Hand of Man Museum, BC - 48°48'57" N 123°37'58" W

I have come to Vancouver Island to visit my mom, aunts and eldest kid, but have taken a day off from the homemade family reunion to visit local attractions.

The old railway trestle over French Creek. I've always wanted to walk across this.

Many times I have been on my way to and from the ferry and whizzed by places that have looked really, really interesting from the road. Many times I have said to myself, "I wish I had time to stop and explore." On the drive from Victoria to Parksville (where my family has gathered), there is a roadside collection of rusty-but-unusual forestry machines at the BC Forestry Discovery Centre.

The wooden Banfield Lifeboat.

There are historical boats and ships under weather covers in places like Port Alberni and Comox. There are local museums and collections of both post-European settler and indigenous artifacts in many of the town along the Alberni Highway, but when I asked my Aunt Jan for advice on which ones I had to see, she (a 50+ year resident of "The Island") recommended The Hand of Man in Duncan.

British Columbia is rich with history and culture as it seems to draw many interesting folks. Jim Shockey seems to be a standout in the crowd. He is a hunter of some renown that has taken to collecting bits and pieces from his travels and adventures around the globe. I am not a fan of his hunting exploits but have to tip my hat to him on his cultural curiosity when on his travels to kill things with gun.

After amassing a huge collection of stuff (some of which might not be allowed to leave their country of origin these days), he has chosen to display it in a former elementary school which he bought outright and turned into a private museum.

Here are some pictures from that day out.