Down (town) at the beach

English Bay

Kits Pool

Yikes! It's the last week of the summer season and I haven't evened combed Vancouver's downtown beaches. Blame the late start on the good weather or the fact that the lower mainland has so many things to do. But the good weather does not stop right after Labour Day. In fact we often enjoy days fit for the beach up until October. And after that we just bundle up and put on our wellies or whatever else is appropriate, including bathing suits on New Years Day for the annual Polar Bear Swim. I did it once if you're wondering.

The services after the unofficial end of summer will change, however, so if you want to take advantage of  the city's free beach wheelchair, soft mats or fully accessible pools at Second and Kits beaches this season, you'll have to hurry. So "giddy up 409, come on a surfing safari with me" (apologies to the Beach Boys). Here they are in order of accessibility. Coming in fourth place is Sunset Beach. There is lifeguard station and a beach concession, but the washrooms are not very accessible. It's better to use the facilities at the nearby Vancouver Aquatic centre which operates indoors year round. The area is on main bus routes and there is limited paid parking. Sunset Beach is a great place to sit and people watch, boat watch and swim.

The view is the main draw

Just 1 km down the seawall from English bay

Second Beach comes third. Technically in Stanley Park, its proximity to the bustling west end and a pool that's sure to please makes it a winner. There is a concession stand, accessible washrooms, change rooms and a children's play area that chairs can access but that has no adaptive play equipment . The pool has plenty of access features including accessible picnic tables, a sloped water entry, wheelchairs for use on pool decks and transferring into the pool. Parking is difficult and traffic in the summer is a nightmare, but if you are in Stanley Park it's a must see. For more information on Stanley Park and how to get there do check out my post "Vancouver's crown jewel does not sparkle as brightly for PWDs".

View of the pool from the beach along the seawall

Second place goes to English Bay. It has many amenities including a lifeguard station that offers beach wheelchairs, soft mats, accessible washrooms and a change area. The beach is right in the heart of the West End and is a .75 km flat seawall walk east of Second Beach. The famed beach house is undergoing some renovations and will be home to a restaurant/concession stand run by the Cactus Club with a menu designed by their food architect Iron Chef winner Rob Feenie.

English Bay

First place goes to Kits Beach just across the Burrard Bridge from Sunset Beach. It's home to the famous Kits pool with all the amenities for PWDs found at Second Beach.

Kitsilano Showboat

The best downtown beach

There is paid parking with plenty of marked stalls. The very busy beach makes peak parking access a premium,. There is a lifeguard station, Boathouse Resturant, concession stand, accessible change rooms, washrooms and soft mat beach access. There are also barrier free basketball courts, accessible change rooms and washrooms, lots of picnic areas. But new state of the barrier free children's play area with adaptive equipment is worth the trip alone. For information on these parks and services go to www.vancouver.ca/parks.

Lots of things to do
for all abilities

So better hurry or plan for next year. But don't worry, we'll be back in the winter as these downtown beaches give reason to visit all year long.

North Vancouver's Cates Park is a real beach to access

Whey-ah-wichen ("wind in my face") is the first nation name for this eastern section of the Burrard Inlet, the home of Cates Park. I'm not sure how you would say "obstacles in my path" but it would be an equally accurate description for PWDs. A beautiful and natural park, at over 22 hectares it's North Vancouver's largest waterfront park. The park is named after Charles Cates, founder of the Cates Tugboat towing company that still in operation today. Cates arrived in 1896 and settled in the Indian Arm area. He lived there the rest of his life save a brief trek to the Yukon in 1898 during the gold rush. He prospected no gold but was known to recount a tale that saw Soapy Smith shoot it out with Frank Fead in a Skagway Alaska Saloon.  Returning home he enjoyed many successes and he and his family rose to prominence.

Looking west

The park was dedicated to his honour in the 1950's and developed over the 1960's. Sadly nothing has been done to bring it up to 2011 standards of accessibility. It wouldn't be difficult or expensive. Already there is much parking at the main entrance including marked accessible stalls but curbs and other obstacles abound. The washrooms are few and not accessible, the beach offers no access, there is no adaptive play equipment for CWDs, the boat launch is not accessible, and park trails are very poorly marked with none specifically cut for PWDs. The bus drops you at the park's main entrance, but with no marked cross ways, more curbs, inaccessible bus stops on the return (north side Dollarton Highway) I don't recommend regular transit.

Lots of picnic space

Paddling centre dock

It's not likely most of the trails will ever be fully accessible for self propelled wheelers, but I was able to find several that, with minor changes and much better way finding, could be accessible in my big off-road chair. There are many interesting things to see in the park including the foundation remains of an old cedar mill, and the cottages(shacks) of two of Canada's literary giants Malcolm Lowery and Earl Birney. Inside the park a native intrerpretation centre and a long house are being planned.

The area just northwest of the park is being developed with single family dwelling homes. Now is the time to fix up this area of Indian Arm which is almost within reach for PWDs. If you are a resident of the district I strongly urge you to lobby the council for changes to make this park more accessible. For more information on the park and to see the park development proposal go to dnv.org and follow the links.

I will leave you with very good news. The BC Mobility Opportunities Society is expanding and doing very well in the lower mainland. Some of the latest in a line of new initiatives is the ability to rent a Trail Rider Wheelchair for $10.00 a day. This would allow anybody with a disability who has help to access this or any other park. To see more on this and other programs including kayaking, guided hikes, paragliding, or  paraparagliding (a joke not a typo) and more go to  www.bcmos.org.

New Westminster: the empire strikes back

The first of the Queen's artillery to arrive
is displayed at city hall

New Westminster was first surveyed by the royal engineers and Colonel Robert Moody in the mid 1850's. Colonel Moody and his troops were stationed up river in Fort Langley to keep the peace when thousands of prospectors seeking their fortune swarmed the banks of the Fraser River heading east towards Mission to pan for gold. Originally the area was called Queensborough and the hilly region so captured the heart and imagination of Colonel Moody that  he recommended that it become the capital of the new colony called British Columbia.

Meanwhile, Victoria, the capital of the colony of Vancouver Island, was becoming a major port stop used by prospectors and commercial ventures on their way to New Westminster. The cost to maintain two separate colonies and capitals proved onerous. Following an Irish American Fenian uprising in Ontario, the colonies were amalgamated into the Dominion of Canada. To little fanfare, Victoria was made BC's capital city on November 19, 1886. In 1859, Queensborough was proclaimed a city and renamed New Westminster as an homage to Westminster in England, the new cradle of the modern British parliament. The name was chosen by Queen Victoria herself.

Good integrated childrens' play areas.

In 1887, with royal pump and circumstance, including a barrage of artillery, New Westminster opened 75 acre Queen's Park in honour of Queen Victoria's jubilee year. By 1889 park development was in full swing and on November 9, Canada's first Governor General, Lord Stanley, planted the first of many imported shade trees.

Beautiful rose garden

Since those early days, New Westminster has experienced many ups and downs. There is a real resurgence in the air, and the newest New Westminster is embracing its historic roots while looking toward a prosperous future. New Westminster's hilly terrain is challenging, but there are many reasons to visit this historic queen's city and the old gem of Queen's park is one of them.

Children's water park

The park is large and has a lot to entertain all ages, including a fairly accessible petting zoo and water park. Even some of the children's play equipment and other areas are inclusive. The park is undergoing a renovation to its playing fields and tennis courts. The big stadium ball field and hockey arena are still operating and could use an upgrade accessibility wise. Let's hope the facilities being built will meet the standards of universal or barrier free design. Most walking trails are wheelchair friendly, although the park is on a slope and needs more way finding aids. When it is necessary to cross roadways, there are safe accessible accessible washrooms, parking and other facilities. All in all it's a nice place for a picnic. For parking and facility details go to http://www.newwestcity.ca/ and follow the links.

Another great district to visit is the waterfront. This area has been a strange mix of residential success and commercial failure. Vestiges of the latest remake officially went up the creek when the Paddlewheel Casino raised anchor two years ago.  The area was left run down and mostly abandoned. But this district is making a comeback replete with a freshly painted tin soldier and an improved Fraser River information centre. The design also includes a newly renovated quay market that has just reopened for business. On my visit I was impressed with the great washrooms, nearby parking and interesting food and drink offerings with more on the way. There are also many river tours. Riverboat travel as it was back in the day continues to require effort for the mobility challenged, so check carefully with one of many tour operators to see if this is for you. You can roll along merrily once you arrive at this flat river area. Railway tracks make it hard to get here from the sky train. Take a community shuttle or use the nearby accessible parking.

"World's biggest" tin soldier

New Historic Pier Park stage 1
to be completed this fall 2011

Nice boardwalk approximately

4.5 km return trip

A busy working river

Nice place to live

Lots of fun for the kids

The wheelhouse

Made with old ship parts

It's a pleasure to see the redevelopment of the great and historic Royal City. In the meantime remember:

Rule Britannia!

Britannia rule the waves!

Britons never ever, ever shall be slaves!

Stark raven mad

The place earth and sky meet

Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of experiencing BC's coastal mountains cannot deny that they are a magical place that instills a sense of  awe, timelessness and beauty that subtly reminds us of our own insignificance in the grand scheme of the universe. Legends are born in the isolation, amid shadows cast in deep forest peaks and valleys. Not surprisingly the Coast Salish people have a long history of storytelling as a way of keeping their legends alive. One oft-appearing character in these legends is Raven. Raven is a roguish trouble maker who enjoys mischief and a good laugh at the expense of others. He is a shape shifter able to take all human and animal forms. I met Raven just the other day on my way up to Capilano Watershed Reserve Park.

I am not particularly proud of my actions in this tale. But before you judge me harshly, make sure that Raven doesn't hear you, because he loves nothing more than to stir things up, particularly how and when you least expect it. I was off to explore Greater Vancouver's most important watershed. Though it's not very accessible, it's gorgeous and will be covered in a future blog.

There are many raven carvings on these totem poles

found in Stanley Park

I was  running late to meet my friends (never hike in the back country alone), so instead of following the trip route that I know works, I took a short cut. As regular readers will know I am a fan of public transit. Normally when heading up Grouse or Cypress mountain I start the trip in the Lonsdale Quay bus loop. Trying to meet the bus further along its route led to a very frustrating and fruitless experience when  I was passed by 5 buses coming 25 minutes apart. After almost two hours of waiting I figured my friends would be well along the trail , so I gave up and headed to their camp to leave a note.

The bus I neededto get to their camp arrived and had plenty of room. Following Translink policy, I signalled to the driver that I would like to board. At that point the driver was supposed to drop the ramp, allow me to get on, and then raise the ramp to board the other passengers. Instead he boarded all the other passengers first. Consequently, both the aisle and the wheelchair section were full of sitting and standing passengers. With a little anger in my voice, but trying to keep my emotions in check, I said to the driver, "You are supposed to let me on first." "I know," replied the driver.  "Good job, then," said I in a cynical tone and a sneer. I proceeded past the driver and said in a voice just short of a yell, "Excuse me people in the front, I am going to have to do the bus driver's job and ask all of you to stand up and move back. Some of you will have to exit for a moment until I get settled. Sorry, the driver didn't do his job." Once I had settled in, the driver came back to my seat and said, "If you say one more word about the way I do my job, you are off." Red faced, I said, "Good luck with that." I'll clear the bus and call in the authorities," he threatened. "And tell them I'm angry because you didn't do your job? I retorted.  the driver returned to his seat and we set off. The passenger in front of me mockingly wipds tear from his eyes  and said, "Boo hoo, I'm in a wheelchair I'm mad at everybody and  evrybody is an  #@$^&&&*  because I'm in a wheelchair," he continued. Livid I blurted out, "I'm sure you would be an  #$%R^*(^%  if you could walk or not." Things progressed with this character who I now realize was that trickster bird, Raven. Instinctively I must have known as I kept flipping him the "bird" throughout our conversation. Things deteriorated to the point where he was kicking me and I was whacking him in the shins with a hiking stick. No one had even thought about the bus driver for at least ten minutes. Passengers either looked at their feet or were riveted to this bizarre spectacle that included staring contests  bluster and other ritualistic feats of strength that often proceeds all-out violence. With out provocation, suddenly the driver yelled  "If you'r going go talk about me then at least say it loud enough for me to hear."  At this point I had a moment of sanity and replied, "We weren't even talking about you, let's all just take a time out." There was silence for the remainder of the trip. Until next time, don't let the Raven trip you up.

Burnaby's Deer Lake deep in heritage, culture and ecology

Sculpted eco art

A First Nations legend tells the story of a hunter who speared a seal on False Creek. Wounded, the seal dove deep into the water and the brave could not find his spear or the seal. Without his spear the brave could no longer hunt and became very hungry. Later that night the brave was wakened from his sleep by a forest fire that lit the night sky in the east. The brave followed this omen which led him to what is now Deer Lake, where he found the foot of the stream where it flowed from the lake. On the shore was the seal lying with the hunter's spear still protruding from it's belly. Reunited with his spear the brave became a great hunter and first Chief of Capilano.

I am not sure what the legend is meant to teach us exactly, but it does illustrate the importance of  this watershed. It also proved to be prophetic. All fresh water sources to False Creek travel are sourced  by an underground spring. Like most development at the turn of the century, little regard for the above-ground streams that feed False creek meant eco-sensitive creek beds were filled in and important habitats were destroyed. Now a group known as the False Creek Watershed Society is busy restoring these vital waterways and bringing them to daylight. For info http://www.falsecreekwatershed.org/.

Today this eco sensitive area is being restored

The lake became an important place for the Squamish Nation to harvest cranberries and hunt elk and deer. In 1859 pioneers began to claim lands, and in 1867 Charles Seymour opened "the lake house" servicing stagecoach traffic and hunting. The lake attracted more and more of the gentry now settling in the west, and today many of these English style cottages and gardens remain. A public park was established on the eastern shore where today you will find the boat house (for rentals), beach access, and washrooms. Over time the park developed and expanded, and in 1967 a centennial project converted one of the many heritage cottages that remain around the lake into the Burnaby Art Gallery and Centennial Garden. Eventually the city of Burnaby purchased the cottages and land to develop the park as it is today.

Water's edge access

The east end of the lake was the very first groomed section of park when a bath house was constructed in the mid 1950's to invite swimming, which is no longer allowed. The bathhouse washrooms bear the accessible logo but are not even close to being accessible. The large parking lot (which was mostly empty on the day I visited) has two accessible parking spots. The lot itself badly needs paving as well as this section of sloping lake trail. The boat rentals offer no adaptive equipment and the children's play area is also barrier-burdened. But there are some very beautiful and accessible areas of the park.

The park is best accessed from the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. If you take transit do not get off at the Burnaby City Hall bus loop.  A lack of curb cuts mean risky road travel along busy streets. Instead look for stops on Canada Way or Deer Lake Ave. For information go to http://www.translink.ca/.  At the centre you will find lots of accessible parking and the park's only accessible washrooms, as well as picnic and play areas. The children's play area can be accessed but offers no adapted equipment. You will also find paved pathways leading to a wooden boardwalk that circles most of the lake. Heading west along the boardwalk it's smooth sailing with water edge access at some sections. For parts of this walk you will need to leave the comfortable boardwalk and proceed along dirt and paved sections. The paved sections have gentle slopes until you reach the steeper gravel trails on the northeast section of lake trail.  You will want to turn around at Sperling Ave  as this is where that nasty eastern shore begins. There are plenty of places to sit and trails are generally well marked. The round trip is just short of 4 km. If you want trail maps, heritage home walking tour info and more, go to http://www.burnaby.ca/

Well maintained board walk

Keep following the lake

Lake

Also on the park grounds is the Burnaby Village Museum and an old fashioned merry-go- round slightly adapted to include a wheelchair space, provided child and chair can lifted up aspproximately 20 cm. The museum is no must-see but the kids will like it. Its a 1920's village with one oddly out of place 1970's exhibit. As you can imagine the 1920's structures were not very accessible and even with the addition of retrofit ramps it still has a long way to go. The only accessible washrooms on the museum grounds are at the main entrance off Canada Way. You will also find accessible parking here. For museum details www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca/. There is free admission until Labour Day to celebrate the museum's 40th anniversary.

As mentioned earlier the park grounds are also home to the Burnaby Art Gallery, and the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. The art gallery has a ramp, but it leads to a narrow door with a small lip, so I went no further. The Shadbolt Centre is a beautifully accessible modern facility. I have not seen a show in the centre but I love to attend the Annual Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival hosted in the centre's outdoor amphitheatre. This year's line up included rockabilly queen Imelda May, legendary blues man John Mayall and the stylings of K.D. Lang. There were a few surprises in the lineup, such as the fantastic performance by Canadian blues man Matt Anderson. All in all it was a great day and I have noticed the festival becoming more accessible over the years. I do have a couple of suggestions for next year. The accessible entrance gate needs highlighting and the addition of more signs as they appear on the site map. The viewing area was great with raised and grass options. I also like the reserved ticket seating for PWDs and their guests. Please make the grass area entrance a little wider next year. And of course bus information for PWDs needs to be clearer. The main directions were to go to the City Hall bus loop which, as I stated earlier, is not the accessible route.  As well, the Burnaby RCMP and Translink need to coordinate better bus access for PWDs. All in all it was fun and I don't feel blue in the least for attending. For more information on the Shadbolt Centre go to www.shadboltcentre.com/

Next time: a trip to nowhere.

Bus Stop Hop an amazing race around Metro Vancouver

In Spain they outrun the bulls, Kentucky hosts a derby, Boston has its famous marathon, and for the last ten years Metro Vancouver has rolled out the Bus Stop Hop. The event is hosted by the BC Paraplegic Association, a great organization for the mobility challenged that offers a variety of programs and opportunities for PWDs including events like this one.

Translink is a major sponsor

It's a team race made up of people with varying abilities. This year's route started at one of Granville Island's pockets of accessibility (see post "The Island that time forgot"), Performance Works, and stretched to YVR in Richmond, North Vancouver's Lonsdale Quay, back to Vancouver, on to Science World, then home to Granville Island. Teams plan their own route and at various stops complete a series of tasks, find clues, and answer questions. Some challenges are optional and some are not. You receive points for completed tasks and for correct answers to such questions as how many of the city of Vancouver's 27,000 corners have curb cuts? (The answer is here in last paragraph.) You travel from one beautiful location to another via Translink's 100% accessible fleet of trains, buses and Seabuses (see http://www.translink.ca/).  Another option this year was the use of accessible Aquabus routes along False Creek (see post "False Creek transportation truly innovative").

Seabus

Aquabus

The goal of the race is to have a good time while testing Metro Vancouver's accessibility and overcoming the barriers that still exist. Near the race's end it was evident that some racers were in it to win it and others were just having fun.

The tasks were aimed at challenging all team members. For example, sighted team mates were blind- folded and verbally guided around parts of Granville Island.  Other tasks included searching Science World to find the name of "the horniest dinosaur that ever did roam", seeking out a historic site on the North Shore, and locating and identifying pioneer statues at YVR.

Off and running, rolling, and limping

Race start

Team mates race towards the Seabus

Mechanical difficulties

North Van check in

Looking for the horny dinosaur

Waterfront Station

North Shore

You could cheat by hiring our fairly accessible (20% of the registered cabs in Vancouver according to the trivia question answers) taxi fleet, but not by jumping aboard our 100% inaccessible tour buses.

The event was a lot of fun and I met some interesting people. Along the way we were treated to snacks and refreshments of all kinds, and it all ended with a BBQ party to award prizes to the winners. If you got hopelessly lost you could contact event coordinators but it would cost you 10 points. Coordinators were also there to assist you with any mechanical difficulties or other emergencies. To find out more about the BCPA go to http://www.bcpara.org/.

Craig Langston of the winning team

This year's winning teams out of 63 racers were:

1. Carol Schoyen, Jessica Schoyen, Craig Langston, Heather Andrews and Joey Brunton.
2. Vivia Garcia, Sarah Chung and Tina Poole.
3. Vince Preap, Urs Brasser, Hidy and Jenny (last names held on request)

Well, off to beautiful Deer Lake in Burnaby for the Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival this coming weekend. I'll be back with a report on the park and them dulcet blues. Until next time, stay cool my wheeled peeps. And for the rest of you, if you don't need them, keep Vancouver's 19,000 curb cuts clear.