Tuesday, June 21, 2011

rollin' along the river...

With a dry and reasonably warm evening on our hands...and no immediate plans...we loaded our bikes and took them to the parking lot at one end of the Vedder River Trail on Friday night.


The trail runs for 15 1/2 kilometers along the north dyke of the Vedder River...and is popular with joggers, strollers, horseback riders, dog walkers and cyclists.  It was rather quiet on that particular evening.


Fed by the huge volume of water coming down the river at this time of the year...the driftwood piles were bigger than ever.




Lupins and other  wild flowers lined  the trail...

...and a few patches of poppies popped out among the rest.



The trail also meanders past Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve...a 130-hectare site known for the breeding colony of Great Blue Herons as well as a wide variety of wildlife and vegetation. We took a little detour through the reserve...and spotted a few herons and several beavers. 


I stopped at this particular viewpoint...a bench that I remember well.  On a Sunday evening in June 2000...my parents showed up at our place just as we were about to leave for a walk along this very trail.  We invited them to join us...and they did.  But when we got to the trail...my mom suggested they might just sit on this bench and enjoy the view, since she wasn't feeling up to too much walking.  She really enjoyed our outing to the river...and it turned out to be her one and only visit to this spot.  One month later she passed away.


It is a lovely trail...and I hope to use it again soon.  But then again...one never knows what lies around the bend!

We do know, however, that today is the first day of summer.  Have a good one!
 

14 comments:

  1. We like that trail too but haven't done it in a long time. .maybe it is time soon. We could take our double bike and meet you and do an outing.
    We really don't know what is around the bend do we? I'm glad you have a bench to mark the spot where your mom enjoyed her visit to the trail.

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  2. More great pictures of the Fraser Valley and special reminders of your mom. They warm our hearts.
    Martha

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  3. The wild flowers are so lovely. As are the river views.

    How true that we never know what's around the bend. Life is fragile. This post is a good reminder of that.

    I see the skies over you are just as cloudy as they are here.

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  4. Happy summer to you Judy! Lovely trail to meander on...

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  5. We've walked that trail but usually there are a lot of people on it. How nice to enjoy it in relative solitude. It's nice to have a spot to go to where the memory of your mom is so vivid.

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  6. Judy ... that is a special spot for you to remember you mom all these years later. It's good we do not know what is around the corner. May stories like this cause us to seize the day and with God's help live with no regrets.

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  7. Happy first day of summer! I went out to breakfast with a friend to celebrate, and we chatted till lunch time :)

    This is a very pretty trail to hike with pretty flowers and views along the way and cool river mists. I think I'd like to sit on that bench awhile. I Saying a prayer in your Mom's memory.

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  8. I do admire your habit of going out for walks and hikes and bikerides as an activity. So healthy and visually refreshing, too. Pretty flowers, and the water color is beautiful.

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  9. How beautiful! A very special spot indeed...and it's a good reminder to stop, sit a spell and enjoy the view.
    A beautiful start to summer!

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  10. What a beautiful way to enjoy the 1st day of summer! What a lovely memory of your mom, to be able to visit a spot that she enjoyed.

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  11. Beautiful pictures of 'my old stomping grounds'. I grew up one half mile from that river. At that time, the land sloped right down to the water. We used to walk there with Opa when he came to Canada, and there was a large rock that he would sit on - it was always known as 'Opa's rock'. One time he rolled up his pant legs and walked us kids almost all the way across the river, to the point where there was a strong channel that we did not attempt to cross! Dairymary

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  12. The beauty of the trail pales in comparison with the very special memory that you carry in your heart of your mother on that trail. I totally agree with you in that we truly don't know what is around the next bend. Another lovely location in your part of the world.

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  13. Oh those lupin! Surely you will visit again once the weather warms a bit?

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