Tag: vancouver island

  • Spotted: 1969 Kit Companion

    Spotted: 1969 Kit Companion

    Vintage Kit Companion travel trailer parked in Qualicum Beach. Simple luxury from a simpler era, made in USA in 1969, sold in 1970. Louvered glass windows, a bed, couch/table/bed, gas stove/oven, cooler box, sink and hand pumped water tap. “Tilley” is a rolling restoration which will be enjoyed as it is slowly repaired and returned…

  • Time flies

    Time flies

    Summer is about halfway over, the light is beginning to shift. Enjoy the still and calm moments as they come––moments like years pass by never to return again. Hug the ones who are near you, we never know what tomorrow may bring.

  • Article: Classic Land Rover magazine

    Article: Classic Land Rover magazine

    Forged Through Fire Classic Land Rover Magazine, August 2024 Words by Jan Hyrman with Dave Friesen, photos by Dave Friesen I think most if not all of this magazine’s readers will agree that metal can be shaped to create things that are by essence utilitarian but are beautiful to look at. Some, in our eyes…

  • Spotted: 1977 Land Cruiser Pickup

    Spotted: 1977 Land Cruiser Pickup

    Check out Andre’s hard working 1977 Land Cruiser pickup with custom 1 ton hydraulic dump box with roof removed for summer mode. Long and patient work revived the seized engine but little else major was needed to get this original classic back on the road. After adding the dump box it became the workhorse of…

  • Forging rovers

    Forging rovers

    Rover steel knives are being crafted in conjunction with the artist-in-residence program at the museum this year––a tool for adventure made from a vehicle for adventure! Series spring steel has not changed spec since the first in 1948 and replacements today are even made with the same composition. The works in progress below are made…

  • Waterfront crew

    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.

  • Craig’s Auto Camp

    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…

  • Northern rover

    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…

  • Defender of the north

    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.

  • Three poles

    Three poles

    A location once known as “four poles” now down to three. The last remnant of a bygone era––now a landmark and meeting point. Most things change, some for the better, some disappear altogether, and some things remain. Keep a proper perspective and cultivate good fruit that remains.

  • Museum forge

    Museum forge

    One of the current projects at the Parksville Museum forge involves hand crafting knives from series rover leaf springs. Series spring steel has not changed spec since the first in 1948 and replacements today are even made with the same composition. The projects shown below are made from original 1965 series 2a steel by heating…

  • At the museum

    At the museum

    Poppy is currently earning her keep hauling blacksmithing tools to and from the Parksville Museum. Generally on Saturdays from spring to late summer the forge is open and running knifemaking demonstrations in conjunction with the artist-in-residence program as the weather permits, which means a couple hundred lbs of tools need to be carted to the…

  • Feeling at home

    Feeling at home

    A first visit to the forest on the island with Daisy, a 1997 Japan Specification Land Rover Defender 90 that spent a good portion of its life in the Kansai area. The air is still cool but the light makes it feel like spring is arriving. Several small items have been checked off slowly so…

  • Secret drive

    Secret drive

    A lovely private drive winding in and out of the shadows of the forest on a sunny afternoon. A path beckons to one side, where might it lead? We are grateful for the invitations and opportunities as they come. Choose wisely, make the most of what is available, and steward it well.

  • Defender on the island

    Defender on the island

    1997 was the last year Land Rover Defenders were made for the Japanese and North American markets due to the increasingly heavy-handed safety regulations being introduced. It was also the only year that an automatic transmission was offered. The JAS and NAS are almost identical, even to the point of being left-hand-drive, powered by the…