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Wallace Island's original owner, Jeremiah Chivers, planted fruit trees and cl eared a meadow in the woods beyond the cove. He lived alone here for 28 years, a nd died on the island in 1927 at the age of 92. A later owner, a Saltspring Isla nd storekeeper, sold [Wallace] to the Conovers in 1946 for $20,000 -- finance d with $6,000 down and a mortgage of $1,000 a year. Attracting vacationers to B.C.'s Gulf Islands wasn't a difficult task, and th e resort grew year by year. Many guests became friends and some even bought into Wallace when the Conovers, who later divorced, began selling off chunks in 1966 . In the height of a hectic summer, however, visitors were sometimes viewed with outright disdain. \"The Barbarian have arrived with their diving gear, tackl e boxes, cameras, sun-tan lotions, outboard motors, ice chests, hair dryers, por table barbecues, and walkie-talkies,\" wrote [David Conover]. \"They look all alik e -- eager, tired, and pale.\" Conover welcomed those with the muscle and time to row across Houstoun Passag e to Wallace. Among them was Dr. Mac, and 84-year-old Saltspringer who preferred the quite rhythm of the oars to the whir of an outboard. \"What better way t o keep younger than your years,\" Conover rightly observed. Rowers and paddle rs, with no fuming outboards to obscure the sounds and fragrances, still get the most intimate sense of Wallace Island.

THE COOL SPRAY ON OUR FACES IS REFRESHING HERE, AT THE BASE OF CANADA'S HIGHEST WATERFALLS. Aching legs and sweat-soaked clothes seem such paltry complaints now. Our efforts -- 50 kilometres by canoe and backpack -- are justly rewarded as we kneel in the mist and drink the ice-clear water of Della Falls. Fed by glaciers and alpine streams in the mountains of central Vancouver Island, the aquamarine waters of Della Lake spill over the edge of a cliff and tumble down a tree-lined rock face. A 440-metre ribbon of thunderous white foam bounces in three cascades into the valley of Drinkwater Creek. These falls, nearly eight times as high as Niagara Falls, are not only the highest in Canada, but are exceeded in the world by only 10 others. Despite their international significance, they are known mainly to a handful of adventurous hikers and a few airborne sightseers. From the eastern end of Great Central Lake, we followed the route of Joe Drinkwater, a prospector and trapper who discovered Della Falls in 1899 and named them for his wife. From first light we paddled a long day -- 34 kilometres -- with one eve astern, watching for squalls that funnel in from Alberni Inlet. Narrow and steepsided, Great Central is a reservoir where water is stored for a hatchery and mills downstream. Beaches are often flooded, leaving few safe havens for wind-stricken paddlers. Our first attempt to reach Della Falls was aborted when the canoe, with five days' worth of camping supplies, was blown off the lake within the first hour. But this time we enjoyed a windless trip, and when the sun came over the mountains we jumped overboard and pushed the canoe ahead while we swam.

No, we're not all rich out here, and yes, housing prices may be \"out of reach for young people,\" but who starts at the top? I, too, had to move away from North Saanich and build sweat-equity for eight years in a shack in Brentwood Bay before I could afford to move back. To suggest this causes a \"broken down\" sense of \"community\" is nonsense: As usual, local families packed last week's annual Halloween bonfire.

\"The coyote, the most plentiful of British Columbia's wild dogs, is the most powerful of all animal gods in the mythology of the province's Interior natives.\" (WOLVES) Learn about this canine's eating habits, habitat, breeding patterns and physical characteristics. Legends associated with the coyote are discussed.

I love to get up early and photograph the rowers on Elk Lake. I, too, row almost every day year-round and wholeheartedly support the good health and competitive spirit of our Elk Lake rowers.

To agree that slot machines are acceptable because there's already betting at Sandown suggests that any farmer who claims financial difficulty should be permitted to set up a casino on his farmland. Should we allow blackjack tables and roulette wheels at the farm of North Saanich Councillor Annie Scoones because there's already gambling across the road at Sandown?

The Mill Bay ferry currently provides the only practical bicycle access from Swartz Bay, Saanich Peninsula, and parts of Victoria to these destinations. B.C. Ferries' contention that highway access around the head of Saanich Inlet makes the Brentwood-Mill Bay run redundant is irrelevant to cyclists. The Malahat is too steep, dangerous, and beyond the physical capability of most cyclists. If the Mill Bay ferry is eliminated, so too are these recreational and tourism opportunities.

The world's longest-running study of killer whales, conducted on the shoreline of British Columbia Canada, has revealed that pods of whales pass on their distinct vocal and social traditions through cultural transmission. At least three genetically unrelated types of killer whales live in hundreds of different pods that either inhabit the shoreline, pass through the area periodically, or visit the shore occasionally from the deep sea.

\"It's hard to characterize such a warty, dour-looking face as amiable, yet the wolf eel is perhaps the friendliest of British Columbia's undersea beasts.\" (BEAUTIFUL BRITISH COLUMBIA) Learn more about the wolf eel--\"the largest of the Pacific Ocean's eel-like fishes.\" The wolf eel's physical characteristics, mating habits, habitat and more are described.