Post #9 Ferry photos!

The ferry was fun, too.
I love the organized line-ups, as people wait for the hourly ferry to come and go. It is quite a lifestyle.


The crew were wonderful! Lots of smiles as we ran around snapping photos! There was a group of people on bikes. When the rains came, cats and dogs, they were soaked! The sheep weren't really amused. You know where they were headed! The cow liked its shelter.
It was a grand trip on Salt Spring Island.
  

Post #8 Crofton's Pulp and Paper Mill near Duncan, B.C.

As we drove to see the ferry, we spotted quite a bit of pulp! The operation is quite visible from the ferry, but otherwise not from the road. It was able to take some photos from the view on the ferry.

It is quite the operation. This is the Catalyst Crofton Plant. It employs 575 people, which is fabulous for Vancouver Island.  They manufacture newsprint and kraft pulp for printing, writing and tissue paper.
Those in town talk about the smell from the plant. We didn't smell a thing at the time but we took our trip on Sunday. I suppose we were fortunate!

 Catalyst’s Crofton Division is located in a vibrant area on the Southeast Coast of Vancouver island in the Cowichan Valley, near Duncan. With about 575 employees, this division plays an important role in the cultural, social and economic health of this community. Crofton began operation in 1957 as a single-line kraft pulp mill. Today, two paper machines and two pulp machines have a capacity of 677,000 tonnes of product each year. 

Newsprint:	270,000 tonnes
Directory:	57,000 tonnes
NBSK Pulp:	350,000 tonnes
Paper Machines:	2
Pulp Machines:	2
Employees:	574

Post #6 We visited Crofton on Vancouver Island

The first step in visiting Salt Spring Island is in getting to Crofton. This is where you can get the ferry. I haven't been on a ferry in a long time. We missed the previous one, and took a lovely walk on the beach. There were a couple of bald eagles, as well as the ubiquitous sea gulls and crows.

Goodbye, Ferry!

Tide was out!

This place was for sale!
Only $595,000 or so, as I recall!
Unfortunately, there is a camping site on its left,
and the Crofton pulp mill on the other side.

Then there were the amazing birds!

Can you see the eagle?!

 

Pick on someone your own size!

See the Crofton mill pulp in the background?

We walked along the pier

"Remnants of cars of molten slag from the smelting process at the Henry Croft Smelter, which operated from 1902 - 1908." It is amazing how much wealth, in terms of natural resources, that the white colonists extracted from this land. From the lumber barons to those who built the railroads and those who benefitted from investments in Crown Land. Many have made a fortune from manufacturing, in ensuing years from Fordism (standardized products; assembly lines and definitive tasks) and Taylorism (machine and worker efficiency in the name of profits; which has resulted is outsourcing and overseas exploitation of cheap labour).

Finally, the temperate climate means that flowers bloom early and fruits appear quite early. The sea weed was startling.