Richmond Hiking Trail

Richmond was almost devoid of parks in my view. One area set aside for a park was still being developed while along the Fraser River, a trail extended along part of the river.

Riverside

I headed into New Westminster’s Riverside Markets where once a variety of vibrant shops brought life to a complex similar to Grandville Markets. But most of those retailers had gone.

Lillooet

I visited Lillooet more for its beautiful sounding name than the well known music festival. As I came closer to the quiet town and its gold rush past, the mountains were parched.

I turned left at a church to the Chinese Rocks piled above the town. Below the wide main street stretched close to the Fraser River. While searching for gold, Chinese miners had washed and stacked these rocks. Across from the Chinese rocks, was a barren skeleton of a tree ominously called the hanging tree.

Desi Dosa Madras Restaurant

In spite of my South Indian breakfast and dinner marathon in Singapore a week earlier, I was already craving that unique food, so headed over the Fraser River to the centre of Indian everything in B.C.

Deas Island Regional Park

 

Delta’s Deas Island Regional Park was not accurately named. It wasn’t an island. The park was joined to the mainland by a narrow band of land. I crossed a wooden bridge over a stagnant creek and followed the trail that led to the tip of the so called island. On the way, I was faced with another contradiction.

Ladner

Ladner was the perfect place to escape the busy city buzz. The Delta fishing village was located between Vancouver and the U.S. border.

Back to Colony Farm

On most Colony Farm pathways, there were bikers as well as hikers, but under the Mary Hill Bypass, few people ventured unless they fished. This was the reason I hadn’t walked to the Coquitlam River mouth in months. The dirt trail was deserted and there were bear signs posted. Because a hiker on the Millennium Bridge said he ran across a bear, I whistled as I walked the last hundred metres to the junction of the two rivers.