Morning found me in Steveston, BC before 8am. We don't wish to waste the day so the few of us who meet every Saturday morning for breakfast, decided to move our time up and start earlier. I parked my car in my usual spot and while walking over to our breakfast place I noticed that the water level of the Fraser River was higher than the dock, and the water was spilling over onto the asphalt
The water level is usually 10 feet lower. The tides are high right now and tomorrow it is expected to Crest. At 8:41am tomorrow (Sunday), it will be 3 feet higher than you see now. If I can open my eyes that early I will go down there and snap a few more photos
After breakfast we walk over to the public pier
Notice how high the water level is (on the left). Normally you would have to look DOWN at the boats below. Today they are nearly at the same level. Fishing boats dock here and sell their catch; Many types of fish and Shrimp. There are rules and you can only sell what you caught yourself so you are dealing directly with the Captain and crew
It is not very busy today, most likely because of the rain and cool weather.
They drape tarps during the summer to shade from the sun, but today it is covered because of the rain. I was very tempted to buy some shrimp. They charge different prices by size. I have found that even if they double bag the shrimp, liquid spills out and makes your trunk smell. If I knew beforehand then I would have brought my own plastic tub to put them in
While there are posted prices, the haggle back and forth system works too. I was also tempted to buy some Sable Fish ( = Alaskan Black Cod) . It tastes very good steamed
Most of these fishing boats come from the Northern Coast of BC. This one was from Prince Rupert. The one around the corner had fish from Haida Gwai'i ( Formerly known as Queen Charlotte Islands)
I could already taste the shrimp "in my mind". Next time I have to bring my plastic tub . I had visions of making a seafood chowder soup and the prawns would have been very tasty, or else even just sauteed with garlic and lots of cilantro
Don't send me shopping with an empty stomach for I will buy everything in sight that I like to eat.
Steveston is about 30-45 minutes south of Vancouver. I eventually left and headed to Granville Island
I needed to browse a kitchen accessory shop and pick up a few things to make my kitchen life easier
Of course, being Granville Island means it is surrounded by water. There is a large Marina here where they Sell, repair, and rent Yachts. I don't know if anyone has noticed but I do own shoes
and here I am using them to climb these few steps when I come to the yacht maintenance area. I spotted this yacht and thought of Jimbo/cpa3485
It's amazing in our blogging world when you see things that remind you of others. I thought Jim would want to see the name of this yacht. I am not sure if there is any water near Wichita, KS but if he had a yacht I am sure this is the name he would have chosen
If a yacht is out of your price range, then perhaps something in a brighter colour . . .
With my shopping finished it was time to head home
Granville Island is very bike friendly. There are dedicated motorcycle parking spots all over the Island, and many are covered. They make use of corner clearance spots which are too small for cars.
One last shadow reflection shot. And YUP, (even though it's killing me) the shoes are hanging on . . .
Cool. You mentioned Frasier River. I remember in the summer of 2010, I rode Trans-Canada Highway 1 from Hope, north along the Frasier, on my way up to Alaska. The Frasier River Gorge is a spectacular ride! Your pics of the shrimp reminded me of Pike's Place Market in Seattle. - MotoPhilosopher
ReplyDeleteSteve:
DeleteYou were so close, too bad our paths didn't cross. Perhaps next year we may "bump" into each other. Make sure you post up your plans. You missed some of our "best" roads, which are a bit farther East in the Kootenays.
Haida Gwai'i (Formerly known as Queen Charlotte Islands)....? When did that happen? The US is so censored, we never know what goes on around the world.
ReplyDeleteTroubadour:
DeleteIt seems that all of our First Nations Communities have all reverted back to their Native Names. If you head north on our Sea to Sky highway you will see the new signs and they are hard to pronounce. When are you going to tour up here ?
Even though I'm not a very big fan of boating, I've always got a weak spot for harbors and all that happens there. Aromas of oilly gas and fish belong with just enough fresh air to keep things tolerable. Thanks for bringing some salty air this far east......I miss it!
ReplyDeleteOh, and Bob, you have Very nice shoes.
Coop:
DeleteSteveston is a fishing community, not a place where they repair commercial vessels so no diesel smells, and no bad aromas. The air is clean and fresh. So much seafood can be purchased directly from the fishing boats.
As for those shoes, how would anyone know if I just put them on for the photos ?
The first thing I noticed was the shoes!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the wonderful rainy pictures Bob, I actually feel cooler now :)
I'm like you, I shouldn't shop hungry either ...
Brenda:
DeleteI don't know how you can endure 41°c, I would be a pool of water on the floor. I remember being in Hawai'i a long time ago when it was very hot. Even after a shower, minutes later it was like you never had one.
If you go shopping when you are hungry, you have to stick to a written list
Bob,
ReplyDeleteBefore you even mentioned shoes, I wondered if you had them on....haha. I guess cold and wet are not the most pleasant combinations for going barefoot...:-). That seafood looks good. I have been in Canada for 4 years and have not been to Steveson. I have been to Grandville Island several times though and like it there a lot....:-).
Pat:
DeleteBarefoot when cold and wet doesn't deter me. I can even walk barefoot in the snow and there are photos here somewhere . . . showing me shoveling snow. Next time you come to town, we can go there for lunch. There are more fishing boats here than Granville Island.
The "liquid sunshine" four letter word may be worse than the other four letter word S-N-O-W. With our low temperatures, the snow is nice and dry and even after being outside for a while, you are still dry when coming back in.
ReplyDeleteNice post and the pictures of Fraser River look pretty bad. Is there a real danger of a flood?
Richard:
DeleteIt seems that our time has come. Next week we are going down to -3°c, with snow flurries forecast for Sunday. We seldom get dry snow. We get the wet stuff and this makes it cold. I think dry is much better.
I went down to Steveston again today to see the higher tide but I wanted to post up some motorcycle content first. There is lots of pooling water on the lowlands as there is no where for it to drain
I hope the river didn't reach it's crest and the flooding hasn't gotten worse.
ReplyDeleteWe had a major storm come through last night when a lot of rain blowing sideways. No flooding that I've heard of yet though.
I too am like you, I should never grocery shop when hungry. You never know what kind of snacks and other goodies will find their way home.
Trobairitz:
DeleteMany residents were remarking about how high the water levels were but no one seemed that concerned. We also have had heavy rains with lots of accumulations. We do have areas more prone to flooding but not where we are.
I used to be the one who went shopping but I got that duty taken away from me as I kept bringing home too much stuff. Same with doing the laundry. I couldn't manage to keep white separate from dark and ruined too many clothes.
i was at jack london square yesterday and noticed everyone bracing for continued high water levels and flooding... here comes the rainy season. i had to break out my shoes too :(
ReplyDeleteMs M:
DeleteI heard on the news that Northern CA was getting a few storms with flooding forecasted. Hope you are okay. You don't need shoes, feet are waterproof
Steveston is a place that is immune to any kind of weather. It is always beautiful. I wish I could live there but it is too far from work. The commute would be terrible. Thanks for taking me out there. Originally I had plans to go there this weekend but I was "forced" to spend the weekend in Whistler (on company expenses no less).
ReplyDeleteSonja:
DeleteI think Steveston is too far South and West. I think it would be a chore to commute in that traffic and mingle with the vehicles which come from Surrey, White Rock, Ladner and then have to deal with that "tunnel", with limited roads. BUT it is a good place to visit on the Weekends.
Whistler is not my favourite place and I try my best to not go there. We usually stop in Squamish or Pemberton and just pass through Whistler.
Nice shoes Bob ... looked like the perfect pair for a cold and rainy walk by the river. Thanks for sharing - hope the water doesn't rise too much more.
ReplyDeleteKaren:
DeleteSee, I do have shoes but I prefer the alternative. I have newer pairs but that one seems to have more cushioning, plus I have a GEL insert in them.
As I was walking about I was thinking about your trails back there. I have a few months to build up some endurance. We have never seen the water levels so high. We went back there again this morning to see the high tide. It is very close to the pier level
The last picture looks like you peed yourself
ReplyDelete