I spent much of the day at Lafarge Lake with a dear friend of mine. We spent the time walking around the lake and sitting and admiring the ducks. I was so busy catching up with her that I didn't do a very good job of taking photos but I did manage a few.
It was a fabulous day for an outing. The sun was shining brightly even though some of my photos look like we were expecting rain. We weren't but it's still a bit windy and chilly in the shade.
The remaining days of the week are expected to get progressively warmer.
Lafarge Lake is a 5 hectare man made lake located in Town Center Park in Coquitlam. It is very easily accessed via the Skytrain and adjacent to the Douglas College campus. In winter there is a fabulous light display which you can partake of for free. I meant to go with dear hubby this past Christmas but he got busy with work and I didn't wish to go alone. Perhaps it will work out for Christmas 2024.
I've read that it's a very popular and crowded event. I suppose because it's a free event and there is plenty of parking. There is also a fabulous Evergreen Cultural Centre nearby and a brand new community centre will open in a few days. This is a great place for one but I think families with children would especially appreciate the convenience factor.
I have a photo dump today. I spent a bit of time travelling further out than usual to enjoy some sunny days and some picturesque scenes. I hope you enjoy.
I went to Porteau Cove just over a week ago and shared a few photos here. But we also stopped at a place called Cypress Bowl Lookout which is on the way to Cypress Provincial Park.
The first photos are taken on the Lion's Gate Bridge on the way to West Vancouver and North Vancouver.
These next photos are the lookout point and some information about Cypress Park.
When you get to the top of the mountain you can see for miles. But often there is haze. On that day you can see a bit of haze over the Vancouver Skyline.
We didn't carry on further into the park itself as we were going up to the small town of Squamish.
On the drive up there you will see some spectacular scenery but there are hardly any places to stop and actually take photos. It's one of those times you should just forget about the camera and enjoy the scenery. I did try to get a few photos but it isn't very easy due to the forest lining the highway.
You can see the town of Squamish in the valley below.
There isn't much to do in the actual town. We mainly went to catch some sun rays and see the scenery. We stopped at what appears to be a new McDonald's nestled into a nice spot on the outskirts of the town. We also took a drive through the town but I didn't take any photos since there isn't much to see. The surrounding mountains are the main attraction though not far away there are two popular attractions. One is a very popular hiking spot for serious hikers, called The Stawamus Chief. Click here for more information. Also close by is a newer tourist attraction called the Sea to Sky Gondola which I've yet to experience. The truth is I'm a little afraid because this popular attraction has been the subject of sabotage on 3 separate occasions over the past several years. Someone or several someone's, keep cutting the cables on the gondola cars This has cost the company a lot of money to repair and escalate more security features over time.
On the return journey. We stopped off at for fish and chips near the site of the Britannia Mine Museum, an award winning tourist attraction.
I hope you enjoyed the scenery. Thanks for stopping by!
Today's post is filled with photos. I am joining up with Skywatch Friday, Friday Foto Friends and Saturday's Critters. Thank you to hosts of all these memes. I know it takes commitment and reliability to keep these memes going.
My niece has been here having a short holiday and she will return home tomorrow. We managed to go and see a movie, Christopher Robin (a cute movie), do some light shopping, watch TV, colour, listen to a lot of music on YouTube, go for walks and ice cream and go for a car ride up to Squamish. On other days she went with her brother to spend time at the waterfront.
You can see Squamish on the map below (to the north of Vancouver).
We had dinner in the small town though there wasn't much selection.
We tried to get some photos but I didn't get any good ones of my niece and I.
For some reason I am not very photogenic at all.
Top it off my niece is not very patient when it comes to posing for photos and she always has her head too high or too low or never looking at the camera and so on.
The main thing then is to enjoy the ride and get some scenic photos.
(Click on photos for a larger and better view)
On the way to Squamish
This ferry is leaving Horseshoe Bay. Not sure where it's going but probably to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.
We continue north on the Sea to Sky Highway.
I'm afraid I didn't get photos of the small town of Squamish.
I wanted photos of the famous rock cliff where many do mountain hiking.
It is a challenging trail on the rock called Stawamus Chief.
The view of Stawamus Chief from the main street of Squamish.
After dinner we were in a rush to try and get some coastline photos while the sun was still up.
Access to the ocean was not possible in town so
we headed south back to Vancouver on the Sea-to-Sky Highway.
Not too far from Squamish you get to the Britannia Mine Museum & the Britannia Mine.
I've never been inside. In fact I've only ever been in this direction for 4 complete round trips over the many years I've lived in Vancouver. Usually it was to Whistler Village. Many of you may have heard about it because it is a very famous skiing village where celebs from all over the world visit for winter vacations.
The coastal scenery is spectacular.
I captured the following photos at a view point area near the Britannia Mine.
As we continue south we find a new to me park called Porteau Cove Provincial Marine Park.
It is a lovely little spot with beautiful scenery, a secluded swimming beach, clean toilets and plenty of picnic tables.
It is definitely on my list of places to return for a lovely picnic on a hot summer day.
The sun was setting at the same time the moon was showing it's face.
Beautiful clouds
Sky gazing
I snapped this photo of the ferry en route to Horseshoe Bay from Nanaimo. I almost missed it.
Another drive by shot. This one over the Lion's Gate Bridge from North Vancouver into Vancouver. Spectacular colour.
