Helicopter Ride Birthday Present: Part One

I'd like to share my birthday present from Jeff with you all---a helicopter ride! I love helicopters! (And I certainly don't mind stretching my birthday celebrations into their second week.)

Our whirly-bird belonged to Jeff's boss, a wonderfully sweet guy who flew us all over the Valley this sunny August morning , taking us soaring over the Comox Valley Glacier and beyond......

I took so many photos that I'm making this a two-part blog post. Here we are flying over the pretty green farmlands and beyond.....

Comox Lake.... Everything is so clear and beautiful from the air. The trees look so small. I can see the old road to the lake I used to ride on the schoolbus.

We fly higher, up into the mountains, flying between rocky hills, wreathed in smoky mist. I am reminded that I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

We are flying at 2300 feet, rising up over the mountains toward the glacier. Our pilot cautions us that we might be disappointed at the size of it---it has apparently shrunk over the years and is not as magnificent as it once was he tells us.

I can assure you: I was not disappointed.....

From my street I can see the glacier. It's been part of my daily landscape since I moved to Vancouver Island as a young child. And I've always wanted to see it up close.

It's something so familiar and yet suddenly so new. Life is good.

Beneath the glistening expanses of snow, ancient blue ice shone out.

And the feeling as we crested the face and the world dropped away on the other side is unforgettable.

Look at the colour of this glacial lake rimmed with ice--it was just the most unreal jewel-like blue I'd ever seen.

We swung around the top of the mountain for a second pass over the glacier. Down below, hikers waved and we flew over a group of people camped on one of the exposed rock faces.

It's beautiful--but I'd rather be flying than walking. :)