July 4, 2017 – Off Dollarton Highway lies a large area that is bordered by Burrard Inlet on one side and a salt marsh on another. It is a large swath of land that has been conserved for birds and other creatures on the edge of a busy city. And it is a lovely and peaceful place to have an evening walk on a hot day.
In the 1940s, Maplewood Flats was inhabited by a community of squatters living in dilapidated cabins along the area’s intertidal zone. One of the more prominent residents of the flats was English born poet and novelist Malcolm Lowry. Lowry was living in the flats while he wrote his novel Under the Volcano. (Wikipedia)
Today, a few whimsical replicas of squatters shanty cabins lie along the water.
Walking through the dappled light, what one would normally call a weed twists and winds itself up the branches of bushes that provide structure. Morning glories are one of those weeds that I can admire.
But you know you are on the edge of a much busier place when you reach the water’s edge and see industry so close at hand.
Slipping back into the canopy one is transported away from the hustle and bustle and into the song filled peace of nature.
Hummingbirds zip through the branches like little Harrier jet planes, suddenly coming to an abrupt halt while they ferret out insects hiding in the leaves of bushes…before they whiz off again.
Down on the salt marsh flats, some interesting driftwood lies among swaths of marshgrass, swirled into interesting patterns in some places. I love how this large log looks like some strange creature…. the salt marsh monster.
Summer makes for some lovely evening walks.
18 comments
I love this area. So happy that I have wheels to access it. So much easier. Transit was okay but a little laborious.
I’m embarrassed to say that it’s been over a decade since I’ve last visited…and it’s in my backyard. It is a wonderful spot.
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117 pictures in 2017
Seen in
117 pictures in 2017
Seen in
117 pictures in 2017
Seen in
117 pictures in 2017