2 Days, 3 Meals and 2 Beaches

We continue with our preparations for our "little road trip".

In getting our ducks in a row, another trip to Vancouver was in order. While there, we stopped at a park that I spent many a happy hour at when I was just a wee gaffer. This is John Lawson Park in West Vancouver. John Lawson settled in West Vancouver at this location in 1905.

This is a picture of a viewing platform with seating area that gives a vista eastward toward the First Narrows and the Lion's Gate Bridge. This bridge was financed by the Guinness family (the Irish brewers) to encourage people to come and view lots for sale in the British Pacific Properties. Construction began in March of 1937 and the bridge was completed in November of 1938. The Guinness family purchased 1600 acres of West Vancouver at a cost of $50/acre.

The lowest price for a residential lot I could find in West Vancouver currently is  $799,000 and features an easement for rail traffic through your backyard.....enjoy!!

The park is loaded with specimen trees. This is a Smoke Bush. It features brilliant red foliage during the summer and then produces flowers in the fall which are large and feathery displays, which resemble nothing so much of puffs of smoke.

This is a view towards the west. It's hard to believe we used to jump off the pier at high tide and swim back to shore. The water in the summer was not exactly cold, but it was chilly enough to raise goose bumps. We couldn't wait to get in the water and our parents had difficulty getting us out.

After eating, the longest hour in a child's life is the hour spent waiting before one can swim again.

This is the picnic shelter were several tons of fried chicken, potato salad and green salads were consumed when I was young. We picnicked here often during the summer. Believe it or not, this was before Frisbee was popularized in Canada. In fact the first one I ever played with was here when my brother got that was used and dull red in color. It had been marketed under the name Pluto Platter, before Wham-O marketed the toy in Canada.

It's hard to believe that we considered this "beach". We had experience with beaches in California and Oregon, and were acquainted with sand, but this was what it was like where we lived. As it was we put up with cuts from barnacles on the soles of our feet, and made do.

This is more of the picnic area. You can see the multi-unit housing no more than 2 blocks away. The residential area is immediately adjacent to the park. Convenient for them since park access includes access to The Seawalk which runs from the Capilano River to 25th Street (Dundarave Pier), a distance of about 3.6km.

Here are your intrepid travelers. I am slathered with SPF60, on doctor's orders, comfy as toast in the sun and fresh breeze and Scooterchick is clad in a windbreaker and jeans, finding it a little chilly.

We ended up going to a Food Court and checking out shopping in Park Royal, then headed home. When we got back I felt a little "peckish" as my Dad used to say, and made a Pannini Sandwich from Chicken, Broccoli and Extra Old Cheddar Cheese. As it turns out my imagination was bigger than my stomach, and I could only manage to eat half, before wrapping the rest to eat today.

After watching a movie on demand, "Assault on Wall Street" (warning ...language and lots of blood) we turned in. This morning dawned bright and early. We decided to head out for breakfast. This is one of our Rhododendrons which has been ill but still put on a brave show. 

We went to one off favorite breakfast places, Chef Big D's. Their food is good and servers pleasant. Scooterchick had her regular, Crab Cakes, Over medium eggs and Brie Cheese, while I tried the Eastern Wrap, which is like their regular breakfast Wrap with the substitution of Pastrami instead of Sausage. Different......

Here's a glance at the menu. Pretty standard breakfast fare. Pretty standard breakfast pricing.

After breakky, we headed to the beach for a little exercise and fresh air. This old cedar has been "Slabbed and Bolted" until there was no more usable wood.

This one looks like a Chrysanthemum. We could call it a "Wood Flower", if it weren't so large.

Here's Scooterchick beside another stump that has washed ashore. The adorable babe has been gazing out to sea. The wind has not yet risen. By noon it will be steady at about 15 with gusts to 20 and the Kite Surfers will be out in force.

This is a shot I like to call the "Driftwood Jumble". This stuff gets blown ashore with high tides and rough water during the winter, then sits in the sun and bleaches.

This is another shot of the "Driftwood Jumble". I used to bring the children here when they were in elementary school so they could practice their Log Hopping. We would jog along back and forth jumping from log to log like goats, in a Wet Coast version of follow the leader. You can see Mamquam Mountain in the background.

Here are "Two Grizzled Sentinels". There's no telling how many years they have been weathering the elements in this location. Years is certain, decades are likely in view of their present condition.

Here is a view along a creosoted log toward another stump. I had a brilliant name for this shot when I took it, which sadly escapes me at present! Suggestions anyone?

Here is my beloved standing at "Hands Up"! I got her to stand close to the stump so you could get a sense of scale. This was a large tree at one time.

Due to the low salinity of the water because outflow of the Squamish River seagrass is common. Here are 3 different  varieties in this shot which are flourishing, in spite of being submerged twice a day.

This is a look back down the beach toward the parking area. You can see Shannon Falls in the distance.

Here is a look back up the trail. Mount Garibaldi is visible in the distance.

It's that time of year again allergy sufferers. When the Cottonwood fluff starts to fly can watery eyes and sneezing be far behind? I bought some allergy meds. right away.

We decided to stop and check out the Farmer's Market. There were a preponderance of baking stalls this time but I manfully resisted the urge to fill my sweet tooth to overflowing. Here is a lovely Rhododendron in the park next to the market area.

This is the market itself. Mt. Garibaldi is visible in the left background, Mamquam Mtn. in the right hand background.

A view looking the other direction. The folks seem to be setting up a performance space.

Looking towards the Mamquam Blind Channel. There seem to be a good number of vendors and few patrons. I wish them luck with sales but buy nothing.

We departed as a mild shower rolled in and headed back to our "little shack in the bush" to continue our preparations for the trip. Thanks for rollin' along with us today and I'll look forward to catching up with you later. Cheers!