South Langley Cyclists Stop for a Sip or Two
October 29, 2009
South Langley cyclists stop for a sip or two around Campbell Valley Regional Park
In the countryside around Vancouver, autumn is all about rich smells: fallen leaves and freshly sprung mushrooms give off earthy aromas; beds of late-blooming marigolds cloud the air with perfume; and trellises of ripe grapes emit telltale sweet notes as clusters cry out to be crushed for jelly or wine.
Want to experience this for yourself?
Head to South Langley with bikes onboard.
Leave your vehicle at Campbell Valley Regional Park and head out for an hour or three’s ride while the sun still warms your face.
Not that cyclists are welcome inside the park.
Far from it: this is horse country.
Trails that network through the heritage farmland close to the Canada–U.S. border are reserved for equestrians and pedestrians.
When the time comes to poke your nose into Campbell Valley, use the bike racks at the north- and south-valley entrances, or simply tuck your bikes away in the woods at any of a dozen approaches around the 550-hectare perimeter. (One is at the vintage Lochiel schoolhouse, where a portrait of George VI still adorns one wall with the words to “God Save the King” written on the blackboard below. To peer inside is to step back in time.)
If you can’t take bikes into the park, why bring them along?
Campbell Valley, more than 20 percent larger than Stanley Park, is contained within a rough rectangle of lightly trafficked back roads.
Stately groves of maples and cottonwoods, vibrantly coloured by the changing seasons, demarcate property lines.
Breezes waft across rolling hills, open meadows, and wetlands.
Although the city may be close at hand, this part of South Langley is as quiet and quaint as countrysides come.
In case you need further inducement to explore these laneways, three wineries dot the route.
Now through November is an ideal time to drop in for a taste of both new and old vintages, either from the bottle or straight off the vine, though you’ll have to hurry to sample fresh grapes.
According to Township 7 Vineyards’ manager, Phil Vallely, this year’s cool spring followed by an unusually hot summer meant that most grape varieties at both the winery’s Langley and Okanagan properties were ready for harvesting earlier than usual.
By the time you park your bike in front of the tasting room, as plenty of cyclists do on sunny weekends, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any plump, purple table grapes left on the trellises originally planted 60 years ago by the former farm owners.
Still, buy a glass of wine, sit out at one of the picnic tables spread among the rows of chardonnay and pinot noir, and toast your good fortune at finding your way here.
Until recently, locals scoffed at the idea of cultivating grapes for anything grander than jelly.
Claude and Inge Violet, whose French winemaking pedigree stretches back to the 17th century, challenged that perception when they founded the Fraser Valley’s first winery in the 1980s.
By the time they retired earlier this decade, Domaine de Chaberton had become one of the largest estate wineries in B.C., with an annual production of more than 40,000 cases.
Inge Violet still supplies some of the winery’s trademark white wine variety—Bacchus—from her nearby property.
With more than 20 years in the food-and-beverage industry, Domaine de Chaberton’s retail manager Margo Klassen finds a trend lately toward white wine as the drink of choice among visitors, whom she characterized as more open-minded and adventuresome than those in previous years.
If that description matches your self-image, here’s a suggestion: save any wine-tasting for the tail end of your ramble.
Hop aboard your bike and start circling the park in a clockwise direction to make the most efficient use of energy as you pedal the contoured hillside.
The landscape rolls gently along with little loss or gain in elevation.
The one exception is a steep notch where North Bluff Road, also called 16th Avenue, plummets into the narrow Campbell Valley.
Be prepared for a short section of pumping no matter which approach you take.
As a reward, one of the best views of this circumnavigation appears from the bridge that spans the Campbell River.
At this brief opening, the spires in Golden Ears Provincial Park dominate the northern skyline.
This is one of South Langley’s most picturesquely forested microclimates, which receives more sun and less rain than anywhere else in the Fraser Valley.
Imagine you’re biking in Europe, particularly beneath a stand of towering Lombardy poplars adjacent to Township 7 Vineyards.
Add vino to heighten the sensation and cap your tour.
Going to the country doesn’t get better than this.
Access: Campbell Valley Regional Park lies 55 kilometres east of Vancouver in South Langley. Follow Highway 1 southeast to the 200th or 232nd Street exit and drive 14.5 kilometres south to the park’s 16th Avenue or 8th Avenue entrance. Or from Highway 99 South, take the 8th Avenue East exit and travel 7.5 kilometres to the south-valley entrance on 200th Street. For details, visit www.metrovancouver.org/services/parks_lscr/regionalparks/Pages/CampbellValley.aspx or call 604-530-4983. The park is wheelchair-accessible.
Domaine de Chaberton Estate Winery is located at 1064 216th Street. For information, call 604-530-1736. Township 7 Vineyards and Winery is located one kilometre west of Domain de Chaberton at 21152 16th Avenue, a short distance from Campbell Valley Park’s north entrance. For information, call 604-532-1766.
Seeking out new views of the Fraser River
October 16, 2009
Sea kayakers Jane McRae (foreground) and Sally Richardson explore the Fraser from Ladner Harbour.
Access: Ladner lies 30 kilometres/18 miles south and west of Vancouver in the Municipality of Delta.
To reach Ladner, drive Highway 99 to the south end of the George Massey Tunnel and take the first exit (#29) onto River Road or the next exit (#28) onto Highway 17 South, then turn right onto Ladner Trunk Road (48th Avenue) for the short drive into town. By taking the River Road exit, you approach Ladner on a back road rather than through the community’s newer neighbourhoods on Ladner Trunk.
For information on Kaymaran Adventure Tours, including tours and kayak and canoe rentals, as well as membership in the Ladner Paddling Club, call 604-946-7507 or 604-946-5070, check www.kaymarantours.com/, or stop by Ladner’s Elliott Street Wharf.
Imagine living beside one of the world’s most ecologically significant waterways, one that can be reached within minutes of home, waiting to be discovered anew with each passing season.
This dream attraction—the Fraser River—lies at our doorstep.
Without giving the 1,375-kilometre/825-mil-long river more than a passing thought—sure looks muddy—many Vancouverites regularly cross the Fraser for work, pleasure, or both.
New approaches, such as TransLink’s Golden Ears Bridge between Langley and Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows and the Canada Line crossing between Vancouver and Richmond, have just opened.
It’s time to reward yourself for the turmoil inflicted by Canada Line construction.
Head to the south end of Ash Street, where panoramic river views unfold along the heel- and wheel-friendly concourse.
Behold the Fraser’s North Arm.
Given the changes that occurred around False Creek after Vancouver hosted Expo 86, ponder what this soon-to-be redeveloped stretch of shoreline will look like decades from now.
Large tracts of land where industrial activities once held sway currently lie vacant. Suddenly this stretch of the river is approachable again.
By far the most intimate manner in which to get acquainted with the Fraser is floating on its surface.
Only those aboard a motorized vessel should trifle with the strong tidal currents in the North and South Arms, though.
On the other hand, a kayak or canoe is the ideal craft in which to discover the superb natural beauty of the Fraser estuary around Ladner, where a group of low-slung, thickly vegetated islands beckon offshore.
With its tranquil, historic waterfront augmented by a fleet of eclectic float homes, Ladner shows how life was once lived in dozens of small river communities along the Fraser’s last leg to the ocean.
Tony Dales runs Kaymaran Adventure Tours on Ladner’s Elliot Street public dock.
Thanks to local volunteers who participated in “Operation Shoreline Cleanup” this summer, the long-time resident says the harbour looks better than it has in years.
From his watercraft rental office, Dales proudly describes how decrepit boats, half-sunken float homes, and mounds of marine debris were hauled away in order to beautify adjacent Ladner Harbour Park’s surroundings.
Clearly delighted by the sight of salmon leaping beside his dock as the fall run of pinks begins returning to the Fraser in their millions, Dales was equally thrilled by the impending winged migration that during the next two months will see millions of birds pass through the Fraser Estuary, one of the most important rest and feeding stops on the Pacific flyway.
Every autumn, a new group of kayakers is drawn to witness this natural abundance.
Dales notes the number of families that have recently signed on for a first-time paddle.
By far the biggest segment of his business comes from women in their 40s to late 60s, an age range that accounts for 80 percent of all new sea kayakers in North America.
Dales describes this cohort as having the time, money, and guts, and gumption to get out on the water.
Why do women, in particular, take to paddling?
At first blush, the sport offers the pleasure of a quiet atmosphere plus an opportunity to get back to nature.
But after women join the Kaymaran-affiliated Ladner Paddling Club for an outing or two, Dales has noticed, their perspective changes.
Sea-kayaking becomes even cooler because of its self-powered simplicity that can be mastered independently or with other like-minded adventurers on the river.
At the same time as Vancouverites take pride in living beside this great natural attraction, the Fraser has consistently ranked at or near the top of the annual Outdoor Recreation Council of B.C.’s most-endangered rivers list.
In 1980, the council orchestrated the first B.C. Rivers Day. Thanks in large part to the lobbying efforts of Burnaby’s Mark Angelo, the September celebration evolved into World Rivers Day in 2005.
Prior to this year’s events, Angelo spoke from his office at BCIT’s fish, wildlife, and recreation program.
He lauded the Ladner harbour facelift both for its positive results and for the tangible community benefit of bringing people together.
Angelo’s words echo the sentiment of all who discover this corner of the Fraser.
The estuary is a magical place.
Once you’ve spent time exploring there, you’ll better appreciate the value of where we live, which, in turn, makes life in Vancouver special.
Original Article
Text CR Jack Christie
Photo CR Louise Christie
Sea To Sky Trail Video Released
October 8, 2009
With the help of an all-star cast, including environmental educator Dr. David Suzuki, Paralympic ski skier Brad Lennae, cyclist extraordinaire Ryan Leech, and Olympic gold medalist Beckie Scott, the Sea to Sky Trail comes to life in my newest video production, this time on behalf of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District’s 190-kilometre-long route. Take a look at the results.
To celebrate the Sea to Sky Trail Society’s partnership with the Trans Canada Trail Society, the SLRD wanted to highlight the beauty of this work-in-progress at the TCT’s annual general meeting held at Rideau Hall in Ottawa where it premiered in September
Thanks to the great talent that helped put this video together, both videographer Kirk Tougas and the team at upNext Media who also work their design magic here at jackchristie.com.
Enjoy!
And check out the detailed description of the Sea to Sky Trail in our just-released 2010 editon of “The Whistler Book“
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