Between Storms

British Columbia has been pounded for weeks with torrential rains coming from Hawai'i. They call it the pineapple express. Before global warming it used to drizzle all month with hardly any accumulations. Now it rains constantly with daily downpours measured in inches. Saturday morning was the lull between storms.



It seemed like an eternity since I have swung my leg over my V-strom. I topped up my tires and got my machine warmed up to do some errands and urban riding. After a few quick stops I found myself down at Jericho Beach



As you can see it was a dreary, cloudy day with heavy rains forecast mid afternoon. There were not many crowds down here today



The Vancouver Hostel is located mere steps from the beach. It has been here for some time, since 1971



In the late '60's this area was home to the Hippies. Many camped out on the grass fields. Our West 4th avenue was the Haight-Ashbury district of Vancouver, back in the day . . .

Jericho used to be a sea-plane base



There is a small yacht club on the Beach and a pier from which you can fish or use to launch crab traps



For now all is quiet and all the boats are asleep waiting for Spring's arrival. You can see Vancouver's skyline in the distance. Jericho Beach is one of a few beaches which are adjacent to each other as you travel westward towards Point Grey. Collectively this area is called Spanish Banks, known for their flat sandy beaches. At low tide you can walk out for nearly a mile, but be careful when the tide decides to come in as it comes in very fast and you can be caught off-guard.

I make it over to Locarno Beach and stop to see this Kwando club running along the sandy beach



The freighters behind are anchored in English Bay waiting for a berth to load cargo. That is Stanley Park directly across the Bay



There were others also looking at this group. Soon I put my camera away and continued on my journey Westward along the Marine Drive Scenic route



I didn't get very far when I decided to take a short facilities break. I managed to get parking close to the restroom building . It must have been my lucky day



But due to budget shortfalls the doors were padlocked shut so I continued on my way and stopped at a viewpoint overlooking the Fraser River



This used to be where the Simon Fraser Monument was located, but it isn't here anymore. Simon Fraser was one of the first explorers to successfully navigate the Fraser River to its mouth where it joins the salt water of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The Fraser River is named after him.



Just across the River on the left side you can see the runways of the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on Lulu Island. Planes land at the rate of about one per minute

There are no fences so you have to keep your distance from the cliff, lest you find yourself at the bottom.