Mountain views

Sunny and 20C here this afternoon, what better time to check out the views from nearby Burnaby Mountain Park.

Nice looking restaurant with great views there, will have to stop by for its brunch one Sunday (between 11 and 2). Looks like a tasty menu, too …. think I’d have to check out the omelet bar.

Burnaby city’s website says the park is 1,423 acres of carefully conserved west-coast nature comprised mainly of forested slopes radiating down from the mountaintop Simon Fraser University. It has views of the mountains, ocean and city, though downtown Vancouver looked hazy.

What to do

There was a network of hiking and jogging trails, and families were hanging out on the manicured lawns, picnicking at the tables in the shade, or playing Frisbee in the sun. It was a great spot to go with kids, although younger tots may have trouble navigating the steep walk to the playground, which is located on the upper slopes.

It would be nice to visit when the rose garden is in bloom, I think that would be around June? Don’t quote me on that, I am an apartment dweller.

Seems like a good spot for wildlife also, with its creeks and mixed mixed deciduous/coniferous forest. The park is home to blacktail deer, bald eagles and many perching birds.

Japanese totems

The mountain view is a dramatic backdrop for the Kamui Mintara (Playground of the Gods) sculpture. The Kamui Mintara comprises more than a dozen carved poles created by Japanese sculptors Nuburi Toko and his son, Shusei. The poles honour the relationship between Burnaby and its sister city, Kushiro, Japan.

According to Burnaby Tourism:

The poles represent the story of the gods who descended to earth to give birth to the Ainu. Animal spirits such as whale, bear, and owl adorn the tops of the slender poles that are clustered together in groups of twos and threes. A killer whale and a brooding raven stand apart from the rest, looking west across the Strait of Georgia towards Vancouver Island (and Japan). A stunningly beautiful setting, this is one of the best examples of art in a public place in the Lower Mainland.

I shot a few photos, but it was just after midday and not the greatest light. Sunrise and sunset are the prefered time for photo ops. The magic hours of light.

The maddening crowds

It was a fantastic, sunny weekend here, so we decided to head to Stanley Park to enjoy the outdoors. It was so crazy busy there, hard to find parking, and expensive to park. So we headed to English Bay to get some beach time …. until we saw how many thousands of others had the same idea. It was as though every high rise in the area had disgorged its inhabitants onto the small beach. Not so relaxing after all. We fled to Commercial Drive for a quiet supper instead.

This experience makes me even more determined to find Burnaby’s best parks. I will get back on that trail next weekend.

I saw a story in the city of Burnaby publication’s Info Burnaby, that June 11 from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m. will be Urban Trail Grand Opening at the Griffiths Overpass and South Spur Urban Trail. Not sure what is going on besides free refreshments, but maybe I will drop by. According to the blurb, Burnaby now has 200 km of pedestrian and cycle paths, not bad for a city of this size (98.60 square kilometers).

This event is part of the city’s Environment Week celebrations, its theme is Moving with Nature. I will have to go to the following event, as I am a bit of a bird-nerd.

Guided Nature Walk, Mornings are for the Birds: Saturday, June 07 from 6 to 8 a.m.

The Burnaby Lake Park Association is hosting a dawn chorus walk at Burnaby Lake in celebration of Environment Week 2008. Participants are invited to listen for the calls of songbirds and watch for other wildlife during this guided tour along the park’s forested trails. This free event will take place at the Nature House located at the end of Piper Avenue, south of Winston Street. Light refreshments will be served; no registration is required.

Also, Burnaby Lake Nature House is now open on weekends, and park interpreters are available to answer questions and hand out park maps. The nature house also features a butterfly garden where you can discover which plants attract these attractive bugs. I found out about the nature house from a great newsletter called Check it Out published by Metro Vancouver … I have subscribed to its online version to keep up with the many nature events happening in and around Burnaby.

The (almost) hidden park

A classmate made a comment about loving the rain, and I have to agree with him, it really makes the B.C. coast the lush, green paradise that is.

Today I went exploring in the rain, but decided to stick close to home and go to our nearest park, Froggers Creek Ravine. I am not sure if the rain kept people away, or if it was the overgrown and steep trails, but in the hour I spent there I only spied one other person.

One trail was so steep, I fell and got covered in mud when trying to go up it.

You could hear the hum of traffic going by on nearby Marine Drive, but apart from that the park was a quiet city oasis, with bird calls and a babbling creek.

Good thing that Burnaby has so many big trees. According to the Rycyling Council of British Columbia, a single mature tree can absorb nearly 22 kilograms of carbon per year and release enough oxygen to support two humans.

The park’s scattered playground items added to the air of abandonment: the graffiti-covered space ship climbing bars; the swing set dwarfed by giant cedars and maples; and the basketball hoop with the falling-off and torn net.

Maybe people don’t even know about the park, the entrance I took had no sign, and no parking, it was just the dead-end of a road.

Location of Froggers

That’s good news for me. I like the quiet.

I wander around in the damp stillness taking photos. It’s dim lighting, so I need flash or slow shutter speeds.

See photos on Flickr

Photos from the rhododendron festival

Just created an account in Flickr to make it easier to share photos in my blog. The first upload was of the festival last Sunday.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26371083@N05/

My trusty iCal tells me there is a Dragon Boat Festival at Barnet Park next Saturday (17th), so that will be another good photo op.

Sucking in the pollen

Had nose full of pollen, like crazed flower addict, after stopping to smell the blooms at Deer Lake Park. Today was the twentieth annual Burnaby Rhododendron Festival, and the air was full of the scent of magnolia and other blossoms. This was is stark contrast to the stink near the west entrance to the park, caused by the skunk cabbage nestling in the low dark damp area there. The plant’s foul odour is to attract pollinators, according to Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Skunk_Cabbage

Being a bit of a bird nerd, was excited to see a sign for pheasants crossing along one of Deer Lake Park’s many trails, with the warning that birds nest in the area and are easily disturbed by off leash dogs. Birds listed as nesting close to the ground were: ducks, geese, grouse, rail, killdeer, warblers and sparrows. The sign also warns of mammals that might be disturbed by dogs: shrews, moles, raccoon, hare, squirrels, voles, muskrat, beaver and coyotes. All this in the heart of B.C.’s third largest city, cool.

As I stopped to admire the first giant rhododendron, a lady told me to come back in two or three weeks as there will be many more of these huge plants in bloom by then. Seems the coldest April in 20 years must have set back the blossoming. Must be the La Niña phenomenon http://www.msc-smc.ec.gc.ca/education/lanina/index_e.cfme

It was interesting to have a look around the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, there were exhibits and green displays inside. The festival had an ecological-green theme, so picked up some brochures about recycling (as I just moved to Burnaby, B.C., and am learning a new set of rules), and bought a sugar bowl and crème jug from a beautiful pottery display outside the centre. Also, a photographer with a booth at the show had some interesting prints on display http://www.sirakphoto.com/

Blue-grass music drifted from the atrium while children flew their new (free!) kites in the field behind.
We will definitely we revisiting Deer Lake Park in the near future. But many other parks to explore, too …

I will post again with a link soon after I have uploaded my rhodo festival photos to Flickr.

Footnote: According to a story in today’s Province, a recent study found that nature nurtures our happiness (subhead: people who felt connected to nature also had a sense of purpose in life). So many great spin offs to enjoying the outdoors.

Nearby green spots

I have noticed there is a series of ravine parks to explore along Marine Drive, which would be close enough that I could go for evening walks. The trouble with ravine parks is that they tend to be steep … and I had a bit of a bad experience getting lost in one in downtown Halifax …

There does seem to be a fair few tall trees, amazing for a big city. Picked up a book at Superstore today, Wildlife and Trees in British Columbia, as I can’t identify many of the trees yet. Definitely some old cedars out there though, I can tell that much.

http://www.wildlifetreebook.com/

Rhododendron festival this Sunday

Today we drove past a sign advertising the 20th annual Rhododendron Festival in Burnaby’s Deer Lake Park, which will feature a “blend of horticulture and art activities,” according to Tourism Burnaby’s website. Should be good photo ops, with music, kite flying, flowers.

http://www.tourismburnaby.com/node/368

And at the Burnaby Rhododendron and Gardens Society website:

http://www.brags.ca/

While researching the event, I signed up to receive Tourism Burnaby’s e-newsletter, it has coming parks events, etc. that will be of interest to us in getting to know our new home.