New guy from Victoria

[ARCHINSTL]

I misstated the electrical situation a bit - "it is the only one of the larger Gulf Islands that is not connected to BC Hydro's electrical power grid." Some folks also have micro-hydro power generation.
Tom M.

[dlb]

WF, which other gulf islands are off the grid? i can't imagine there are 800 hippies over there, especially given the difficult lifestyle of the island. the wiki article i just looked at quoted 359 residents back in 2006 but i really have no clue since i've never been. all this talk makes me curious but the rest of the wiki page dissuades me: "Lasqueti is neither tourist friendly nor tourist hostile"; "Should you desire to visit the island it is recommended that you be somewhat self-sufficient"; "Potable water may be scarce at times"; "One must take food along, because no markets exist on the island aside from an informal food cooperative"; "There is no camping allowed on the island"--a camping trip the whole family will love, i'm sure. it really reeks of the typical gulf island mindset i've encountered. i used to assume that gulf islanders were mostly easy-going hippies that just wanted to get away from the 9-5 grind but i've since found they are stubborn (or firm in their beliefs, depending on the spin you want to put on it) and want to live in ways they see fit that are not always accepted in less remote places. i've met some insanely rude socially inept gulf islanders and i don't think it's because they intend to be, i think they're just strong-willed, opinionated people who don't fit in in a lot of other places so they settle down where they have more space and freedom to act like that. i became good friends with a woman from cortes island and she was a trip! just like the characters i just described but very smart, very loyal. a great person, just a little spiky initially but i liked it.

[Petros]

I have lived on rural property since 1992, after growing up in the Los Angeles area. I think a lot of people from the cities have very mistaken, romantic, notions about people living in the country or remote areas. Though I do have some great neighbors, many of the others live there because they do not know how to get along with others. Not just opinionated, but rude, self righteous, and obnoxious. Ready to threaten a neighbor with a gun if for whatever reason they think they have been slighted over a fence line or assumed trespass (despite their false sense of "rights" it is not legal to threaten or shoot someone for trespassing in this state). There are many households around here where the owner will always answer the door wielding a shot-gun, as if someone who is going to steal from them is going to knock on their front door in the middle of the day. It is considered a assault with a deadly weapon to display or brandish a firearm with the intent to intimidate, that means seven years in jail, no parole. So despite having relativity generous firearms laws in this state, there are also very serious penalties for misuse of those rights. These people are not "red-necks", they are people with dangerous anti-social mental disorders, and the rural areas seem to collect way more than their fair share of them, that is where they go after being chased out of the high density urban areas.

Sounds like some of the people on the island are like that perhaps. On the other hand, I know how frustrating it can be to have strangers constantly treating your property like it is a public park, landing on your private beach, having camp fires and leaving their trash behind. They did it on my own acreage before we got the house built and we moved into it. It must be even worse on an attractive little island right off the mainland.

[westernflyer]

I Wouldn't be at all surprised if there's 800 people living on that island on a more or less permanent basis. There's many urban type people who have gone over there with there millions to build massive waterfront homes on the rocky beaches... and then there's the original full time islanders. I don't think I'd call them hippies, or rednecks, or any of the other labels most people would be used to. Many are descended from fishing and logging families who settled there in the early days of the 20th century and many others arrived in the 60's. I don't think you'd find many gun toting sociopaths over there... maybe a few. The island culture has had time to develop over the years and the people there are very protective of their lifestyle. For example... any talk of a car ferry service is met with strong opposition as is bringing grid power or any other services over. Some other populated islands without grid power in the gulf islands proper are North and South Thormanby, Savary, Hardy, Nelson, Mudge, Valdes, and Gambier. Just to the north, in the Discovery Islands (of which Cortes is a part) there are many more. Texada Island, which is right next to Lasqueti, is notable for being the most industrialized of all the gulf islands and has a very famous subculture of it's own.

[dlb]

WF, i think you should quit the construction gig and become a tour guide for our incredible home! i knew a family from texada and they were WEIRD. like the addams family, but real. fascinating.

[ARCHINSTL]

Well - what geographical/sociological lessons I have been learning!
Petros confirmed a suspicion I have long had - having met some of those folk right here in MO's own Ozarks...
And - I'd already Wiki'd Texada Island and learned about its history and fantastic mining past!
Tom M.

[westernflyer]

by the way all these islands are home to more than a couple T4wds. they've been a favorite of islanders for years.

[dlb]

by the way all these islands are home to more than a couple T4wds. they've been a favorite of islanders for years.

yes, it's true! i've seen a lot of T4's over on saltspring and hornby in my visits. they've all got the classic severe rust/sagging back ends/mud/algae look but all putt along regardless, which i'm sure is why the hippies love them. i actually see a fair amount in duncan as well, saw 3 yesterday. there's one parked on trunk road a lot that i intend to make a play for one day by leaving a note on the windshield. it's an '87 or '88, grey, with stock roof racks. you can tell the owners just drive it because it's what they wound up with so i don't think they'll have a hard time taking a few hundred for their beater eventually.

[westernflyer]

i may have found one in port alberni for 200 bucks... i'm chasing down the owner right now.

[dlb]

ooohhhh, i think i beat you to it, WF. was it this one?

http://nanaimo.en.craigslist.ca/cto/2312227359.html

if so, i'm picking it up this week. sorry man.

[westernflyer]

hey what can ya do? gotta be quick to get the deals.