Field Trips

Fort Langley is the exact location where, a century and a half ago, a huge fur trade organization called the Hudson's Bay Company established a small post to trade with the First Nations of the West Coast. The enterprise grew, evolved, and influenced history, leading to the creation of the colony of British Columbia.

Furs were shipped to Europe via Cape Horn, produce was traded to the Russians in Alaska, local cranberries found their way to California, and Fraser River salmon was enjoyed as far away as Hawaii!

In 1858, rumours of gold on the Fraser River caused a massive influx of Americans to the area. Fearing annexation by the United States, British Columbia was proclaimed a Crown Colony on this site by James Douglas on November 19, 1858.

For more information, see the park's website.

From Vancouver, take the Trans Canada highway east for 40 km, or 105 km west from Hope. Follow the 232 nd Street exit north off Highway #1. Fort Langley National Historic Site is just 6 km north of the highway.

Follow the “beaver” signs along 232 nd Street until you reach the stop sign at Glover Road. Turn right, and continue into the village of Fort Langley. Turn right on Mavis Avenue at the flashing lights, just before the railway tracks. Our parking lot is located at the end of the street.

From Richmond and the Vancouver International Airport

Follow Highway 99 South to Highway 10. Follow Highway 10 east to Glover Road (about 30 minutes). Turn left on Glover and continue to the village of Fort Langley. Turn right on Mavis Avenue at the flashing lights, just before the railway tracks. Our parking lot is located at the end of the street.

Public Transportation

From Skytrain stations, take “ Expo line to King George Station ” to Surrey Central Station. Transfer to a bus numbered “ 501, 502 or 320 ” and travel to Langley Centre. Transfer to bus number “C62 Walnut Grove” and get off at 96 Ave. and Glover Road. This is as the closest stop to Fort Langley National Historic Site of Canada. Walk North (towards the river) and turn right on Mavis Avenue and continue up the street approximately 300 meters to Fort Langley National Historic Site.

Visit www.translink.bc.ca for transit schedule details, maps, departure and arrival times, alternative routes and more detailed information including weekend and holiday routes or call 604-953-3333 between 6:30am and 11:30pm daily.

You can learn more about "The Bug Lab" at their website.

Be warned – all the bugs are behind Plexiglas but we have been told that some great shots can be had during this outing.

try your hand at shooting moving targets in the semi dark and the dark!

Come join us and celebrate the holiday season. New Westminster’s annual Fesitval of Lights Holiday Parade takes place Decemer 5th (Saturday) at 4:00 sharp!

Rain or shine – bring you tripods and umbrellas!

You can find out more information at the parade's webstite.

1.  A family of animals
2. Something you don’t understand
3. A very relaxing place
4. Something big – and pink
5. A blast from the past
6. A group photo of 5 people you have never met making the peace sign
7. Something floating
8. A yellow car
9. The funniest thing you can find
10. Something that begins with the letter Z
11. Bare feet
12. Someone wearing a uniform
13. A photo with a duck
14. A photo with at least 3 people wearing hats
15. An empty escalator
16. A puppy
17. 2 of a kind
18. A bank machine with French instructions
19. A bird in a tree
20. A contradiction
21. Something with your name on it
22. A sign of things to come
23. Someone juggling
24. A shopping cart
25. A different perspective
26. A musical instrument
27. Someone reading a book
28. A fashion statement
29. An oxymoron
30. Laughter
31. A sign of love
32. A spider
33. A single flower
34. A drop of water The biggest tree

 Grace, Susan, Jaimie, Mike, Margaret, Arlynne, Kira and Mary Ann took on the Scavenger hunt challenge, braved the elements and went in search of the above list of photos. Our distance member, Monika, had a slightly tougher challenge and had to make a "road trip" to finalize her list. Thanks to all of you for coming out. We had a lot of laughs and are looking forward to all your photos of this great day!

Hydroelectric developments were instrumental in shaping the history and landscape of the Stave Valley from as early as 1909, when the Western Canada Power Company Limited began the construction of a power plant at Stave Falls.

Construction of the Stave Falls Dam and Powerhouse began in 1909 and was completed by January 1, 1912. From 1926 to 1928, the construction of an earthfill dam, tunnel and Powerhouse saw the completion of the Alouette component of the regional hydroelectric system.

Some more information:

• Stave Lake area
• Stave Falls Generating Plant (museum)

Stave Falls Generating plant and Stave Lake area is located in Mission, BC. Note: Adminission fee at the Power House is $6.00 per adult.

Below are Google Map directions assuming you leave with us from the community centre:

Mount Baker is in Washington State.

Assuming you start from our usual car-pooling location, below are Google map instructions. Click the link for a larger map, and to enter your own starting location.

In the early 1900s, the Canadian Pacific Railway decided a route was necessary to link the Kootenay Region with the BC coast by rail. The railway was built over three mountain ranges. In the Coquihalla Gorge - the river cut a 300 foot deep channel of solid granite. A straight line of tunnels were built through it which are known now as the Othello Tunnels. There are spectacular viewing opportunities available on the trail, through the tunnels and on the bridges. This park highlights the Kettle Valley Railway grade that passes through the canyon and 5 tunnels which were built in 1914. It contains a 135 hectare land base. It is a popular tourist attraction for the town of Hope and provides viewing, walking, fishing and picnicking opportunities. The hiking trail links to the historic Hope-Nicola Cattle Trail. The engineer Andrew McCullough was an avid reader of Shakespearean literature, and used characters such as Lear, Jessica, Portia, Iago, Romeo & Juliet to name stations of the Coquihalla subdivision.

The tunnel trail is pretty flat (is the old railroad bed) and is relatively short (about 3 km round trip), so it won't take the whole day to do, even stopping every 5 feet for a shot. Once there, we can decide what other near-by areas might be of interest.

Note: Park website suggests bringing a flashlight to light the way when walking through the tunnels.

The tunnels are located in the Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park near Hope, BC. You can find more information by following these links:

• Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park site -- has maps of park area, including tunnel trail
• Below are Google driving directions to approximate location of park entrance, assuming you were leaving from the community centre where we hold our meetings.
  View Larger Map or enter your own starting point.
  

Interior photography settings, capturing a work-place or historical environment. With all the wood and metal work around, a chance for some intersting abstracts.,/p>

Colony Farm Regional park offers excellent bird viewing opportunities. Located along the Coquitlam River, the park contains a range of habitats important to wildlife, including resident, migrating and wintering species. Of particular importance is the large amount of old-field habitat.

The park offers many recreational opportunities, including walking, birding, nature study, jogging and cycling. To prevent disturbance to wildlife and the destruction of fragile habitats, dogs must be kept on a leash at all times while in the park. many bird species nest on the ground in the tall grass, so please stay on the dyke trails.

Viewing Highlights - The habitats of Colony Farm provide nesting and feeding habitats for a wide range of birds, especially raptors and songbirds. The wooded areas are good places to look for woodpeckers and chickadees. The old-field habitat is frequented by Short-eared Owl. Many waterfowl species are seen in the river and main ditches.

The park is located along both sides of the Coquitlam River from the Mary Hill Bypass north to Coquitlam Indian Reserve #2. From Highway 7 (Lougheed Highway) in Coquitlam, just north of the Cape Horn Interchange, turn south onto Colony Farm Road and continue to the parking area at the end of the road. The Port Coquitlam dykes can be reached from the southern end of Shaughnessy Street.

some brave souls headed out to Colony Farms today. Margaret, Derek, Dereks son Daniel, Susan and Mike and I braved the cold and out we went. Its really to bad we missed meeting up with Susan, we sure would have liked to have her along

While it didnt rain on us it was rather cold out there. My back is still bothering me so I didnt walk far. I moved the truck from one parking lot to another to cut down on the walk for the others. The Herons were spottedin a couple of placesbut I didnt get a great shot.I did however, get some nice reflections.Margaret, Mike and I headed up to Simon Fraser University after Colony farms..for a look around and the snow chased us home.

Overall it was just to cold for any great photography today.