Our SkyTrain Morning Outing to Lafarge Lake

It was a gorgeous Sunday morning, cool but clear. I didn't feel like driving anywhere, so Jay and I hopped onto a SkyTrain heading east. We often travel towards downtown Vancouver but seldom take trains to Surrey or Coquitlam.

Today our goal was to travel to the end of the Evergreen extension of the Millennium Line. We needed to change trains at Lougheed Station but the total time was around a half hour. We had probably only visited the end station of Lafarge Lake / Douglas three or four times since that line opened in 2016. The distance around the lake is only about two kilometers and makes for a quick, enjoyable bit of exercise.

 

The history of Coquitlam's premier water feature is a rather charming tale of turning an industrial scar into civic gold.

• 1950s – 1965: Long before the paddleboats and manicured pathways arrived, the site was a thoroughly unglamorous hole in the earth. It operated as a busy sand and gravel extraction pit owned by the Lafarge Cement company.

• Mid-1980s: In a welcome display of corporate benevolence, Mel Earl, the local Lafarge plant manager, persuaded the company to donate the exhausted pit and the surrounding land to the City of Coquitlam. With the digging finished, natural springs were allowed to flood the crater, inadvertently creating the five-hectare body of water.

• 1986 – 1991: The area underwent a massive reclamation project. It was initially developed as a legacy project tied to both Expo 86 and Coquitlam’s 75th anniversary. By 1989, the surrounding Town Centre Park officially opened, subsequently serving as the primary venue for the 1991 BC Summer Games.

• 2016: Urban connectivity finally caught up with the park. The Evergreen Extension of the Millennium Line SkyTrain opened, placing the Lafarge Lake/ Douglas terminus right at the water's edge. Additionally, a new community plaza was unveiled on the eastern shore to celebrate the city's 125th anniversary.

• Present Day: The former quarry is now a heavily photographed urban oasis. It is routinely stocked with trout for local anglers and is widely famous for hosting the decidedly luminous 'Lights at Lafarge' winter festival.

Seeing a Fresh View of Familiar Things

I love returning home every spring because it's like seeing the area with new eyes.  After four and a half months away, we can approach our own environment like tourists.  People who never leave a place might say that they love where they live, but familiarity leaves them without fresh comparisons.

Today, Jay planned to visit the Bonsor Community Recreation Centre in Metrotown.  He generally goes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday for a workout during senior hours at the gym.  Getting there is easy as he catches the SkyTrain at the foot our building at Columbia Station in New Westminster.

Today, I went to Metrotown with him just for the ride.  The SkyTrain costs next to nothing for us as seniors.  I enjoyed the 10-minute elevated train ride.  As Jay couldn't make good bus connections because of the holiday schedule, we walked towards the community centre through the mall.  I walked most of the way there with him and checked out the larger Walmart anchor store.  I didn't find anything and returned home.  The day was a bit dark and a little cool.  However, I didn't mind much as I immediately went to the hot tub in our building upon returning.

Three Signs of Autumn!

The cloudy morning turned clear.  One can feel the nip in the air though.  Downtown New Westminster is serviced by two SkyTrain stations less than a kilometer apart.  I walked to the other station this morning for a bit of a walk. 

First, I looked in the Thrift Shop but wasn't impressed by any items.  So I walked to the dollar shop inside the New Westmisnter Station.  I thought to pick up a couple of calendars.  Doing this is a learned part of our expertise in leaving for the winter.  If we don't pick up a couple of cheap paper calendars during the prior October, there'll be none by the time we return home in March or April.  

I found two!  I wondered whether I'd need to select one with puppies or another with kittens.  Thankfully. I found alternatives.

Next, after Jay returned from the gym, we had lunch.  Then we got on the SkyTrain again to visit the New Westminster Station.  We had appointments for our annual flu shots as well as new COVID boosters.  We had less than three minutes of wait time.  Both of us had the two shots in our left arms.  Wonder how they'll feel tomorrow?

Third, the last picture was taken by the door to our apartment building.  It opens right into the Columbia Station.  If you peek at the outside area, you will note that it really is autumn.

Buying calendars, having flu shots, and seeing fallen leaves, all point to the fact another year will be coming to an end shortly.

Mark V: Our Newest SkyTrain Model

An important part of our life in downtown New Westminster is access to the SkyTrain.  We actually discovered and chose this city after arriving to live in British Columbia.  A primary reason we are here was SkyTrain access.  We explored the area from the city of Vancouver on the original Expo Line.  In 1996, it was the only existing line of a now much-expanded system.  The driverless cars had been operating since Vancouver's World Fair of a decade earlier.  So much about our area has changed, but the fact SkyTrains run through the middle of our downtown continues to make our lives easier.  

This morning after a short walk to the other end of downtown, I boarded a train from New Westminster Station to return to Columbia, less than a kilometer away.  Our building has direct access to the underground Columbia Station at the foot of our building.

Transit Improves Life in the City

Translink is the name of the consolidated transit system for the metro-Vancouver area.  Two lines of its driverless SkyTrain share tracks through a short tunnel in downtown New Westminster, BC. One stop is directly at the base of our buildings. We can take the elevator to our underground parking and exit right into the Columbia Station at the basement level.

The system connects to surrounding communities, the airport, and downtown Vancouver. A train passes by our apartment in each direction every three minutes during the day.

 

We frequently go by SkyTrain rather than driving.  For example, the hassle of driving and the cost of parking means I never drive Kimchi, our EV, into downtown Vancouver.  The train is stress free!

Jay and I now have senior discount cards at an annual cost of  CA $45/year.  We find ourselves onboard more than ever, even though the cost was never a prohibiting factor.  For a little exercise, it's easy to walk to the other end of our waterfront park and take the train to return home.  

In the photo above, taken today, we were about to return from the New Westminster Station from the other end of downtown. We live at the next station along that empty track.  The train heading to the Waterfront was going west and would be at Vancouver harbor in about 35 minutes.

The City of Surrey, BC

Surrey, BC is just across the Fraser River from our little city.  Surrey has the largest land area of the Metro Vancouver area, at 316 sq km.  It is also the fastest growing and its population is estimated to be larger than Vancouver's sometime this decade, perhaps in the next couple of years.

We hopped on a SkyTrain that runs at the base of our building and got off at the Surrey Central SkyTrain Station.  

In the civic square near Surrey's City Hall, Surrey Pride was going on. We spent a bit of time watching the musical groups and a few drag performers. It had both a pleasant atmosphere and great weather.  This morning had been overcast earlier but the sun came out around noon.

Lafarge Lake in Coquitlam

 

It's the middle of the long weekend and the weather is completely cooperating. We were thinking of something to do and I suggested we get on the SkyTrain and head east. We generally use the transit system that tunnels beside our building to go to downtown Vancouver as it's so much easier than driving. We occasionally cross the river into Surrey for errands. However, we seldom travel to Coquitlam on the SkyTrain. Today, we did.

We changed trains at Lougheed Station and got on the Evergreen Line that runs through Port Moody and Coquitlam. We went straight to the end of the line at Lafarge Lake / Douglas.

 

It was a pleasant day to walk around the lake. Interestingly, it is a five-hectare man-made lake that was reclaimed and created in a former quarry. Some areas of the park were nicely landscaped. 

And wouldn't you know, Jay managed to find a small grove of bananas! There are a great number of places in our area where the plants are grown as garden ornamentals. The season isn't long enough to support the maturation of actual fruit.

Just 7.2 Kilometers from the Apartment

We almost never visit the Metropolis at Metrotown. Its 1,783,005 sq ft makes it the largest mall in British Columbia.

      Metrotown SkyTrain Station / Inside the Metropolis at Metrotown

As the weather looked bleak early in the morning, we decided to take the SkyTrain to visit. The SkyTrain runs by the basement of our apartment complex. Just five stations away and in about 10 minutes, we departed from the train. 

We had no real reason to visit. We did buy a couple of items in the T&T Supermarket and a few from the Canadian Superstore. It was nice just to get out of the apartment. As we go to the mall infrequently, it is interesting to see the shoppers and stores.

Summer Sunday Morning

Yup. If anyone complains about the heat I just cover my ears and say, "Na.na..na..na.nah." (Then, I slap 'em.) I want to keep the high-pressure weather system directly overhead for the rest of the summer!

The great blue skies continued today. We made a goal of heading out to Coquitlam on the SkyTrain. I make it sound as though we undertook a great effort, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Evergreen extension to 'LaFarge / Douglas' was inaugurated a year and a half ago. We seldom go to Central Coquitlam and had never been on the newest 11-kilometer line. We waited for a train heading to the 'Production Way–University Station' and changed trains at 'Lougheed'. When headed on the new line, the train travelled through the 2-kilometer tunnel down a steep elevation.




It only took a half hour to arrive at the end of the line. So, a person could live out there and still be downtown in a bit over an hour by SkyTrain. That must be why real estate appears to be booming in the area.

We walked the circumference of LaFarge Lake because it was such a lovely, sunny day. Getting back to our station was less than an hour and a half in total. So, we also drove up to Queen's Park to check out the kiddies enjoying the waterpark and petting zoo.

Windows Open During Summer?

@Translink I am so happy the Morgan Freeman / Visa adverts were dropped as soon as they started. Anything other than emergency directions from a SkyTrain station PA system are simply noise pollution. Keep our cities quiet!

— DennisSylvesterHurd 🇨🇦 (@DennisSHurd) June 2, 2018

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Our building is attached to the Columbia SkyTrain Station. Consequently, noise from there travels up the wall and into all both buildings' apartments. We have read of all sorts of extensive renovations for the original SkyTrain stations. Yet we've witnessed nothing about noise mitigation for us. When we moved here 20 years ago, there was just one Expo line with drastically fewer trains. So until you get things straightened out for those who live beside Columbia Station, keep those advertisements on hold.

The Sappers Were There

The snow turned mostly to rain last night before we went to bed. Yet, the snow and slush haven't washed away. Things are still rather a mess on the roads, but it was much faster and easier for us to get to an appointment today by SkyTrain. The Sapperton Station in New Westminster is the next along the part of the Expo Line which goes to Production Way.



Last week, Jay's cardiologist called to have him come in to check meds prior to his upcoming surgery. Jay has been reluctant to retry the nitro spray again after a previous little trip to the ER. The other medicine seems okay though. We also got a telephone call for him to attend hospital pre-admission clinics during two days of next week. That seems a bit early as the operating room isn't scheduled for his surgery until the 22nd of March. Still it will be great learning more information. We didn't have to meet with the doctor today for very long.

Not a Cloud

When the view's like this, even getting to a doctor's appointment is more pleasurable. This photo is looking sort of north from the Sapperton SkyTrain station. The border of Coquitlam, BC is just a bit up the tracks. This station the very next stop from the one at our building.

There should be snow on the mountains at this time of year but it is unusual that snow has stayed on the ground for so many days in a row. Winters here are generally rainy. Today, I'm not sure whether the temperature rose to freezing. Getting to the medical offices near the Royal Columbian Hospital is so easy for us by SkyTrain. If I drive, we'd have to hunt around for pay parking.


Jay had made this morning's appointment with his cardiologist because of his little trip to the ER on Wednesday. We needed to confirm what medications he should take when he feels chest pressure. Dr. Kirtzky said that due to taking two sprays of nitroglycerin, he'd temporarily lowered his blood pressure too quickly which made him blackout the other day. Jay is very sensitive to medications and generally needs half the recommended dosage. My idea has always been that if a little is good, then more is better. That doesn't work for everything and everyone.

The doctor prescribed a beta blocker too. We ran uptown to the Walmart pharmacy to fill the prescription. Dr. Kuritzky also wrote out for patches, so Jay can choose to fill later if he wants. He is going to contact the surgeon to discuss whether we want to move up the surgery a bit.

Just Got Back

We went downtown to visit friends this afternoon. It was nice seeing them before they head to Puerto Vallarta for a few weeks. I'm happy we had dinner there.


It's been a while since we rode the SkyTrain to Vancouver. And in fact, it has been sustantially longer since we were on a SkyTrain full of passengers wearing cool weather and rain gear. There are small things one can forget when away for a few winters.

Our Shortcut to Columbia Street

When we first heard plans of the introduction of the Compass fare cards, we were concerned about our building's access though Columbia Station. Our building has direct access to the Church Street side of the station. In the days before the TransLink pre-paid cards, the fare-paid zone started as passengers headed up the stairs towards the SkyTrain platform. Obviously, the new gates had to be added at each end of our formerly-free passage to Columbia Street.


It all ended up fine. As long as one stays less than 20 minutes and exits from the same station, no charges are levied. Whenever we walk though the station, our compass card usage which we can access online, shows a $4.20 charge and an immediate $4.20 rebate.

Help Ban Unnecessary Noise

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PLEASE LISTEN TO THE AUDIO FROM THE 46 SECOND MARK.

I heard this 73 times yesterday. I can hear the announcements when the TV is on and the windows are closed. I can hear from my bed. I live on a high floor behind the open Columbia Station. The PA system was used only for emergency instructions from 1998 to 2014. For example when there was a problem train or medical emergency. Now, it is a constant battle to try to turn off unnecessary pre-recorded 'informational' messages. Since Friday, these new ones have been playing every 10 minutes or 6 times per hour between 8AM and 8PM. We are retired and manage to hear all 73 on some days.

Getting Used to Autonomy

Google's 'Stories to Read' cards can be annoying. You know, I mean the Android screen one get's when swiping right from the main one. I love the weather updates and automatic flight scheduling info when travelling. When I worked, I used the commuting time info which appeared like magic just before driving times. However, I cannot figure out where it pulls in data for its 'Stories to Read' cards.

They seem to showcase a variety of websites which I'd never, ever consider visiting. Being able to turn off trash sites is helpful but, honestly, Google knows enough about me to make better attempts at what I might want to read. Then, there are times when the suggestions go absolutely bonkers with totally unwanted choices!

Because of the rather random sense of priorities, I've been reading a lot about autonomous cars, lately. It seems we are in for a shift much sooner than most folks think. I'm all for a new reality as it eliminates the most dangerous part of driving -- the other drivers.

The novelty will wear off quickly for society. For example, I never stop to consider our SkyTrain system for the Metro-Vancouver area is driverless. Okay, there's a central control room somewhere, but no drivers in the front of each train. Perhaps that seemed unusual to me when we first got here 20 years ago. By that time the system had already been running since Expo 86 with no responsible human aboard each individual train. What a great cost savings and safety feature! At least, trains don't show up for work drunk or angry after a fight with the misses (or mister).


Some early car designs photographed in 2011

Getting to Downtown Vancouver

During summers here, I will continue to maintain the old truck. We use it for shopping and for longer trips. Yet, if we want to go downtown, I never drive. The fact the SkyTrain runs through our basement directly to downtown Vancouver makes using it the easy option. Not having to pay for parking makes it the cheaper option as well.

Jay said we should go to last night's Davie Street Party. Getting to the Granville Station takes just about a half hour from our door. Often standing for buses in the city itself takes almost half that amount of time. This year's shindig on Davie was the largest and most logically set-up ever. I like being able to live in the center of Metro-Vancouver region but quickly get to the Waterfront for a just few bucks during evenings and on weekends.