Blackie Spit Park is a stunning City park located in the Crescent Beach neighbourhood of South Surrey. The park is named after the dramatic spit that extends into Mud Bay at the mouth of the Nicomekl River. Blackie Spit has amazing views of Mud Bay and the North Shore Mountains.
Blackie Spit offers some of the best bird watching areas in Canada, with almost 200 species of birds recorded in a calendar year. The sandy spit, surrounded by tidal marsh and eelgrass beds, is an important stop for migrating and wintering waterfowl and shorebirds, as they make their way up and down the coastline of North and South America. Fall migrants start arriving in late August and September. Spring migrants start arriving in mid-March, and are generally gone by the end of May.
We continued down the trail thinking it would loop back to itself but discovered this section linked up with a residential area so we turned around...
Once we got back to the pump house we discovered the path that linked back up with the main path but it appeared very narrow and overgrown making it impossible to keep social distancing so we returned the way we came...
We had a late lunch when we got home and we finished the day off by reading and watching TV...oh, I also worked on a blog update.
The rest of the week was pretty much back to the same...staying home. The usual...everyday chores, out for walks around the campground when it wasn't raining, laundry Wednesday, reading, watching TV, etc.
Tuesday (May 12) was our grandson, Bryce's birthday...wow 5 years old! We had a video call just in time for birthday cake....great job on decorating the Spider Man cake, dad!
We started by picking up our grocery order then stopping by the Bike Zone for a new tube for my back tire. It was flat the other day when we were about to go for a bike ride. Steve pumped it up but the next day it was flat again.
Once back home, I put the groceries away...and we were off again for the rest of our errands. Our first stop was at the New Balance store in Langley. I desperately needed new runners (after 2 years!) so after talking with them, I ordered an updated version of my old ones...all paid for over the phone so I just had to pick them up.
After a quick stop at Safeway, the post office, the liquor store and Walmart we were back home just after 1:30.
Steve got busy swapping out the inner tube on my tire noting that the sidewall of the tire wasn't in the best shape. Not knowing how to get an inflated tire past the brake assembly he decided not to do that until after everything was assembled. I helped hold my bike while Steve put the wheel back on then the chain back on the sprocket.
With my "job" over, I went inside to take care of bunch of odds and ends. Then I heard a big "pop"...I knew Steve was pumping up the tire, so that didn't sound good. Yes, the tube had popped. He added air then checked the pressure, it was only at 20 psi but noticed part of the tire had come off the rim so he put it back on. He started to add more air then there was a loud POW and a puff of smoke!! Why are some of the simplest things so difficult sometimes! So he headed off with the whole wheel, back to the bike shop. On his way there the radio in the truck stopped working...geez...what next?!
The bike shop was real busy so he wasn't back home until around 4:00...new tire and tube on the wheel and ready to be put back on my bike. They were kind enough to comp a replacement inner tube and said it was most likely the condition of the tire that caused the tube to pop. With that done, I took a spin on it to ensure all was okay...perfect!
We decided to take advantage of the last beautiful day and sat outside for Friday night happy hour!
Saturday (May 16) we woke to clouds...after a rainy night. The rain wasn't supposed to start again until late morning, so we had planned to get out for a walk. Unfortunately, it started much earlier and as forecast, it was a very rainy day. So, it was pretty much an inside day...but we did managed to get out for a walk late afternoon when there was a lull in the rain.
It poured all night...continuing into Sunday (May 17) morning. But by early afternoon the clouds had parted and sun had come out. We got out for our walk, then Steve washed the bikes while I vacuumed inside. We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon sitting outside reading. A bike ride...and then it was happy hour time! Roland, Cody and Carol joined us for a lovely couple of hours chatting. Cody is the cutest little guy! Until just a few weeks ago, they had another dog, Maggie, who was a few years older than Cody. Unfortunately, Maggie passed away leaving Cody very lonely...but according to mom, he's starting to perk up again.
Glad you were able to get out for a lovely walk. We enjoyed that park a few years ago when we stayed at Peace Arch.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful spot and great walk.
DeleteLooks like everything is in full bloom there. Looks beautiful and I bet it smells even better! We made it to Forrest's yesterday and hope to get out and do some exploring ourselves soon!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your time with them!
DeleteA little more hassle getting to the parks but wow it was worth it! Never heard of wisteria but that is amazing stuff. Very cool place. Darn bike tires hey....fixed for years now with a new tire and tube. Osoyoos was hard on tubes with the burrs or whatever they were. We called them pokies :)
ReplyDeleteActually all these parks are pretty close so it’s not that bad having to drive, especially during a pandemic when we really need to get away from the RV park. I got the guy at the bike shop to explain how to get an inflated tire through the brake assembly...soon I’ll be a bike mechanic like you Dave! 😜
ReplyDeleteWow, you sure can't beat BC scenery in the spring (actually anytime of the year!) Always nicer to get to less crowded spots.
ReplyDeleteThat Bryce is sure a cutie! Grandpa will be giving him driving lessons sooner than you think.
Stay safe! Enjoy the area.
We’re pretty fortunate living along the coast for sure. The grandkids seem to grow up so fast, especially when we don’t see them for 6 months at a time.
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