Getaway BC » Sooke

Sitka Spruce

GetawayBC.com — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Watch for the giant Sitka Spruce to be found on the Harris Creek Mainline, on the Pacific Marine Circle Route, if you take the drive from Port Renfrew through to Lake Cowichan and on to Highway One. Watch for wildlife on the drive, too, as you might see deer, black bears, or even, in the San Juan Valley, a glimpse of the roaming herds of Roosevelt elk.;

Beaches and Trails

GetawayBC.com — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:00:00 +0000

At French Beach Provincial Park, a hard surfaced pathway makes it possible for wheelchair access right to the beach. Other fascinating trails leading to Sandcut, China Beach, Mystic, Sombrio, and Botanical Beach are well worth exploring.

Two opportunities to cross suspension bridges may be found here, the one at Sombrio, shown, and another at Pete Wolf Creek on the route to Mystic Beach.;

Port Renfrew

GetawayBC.com — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:00:00 +0000

It was the Pacheedaht Peoples that historically made their homes at the mouth of the San Juan River, facing out into the open Pacific Ocean. The Spanish name originated with the explorers from Madrid who sailed on this coast in the 1790s. Before the 19th century turned, European settlers were beginning to carve lumbering enterprises, homes and subsistence farms out of the rainforest in the San Juan Valley. In this mighty drainage basin, the terrain and precipitation joined forces to foster the growth of an abundance of Sitka Spruce in addition to the Red cedar, Douglas-fir, Grand Fir and Western Hemlock to be found throughout the southwest coast.

Early in the 20th century, a series of incredible tidal pools situated on the ocean front attracted the attention of scientists, who set up a research station for a time. The tidal pools are one of the major attractions of this area. At low tide (under four feet) it is possible for walkers to view a colourful array of marine life in the myriad of pools.

Two notes of caution: Enjoy viewing the specimens, but please do nothing to disturb them or detract from their ability to survive in their natural environment.

Hikers should always exercise caution in exposed areas of this rugged coast, being watchful while on the shoreline to avoid becoming victim of a rogue wave.;

Artistic Community

GetawayBC.com — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:00:00 +0000

The arts are alive and well in the Sooke region.

Artists have come from around the world to live and create in the area. It is both inspirational and far away from the maddening crowd, allowing the peace and tranquility of the “real” West Coast to come through in their work.

Those travelling through the area can find the best West Coast artists and crafts people. From First Nations art to the more avant-garde, it’s all there for the choosing.

Yearly events include the 10-day Sooke Fine Arts Show, Art in the Park, the Stinking Fish Tour and many other seasonal craft fairs and art sales. Notable First Nations artists’ work is available from small studios and shops.

World-class artists live and work in the area and studios are scattered throughout the region. The spectacular scenery along the coast from East Sooke to Port Renfrew inspires the creativity of the artists. Gnarly driftwood and recycled timber often found along the area’s ocean beaches offers materials for fine woodworkers and sculptors. Photographers train their keen eyes on the scenery, wildlife and wild places to create beautiful moments on the West Coast. Paintings capture the essence of the coast, whether it is the characters or the grand vistas.

Galleries and shops abound with first-class art work in many mediums. Blacksmiths, metal workers, fibre artists, jewellers, painters, woodworkers, sculptors, potters and everything in between is available. ;

The Business Centre of Sooke

GetawayBC.com — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:00:00 +0000

The business centre of Sooke falls within the incorporated municipality that is the District of Sooke, governed by a Mayor and six Councillors. Beyond the municipal boundaries, Sooke is surrounded by the areas of East Sooke, Otter Point, Shirley and Jordan River, with Port Renfrew further west. More rural, these areas form the bulk of the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area of the Capital Regional District, and are governed by a Regional Director.

Before the successful vote to incorporate the central area in 1999, the entire southwest coastal region was served by a Regional Director, with board meetings at CRD headquarters in Victoria.

An early initiative of the new Sooke Council in 2000 was to establish a sewer service area. This led to heightened development, and in 2008 to a municipal population of approximately 10,000, with an additional 4,000 in the EA.;

The Estuary Bird Sanctuary

GetawayBC.com — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:00:00 +0000

A pocket-sized provincial park on the east shore of the Sooke River is nestled among the Douglas-firs at the river’s mouth. One reaches the spot via Idlemore and Glenidle Roads, and turning onto Billings.

The estuary of the river is a haven for seabirds, with all manner of species to be spotted, and generally including calling seagulls and hordes of ducks. The Great Blue Heron is frequently found wading about for tidbits, and graceful swans may be viewed, sometimes with cygnets paddling alongside their elders. At low tide, a walk along the waterfront may reveal the little airholes of clams.;

The First Nations

GetawayBC.com — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Shown are a few of the T’Sou-ke and Pacheedaht artifacts treasured within the museum’s collections, as the region has historically been blessed by harmonious relationships between the First Peoples and the immigrant population. The T’Sou-ke Nation, headquartered at Reserve No. 1 alongside the Sooke River, has many of its growing young families living at Reserve No. 2 at Sooke Bay.;

Building on History

GetawayBC.com — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Start your exploration of the Sooke region’s heritage with a stop at Sooke Region Museum (2070 Phillips Rd., off Sooke Road after the bridge).  This unique cultural and visitor information centre, through exhibits, photos, and outdoor reconstructions, traces the region’s history from its wildlife to First Nations and pioneer settlement.  As you wander the grounds you may visit the blacksmith shop, polemaker’s shack, and the transported lens of the original Triangle Island lighthouse. Sooke’s oldest standing pioneer home, Moss Cottage, has conveniently been reconstructed on the museum grounds.  Built in 1870, it originally housed James and Mary Ellen Welsh and their six children.  Mary Ellen called the cottage “Moss” after her mother’s family name.  Present day visitors can see a dramatization of life in the early 1900s. While you are at the museum ask about other historic homes which still stand today.

Are you taking a ride up to Sooke for a day? Why not wet your tongue and taste buds at one of our local pubs and experience history at the same time?  The Seventeen Mile House (5196 Sooke Road), erected in 1900 by its original proprietor, Edward Cutler was the original room and board stop for the traveler staying in Sooke. It was heralded as the British Ensign and later the Royal Ensign before being changed in 1920 to its present title.  In the days of travel by horse the inn served as a stagecoach stop.  Prior to the establishment of North Sooke School, it was a place for classes and religious services.  Though now only operating as a pub, and after a due share of facelifts, the Seventeen Mile House remains one of the most notable landmarks on Sooke Road. 

Among the many historic homes in the region, Woodside (7117 West Coast Road, 1 Km west of the Sooke village core) is a classic representation of the Georgian-style farmhouse typical of the mid 1800s settlers.  Home of the established Muir family, it has 3,360 sq. ft. of living space on two stories.  The highway today known as Sooke Road was originally a trail called Sooke Way and, up until the 1930s, wound to an end at the Woodside Farm.  Another Georgian-style of the similar construction, Burnside Farm (1890 Maple Ave., corner of West Coast Road) was home to Michael Muir, his wife Matilda Welsh, and their six daughters.  The two storey home has five brick fireplaces and is finished with drop siding. Known today as Burnside House B&B. ;

A Memorial

GetawayBC.com — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:00:00 +0000

A peaceful place on Maple Avenue, alongside a meandering creek and lined with majestic evergreen trees, ferns and foliage, was chosen in 1875 by the pioneer Muirs as the final resting place for their family and relatives.

A stop there today, on Maple Avenue South, will introduce the visitor to Sooke’s Millennium Memorial Park, and the Muirside Cemetery. Historical interpretations and grave markers allow a glimpse into the lives and brave pioneering spirit of those who made Sooke their home so long ago.

A Heritage Shield sign recognizing B C’s first immigrant settler is placed here, one of a series of more than 50 such shields you may see in a regional program marking heritage sites within the Sooke – Port Renfrew area.;

Local Numbers

GetawayBC.com — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:00:00 +0000

EMERGENCY 911

NON EMERGENCY

Police 250 642-5241

Ambulance 250 595-9911

FIRE DEPARTMENTS

Sooke Fire Hall #1 (main/Chief’s office) 250 642-5422

Fire Hall #2 250 642-5611

East Sooke 250 642-4411

Otter Point 250 642-6211

Shirley 250 646-2107

Forest Fire Reports 1-800-663-5555

Animal Control 250 478-0624

District of Sooke Municipal Office

General Enquiries 250 642-1634

Capital Regional District

Regional Director 250 642-1633

Building Inspection 250 642-1616

Community Planning 250 642-1620

Parks & Recreation 250 642-8000

BC Public Health Nursing Line 1-866-215-4700

Social Development & Economic Security 250 642-8640

Library (Sooke Branch) 250 642-3022

Museum (Sooke Region) 250 642-6351

Post Office 250 642-3013

Sooke Visitor Centre 250 642-6351

Sooke Harbour Chamber of

Commerce 250 642-6112