Falling for Lampposts and Leaves

One of my favourite parts about exploring a new city is stumbling upon public artworks. I have a Coquitlam address but live within walking distance to more amenities in Port Moody, including a small neighbourhood park (and I mean small!)

When we moved from Vancouver to Coquitlam a year ago, I was rather dismayed that Corbeau Park was the nearest one to walk to, especially after enjoying the gargantuan (by comparison) Memorial South Park practically in our backyard.

And yet my almost-four-year-old is surprisingly content with what the playground offers. And me? I have grown to like its smallness and calmness in the midst of a busy intersection. The park is aesthetically framed by a creek, trees, and brick-accented townhouses that have a European flair to them. Mosaics along the sidewalk and lampposts add visual interest and contribute to making this small, easily overlooked and crowded corner of Dewdney Trunk Road and St Johns Street an oasis with character (and benches!)

Speaking of giving a place character, I am especially fond of this lamppost at Lafarge Lake (an example of functional public art). It reminds me of Lumière (the talking candelabra) in Beauty and the Beast. I wish there were more of these surprise lampposts scattered around the lake’s perimeter, but as far as I’m aware, this is the only one. Can’t you just picture yourself reading a book under its canopy, the post’s lanky steel body coming to life when you’re not looking and meandering down to the water’s edge? (I took this picture on a hot summer day, which is probably the only reason why my mind jumps to “sun shade” rather than “rain cover”).

I’ve been noticing lampposts lately. Now that summer is retreating and fall is arriving with aplomb, there is colour everywhere. Leaves wrap themselves around lampposts like scarves. This one greets you along the path from Castle Park in Port Coquitlam, over the Mary Hill Bypass, and down to the Fraser River.

And look at this wall of ivy framing our own path down to a basement suite which, when the light hits just right, makes even that downward descent (with carseats in tow) look magical.

‘ll leave/leaf you with other shots of flaming reds seen at Rocky Point Park in Port Moody.

What a glorious season, eh? And it never gets old.

Diez Vistas

My first hike of the summer was a good one but a long one. The Artist and I tackled #7 on this list: Diez Vistas. 10 views in 1 hike, sign me up!

The trail loops around Buntzen Lake in Port Moody. I was looking forward to a trail where you didn’t repeat your steps on the way down. However, I think this also contributed to making us feel like it went on forever as we had no reference point to how close the finish was. After 6 hours (including a 30 minute break at the 1st view for lunch) and many aching calves and wobbly knees later, we made it back to the south beach of Buntzen Lake.

The trail first takes you over this marshy area of the man-made lake via a floating bridge.

Once on the other side, you take the Diez Vista trail that quickly ascends with a series of switchbacks. This is the hardest part of the trail.

However, it isn’t too long before you are rewarded with this incredible view of Indian Arm and Deep Cove, with the distant cities of Burnaby to the left and Vancouver to the right.

We stopped here for lunch before making our way to the 2nd and 3rd views, which are even better! #3 especially. A bonus was that this trail was virtually empty on a sunny Friday afternoon, so we had the views to ourselves!

Here’s a close up of Deep Cove in North Van.

And one of Belcarra Regional Park (that’s Hamber Island above the mass dense of trees, middle right of pic).

Unfortunately, the best 3 views are within the first quarter of the hike. It would be nice if they were a little more spread out. The majority of the hike was walking through forest, which was great because it was so hot out but we were in shade most of the day.

There were some partial views along the way, but a lot of it has become overgrown.

As some reviewers mention in the comments section of Vancouver Trails, you do have to watch for the orange tree markers to make sure you stay on trail. There were a few points where we wish the markers were a little more frequent, especially near the end.

Here you can see three peaks of Mount Seymour.

The downhill seemed to take forever. And then when we came back out near Buntzen Lake, we took the long (albeit scenic) route back to South Beach around the quieter North Beach, which added 30 minutes or so on to the hike.

The sound of barking dogs and squealing children at South Beach never sounded so good to our ears!

Jumping in the lake to cool down afterwards was a great way to finish the day.

If you’re planning on doing this hike, I’d say bring lots of water, especially if it’s hot! We had 2 bottles each and ran out with 1 hour left to go. And make sure to bring your bathing suit so you can reward yourself with a dip after a hard day’s work! The water’s cool but it feels great.