Dog Days of Summer

So,

This is my first full summer in Victoria...I moved here the middle of July 2008 and things were pretty hectic getting settled in my new store, finding a place to live, moving, finding my way around....so I never really got to enjoy the outdoors too much last year.

Well....no excuses this year. The weather has been fantastic, so I've been spending most of my days off outside, enjoying the sunshine.

During the first mini heat wave in June, I googled "beaches in Victoria" and came across Willows beach. Pictures looked nice so I went there a few days in a row. The view was amazing and the fresh air felt great. The water was too cold to go into, but it was fun to watch people playing volleyball and there was a nice breeze off the water, so I never felt over heated.

Most of July has been extremely hot, and while I really enjoy Willow's Beach, I wanted to go to a beach where I could take my air mattress and float in the water...and I was hoping to find a beach closer to home. Willows Beach is about 30-40 minutes from my house...which isn't horrible...but I found I kept getting stuck in traffic on the way home on McKenzie.

Thetis Lake is about 5 minutes from my house. I wasn't sure if I'd like it there...the parking lot fills up fast and the overflow lot is a good 15-20 minute walk from the beach...too long of a walk in the sweltering heat.

Anyhow, I left my house early (about 10:30am) one morning and decided to check out Thetis. The lot had tons of parking spots left and it was a quick walk through the trail to the beach. I brought my beach chair, towel, ipod and a good book. When I got to the beach area, I was shocked....it was so tiny!!! I'd never seen such a small beach area...sure the sand is nice....but where was the rest of it!!??? I found a nice sunny spot and started people watching. There were lots of parents with young kids...everyone seemed to be having a good time...lots of people swimming in the water. I took a stroll over to the water and dipped my toes in...I was pleasantly surprised!! It was quite warm...yet refreshing enough that on a hot day it would feel great!

I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing...I noticed around noon the moms and dads started packing up their young kids, and then the teenagers starting flocking. Don't get me wrong...I completely understand that it's a public beach and I have NO problem with little kids, older kids, teenagers having fun....I actually have a great time people watching....but what I was not prepared for was due to the beach area being so small...as the beach gets busier and more crowded, people literally sit down RIGHT next to you....seriously....I'd be sitting there relaxing and a group would show up, lay out their towels and their towel was touching my towel...that bothers me...that's my "space"...my "bubble zone". I got up, tried really hard not to have an annoyed look on my face and very casually moved my beach chair and towel a few inches away. 5 minutes later, someone on the other side plunked down...again...practically on my towel this time. I had enough...packed up and left...I wasn't mad...I just couldn't get over how crowded it was.

I was bound and determined not to go back to Thetis ever again...but...it's just so close to my house...so the next day, I decided to try it again...but this time, I brought my air mattress. This isn't just any air mattress....it's a fabulous one that allows you to sit a bit in the water (to keep cool) and it's designed so well, that there's no way you'll ever tip over....I have 2....one that just has a bit of a pillow for the head, and one that has a bit of a back so you can sit up and "lounge". I brought the "lounging one" today.

I was a bit nervous going out into the water...I don't know how to swim...and what if the air mattress suddenly deflates in the middle of the lake. Don't get me wrong...I could swim for about 30 minutes to save my life...but still. I felt better when I saw how many people were out on the lake in air mattresses and rafts. Worse case scenario, I'd have to have someone in the raft get me back to shore...it would be embarassing...but I decided not worry about it. I had a GREAT time out in the water in my air mattress. I stayed in the water all day and didn't have to worry about people crowding me...lots of room in the lake!

During July I had a few shifts during the week that ended at 4pm...I would head straight from work to the lake...and when I'd get there around 4:20ish, the parking lot was packed...but lots of people are leaving for the day...so it wasn't too bad getting a parking spot...plus everyone gives you their parking pass/ticket, so I didn't have to buy one for $2. By 4:20, the sun is kinda starting to go behind the trees surrounding the lake...so only 1/2 the beach has direct sunshine...the rest is kinda shady...but out in the lake, you get the full sun! It was great! I worked a 9 and a half hour day and then got to go sit out in the sun, for 2 hrs after work...I love it!!!

Then...the "incident" happened. I was splishing and splashing my way back to shore and as I stepped out of my air mattress into the shallow water, trying to be careful not to walk into any little kids...then...I smelled....PEE!! At first....I thought I was imagining things....but no....it was pee...and it all made sense....that water is shallow, it's not going anywhere, it's FULL of little kids playing....and now I know why the water was so warm. EWWW...I was totally grossed out. Maybe time to give Thetis Lake a bit of a break.

So...that brings me to my days off this week (Wed and Thursday)...which just so happened to be the hottest days EVER in July...Victoria broke a record on Wednesday. Anyhow...some people from work suggested I go to Matheson Lake...out near Metchosin off of Rocky Point Road. It takes about 20 minutes to get there...but no chance of getting stuck in rush hour, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I was a bit surprised when I got there and made my way through the trail to the beach...it too was very small....hardly any beach area....hmmm....plus....it was VERY shady....almost a little too cool being out of the sun. Well...I was here...thought I'd give it a try. I took my air mattress out in the water (I did not smell pee) and once I went out into the middle of the lake, the sun was right on me and I felt great...nice and relaxed. I again spent the whole day out in the water and packed up and left around 3. I couldn't believe how crowded it was when I left...maybe crowded isn't the right word...lots of people...but so many people go out into the water...so maybe that's why the beach area didn't seem as busy...lots of people were in the lake in their air mattresses, tubes and some even had those big "party island"....a HUGE round thing that floats in the water and has fancy seats for 4 people...but can definately hold a lot more people....everyone seemed to be having a good time.

The next day, I decided to go again....but this time I walked past the beach area and walked a bit up the trail until I found an area on the edge of the lake...it kinda had rocks and boulders....so it was a bit uneven...but it was nice and sunny and a little quieter...there were different levels of rocks, so you could probably have about 20-30 people fit comfortably in that area. It was a bit more awkward getting into the water with my air mattress because I had to scale down the rocks in my bare feet, holding onto my air mattress and the rocks on the bottom were really slippery...in fact...when I stepped in the first time...I kinda slipped and scraped my knee...ouch...I'll live. The water was a bit more breezy today so I didn't enjoy being out in the water as much.

There was one kind of funny moment when a group of guys came and found a spot on the rock near the spot I had my stuff set up. One of them decided to jump into the water from the rock, rather than climbing down. I was a little nervous because the water really wasn't that deep until you get a little further out...plus there were tons of rocks and logs on the bottom. He jumped in without killing himself...but rather than come to the surface right away, he started swimming out a bit...away from the rock...and he was heading straight towards me!! I panicked a bit and started shuffling away as quick as I could...he was practically next to me and I was worried he'd end up under my air mattress and when he came up for air would end up knocking me off my air mattress. Luckily he popped to the surface literally inches from me...he wasn't facing me so I had to say "I'm right behind you". He got a little embarassed, went back under water and swam away. Everyone on the rock had a good laugh. It was pretty funny...I'm just glad I didn't get tipped over...I would have been so scared! The water was deep!

So...those are my stories and thoughts about beaches in Victoria...I'll let you know if I go to any others.

Oh...and for those of you who think I should take swimming lessons...my mom put me in swimming lessons when I was younger...but I was the only one that would leave the water with dry hair....and this isn't going to make any sense...but I have no desire to swim because I'm scared of drowning....lets leave it at that...