his bike between mud holes while carefully placing his helmet where it would roll into one of the muddy pools.  No big damage, except for a lever, a bent mirror, and my damaged dignity... I can live with that.

(Photo courtesy of Paul). The Helmet.  Nothing will ever prevent Paul from being a bit wet behind the ears.  Unfortunately there is no shot of the downed bike.  I wasn't in the mood for photographs, so kudos to Paul for at least taking a snap of his own misfortune.

 Altogether it was a really good ride.  That twisty logging road will be great fun in the summer!

Oh, I nearly forgot...  Here's another cheesy 3D anaglyph image.  (You'll need red/cyan glasses):

View Full Size.  3D view (Made from GoogleEarth images) of the area surrounding Fourth Lake

Fourth Lake Dam

Wooohoo, there's a window appearing in the local weather.  It looks like a rain free day... perfect for a quick ride out to the Nanaimo Lakes area.  Nanaimo has a series of lakes that run west from the south end of the city.  The area is owned by a large logging company who open their gates on weekends for campers to travel the logging roads into campsites on the lakes.  I was heading for Fourth Lake today, the last of the Nanaimo Lakes, to try some fishing off the dam if possible.

The route (Click to enlarge)

I picked the route heading south behind Mount Benson to keep it interesting rather than heading through the city.  I entered the logging roads through Weigles Road and headed through the worsening gummy tank traps.  (I got my bike stuck in a pool of sludge going through there today).  I followed the route I had taken on an earlier ride with Paul, past Boomerang Lake and down to the locked gate that exits onto Nanaimo Lakes Road.  The work-around is to the right of the gate and leads through a series of hills and pools that have been pretty overrun by quads that like to churn up the mud.

The "work-around" to the right of Nanaimo Lakes Road gate

The gate "work-around"

After ten minutes of navigating on foot to check if parts were passable I emerged onto Nanaimo Lakes Road and made my way on real roads to South Forks Rd.  This road takes you directly to Nanaimo River Road, the stretch of road that leads to all of the lakes.

Some miles along you reach an opened gate.  There was a gate keeper there today, as there is on most weekends, and he took my name, address, phone number and licence number.  I was instructed to check back out before five-o-clock.

First Lake is just beyond the gate.  I could see trout swirling around near shore and I wish now that I'd taken the time to stop there to fish for a while.  I wanted to move on and try fishing at Fourth Lake and still get out by five so I went on.

Second Lake

The logging roads are in great shape all the way through the lakes area.  I wouldn't take a regular car through there, but it's quite manageable for a 4x4 truck or trail bike.  After a few turns, approximately 30 minutes after passing the gate guy, I reached a Y in the road and a sign pointing left to "Fourth Lake."  The lake is only a few minutes ahead after climbing a small hill.

Left for Fourth Lake.

I turned right at the lake and drove along the length of the dam itself.  You can't fish easily off the dam, but there are many spots visible along the shore nearby.  I rode off towards the end of the Fourth Lake campsite and found a good spot on the lake shore for fishing.

The far end of the dam

Looking along the dam towards the road.  That's my fishing spot on the shore near the yellow tree furthest to the right.

Taken from the dam looking SW

Cheesy self-timer shot off the dam wall.

Further round the lake... This is the campsite area.  I fished from this spot.  That's the dam on the left.

The dam

Looking SW down the lake

I fished for about forty minutes and got many hits but I only managed to pull one in, a tiny trout that I was determined to keep.

The monster of the lake

I followed part of the same route home, but this time I opted for a trip through the city because it started to rain.  Altogether it was a really good ride and one that I'll repeat again.  Next time I think I'll stop at First Lake to do some fishing though.

That was five hours of wicked entertainment, traveling 140Km through some fantastic terrain, and the whole thing cost me $5.80 in fuel.  Not bad value since I brought a fish home too.  ;)

Road Trip to the Myra Falls Mining Operation, Central Vancouver Island

I headed up the island yesterday with Paul to Campbell River to join a group of thirteen people on a tour of a well-established Vancouver Island mine.  He rode his Suzuki DR650 since the insurance on his Kawi street bike is up and I rode my Triumph since I had one day left!  We stayed overnight in a Campbell River hotel before taking a bus the next morning to the Myra Falls Mine Operation within Strathcona Provincial Park.  This mine has been in operation since the early 1900s, first as an open pit mine and then as an underground mine that extracts ore containing zinc, copper, lead and gold.  The crushed ore is processed into liquid concentrates above ground at a location near the mine shaft and the products are then shipped to customers across the world who process the metals in these concentrates further.

(Click photos to enlarge).  We met at Nanaimo's northern Starbucks after work on Thursday and rode up to the hotel in Campbell River.  (brrrrrr)

Light purple line showing route from Nanaimo to Campbell River on the bikes, (140Km).  Dark purple line shows route from bus meeting place to the Myra Falls Mining Operation, (99Km).

Myra Falls Mine in the Mira Valley, Strathcona Provincial Park

Same angle as above... zoomed in.

Suiting up after our intro and safety orientation.  We were supplied with coveralls, hardhat, ear protection, eye protection, a battery pack and light, heavy duty metal toed boots and a personal air-cleaning device (catalytic converter to convert carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide). 

Topside still... waiting for the green light to go down the elevator shaft.

On the surface still.  The panel here is used to provide the low current needed for explosives detonation.  They refer to a "tag board" of employees on the surface before detonating to ensure that the mine is clear of all personnel. 

The elevator shaft entrance

We're off!

Heading down in the elevator

Stepping out of the elevator at 449m down, (1472ft).  You notice the sudden fall in temperature immediately.  There was a whiff of rock and minerals and the sound of running ground water.  The air was cool and moving quickly.

We began a short walk to a work area where we boarded an articulating vehicle that would take us out towards the main ore body

Riding in the vehicle.  BUMPY AS HELL!

A not-so-great night-vision shot of the shop area where vehicles are repaired and assembled.  (All vehicles and equipment are chopped on the surface and reassembled below in this area.  They transport everything down here in or below the elevator we traveled down in).  

Another bad night shot of the shop area.

Another night shot.  This, (I think), is a robotic arm used to spray concrete over mesh, (as seen in the background), to strengthen newly opened up mine surfaces.  The "robot" is a man-in-the-loop type which uses a master controlling arm.  This concrete shell is seen in many locations through the mine except in those areas where the solid rock is stable and there is no danger of falling rock.  The concrete is mixed with heavy tailings, (unwanted waste rock that contains little or no mineral content).  This concrete mix is also used to back fill spaces that are mined out.  

Another shakey night shot of a typical mine vehicle.  They're all diesel which lowers the risk of explosions.  Emissions are carried off with the return air flow so the smell of diesel fumes is noticeable pretty much everywhere you go. 

Inside a "Refuge Station."  One of numerous stations found in the mine complex.  Once inside the station the door can be sealed to prevent gases and fumes from entering the area.  There's food, water and oxygen available at these sites.  Warning signals are made using a "stench gas" which delivers a "rotten eggs" smell through the ventilation system.  (This is the same smell added to propane, an aroma free gas).  An emergency signal can reach all underground personnel quickly using this low tech system even after other systems may fail.

Well into the mine.  Here's the end of this seam.  The explosives crew has blasted, the concrete crew has put up the mesh and concrete, (which also involves drilling into the rock to install re-bar and plates).  The trucks will now remove the ore before geologists and mine foremans prepare for the next round of explosives.  

Our excellent geologist guide shows a small pneumatic drill

Approaching a T-intersection where a vehicle is transporting ore for removal from the mine.  The yellow "pipes" seen above are part of the ventilation system that carries clean air into the mine.  Air is pushed through the mine using 100 horsepower fans.  The return or "out" air line is the mine itself of course.

Geologists follow the main ore body by sampling and reading core samples.  A driller drills deeply into the rock and removes a long core sample which is carefully broken and placed into long wooden boxes while maintaining the core's original order and composition.  Carefully labelled boxes are shipped to the surface for analysis by onsite geologists.  

     

A diamond drill cutter used for drilling core samples.

Exiting the vehicle on our return to the surface

Walking back to the elevator shaft

Going up!

Back on the surface and ready for lunch.

The elevator shaft from a distance

This is the "mill" where the ore is processed.  The elevator shaft and the mill are connected by a substantial conveyor which carries ore from the mine for processing.  (The mine calls this ore "fine" meaning rock chunks less than 12cm across.  The mill calls this "course" ore.  They begin the process of pulverizing the ore into particles fine enough to be suspended in liquid). 

The end of the conveyor.  The storage hopper for course ore

Steel balls, (1 1/2 inch diameter), used in tumblers to pulverize the ore.  These balls are replaced frequently as they wear down.

A tumbler containing steel balls and ore in operation

A soup made with pulverized ore and chemicals designed to extract specific metals.  Suspended metal particles are skimmed as they overflow on the left side of this photo.  There are many of these vats in operation at the mill, some are extracting zinc, some copper and some lead.  

Large motors stir the tanks of chemicals and pulverized ore

A tall standing elevator/conveyor produces zinc "cake," another product the mine produces along with its liquid concentrates.  Buyers of this product would bake it to extract the zinc.

Gold is extracted using a large bed which essentially pans for gold on a large scale.  The bed is sloped with its low side nearer to you in this photo.  The heavier gold remains on the upper side near the operator.

The operator shows some gold nuggets

The bus dropped us all off in Campbell River and Paul and I began the ride home to Nanaimo.

WHAT A GREAT DAY!!!!