Overlooked Photos of 2020 #2: Kona Sunset

Photo taken in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii — February 24, 2020

How’s this for improbable: Through dumb luck we took a two-week trip to Hawaii in late February 2020 with our friends Wayne and Kathy. COVID-19 was a far-off rumour then, with few cases reported in North America and a widespread feeling the issue would pass shortly. We all know how that came out.

Once home we were quickly plunged into lockdown and I somehow neglected to post a single photo from our Hawaii trip. But some should be shared.

This one is (duh) a sunset near Kailua-Kona in the first of three places we stayed. The Kona side of the Big Island is amazing for sunsets and we took full advantage, gathering each evening at the “adult pool” to watch the sun go down and drink a beer or two in the hot tub. The sunsets were surreal, filling the sky with warm light and colour. Like this.

* Why I didn’t post it: As I noted above, the early days of the pandemic distracted me from posting. I was also mourning my late camera, which met an untimely end during the Hawaii trip (more on that in a future post). And really, who the hell wanted to see pictures of amazing sunsets from some jackass who was lucky enough to go to Hawaii just before lockdown? The timing just didn’t seem right. And maybe it isn’t now, I don’t know. But here it is.

* I took a lot of photos in 2020, more than in any previous year. Some I shared, but looking back I’ve found many I didn’t. Maybe I thought they weren’t good enough, maybe I had something else to post or maybe…I just plain forgot. As the year winds down I’m rectifying those oversights and posting some photos I overlooked earlier in 2020.

Kootenay Road Trip 2020 Scenes: Canoeing on the Columbia River

Did we save the best for last? Quite possibly.

Our Kootenay road trip was quickly coming to an end and we wanted to get our canoe in the water at least one more time. We had driven around with it on top of the truck for four weeks, been stopped innumerable times for mandatory watercraft inspections (OK, probably six or seven) and it seemed a shame not to get back in the water.

We read the Columbia River was popular for canoeing, but the problem we kept running into was how we’d get the canoe back to the truck after paddling four hours down the river. Could we take a taxi? Hitchhike? Try paddling back upstream? Teleport?

Columbia River Paddle (@columbiariverpaddle) in Invermere to the rescue. They offered not only canoe rentals but also a shuttle service. We could park at their office, launch our canoe, paddle down the river to Radium and catch a ride back to Invermere with them…all for a reasonable price.

So that’s what we did. On a gloriously sunny Saturday morning we took to the river and paddled for the next four hours. And it was amazing. The water was calm with a gentle current to propel us downstream. There were lots of sandy places to land the canoe for a stretch or a snack. And there were birds in the wetlands and on the river banks. The word “idyllic” came to mind more than once.

It ended far too soon. Our backs and butts hurt a little (despite the pretty cushions Diana made for our canoe seats) but we ended the trip elated and ready for more. The shuttle ride back with Columbia River Paddle was smooth and enhanced by our driver’s jovial (though masked) banter.

It was as near to a perfect day as you can get. The cloudless blue skies and bright sunlight you see in the photos are definitely not what I usually wish for as a photographer, but as a person simply experiencing a beautiful afternoon it was wonderful. Even now I want to go back and do it again.

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Kootenay Road Trip 2020 Scenes: Hiking Near Radium Hot Springs

You don’t have to go far into Kootenay National Park to find yourself surrounded by the beauty of mountains, forests and streams. The park has several trails surrounding its south entrance and at least one of them is easily accessible from the Redstreak Campground we stayed in.

Naturally, we hiked pretty much all of them. One — the Redstreak Campground Trail — was pure pleasure: a 2.5-kilometre walk from our campground to the hot springs that give Radium Hot Springs its name. The hot springs re-opened a couple of weeks before we visited and was operating in a tightly controlled way to avoid pandemic problems. We went on a Monday when we figured traffic would be light. It was, and we enjoyed floating in the warm water until we started to get lightheaded. That’s always a good time to call it a day…especially when you need to walk another 2.5 kilometres back to your campsite.

On the other side of the highway is the Juniper Trail, a three-kilometre jaunt up one side of a mountain and down the other. The tourist guide describes it as “moderately difficult” — likely because of all the climbing, as it’s certainly not technical. The reward upon reaching the other end is Sinclair Creek, which is nice to eat a granola bar beside before strapping on the crampons and retracing your steps up and down the mountain. (Some people only go one way on the trail, walking back beside the highway. Not for us.)

The only downside to the trails is that they parallel the highway and you can hear traffic almost all the time. There is an exception: The Place of Silence Peace Park on the Redstreak Campground Trail. It’s just a small spot in the woods marked by a sign, but the air there is deeply silent; all sound seems eaten by the loamy ground and rocks.

All photos here are from the Juniper Trail hike. They show some of the foliage, two shots of Sinclair Creek, a view of the trail and the view from up high looking down on the highway.

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