Category Archives: Surrey Parks

Back to the parks

June 17, 2015 Maurice Leave a comment

Bailey in Green Timbers

Bailey and I have been checking out some of the local parks. We’re in the middle of a very hot, dry summer. But the salmonberry crop is amazing this year! On Pam’s days off, she has been coming with me and picking some berries while Bailey and I stumble around the back paths. They are terrific on simple vanilla ice cream!

We drove over to the mountains and ran up Lynn Canyon last week. There was a cougar sighting that day and they were warning people to be careful, but we didn’t see anything untoward, just lots of people and lots of dogs.

Bailey had a great time with all the other dogs and getting to jump into the river. She just loves to get into any water that is around. But for me, the trails were too hard. Very packed and hard on the knees to run on. I prefer the back trail type of running – like at Green Timbers.

I love to go to Green Timbers. There are wonderful trails through the forest, or you can go more paved around the lake and nature preserve, or you can head over to the lake and fish for the rainbow trout that is re-stocked into the lake, or you can go even further to the Nature Center and learn about the various trees and and animals that inhabit the park.

The first pic of the post is taken on Hemlock Trail, deep in Green Timbers Park.

About Bailey, Surrey Parks

Hemlock Park

March 11, 2014 Maurice 1 Comment

Bailey and I have been out for a couple of long walks through some parks recently. The first we went to was Sunnyside Acres Urban Forest in south Surrey. It’s one of my favorite parks, but man oh man was it in bad shape! The recent snow has created huge puddles that make a lot of the trails virtually impossible to walk. We had to back track several times in order to find a passage.

The trees have been damaged too – there are many trees snapped off in the middle, others have been torn up right at the roots, and branch debris litters a lot of the pathways. It’s kinda sad really. Such a lovely park. Hopefully the crews will get in there and make things better!

One thing really interesting that we saw was this bear! Yep, a bear in Sunnyside! Kinda scary – although I have to admit, having Bailey there to protect me made it easier to deal with.

On Tuesday we headed to a new park called Hemlock Park in north Surrey. It’s a medium sized park, with lots of paths through some very large Western Red cedars, towering Douglas Firs and of course lots of hemlock. The paths were very dry and we were able to navigate the whole park easily.

Nice park if you live in the neighbourhood, but a bit of a drive for us. Other parks in the area are larger, like Green Timbers and Tynehead. Still, was neat to see some of the large stumps leftover from the logging many years ago. This one Bailey is sitting in front of had to be thirty-five feet around, maybe even more!

About Bailey, Surrey Parks

Crescent Beach

February 18, 2014 Maurice Leave a comment

Crescent Beach was created in 1909 when the railway came through the area. Dikes were installed allowing for development of housing, and the dikes form the basis of the walking paths that surround the area.

It was pretty windy out there on the ocean’s edge today, but Bailey and Pam and I had a nice walk up and down the beach. Bailey got to chase the seagulls and run through the ocean’s water. She didn’t go splashing in, though – too cold I’m sure!

While we were walking back towards the car after our walk, Bailey got to meet Cooper, a three year old spaniel. They decided to have a bit of a play and Pam got a couple pictures of Cooper that were quite fun! His long ears give him a startled aspect here. But check out that featured picture! Cooper’s eyes are priceless are they not? Really cute.

Here’s a brief movie of Bailey running along the shore.

About Bailey, Surrey Parks

In the Watershed

February 17, 2014 Maurice Leave a comment

Bailey and I had a nice walk in the Delta Watershed Park. It was a nice day, sunny and warm as we entered the park via the upper entrance. There were a number of other dogs there, and Bailey had no problems with the various meet and greets.

The sun was glinting through the trees, so I had to take a picture like Pam loves so much.

It’s really a great park. Lots of wonderfully big trees, with a lush undergrowth of ferns and other small bushes. There are paths snaking all over the park, up and down the side of a large slope. You can make the walk as tough or as gentle as you like. We took it slow and easy. Bailey found something to sniff or chase nearly every step!

About Bailey, Surrey Parks

Into the fog

January 17, 2014 Maurice 2 Comments

It’s been a trying time for us lately. Health issues for both of us are taking up so much of our time. It’s been a drag. And we’re getting to know too many doctors! lol Bailey has been good, but I kind of feel for her because we haven’t been able to get her the exercise she really deserves.

So, today Bailey and I headed out to Crescent Park for a short walk. It’s really foggy in Vancouver, and apparently will be for the next few days. We took a walk up to the duck pond and Bailey was fascinated by them. They would tease her by coming quite close to the shore and then sort of fade back into the middle. You can see the fog in the background of the bigger picture, too.

It was nice to get out and walk around in the park. It was basically deserted. We only met one other person, and she had a nice dog. She and Bailey had a good meeting, lots of tail wagging and play stances. A great sign that she’s not forgotten how to socialize.

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A bird in the hand

November 10, 2013 Maurice 4 Comments

On Sunday we went for a long walk in Tynehead Park. There are lots of streams throughout the park, and they are filled with spawning salmon. It’s really amazing how large some of these fish are! The main Serpentine branch is filled with salmon, lots of species, struggling to make their way back up to the spawning grounds.

There are predators looking for an easy meal too. Otters and minks can be seen quickly wrestling a fish out of the water. We didn’t see any bears though I’m sure they are around. Tynehead has had warning signs about bears in the past, but not this weekend.

While walking the upper forest, we saw a family standing perfectly still alongside the path with their hands out. I thought it was as strange place to be looking for spare change, but nope, not that. They had some bird seed in the palm of their hands and the birds would swoop down, briefly land, grab a seed or a nut and flit away. The lady offered Pam a handful, and this little movie is what took place!

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In Green Timbers

June 18, 2013 Maurice 3 Comments

Today we took Bailey to Green Timbers Park, in North Surrey. It’s a very large park, with several sections divided by some of the main roads. I really like this one section, north of 100th Avenue. It’s a small section of really cool forest, that is sort of spooky. It’s a very densely packed area, with lots of huge trees, and tons of undergrowth. Lush ferns cover the earth, and moss drips from the trees. There are bridges that span swampy bits, and narrow trails zigzag through the dense foliage.

Bailey had a great time, heading from one side of the trail to the other, checking out the interesting smells. We’re going to have to get a video up of her walking. She’s quite hysterical, running from one side of the trail to the other, searching for the next best smell!

Pam took lots of shots and there are a couple of cute ones. She loves this commercial of a dog with his head out the window, his mouth billowing open. So she got this one of Bailey doing the same thing.

This is a shot I took of Bailey relaxing at home. It seems she’s settling in quite nicely!