September 4 - Ethelda Bay, Estevan Sound

September 4 – Ethelda Bay, Estevan Sound

This is the place that used to be a military ‘radio station’ during the ‘cold war years’.   The antennas are still on the top of the island across the way.   The military buildings and area were sold in a private family in 1996 who planned to start an abalone farm.   That dream never happened.   We believe that the place was sold again in the early 2000’s to a couple who planned to renovate the buildings and have a fishing lodge or something.  There are several buildings on the property.  A generator building, a gathering and kitchen building, a storage building, and two rooming houses.  One house was under renovations and the other one was apparently to be lived in.  As the story goes the husband died shortly after purchasing the property and starting the renovations.  It looks like the family just picked up and left, leaving everything behind.    We looked at this in place in 2013 and it was in much better shape then than it is today.    Much of the construction materials that were there in 2013 have been removed now.  Likely by vandals or looters.  All of the buildings are full of broken glass, personal items like clothes, beds, old computers, furniture, etc…. even food in the cabinets and in a storage room in the basement.  It is very sad to see someone’s dreams just tossed aside.

 

 

 

 

The boardwalk is still mainly intact from the beach clear to the radio building at the top of the hill by the lake.  Although much of it is being overgrown by trees branches etc…  It won’t be many more years before this walkway is gone by way of rot.   The boardwalk was originally built using 2 by 6 planks and about 6 planks wide.  There are turn out/turn around areas where the ATV’s or other motorized vehicles would turn around or get out of each other’s way. The boardwalk trail heading up to the helicopter pad was been partly destroyed by treefalls etc… Glen and Willard walked up to the Helipad and the drums of Jet Fuel are still there. 

 

 

 

Our exploration adventure over we went back to the boats.   Diane and I stayed there while the guys headed out in the dinghies to go see the ocean and see what they could find on the other (ocean) side of the island.    They came back with some beach junk.  Glen a plastic crate (similar to a milk carton crate); he says that it is useful.   Willard with a couple fishing floats (plastic not glass) one a light blue with what looks to be Japanese writing on it, that find was more interesting.   They said that one beach was very rocky and full of floatsome ….. fishing floats, fishing nets, plastic drums, and all kinds of floatable ‘sea trash’.   The other beach was reportedly sandy and much cleaner. It had some fishing floats on it but not nearly as many and there obviously had been people beachcombing there as there were fishing floats etc… hanging in the trees.   They also said that in one section there was a strong odor of Sulfur which would make one believe that there might be a hot spring in the area but they could not find any evidence. It was starting to get dark so the guys decided to head back to their mother ships.   The rest of the evening was spent just relaxing, reading or whatnot.