Coast Mountains and some thoughts

Saturday afternoon, late before the sunset, I was up on Burnaby Mountain north of where I live to take in the view of the snow-capped mountains to the north.  The photo above is just one of a series taken that afternoon. The scene here looks out toward the mountains from the north side of Burnaby Mountain.  The boats in the bottom of the photo are heading up Indian Arm.  There were a number of boats out that afternoon, including a sailboat.

The temperatures have gotten warmer and are around 10 degrees Celsius at the moment.  The rain is back but there are plenty of signs of spring around.  Crocuses, spring heathers,  forsythias and other spring flowers and shrubs are in bloom now, even the first magnolias.

At work, I have someone working with me into the second week and we get along great.  He's a Gemini, like Brad, and he loves it where he's working now.  If you don't know, I'm a Leo!  It made me think of what it would be like working with Brad.  That was one of the original plans, and I'd see to it happening if he's still interested and up to it.  With a year or two here he'd be a changed man with a broader, deeper understanding of life and what its all about.  It would be awesome to have a hiking companion too!

Well, I'm going to have a quick shower and then head off to bed.  Its nearing 10:30 pm and the morning comes fast enough.  Have a good night, or good day, guys!

~ Volker

sunset Saturday

This was the sunset late Saturday afternoon as seen from the western end of Burnaby Mountain with the sun setting behind Vancouver Island to the west.  I took a whole series of photos but did take a few more after this one before leaving to catch a bus home.  There were a lot of other interested photographers up there with me at the time.  I guess we all had the same idea!  Enjoy!!!  - V

view from Burnaby Mountain

I went up to the top of Burnaby Mountain late this afternoon.  It was warm (nearing 10 degrees Celsius) and because of this, and the fact the water was still cool, a mist/fog had formed over the water of the Georgia Straight and English Bay between the mainland and Vancouver Island.  The took this photo this afternoon nearing sunset.  The view looks to the west-northwest with Capital Hill (Burnaby) in the foreground and downtown Vancouver in the background (left) and the North Shore Mountains on the right.  This is one of several images taken this afternoon.  I'll have more soon.  Meantime, enjoy this one! - V

view at Burnaby Mountain

This past Sunday I went up to Burnaby Mountain in the hopes of taking some photos of the autumn colour but it hasn't progressed as far as other places lower in elevation. The photo above shows alder trees along a road near Simon Fraser University. When they are in colour, they'll be a bright yellow which looks awesome with the sun shining through in the background.
The ferns and moss add to the greenery still present in the area.
The image above looks at the mountains on the northside of Burrard Inlet opposite Burnaby Mountain and the photo below shows the Eagle Mountain area where I had been hiking from the middle to late summer. Eagle Bluff is in the centre of that photo.
Above we look north up Indian Arm opposite Burnaby Mountain. Below is the Western Pearly Everlasting gone to seed way past its beauty of the summer past. You can literally see autumn in the air! There is some colour on the mountain but I suspect more will be had in a week or two. I'll have more photos then, at least that's the plan. Meantime, enjoy these photos!!! - V

star and heart

This afternoon while up on Burnaby Mountain to check out the autumn colour I saw this star and heart near the bottom of a cistern. I first saw it a couple of summers ago and it always makes me think of Brad. The colour is just starting. It'll need another week or two before its better. I'll post some more photos soon. Meantime, enjoy this one! - V

autumn colours

The autumn colours out here on the west coast vary each year depending upon the temperatures. Back east in southwestern Ontario warm days and cool, even frosty nights helped bring out the colour but here the natural vegetation will likely get you plenty of browns and tans rather than the brilliant oranges, yellows or reds like back east. Occasionally we get to see such brilliant colour but the trees tend not to be native to the region and instead are native to other regions, such as eastern North America or Japan. The photo above is one I took in early October 2008. Regardless, we do take the time to enjoy, so enjoy what your autumn season brings you! - V

Halloween or Solstice?

With Canada's Thanksgiving soon behind us, the end of October and Halloween will soon be upon us. These photos are from a series of images I took back in October 2009. Obviously the stone circle gets used because there was a remains of a fire within the circle. Just use your imagination and let it run free! - V

sunshine

We had a day of bright sunshine, so I took advantage of the weather and got out for a bit. It was mid-afternoon by the time I got away but it was worth it for the fresh air and sunshine.

I went up to Burnaby Mountain in north Burnaby where I hadn't been for some time. There had been a fire at the Horizon Restaurant earlier in the year and the renovations are coming along. The restaurant looks as if its operational but the public washrooms consist of portapotties for now.

It was nice to see the sun. I did get a number of photos during my stay there but if I had been there earlier, I would have been able to get some of the fresh snow on the mountain tops against a blue sky. I'll post some photos as soon as they've been uploaded from the camera and edited.

I must have eaten something that didn't agree with me because even before I left the apartment I had to make several trips to the washroom. I had more samosas (veggie) for supper this evening and came about a discovery: I found corn in one of them and I'm sensitive to corn and its various forms, including corn syrup! Why anyone would put corn in them is beyond me. I'll stick to those that I know will agree with me, such as the ones I buy from one of the local supermarkets.

Anyways, I hope you're all having a great weekend, guys!!! More news coming up later! - V

Burnaby Mountain early March

Spring came early here! Here are some photos taken during the first weekend of March with the daffodils in full bloom.

If you remember, I left you with a quiz to figure out a few weeks ago. Well, the sculpture piece in the photo above (bottom left) was the source where the moss was growing. You'll see more related photos below.

The cherry trees were just showing their first blooms as you see in the photo above and below. They've since come into complete flower but the last time I was there about a week ago, it was overcast and not a very good backdrop for photos!

The mountains still had some snow but those further in the interior had even more!

You may recognize the pic above from the autumn post when this spartan tree was full of colour. There'll be more photos to follow. I hope you all had a great weekend!!! - V.

early spring?

It hasn't been a very hard winter here in the Vancouver, British Columbia area at all. There's been a lot of dull, overcast, rainy weather but little snow, except some just before Christmas. There's been snow in the higher elevations but we've been spared a lot of it here in the valley. Now an early spring is upon us and there are signs of it everywhere. Saturday (February 6th) I was up on the western end of Burnaby Mountain. There I found several signs even with the official opening of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games due to start tomorrow. There is something quite wrong with this picture!

You'll see little snow on the Coast Mountains facing Burrard Inlet as you can see above and below. This year there is not even a little bit of snow on the top of Burnaby Mountain. I've been here a few winters and have seen atleast some even if the early spring flowers are coming up. This year there is none anywhere.

But the signs of spring are everywhere with the first raspberry blooms opening, snowdrops and crocuses brightening the landscape and daffodils soon to open to add their bright presence to the very same landscape.

The view west from the top of the mountain is made up of various shades of green. The white is missing from the landscape except at the tops of nearby mountains and those further inland. Below is a photo looking west-southwest toward Vancouver Island. You even see the late afternoon sunshine reflecting off the water of the Georgia Strait just in front of the cloud cover that shrouds the island in the distance.

Along the way back I found a couple of symbols painted on the base of a water tower and fitting for Valentine's Day which is a short time away. I sent my significent other the very same image of the star and the heart to show my love and appreciation. The various kinds of coniferous tree still have cones offering food for the birds that abound. The trail in the last photo may show a dull scene but this will quickly change. For those of you living here, welcome to spring, and for those still in the throws of winter, it'll soon be over! - V.

early spring?

It would seem that we have an early spring here in southwestern British Columbia, not that our winter has been all that severe so far, and this with the winter olympics less than a week away! I was up on Burnaby Mountain this afternoon. It was sunny, warm and very pleasant for a stroll on the western end of the mountain.

Just after I got off the bus and was waiting for it to pass before crossing the street to head to the western end along the trail, a cyclist (student likely) passed the bus from behind to make a right-hand turn. As he was in the turn, he breaked and had a spill, landing on his right side. I asked if he was okay, and he was. Then he motioned to the bus driver that all was well and got off the street. We both looked to see whether he had any bumps, scratches or scrapes but neither of us found any. I guess any bruises will show up tomorrow. Then he was on his way and I was on mine! I might add that he was just wearing a t-shirt and shorts plus his helmet and runners but I felt somewhat overdressed in a light parka when a sweater or light jacket would have been sufficient in my case! I unzipped my parka and continued on.

So, on the way to the western end of the mountain where the Horizon Restaurant is located, I found signs of the first raspberry flowers in full bloom and some buds open exposing the new leaves. There was more as I approached the restaurant where there are gardens behind the building. Snowdrops were in bloom and daffodils well enough advanced that they'll likely be flowering by next weekend. Heath (Erica) was also in full bloom and so were the early crocuses. On the way down the mountain, the bus passed a sidestreet that had trees in full bloom, most likely in the Prunus family, perhaps flowering plum or some other member of the family related to the cherry tree.

So, with the winter olympic less than a week away, what an interesting scene! I'll have some photos to post as soon as they're ready. Enjoy your Sunday!!! - V.

Burnaby Mountain in October

This past Saturday I spent a few hours having a look at the autumn colouur on Burnaby Mountain, especially the western end of the mountain. These are just a small sample of photos I took that afternoon. If you go to my sister blog, Haliaeetus, you will be able to see a lot more of them and other photos as well. To start off with the sun shining through the trees along University Drive near the Simon Fraser University (SFU) campus caught my eye. I did check it out from the other side but that proved not to be anything special.

Bikes are common around here and so is the grade in the road. It can get a lot steeper than the sign above may indicate. After all the rain we had recently, I there were lots of mushrooms growing about if you looked carefully, such as this clump of fungi growing in a crack in a sawed off portion of a tree. Then the photo below that shows a peak of Burrard Inlet looking through the trees along the path to the cherry grove, rose garden and restaurant.

Each year the colour of the leaves is a bit different on these cherry trees. One year they were more coppery in colour. I guess it has a lot to do with the temperature differences between day and night. Back east where I lived most of my life, autumns can be warm during the day and then frosty at night bringing out some very spectacular colour in the maples, like bright yellows, oranges and brilliant reds. Here though, I've found colours to be a lot more subtle with the odd punch here and there.

The image above looks north into Indian Arm at Burrard Inlet north of the Burnaby Mountain. The upper reaches of this waterway disappear in the cloud and mist that is common this time of year. The photo below shows a close-up of the oil tanker in the above image. Yes, there is a refinery on the shores of Burrard Inlet. The storage tanks for the oil are on the south side of the mountain. More on all that later.

The autumn colour was evident on the western end of Burnaby Mountain from where the restaurant is located on south. The large shrub in the photo above is located to the north-northwest of the Horizon Restaurant and below a very large beech tree. Below is a close-up shot of its reddish-coloured leaves. There are more trees and shrubs further south with yellows or muted reds from cherry trees to maples, and since the mountain is a remnant from the period where an ice sheet once covered North America, there are rocks and boulders strewn along here and there. You can see them in various photos. There is even a circle of rocks with what looks like remains from a fire, likely a celebration of the autumn equinox! What do you think?

The view of a walkway through part of the cherry grove and leading south away from the restaurant. Below is another cherry tree in colour along the way back to the Tran-Canada Trail.

A circle of rocks with the remains of a recent fire and we weren't invited to the celebration of the autumn equinox? Well, perhaps this will happen next year.

The rocks and boulders remain from the ice age and add a nice touch to the landscape, don't you think? They certainly are a lovely added feature to these photos!

And finally, the view above looks west-northwest from the western end of the mountain. In the foreground is nearby Capitol Hill with Stanley Park in the middle background and the North Shore further back. You can see a bit of the Lions Gate Bridge on the right. The landscape in the distance disappears in mist. This area is part of a temperate rainforest. Below is a close-up shot of some maple leaves in various shades and colours. I hope you've enjoyed the journey and the photos! - V.