Beacon Hill in Winter

T he sun was out and though the air cool, it was a refreshing day and a great one to get out and spend some time in the fresh air operating one’s radio. Being at Abigail’s hotel one takes the time to enjoy their lovely hot breakfast which starts one out in good stead for the day’s adventures. Having finished breakfast, I was now ready to load my equipment into the car and set out for the park. I could walk to the park but hauling a cart full of stuff down a hill is a bit much and besides, I want to set up at the far side of the park.

The drive was quick as the distance was short and soon, I was pulling into a stall along Dallas Road directly south of the tall flagpole that dominates the highest point in the park. It is in this location that the park extends across the road to the bluff and where the Canada Trail crosses through Beacon Hill Park. It is one of the places where you can officially operate in two parks simultaneously. Once parked I got out to reconnoitre the area and see if the bench I used last year was still usable. It was. Back to the car for my equipment and soon I was setting up my mast for the station.

This location is close to a lot of foot traffic, both two and four-foot kinds. And as I expected a number of people stopped their walking to ask about my activity. Though a major flare was released by the sun yesterday, it was still in transit to the earth and so for today the bands remained in good shape. My first two contacts were with stations in Connecticut followed quickly by a station in Texas. Then I got a message from fellow activator Jim back home who was having a tough time getting contacts from Kwomais Point Park.  He tried calling me but I couldn’t hear him we switched to the 20m band and there we were able to work each other though our signals were weak.

Done with Jim I resumed calling on the 15m band and soon had a response from a fellow activator in Tennessee. More stations followed in quick succession from Arizona, Rode Island, Georgia, Florida, California, Wisconsin, New York … in 25 minutes of calling, I managed 21 contacts giving me a total of 25 for the morning. It was a good session but though the sun was out, my location was somewhat shaded and the cool air was having its way with me. Since I had more than I needed to complete the activation, I decided to pack up. Take down went quickly and soon I was walking back to the car. 

While operating, I saw numerous people take the pathway beside me down to the beach and so I decided to stow my gear and wander down there with my camera. I returned to the pathway and started down the trail. The stairs made descent easy and soon I was approaching the beach. The Tsunami warning sign caught my eye as I walked past. Down on the beach I noticed a few small groups spread out along the water. I scrambled over some rocks which were jutting out from the bluff and gathered a few photos of the strait and shoreline. I noticed one woman out swimming in the ocean! A bit cold for me. It was as I was leaving that I noticed she was also quite naked in the water! I soon learned that this small cove was the nudist beach of Victoria! I came for the scenic beauty which I got but also a bit of natural beauty.

Done with the beach I made my way back up the stairs and past the dog area where many dogs were enjoying visiting and arguing (much like a group of people) and soon I was back in the car where the heater returned some life to my limbs. I drove to the local market to pick up a few things for the room and then back to the hotel for the afternoon. It was a nice adventure and I was happy to have completed another 2fer in the Parks program.