Stanley Park Seawall is a must-see for sea lovers

Photo: J.P. Squire

One of the highlights of Stanley Park Seawall is Siwash Rock which was carved by the ocean eons ago. First Nation legend says this 50-foot-high pinnacle is an imperishable monument to 'Skalsh the Unselfish' who was turned into stone by 'Q'uas the Transformer' as a reward for his unselfishness.

Stanley Park was, is and will be the ultimate seaside outing you’ll experience in British Columbia.

So Southern Interior residents planning a leisurely few days in the Lower Mainland shouldn't miss the chance to visit (or revisit) what has become the all-time-favourite Vancouver outdoor excursion for the Sheriff and Constant Companion Carmen.

In fact, the Sheriff's history in the park dates back to cruising through on a Yamaha 750 cc motorcycle during a summer vacation while attending the University of Windsor.

Yes, motoring across Canada with three buddies and finally, living at the forever home in Kelowna, Vancouver is a mere five-hour drive away so Stanley (Park) became a close personal friend.

Last weekend (the Labour Day long weekend), the Sheriff and CCC rocked at Jeff Lynne's ELO (formerly Electric Light Orchestra) concert at Rogers Arena, then settled in at the Capilano River RV Resort. Located at the North Vancouver end of the Lions Gate Bridge (a little noisy), it was a perfect second home for reacquainting themselves with not only the Stanley Park Seawall but several other bike routes in Vancouver.

As the Sheriff says, there's nothing like local knowledge, so seek it out. What made this trip truly memorable compared to so many others was a private guide, none other than Ian MacDonald, partner of Colleen MacDonald, who wrote three fantastic guidebooks—Let's Go Biking Vancouver, Okanagan and Vancouver Island.

Stanley Park has, of course, the Vancouver Aquarium, totem poles, the Girl in a Wetsuit sculpture, Siwash Rock, a heronry, dragon boat figurehead, the hollow tree and the list goes on and on.

The paved, winding seawall, which follows the shoreline, is also part of the Trans Canada Trail. What Interior residents might forget is tidal beaches. The amount of beach sand and rock varies by the hour so it never looks the same, morning to afternoon and day to day. Sometimes, there is a huge beach and at other times there is none. You might even find a barge grounded there (a large one was eventually removed).

Photo: Colleen MacDonald

Stanley Park Seawall, which follows the shoreline, is the most popular hike and bike pathway in Vancouver. This map from Colleen MacDonald's Let's Go Biking Vancouver guidebook, not only shows the paved Seawall with a thick red line but the forest trails in the park and some of the park's notable features.

Ian MacDonald, who has lived in Vancouver since the age of 15 and who accompanies his spouse on her research outings, had countless stories as his tour hit personal highlights—the Guinness family building the Lions Gate Bridge to access the entire North Shore that they bought, the home where Jimi Hendrix's grandmother lived, the unusual architecture (he's an architect), the Olympic Cauldron and the Digital Orca sculpture (near theVancouver Convention Centre), forest trails in Stanley Park and what his spouse calls “seaside beaches,” the series of public beaches from Granville Island past Spanish Banks Beach Park.

Later, on their own, the Sheriff and CCC completed their second circuit of the seawall, False Creek and seaside beaches. The Sheriff always recommends taking a quick snapshot of maps, information boards and kiosk panels. You can check maps while en route and the detailed information when you download the photos to your iPad, laptop or computer. For example, regarding Siwash Rock: "Indian legend tells us that this 50-foot-high pinnacle of rock stands as an imperishable monument to 'Skalsh the Unselfish' who was turned into stone by 'Q'uas the Transformer' as a reward for his unselfishness."

Coincidentally, ELO has a song called, Turn to Stone (When You are Gone).

The Girl in a Wetsuit sculpture was a gift to the Vancouver Park Board from sculptor Elek Imredy. Unveiled June 10, 1972, it represents Vancouver's dependence on the sea. There was no word on whether Imredy heard the ELO song from the same era.

The Inukshuk in English Bay, an ancient symbol of the Inuit culture and traditionally used as a landmark and navigational aid, also represents northern hospitality and friendship. This Inukshuk human-like figure, constructed of grey granite by Alvin Kanak of Rankin Inlet, was commissioned by the government of the Northwest Territories for its pavilion at EXPO 86 and later donated to the City of Vancouver.

You can learn more about First Nations by scanning and downloading the Talaysay Tours app for an authentic Indigenous-led tour, as you walk through Totem Pole Park and Beaver Lake, using your mobile phone. Virtual guides will teach users about the land, totems, art, culture and stories of Stanley Park, a gathering site and home to Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh.

Also, while cruising around, you can may discover parasailers learning how to manoeuvre their flying wings while safely dancing around a public park. It’s a photo op.

Vancouver could be nicknamed Cycle City because there are “bike highways” everywhere, almost all of them separated from traffic by pavement markings dividing bicycle direction. They are busy, even on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The Stanley Park Seawall is one-way (counter-clockwise) for bikes, so there are no head-on encounters.

Let's Go Biking Vancouver has much more than the Sheriff and CCC could accomplish in four days. There are 84 routes covering Vancouver, its suburbs as well as the North Shore, the Fraser Valley and Whistler, each with its own map with a thick red route line and turn-by-turn instructions.

All the more reason to explore more Lower Mainland bike routes after a visit to Stanley Park.

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Members of the Society for Learning in Retirement (SLR) are fans of this column.

The Sheriff was invited to present a two-hour talk, Making Tracks in the Okanagan, at 10 a.m. on Sept. 19 in the Martin Street auditorium (in Kelowna). Within a couple of days, 80 members signed up.

He plans a Secret Okanagan Spots (SOS series) quiz, plus an outline of his introductory trails series. He also plans a show-and-tell by bringing his Trek Powerfly 5 e-bike, his Greenland paddle, a Broughton Archipelago marine chart and his paddling jacket with a seal bite tear on the back (his favourite story).

To sign up, you must be an SLR Kelowna member ($25 annual fee) and pay the $10 session admission. More information is posted at: slrkelowna.ca.

Photo: J.P. Squire

While cycling around Vancouver, you might come across parasailers safely practicing with their flying wings in the large grass area in Vanier Park with the Burrard Bridge in the background. With only a slight breeze, they could collapse the parasail if a manoeuvre proved too risky.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.