2009 - UBC viewpoint, The Last AGM?, Diamond Head, Rockies Photo Shoot

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The UBC Research Forest
Location of UBC's Malcolm Knapp Research Forest

The view of the Fraser Valley

The picnic table up at the viewpoint in the UBC Research Forest is a wonderful thing. Here Chris Cooper and Alan Lizee and I enjoy getting above the fog that blanketed the Fraser Valley for part of January. Snow has covered Maple Ridge for over six weeks. It started on about December 18 and decided to stay!

The Last AGM?
Location of the AGM 

Pipes I bought on my first visit to Istanbul.

The Red Lobsters have been having some kind of winter "Annual General Meeting" for more years than most of us can remember but it seems we are getting older.We are no longer single young men stretching our bodies and nerves on rock, snow, or ice. We are married with families and the commitments that come with them. We have also simply gotten older. Our bodies have an increasing number of complaints and it takes more effort to head out to the hills. 

Keith Akenhead's secret recipe?

Keith Akenhead

Besides the long time regulars, the "AGM" and the Red Lobster Club has had enough cache in the past to get a few new friends out for a "One Time AGM", braving the cold winter elements for the sake of being able to say, "I lived through a Red Lobster AGM and am now considered a Red Lobster!" We have seen these "One Time AGM" people for weeks afterwards walking a little taller and their shoulders a little farther back. The sense of pride in their physical and psychological achievement was obvious.

Bob Cuthbert

For the 2009 version of the "AGM" we were able to get a few of the old guard out to enjoy a night in the hills of Manning Park but the numbers were, alas, low. In spite of the low quantity of Lobsters, those of us present tried to live up to the spirit of the AGMs of yore. One Lobster, who shall remain nameless, got into the spirit with very much gusto and showed he thoroughly enjoyed the proceedings by developing a new dialect of English. An audio recording of some of his contributions to this new lexicon is available to Lobsters (in good standing) upon request.

Ken Williams

The morning following the AGM festivities we packed up and just as we were going to ski down, we saw Lobster Ken Willis coming towards us on his new snow shoes. I decided to stay another night and help him drink his wine and enjoy the Christmas lights he brought up with him. We went to bed early and slept a good sleep.

Ken Willis

Was that the last AGM?  If the aging Lobsters want another one, perhaps they will find a way to make it happen again.

Manning Park

Diamond Head

Location of Round Mountain, on the route into Diamond Head

Chris Cooper

It wasn't until March 3 that we made it to Diamond Head. Last year we had been there quite a few times by this time of year. The weather was great and Chris and I had brought our heavy digital slrs with us. For this shot above, I had shot a lot of frames in burst mode. Other pictures from this day are in my flickr account.

Rockies Photo Shoot

Bob Needham, Keith Rajala, Chris Cooper
The Mount Engadine Lodge

Back in 2005, Bob Needham, Chris Cooper, and I made a spring trip to the Rockies where we did a bit of skiing, hiking, and a fair amount of photography. This spring we decided to do something similar. 
Bob had recently retired and treated himself to a Nikon D700, Chris bought a D90 days before the trip, and I had my D80. After spending a night with Bob and his family in Kamloops off we went to the Rocky Mountain Ski Lodge in Camore. The first full day we did a hike up Sulpher Mountain. Well, not exactly. Bob had had recent knee surgery and only went part way, feeling good that his knee was as good as it was. I got half way after having to take frequent rests and decided to turn around due to my slow pace. Those evening treats had caught up to me. 
The second day we drove to Lake Louise and skied to the far end. We watched a number of ice climbers and talked to tourists from Germany and Holland. We skied back through a snow storm and then the sky cleared. We gave our SD cards a good workout! 
On the morning of the third day, we had our usual breakfast at the Rocky Mountain Bagel Company, but met with Val Verral, wife of Dan Verral, who along with Chris Espinel run the Talus Mountain Lodge. She suggested we do a drive along Spray Lake and have tea at the Mount Engadine Lodge. That turned out to be a great suggestion. As we drove along the Smith Dorrien Spray Trail, we noticed that below us and next to the lake were some people setting up some dog sleds. We decided to investigate. It turned out to be one of the dog sled companies in Canmore working with British army personel teaching them how to work with the dogs. It was a most enjoyable hour.
We drove on and soon arrived at the Mount Engadine Lodge. We were made to feel very welcome and soon availed ourselves of the delicious soup of the day and numerous cups of coffee. We spent some time walking about, and taking photos. Outside on the patio, we set up my flash on a tripod and took numerous pictures with Shark mountain as a backdrop. (see picture above) After talking to the owners and soaking up the ambiance for over and hour, I would love to go back and stay there.
On our last night Chris had arranged to meet with some people who had done the 2008 David Thompson Brigade canoe trip. They wanted to learn more about large canoes and what Chris had done on the B.C. coast and about his recent canoe trip along the south coast of England. They generously invited us for dinner and we had a very good time.
We drove home via Radium as the highway was blocked by a fatal accident between Field and Golden. We dropped off Bob in Kamloops, and except for the hill down from the Coquihalla summit being a skating rink in the dark, it was a long, but fairly easy drive home.
A great trip with good friends. Exercise, new experiences and people, lots of photography talk, and being in the Rockies. Who could ask for more in a "Rockies Photo Shoot". :-)

More pictures from the trip can be found in my flickr account.