We arrived in Aldergrove, B.C., on May 29th, 2019, staying at the Eagle Wind RV Park. Our first outing was to celebrate the Prince of Wales 55th High School Reunion on May 31st, at the Arbutus Club. It was fun to get together with Bob’s friends from high school and to celebrate my birthday with them. Next stop was to visit my sister, Sue and Denis, on Salt Spring Island. We took our e-bikes with us so we could ride around Salt Spring Island without having to worry about all the hills. We rode to Ruckle Provincial Park, one of the most beautiful parks in the southern Gulf Islands. In addition to its natural beauty, Ruckle Park is an area in cultural history. Irish emigrant Henry Ruckle first homesteaded here in 1872, marrying in 1877; and their descendants have farmed the Salt Spring property for more than a century. The Ruckle family donated their land to BC Parks in 1972 for the creation of Ruckle Provincial Park. We also rode our bikes to the west side of Salt Spring Island to the isolated area of Musgrave Landing. Musgrave Landing was the agriculture center of Salt Spring Island from 1870 to roughly 1904. It’s now a popular stop along the Gulf Islands Marine Trail. We always enjoy our stay on Salt Spring Island, visiting new sights and places, with Sue and Denis in their beautiful home and look forward to returning again soon. Click on thumbnail to view images
Salt Spring Island
Vancouver Walking Tour
On August 20th, we did our annual walk around Vancouver, 14 miles, with plenty of food stops along the way. We started walking along the Seawall in Stanley Park. The history of this beautiful seawall; James “Jimmy” Cunningham, a master mason, dedicated his life to the construction of the seawall from 1931 until his retirement, he 32 years on the project until his death at 85, in 1963. Most of the Stanley Park portion was built between 1917 and 1971. The original Stanley Park section of the 14 mile Vancouver Seawall is approximately 5.6 miles from Coal Harbor/Vancouver Rowing Club to Second Beach. We hiked up Siwash Trail to the lookout point overlooking Siwash Rock, also known by its Squamish name Skalsh, it stand 49ft to 59ft tall, and it became known to mariners as Nine Pin Rock for its vague resemblance to a bowling pin. We stopped at the Teahouse restaurant located at Ferguson Point in Stanley Park for a refreshment. Then on to English Bay where we were able to climb the A-maze-ing Laughter Sculptures in Morton Park to get photos. Yue Minjun, the artist, who designed and built the A-maze-ing Laughter in 2009. The patinated bronze sculpture, composed of 14 statues each about 3 meters tall and weighing over 250 kilograms, portraying the artist’s own image “in a state of hysterical laughter”. They want to make you laugh when you see them. The inscription carved in the cement states:
“May this sculpture inspire laughter playfulness and joy in all who experience it”
We headed down to Gastown and along the waterfront back to Stanley Park, completing our circle tour of Vancouver. What an incredible city to explore, always something new to discover on our walk. Click on thumbnail to view images
Mount Cheam Hike, Chilliwack, B.C.
The trail to the peak of Mount Cheam is not as difficult as the ride up the decommissioned logging roads to the Trailhead, requiring a 4-wheel drive vehicle or ATVs which we encountered on our way up to the parking lot. After a 15 minute walk along an old logging road, the trail descends into the subalpine bowl of Spoon Lake, and then the steep uphill begins. It was a wonderful blue sky day and the wild flowers were plentiful as we hiked up the trail. After another 30-40 minutes of uphill, we reached the ridge where we had a beautiful view of the Fraser Valley far below. It was such a clear day that we could see the community of Agassiz, Chilliwack, and Harrison Lake. From the ridge it was just a short hike to the Summit of Mount Cheam, where we experienced an unobstructed 360-degree panoramic view of the entire region: Lady Peak to the south, Mt Baker in the distance, Jones Lake below, and the entire Fraser Valley. The round-trip is 9.5 km, and takes about 4-5 hours, and Mount Cheam is 6,903 feet. We stayed on the Summit for awhile, as we ate lunch and enjoyed the spectacular scenery surrounding us. On our way back down we had magnificent views of the mountains in the Cascades and especially Mount Baker. We could also see Mount Slesse, the name means “fang”. On Dec 9, 1956, Trans Canada Air Lines Flight 810 crashed on the upper slopes of the mountain, killing all 62 people aboard. Bob remembers the crash as he went to the same school with the pilot’s son. It was one of the world’s worst air disasters up to that time. We finally got back to the Jeep but still had the rugged drive back down to the highway. This was definitely one of the best day hikes we have experienced and would highly recommend it. Click on thumbnail to view images
Fort Langley Ride
The summer would not be complete without a bike ride to Fort Langley. We had to stop at the Krause Berry Farms and Estate Winery for the infamous waffle. We devoured the succulent strawberry waffle with plenty of whipped cream on top. This is a flat, easy ride with plenty of scenery and wonderful restaurants in Fort Langley to enjoy a well-deserved meal. The round-trip ride is about 30 miles and a great day trip. Click on thumbnail to view images
End of Summer Fun
