Somedays you just know why you ride and this was one of those.
Francien and I started off in Port Moody to take the Westcoast
Express to town. We joined the office commuters riding the rails who seemed oblivious to the views out the windows of the train. Wow -- ocean, mountains, sunshine. How
could the commuters not glance up from their laptops?
We arrived at Waterfront Station and headed towards the new Skytrain to Richmond, got off at Marine Drive and rode the new cycle bridge over the Fraser. Where in the world are we now?
Desperate by then for a coffee, we poked around and finally found one, then headed towards the West Dyke Trail near the marina on Bridgeport. This section of the 'trail' needs a bit of work. The rails there are begging to be a bike path. We rode past the Olympic Speed Skating Oval which is astounding to see -- amazing architecture.
The West Dyke Trail never seizes to amaze -- again, where in the world am I? We watched turtles sunning amongst the lily pads then continued on to Garry Point -- like a glimpse of Cape Cod with its rolling dykes and wildflowers.
Fish and chips called from the seaside port of Steveston as we watched fishing boats come in with their catch.
Just east of the town is the reconstruction of the old Brittania shipyard and a glimpse into the past. The development is low-key and well worth stopping to listen to a few stories.
http://www.steveston.bc.ca/online/britannia.html
Finn Slough seems to be slipping away and there's a petition to sign if you'd like to see this pocket of life preserved. Something I'd like to see for sure -- we need these unique pockets of life.
Looking for a new way back to the skytrain we noticed a trail marked north and found the Shell Road Trail and a connecting trail back to the Bridgeport Station. I wonder what was here before? Was it a railway line? There's something very satisfying about a circle route and this one was amazing. I know there are dozens of trails like this that locals know about and I'd love to discover. Please let us know your local 'routes'. They are gems we love to find.
All in all a GREAT ride -- the Richmond Loop. Hope you can enjoy it one day. Let me know if you do! colleenmacd@gmail.com
The riding part took about 5 hours, including the stop for lunch and the museum, about 38 km all round. Here's the map -- click on FULL VIEW to see the whole thing:
Happy Riding! Colleen
