2008 AGASSIZ TULIP FESTIVAL

Disappointing…  I went there early in the morning while the light would have been much better in late afternoon for photography and I guess the Sun wasn’t strong enough at that time to compel those tulips to open up to catch some rays.  There were many rows of tulips, but we were not allowed to walk within those rows and yeah, the festival was just rows of tulips…  Nothing special.  Why not be creative and do some nice landscaping with all those flowers?  Given that the festival is located in Agassiz, 90 minutes or so from downtown Vancouver and that my visit was over within 45 minutes, I don’t feel it was worth it.  Nevertheless, I did snap a few pictures – here they are:

 
No walking withing those rows please!

Colorful tulips

Mountains surround parts of the field

Fiery red tulips

The Festival headquarters

Basketful of tulips

STEVESTON

Steveston lies at the Southern tip of Richmond, roughly 40 minutes from downtown Vancouver, by car.  Watch kites flying at Garry Point Park, walk along the scenic dyke, or just plain relax while you savour some delicious home-made ice cream in the heart of the village.

Cherry blossoms at Garry Point Park

Sports kite/parachute (?) at Garry Point Park

Looking East along the West Dyke trail

Looking West along the West Dyke trail

Bald Eagle on the West Dyke trail

Turtles having a party on the West Dyke trail

Fresh seafood for sale at the Fisherman’s Wharf in the heart of Steveston Village

Seagull enjoying the view at the Fisherman’s Wharf

ROAD TRIP TO HARRISON LAKE

Harrison Lake

After a group outing to the Agassiz Tulip Festival was over all too quickly and wondering what to do next on this beautiful sunny day, the guy I carpooled with suggested we go on a road trip.  Although we had no specific destination in mind, our driver suggested we try driving along Harrison Lake on a service road he knew existed but had never tried.  This was my first road trip experience and man, I had a blast!

Leaving Agassiz behind, we entered the city of Harrison close by.  We skipped the famous “Hot Springs” altogether as our goal was to explore the unknown.  Back country map in hand, our driver led us to the East side of the lake, on a rather well maintained road.  Although a truck is more fit to handle that kind of terrain, sedan type cars such as the ones we saw along the way could still navigate through the light bumps, albeit at a slower pace.

A couple of kilometers into the service road

Waterfall flowing beside a tiny bridge crossing

After some elevation gain, we came across this nice viewpoint (notice the cross at the bottom of the tree)

14 kilometers or so later, at the Bear Creek Recreational Area

At the Bear Creek Recreational Area

Our Harrison Lake road trip over, we still stopped here and there for some great rural views on the way back

Heading West along Hwy 7, another spot worth a picture.

THE 2008 VANCOUVER SUN RUN

It was a record breaking year for the Vancouver Sun Run

As I left around 8:30AM to participate in the 2008 edition of the Vancouver Sun Run — as an avid photographer :p –, the Weather Network’s website mentioned the temperature in Vancouver was 1ºC and with the wind chill factor, it actually felt like -2ºC — Brrrr!  But it could have been worse: just 36 hours prior to the event, I was running for cover as big fat wet snow flakes pounded downtown Vancouver on Friday night.

Needless to say, the record breaking 59,000+ mass of sun runners couldn’t wait to get going this morning, their Sun Run T-shirts needing some extra warmth in the form of a long sleeved shirt for most.

I had a blast witnessing the event from the sidelines, in my double layered ski coat. :)  Believe it or not, I did jog a little bit myself, moving from one vantage point to another.  I particularly enjoyed the view from Burrard Bridge where the view on the sea of people running below along Beach Avenue was amazing; so amazing in fact that I saw a runner actually take a break from the “race” to take a picture too! :)

Crossing Burrard Bridge

Long sleeved shirts were the norm for this year’s Vancouver Sun Run

Don’t be fooled by the palm trees, it was bitterly cold this morning. :s

Musicians were spread out throughout the course to entertain runners and spectators alike

2008 SAINT PATRICK’S DAY PARADE

Luck of the Irish?  Those clovers don’t have four leaves! :p

This year’s Saint Paddy’s Day Parade was better than last year’s.  The highlights for me were the energetic Irish dance numbers — more plentyful than last year — and a strong Asian presence in traditional costumes which brought grace and beauty to the parade.  As far as improvements go, adding some music to the sports portion of the parade might make things a little livelier and, I can’t seem to figure out those bagpipes…  They all sound the same to me; I’ll try to listen more closely next year. ;)

The organization of the event was great.  No real delay and a very respectful crowd — thanks to the alert volunteers patrolling the event — made this a very enjoyable 90+ minutes of Celtic inspired fun.

Celtic Dance

Simply divine beauty, elegance, and passion emanating from her

Irish Wolfhound

Helping the one who usually helps others :)

Celtic music

Falun Gong (or Falun Dafa) practicioners

Pretty in pink

FAIR AT THE PNE

The Peking Acrobats

Hold on!

Superdogs show

Parade for the kids

The Fair at the PNE is VERY popular!

LIGHT HIKING AT LIGHTHOUSE PARK

35 minutes from downtown (by bus — take the 250 bus) is this little gem of a park which offers amazing views on the Greater Vancouver and Howe Sound regions.  It contains all the ingredients of a hike, minus the pulse-pounding cardio bit.  Its pièce de résistance is of course, the lighthouse from which the park got its name. 

Lighthouse, West Beach viewpoint

Great Heron

Arbutus

Leaky boat ;)

This Pyrenean Mountain dog is positively drooling over the view! :p

Labrador Retrievers (?) and their proud owner :)

HIKING MOUNT STRACHAN

Canada Day 2007…  Still plenty of snow up there!  Tough one, but with the 360 degree view at the top, it’s totally worth it!

Bowen Island

Downtown Vancouver

Howe Sound

Mount Baker

Seymour Valley

HIKING LYNN CANYON

The free suspension bridge. :)

Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge

Old Rusty Bridge

Fly Fishing In Action

Waiting for the Fish to Bite

Seymour River

HIKING EAGLE PEAK (MOUNT BEAUTIFUL)

Tough hike!  Some got swarmed by wasps on this one too.

Some beach along Indian Arm, I think

Bedwell Bay (front left), Deep Cove (right), and downtown Vancouver in the distance

Coquitlam Lake

Garibaldi Mountain

Swan Falls