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Window felt, vacuum hoses, etc.
Replacing the rear sliding window felt on the 1997 defender 90 is not so difficult if you have the right starting technique (thank you to Britannica Restorations for the tip!). The idea is to pull the widow as far open as possible, insert the felt strip partially with a tail hanging out, then hold the…
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Hay cutting
In the warm glow of a sunlit day, the air sweet with the scent of fresh-cut hay, as hawks circle above fields fringed by tall evergreens. At the end of a dirt road, where blade meets stalk, life stirs in the quiet rhythm of the harvest.
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Farm stop
A sunlit drive weaves through rolling fields bordered by shadowed forest, long views with Arrowsmith’s snow-capped peak in the distance. Pausing at a farm, where grass sways taller than the bonnet, the wild flower meadows dancing in the breeze.
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Endless blue
A fleeting pause where land meets water, where the air is fresh and the sky blazes an intense blue, mirroring distant mountains and islands across the boundless sea. Here, on the cusp of home, the journey nears its quiet end, cradled by the endless blue horizon.
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Grassy knoll
Perched on the dry grass of an embankment, gazing over rocks, ocean, and trees, basking in the stillness of a sunlit day. With flat water stretching endlessly and the islands drifting by, a quiet moment unfolds where time and tide seem to pause.
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On the rocks
Amid a beach of small rocks and shells, relics of an ancient coal loading dock under a clear sky. Across the water, islands stand sentinel, while a raven’s fleeting flight weaves a quiet thread through the shifting tapestry of sea and stone.
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Early summer union
Beneath the watchful gaze of towering evergreens, fishing boats rest at anchor, cradled by a calm sea that underscores the snow-capped mountains. In the tender embrace of early summer, where light and shadow weave a quiet union, the world greens, inviting the soul to pause and ponder the dance of time and tide.
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Tea overlooking
The golden embrace of evening light, a lone blossom clings, its delicate petals glowing against the rugged coast. Overlooking the sea, where waves whisper, a moment of tea-soaked tranquility unfolds under the vast, active sky.
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Storage box
A quick project with hand tools and available scrap wood to make an adjustable height storage box with snug fitting lid for organizing the load space. Three layers of 2×6″ tongue-in-groove fir interlock and can be stacked or unstacked to the required height. The lid is 1×6″ cedar and is pressure fit inside the top…
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Facing the wind
Beneath an azure sky streaked with clouds, the rover stands resolute on the rocky driftwood beach, facing the wind as waves crash and dance in the sunlit breeze. Its steadfast presence echoes the untamed spirit of the sea.
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Waterfront crew
Always enjoyable to roll down to the waterfront and enjoy the sunset as the season allows. Loading up the rover with friends and neighbours from near and far to share a moment together. The beach is quiet and cool at this time of year but spring may be around the corner.
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Belting it out
A rattling noise that occurs at higher rpms near the top of each gear and may at first seem to be a dying mainshaft bearing or oil throwing wheel gone bad may in fact have a much simpler fix. Opening the bonnet whilst attempting to duplicate the behaviour reveals that the screeching sound seems to…
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Craig’s Auto Camp
The late morning sun streams through into a clearing in the forest. The sound of the sea is in the distance and the flowers are blooming. For more than four decades starting in the 1930s for $1 per night road-weary overlanders could stay at Craig’s Auto Camp on the sea near Parksville. Today the last…
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Northern rover
A chance meeting along a dark shore, good reminders of times long past, and encouragement for the future. A rare sighting of spectacular aurora on Vancouver Island. Not only visible, but under perfectly clear skies, dancing directly overhead, filling the skies, and including pink and red colours that are rarely seen this far south. See…
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Defender of the north
A rare sighting of spectacular aurora in central Vancouver Island, a first for some. Not only visible, but under perfectly clear skies, dancing directly overhead, filling the skies, and including pink and red colours that are rarely seen this far south. See the series 2a version of northern lights here.
Prepare for adventure.
“If you don’t slow down once in awhile, life can pass you by.” Adventures can be far or near, large or small, and each one has a lesson–and a story.