(White Rock pier, Semiahmoo, USA in the background)
White Rock is a seaside community about 40 kms south of Vancouver. You head southbound on Hwy 99 and take the last exit at 8th Avenue which leads you to the main street into town. The 8th Avenue exit is the last exit before you reach the US/Canadian Peach Arch border crossing.
The main drag is about a couple of miles long and directly across from a long and flat sandy beach. There are two business sections along the beach separated by a long hill. On the southern end you will find small cafes and a few fish & chip vendors. There is nothing more delightful than devouring an order of fish and chips while walking barefoot along the sandy beach in the summer and breathing in the salt air, which somehow makes the fish and chips taste better, and perhaps an ice cream cone for dessert.
On the northern section you will find more upscale restaurants and gift stores. The Pier is found inbetween
Over the years the Pier had been restored. Back in the early days there was a dance hall at the end of the pier where people of the previous generation used to come on a Saturday night and dance the night away. Today it is a place to walk and enjoy the fresh ocean air.
Now instead of a dance hall you will find a Marina for the White Rock yacht club
I believe that it is legal to go crabbing here. At high tide the crabs congregate under the pier and I have seen people throw their crab traps over the side and tie their tethers to the handrails waiting for their dinner to take to the bait. Many of the homes are terraced up the hill and look south towards the water. Housing is very expensive with prices rivaling Vancouver.
(Kayakers)
The beach is separated by the railway tracks which run the full length of the beach. A lot of visitors don't heed the warning signs of impending trains. The rocks protect the railway tracks during the winter storm season. As you notice, there is a first nations wood carver on site today.
While most of the beach is sandy, there is a small buffer section of gravel and large rocks. With the outgoing tide there is left behind many tidal pools
It is relaxing to walk the pier and stop to gaze at all the wildlife
This day was not a warm day and there were not that many brave enough to be walking about on the beach, except for our 2 feathered friends
During the summer many come here from the city, have a meal and just walk about enjoying a day of freedom. It is not easy to find a parking spot on a warm, sunny day.
When I think of White Rock I think of the pier and the business'es along the beach, but the main business area (city centre) is up the hill and away from the water. And yes, there really is a White Rock and perhaps the next time I'll go down there and snap a photo for you
Bob,
ReplyDeleteYour images are really nice and I like the way they're formatted on the blog. I also really like your title picture. You are truely a Tourism Ambassador! Keep up the good work.
I have to be a little less fulsome and complain bitterly that I didn't see a picture of fish and chips (British Empire style chips I hope, right?). Do they serve them in newspaper in the colonies?
ReplyDeleteOther than that you did okay.
Why is it that everytime I read one of your posts I get hungry for fish and chips? Why is it that, of all the things Conch could have commented on, he mentioned the fish and chips, too?
ReplyDeleteIs this some deep genetic code or something?
Great, thank you so much. You just made my day! Awesome photos, now I need to go there... certainly will try to plan Vancouver & area for next year. Hugs, S.
ReplyDeleteDear Bobskoot:
ReplyDeleteEvery shore community has something in common with each other, and something that is distinctly different. By concidence, I wrote of two separate rides in the past ten days, and in some regard, White Rock could have been that destination.
Yet to my mind, the final picture in this collection was your best. I do not normally find tulips (nor tulip-like plants) and train tracks right up against the water. I looked at that shot for at least ten minutes.
It made me wonder what the scene would have looked like with a train and a Vee-Strom in the picture.
I love fish and chips, but I don't like then within the sound of the breakers. At the shore, I want crab, shrinp (steamed) and oysters raw. I want flounder caught locally. And if it is hot, I want a gin and bitter lemon that stings as it quenches. And if it is cool, I want a rye whisky and ginger ale, that strings as it quenches.
Don't let Conch BS you. In Britain, fish and chips is no longer served in newspaper as it has been dertermined that chemicals used in the ink are smeared into the fried fish, and will eventually kill you.
But the best fish and chips I have ever had in my life, was cooked by a Turk, in London.
Another great post today... Thank you for the effort.
Fondest regards,
Jack • reep • Toad
Twisted Roads
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteAlas Jack is right, Fish & chips are no longer served up in newspaper,not even the TIMES or TELEGRAPH are used anymore...yet another victory for the health and safety Nazi's.
News print and even the paper it's self used to add to the heady aroma, plus you could always read yesterdays news when you'd finished eating!!
Your photos remind me of Southend Pier, a place to have a miss spent youth back in the 70's and 80's.
Cheers,
Dave....
I fake no one. I am well aware that greased paper is the serving dish forced upon serfs in England. I was wondering if Canada, with its socalized medicine, could afford to risk feeding people ink poisoned fish. We get no answer so we are reduced to looking at...tulips?!
ReplyDeleteOnce again, your photos are fantastic. I liked the birds and the wall of the bar and grill.
ReplyDeleteDo you ever stay home?
Mike:
ReplyDeleteGosh, you're making me blush . . .
I think that "road" pix was taken south of Palouse Falls on Hwy 12
Mr Conchscooter:
There are lots of places which serve F&C wrapped in newspaper. Some also use Newspaper "funnels". My favourite F&C place is Pajo's in Steveston, which is on a barge. I hadn't been feeling well so I posted using archived photos. We go to White Rock often so always forget to take more pixs of the business area/restaurants, next time . . .
Irondad:
Nothing beats F&C while walking on the beach, and fries with salt and vinegar, feeling the wind on your face and smelling the salt air
SonjaM:
You have mountains, we have ocean and waterfront communities. Also you would like the ride from West Vancouver to Horseshoe Bay, or perhaps even north to Squamish.
Jack "r":
Jack, the problem is that I go to White Rock so often that I don't usually take many photos there. Recently I remember parking my V-strom there to take pixs but I can't find them. I was in an archiving mood lately and archived most everything to DVD to clear my external drives.
Parking is the big problem there. They did away with actual parking spaces and now you need a ticket for each "vehicle". before you could park a few bikes into one spot and purchase ONE ticket. Now you need one ticket for each bike so that is another reason I just ride through and they are brutal with parking enforcement.
Dave:
I want to hear more about your miss spent youth. We have AYCE (all you can eat) F&C places here. Cockney King's is one of the best. $8.99 AYCE includes SODA (pop) plus VAT. Do you have any F&C places in Turkey, or is it Turkey and chips ?
Mr Conchscooter:
It was a toss up. Tulips or greased, previously read newspapers, or cardboard containers. and Tulips won. I wanted to end with a colourful picture to hypnotize Riepe
More often than not our F&C come in polystyrene boxes nowadays!
ReplyDeleteStrangely, I don't think you can get Turkey in Turkey, I may be wrong, but have never seen it.
Irrelevant to this post, but do those people who go over the border for petrol have their passport stamped every time???
Great photos as usual Bob! The tulips give away that these are from the archive. :)
ReplyDeletemore please
-Chris
Everyday Riding