Just List It Blog

From Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay

One of the things that I always look forward to when going to Victoria is the ferry ride through the Gulf Islands. If you’ve never done it and you find yourself out on the West Coast, I’d recommend trying it. The route that I’m used to taking is the Tsawwassen Terminal to Swartz Bay. On a sunny day or near sunset on a clear day the views can be spectacular.

The entire crossing takes about an hour and a half. There are a couple of different classes of ferries, however, all have on-board cafeterias, arcades and an all you can eat buffet. (I prefer the breakfast buffet over the dinner buffet.) You can also walk out onto the decks and take in the sights.

Images

Here are some images taken during the crossing on April 19, 2011

We’re getting ready to head to lovely Victoria for a couple of days. I always love heading over the Island. The moment you board the ferry, you almost instantly feel your stress levels drop. I’ll be taking lots of pics and video of the trip over. Stay tuned for details.

Pacific Spirit Regional Park

Today we visited Pacific Spirit Park in Vancouver, BC. It’s a great park, close to Downtown, easily accessible, dog friendly and more. For full details and images, visit our Pacific Spirit Park page.

The Visit

I was in the Kerrisdale area today as I was taking some photographs of a recent renovation completed by Optimum Solution Design Build, a local Vancouver Based contractor, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to snap a couple of pics of the nearby parks.

My first stop was Maple Grove Park, a nice park roughly the size of a city block (4.20 hectares).

The park features:

• A field house
• Washroom
• Picnic area
• A wading pool for the kids
• Children’s Playground

What’s Brando Say?

Sorry, can’t tell ya. He wasn’t with me. But, I did see two dogs on leashes there.

Visit The Web Page

Maple Grove Park

The visit

Today we visited Everett Crowley Park, a 38.08 hectare park, located in the neighborhood of Killarney near Southeast Marine Drive. The park has washrooms (which are on the other side of Kerr, slightly south of the park parking lot), the nearby Fraserview Golf Course and several off-leash dog  areas (virtually the whole park is off-leash). There is also a small info area that provides a large map of the park trails.

It’s obvious there has been some recent work to the park as some trails have freshly laid mulch overtop, which not only adds to aesthetics but a more pleasant walk. The south and east sides of the park offer a little more than the entrance.

For the first hundred or so yards, I thought we were going in the wrong direction as it seemed we were more on a service road then in a park. Then a fork in the road appears, where we were met by a group a flamingos loitering in a nearby tree.We turned right, and within minutes the place started looking a little more like a park. In all fairness, it is early spring, and foliage has not sprouted yet: I’m sure it will look much better once everything is in full bloom.

The south end of the park offers some park benches and a view of the north arm of the Fraser River and River Road. The north eastern area of the park is wooded and has a duck pond which was quite nice.

What about dogs?

Virtually the entire park is off-leash, Everett Crowley Park is a great place to take your dog and let them get some exercise.

What does Brando say?

Video speaks louder than words…

The skinny

If you’re looking for a off-leash park to take the dog out for a walk, this is the place. If you’re looking for a park that offers more scenery, this might not be the place for you. As I mentioned earlier, there has been some work done to improve the park. I look forward to seeing what other improvements the city has for this park.

Visit the Website: Everett Crowley Park

Images of Everett Crowley Park

The Visit

Today we visited Ambleside Park in West Vancouver. It’s was easily accessible, about 10 minutes from Downtown (in light traffic, early on a Sunday afternoon) and had some nice views of the Lions Gate Bridge, Stanley Park and the Burrard Inlet. The park also features an enclosed ball hockey area, a small skate park, a children’s play area, baseball diamond, a par-three golf course in addition to other activities.

The first thing that I noticed about the park was that it was clean. The beach was clean, the washrooms were clean and even the water looked clean. We walked along almost a kilometer of shoreline and the only piece of debris that I saw was a negligible piece of styrofoam. It was a nice place to visit even though it was overcast and dark. We’ll definitely return during the summer.

What about dogs?

Ambleside park provides dogs an off-leash area that is approximately 3.52 hectares in size and consists of grassy areas, trails, and beach access for both dogs and their owners.

What does Brando say?

I had a blast. The fact the off-leash area was so large, it gave me lots of different terrain to explore, things to see and check out. Plus, there were lots of other dogs there as well.

Visit the Website: Ambleside Park

Ambleside Park Images