Flight Path Cycle Ride

We cycled up to Hospital Hill and spotted two shopping bags with notes attached, one saying free zucchini and the other free cucumbers.  I take the last two zucchini and leave a note thanking the generous gardener.

There are many folks out riding and walking the Flight Path today, including a guy who points out a pair of osprey calling to each other from the treetops.

It's interesting to watch Air Canada, WestJet, small aircraft and helicopters taking off and landing while biking around Victoria International Airport. We stop at Patricia Bay to watch egrets and herons fishing and complete one and a third circuits (about 12k or 7.5 miles) before heading off to brunch at Melinda's Biscotti (see next post).

Hospital Hill

We ride our bikes along the trail next to Victoria International Airport (YYJ), known as "The Flight Path",  to Hospital Hill. During the Second World War, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Station Patricia Bay medical facilities were located here. The "Lost Airmen of the Empire", is a poignant reminder that many lives were lost on Canadian soil related to wartime efforts. Sculptor Illion Gallant was commissioned to create this installation comprised of Cooper's Hawk inspired flight feathers made of Corten Steel. One hundred and seventy-seven airmen who lost their lives in training mishaps are memorialized on the feathers.

http://rusnakgallant.com/art/public-art/lost-airmen-of-the-empire/