This Saturday I arrived late amid discussions about how the group could best get to Jericho Beach ...
Linda, Deborah and Judi were joined by two newcomers, Marilyn and her brother Ken ... We caught the #20 Downtown bus to Pender & Carrall where we transferred to the #4 UBC bus to take us to West 4Th Avenue ... as we passed Victory Square and Vancouver Community College, I mentioned that the college has a cooking school where, at 11:30 Monday to Friday, baked goods, salads, entrees and pastries go on sale for very reasonable prices in the bakery-deli on the second floor ...
On West 4Th Avenue, the park starts at Alma Street ... we got off the bus one block past Alma at Wallace and crossed the lovely broad green where the annual Folk Music Festival is held ... our first stop was the Jericho Beach Cafe and beach house ... the cafe serves hot food such as burgers and hot dogs (including veggie dogs and burgers), wraps, snacks and beverages ...
We started along the pathway that borders on the beach ... a stiff breeze was up but it did not deter the sunbathers, surfers and sailing enthusiasts who dotted the waters of the bay ... large green lawns surrounded by tall Lombardy poplars, maple trees and weeping willows lay before us as the path meandered in and out of stands of young trees .. at the western border of Jericho is Locarno Beach where we passed Eco Marine Kayak, a rental outfit ...
Further along Locarno Beach, small catamarans and windsurfing boards lay along the edge of the beach ... the ground level of the two-storey building is the office for rental equipment ... lessons are available to children for sail boating and to adults for windsurfing ... the second storey of the building is the Galley Patio & Grill with a balcony dining area ... information about this operation can be accessed online at www.clublocarno.com ...
We walked the wharf at Locarno where people were pole fishing ... one Oriental man was proudly showing a large crab he had just captured ... off the wharf we returned along the pathway until we reached the lake ... we followed the lake to the foot bridge ... crossing the bridge we saw ducks and Canada geese enjoying the water and cool grass beside the tall reeds at the lake's edge ...
Beyond the lake, we came across a tall lacquered pole on which was mounted, high up, tiny flat containers with holes just big enough for bees to make hives ... the information board attached noted that a large population of our North American bees have disappeared due to habitat loss, pesticide use, disease (viruses) and mites ... in a documentary I saw on TV last year, one of the factors that contributed to this problem in the U.S. was a nicotine based pesticide used in crop dusting ... the nicotine destroyed the bees' homing instincts so they couldn't find their hives after they'd been out pollinating flowers ... the pesticide also impaired the bees' natural ability to fend off viruses and mites ...
One-third of our food crops depend on bee pollination ... in BC we have the Blue Orchard Mason bee ... the high rise hive we saw was built by Daniel Salvadore de Sousa under the auspices of the Jericho Stewardship and is one of 150 similar hives in the Vancouver area cared for by EYA (Environmental Youth Association) and community volunteers ...
Community volunteers are also removing imported plants, such as the Japanese Knotwood, Scotch Broom and English Ivy which overtake local gardens and parks ... these volunteers are replacing the imported varieties with plants native to BC ... During a rest on a park bench, Marilyn showed us a book she purchased from Chapters, entitled Namely Vancouver by Tom Snyder and Jennifer O'Rourke ... this book provides a history of names of streets and parks ...
Jericho Beach was named for Jeremiah Rogers who settled this stretch of beach in 1864 ... it was known by locals as "Jerry's Cove" from which came the shortened version: Jericho ... Our walk ended, we split up, some of the group waited for the #84 Express, others walked up to Broadway for the 99 B-Line and the rest of us caught the #4 bus to downtown where we transferred to the #20 Victoria back to Britannia Centre on Commercial Drive ...
A future walk is tentatively planned for starting at Locarno and walking west to Spanish Banks ... we haven't given up on a day trip to Steveston ... we're just waiting for our walkers who have offered to drive ... this time of year they are busy overseeing home maintenance and renovations ... their contractors take priority over leisurely adventures ...
Until next time, enjoy the sunshine, fresh air and lush greenery of our fair city ...
Contributor Virginia
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