My upcoming book, The Secret Lakes of Victoria Guidebook explores the recreation, nature, and history of over 25 secret lakes from the Saanich Peninsula to the Sooke Hills.
I'm in the final phases of editing and layout, with a book launch planned for June the 7th. And I am very happy to bring you the final list of lakes featured in the book! Here they are:
1 Durrance
2 Pease
3 Killarney
4 Fork
5 Eagles
6 Prospect
7 Elk/Beaver
8 Swan
9 Thetis
10 McKenzie
11 Prior
12 Langford
13 Glen
14 Florence
15 Lookout
16 Blinkhorn
17 Matheson
18 Glinz
19 Crabapple
20 Sheilds
21 Grass
22 Peden
23 Kemp
24 Spectacle
25 Heal
Adam
Hidden behind a busy intersection of the TransCanada Highway, Florence Lake is virtually unknown to both visitors and locals alike. The lake offers views and fishing year around, with swimming opportunities in the summer and a colourful display of leaves in the fall. Skirt Mountain can be seen to the northwest.
The Strachan trail provides easy access and a pleasant walk around the east and southern sides of the lake, with boardwalks and viewing points throughout. Aside from calming views, the trail also provides places to fish from the shore, and there is a boat launch on the north shore for small boats.
Be sure not to miss the boardwalk between Savory and Brock roads on the south end of the lake. Raised well above ground, this boardwalk provides an opportunity to examine some of the surrounding trees, wetlands and hanging moss from a different perspective. Keep an eye out for song birds and small critters below while you admire the panoramic view of the lake.
History
There is some debate about who Florence Lake was named for. While Geo BC’s registry of Geographic Names states that the lake was named after Florence Isabella Langford, Captain Langford’s fifth daughter, other local historians believe it was named after other early settlers in the area, Henry and Florence Dumbleton.
Savory Road takes its name from the Savory family, who grew and sold vegetables in the Fernwood area of Victoria. In 1910 business was growing so they bought 200 acres of land in Langford to expand their operations. The first Langford Gun Club was then established on their property a few years later.
Did you know?
Unconfirmed local lore tells the story of a piano at the bottom of Florence Lake. Houses were built on the west side of the lake before there were roads to them, meaning the only way to transport things such as furniture to them was by boat. Apparently one owner tried to bring a piano to their home, and lost the piano in the lake when the boat capsized. If this story is true the piano is likely still there.
I need your photographs to include in my upcoming book, Secret Lakes of Victoria!
The book covers the recreation, nature and history of 25 lakes from the Saanich Peninsula all the way up to the wilderness of the Sooke Hills. It's been a long ride, but the book is being edited now, and I have someone working on maps for each.
But in order to make this book totally awesome I need one more thing: Photographs! Help me show the best of what these lakes have to offer.
Here's a list of the lakes I need photographs of:
| Blinkhorn | Heal |
| Crabapple | Kemp |
| Durrance | Killarney |
| Eagles | Langford |
| Elk/Beaver | Matheson |
| Florence | Pease |
| Fork | Prior |
| Fountain | Prospect |
| Glen | Sheilds |
| Glinz | Spectacle |
| Goodacre | Swan |
| Grass | Thetis |
The book will be self-published, so I can't afford to give monetary compenstation for all photos used, but I'm happy to include your name, business and/or website.
Photographs used on the front or back cover will however receive monetary compensation.
In particular I'm looking for photographs of people enjoying the lakes (swimming, boating, hiking etc), as well as unique natural features (plants, wildlife, views) of each.
Deadline for submissions is March 18th!
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To submit photographs, simply send them by email to All photos should have a resolution of at least 300 DPI. |
Here's an information package on the book: Secret Lakes of Victoria (PDF)
Thank you!!
Adam
Brainstorming, sketchnoting, planning in the works!
On Tuesday I had some unexpected free time and managed to sketch out some pieces of what I'm hoping to cover at my presentation later this month at the Information Architecture Summit in New Orleans.
Lots of ideas and concepts, so the main challenge is going to be editing. For the curious, however, here's what I'm thinking!
What’s interesting is not so much where people are at in their lives, but rather how they got there.
Killarney Lake is a little known wonder found at the end of a largely unknown path starting from the end of Meadowrook Road. Access is from Prospect Lake Road, and there is no parking available at the trailhead so it's best to get there by bike or on foot if you can.
The path around the lake passes wetlands and marshes and is largely unsigned. Stick to the right after you leave Meadowbrook Road to find a small clearing with a rock and step-in access to this quiet lake.
Yesterday at WordCamp Victoria I gave a talk called ‘Easy Ways to Improve the User Experience of Your WordPress Site.’ The presentation covers the basics – small but effective ways to make your website easier to use and understand. The slides are embedded below.
Feedback was very positive, so if you have a WordPress site be sure to take a few minutes to go through the slides. I guarantee you’ll take away something you can use.
Thank you to all of the sponsors, speakers, organizers, and volunteers that continue to make WordCamp a success every year. I firmly believe that by sharing knowledge at events like WordCamp we inspire a culture of active discourse.
If you liked the presentation I did be sure to follow me on twitter - I’ll be writing more tips like these throughout the year.
Thank you!
Adam
To celebrate my son Gabriel’s 1 month birthday my partner Carly and I borrowed a car and took Gabriel on his first road trip, up to explore Kemp Lake near the town of Sooke.
It was a great day. Gabriel slept pretty much the whole day, proving beyond a doubt that he is a ’journey is more important than the destination’ kind of guy.
And Kemp Lake is a beautiful place. While most of the land around it seems to be privately owned, development on the shoreline has been pretty minimal to date. The Lake is a community water source, and there are a series of old fire roads and trails around the lake for the avid explorer.
The air in the Sooke area alone is something everyone needs to experience at least once.
In the fall I quietly announced I’ve started writing a book about the lakes in the Victoria area. I’m still writing, albeit at a slower pace now that we have a new member of the family to look after. Kemp Lake has been added to the list, and I’m glad to have a new fellow Lake Hunter to share the adventure with!
