A Wascally Wabbit

We had a bit of time in the morning before going flying so we stopped at the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve in Chilliwack. It's a beautiful place and we will definitely stop there again when we have more time to explore. By far the most humorous residents we saw were the baby rabbits -- which according to some signage, are frequently seen this time of year.

We startled this one and it took off down the trail a short distance before stopping and looking back at us.

We thought it strange that it kept creeping back towards us rather than away. He definitely wanted to get back to where he started from. 

Once I moved over to the same side of the path as Andrew, he snuck by us.

And there's the bum shot!

Flying Chilliwack

It was a last-minute trip, even though we knew it was coming. The new car finally arrived in Vancouver. Let's go! We booked the train, packed our paragliders and away we went. 

View from launch on Mt. Woodside near Chilliwack, BC

The train is always enjoyable and relaxing. This is the first time we've taken the train during the busy high-season months but, other than being a very long train, it didn't seem to make a lot of difference. They had extra staff, dining and observation cars so that it wasn't overly crowded. The "Artists on Board" program always showcases some great Canadian talent and the couple (Tiger Moon) from Kelowna who played guitar and mandolin were no exception. 

The train always stops for a while at Jasper which gives a chance to get out and wander for a while, grab a coffee and enjoy the view of Mt. Edith Cavell (when the clouds allow it).

We went straight from the train station to pick up the new car. I'm so glad we waited the extra time to get the "absolutely red" colour! We got in a couple quick visits -- lunch with my niece, Julie, and coffee with Andrew's friends, Larry & Angela, before heading to Chilliwack.

The new design of the Prius gives it a more sporty look than the one we had the past 10 years.

The weather was very good for flying the entire week but the winds were mostly quite calm (with a too windy period in the afternoons) and the daily inversion layer blocked the thermals from going very high. So while we got lots of flights, we didn't get any really long ones. Andrew managed 35 minutes on one flight but most were around 15 minutes.

Our first day there (Sunday) was extremely busy with students from at least a couple different schools and some independent instructors. We caught rides up to launch with Jim at FlyBC.

We sat back and let the students go first. Watching and listening to some of the instructors made us even more thankful that we had such great instruction from Chris at Fly Above All when we first started, and from Nick at Paracrane who recently gave us some more advanced instruction. Both are extremely patient and are positive in their criticism when you screw up (which happens often when learning to paraglide!!)

Even a year and a half later, I still screw up on occasion but flying at Woodside was a confidence booster.  All my launches and landings were pretty good. Even the landing where I had to dodge a couple hay bales still sitting on one edge of the LZ  wasn't disastrous.

We'll definitely come back and fly here again . . . for the amazing scenery if nothing else!

The colourful lineup.

Mount Baker is the snow-capped peak in the distance.

Bob, the handsome calico cat, likes paragliders too!

I strive to be as good a pilot as "Teddy." :-) 

Andrew in flight.

"Para-waiting" for the afternoon wind to calm down!

My pretty wing!

Andrew coming in for landing.

Spot on!

We might have enjoyed a local cider or two . . .   :-)

A "Complete" Neighbourhood in Chilliwack

Waves Coffee in the centre of the shopping area.

 There's lots of talk these days about "complete" neighbourhoods. The idea of being able to live, work and play within your neighbourhood. I expect people have different ideas as to what exactly that might look like.




I just spent the past few days at the annual SARscene conference (Search and Rescue) which was held at the RCMP Pacific Region Training Centre (PRTC) in Chilliwack, B.C. Just across the main street I discovered Garrison Crossing, what seems to me to be a complete neighbourhood.

The "hub" of the area (for lack of a better term) has a coffee shop, a grocery store, liquor store, restaurants (Subway, a pizza place, a nice Japanese restaurant, and a cozy little bistro), a running store, an outdoor gear store, a flower shop, dentist and medical offices, a hair salon, a liquor store, a candy store, and various others. Some of the business buildings are stand-alone and others have condos above them. The closest housing is more condos, then townhouses and single-family homes on small lots as you go further out. Although I'm sure they had to cut down some trees to put in the new buildings, it seems they've made a concerted effort to keep as many as they can as there are lots of large pine and others trees that have obviously been there for many years.

Looking towards the park. Leisure Centre on the other side of park.

At one end of the business area is a park and a leisure centre with swimming pool and other fitness facilities.

The busier streets on at least two sides of all this have bike lanes and . . . the best part??? The Vedder River is less than a 10 minute walk away bordering the other side of the PRTC grounds.

Beautiful, quiet and 7 km in length. I was able to get out and enjoy the paths every day. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to walk the whole 7 km and back as I would have loved to visit the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve which is at the other end of that 7 km. We'll definitely have to stop there next time we're through this area!  

If I had to live in Chilliwack, I think this is where I would be!