Steveston, BC, Year-Round Destination

Photos: http://www.mountbakerclub.org/StevestonBC
Thanks to the Mt Baker Club Short-Notice Outings list-serve; a group of us shared a uniquely different mid-week outing. It was a short drive and border crossing bringing us to our first stop of the morning; an amazing Buddhist Temple. Incredible use of gold-leaf; brilliantly painted architecture, and carefully constructed gardens were a delight, encouraging us to begin the day in a relaxed and reflective mood.

Minutes and a world away: We explored Finn Slough, the historic home of fishermen, houseboats, and waterside shacks. Little changed; small boats tied up, precarious little docks perched above the swirling slough waters; charming gated garden entrances. A brief stop at the New London Farm; clean, cute, Victorian, its primness made an interesting counterpoint.

Onto the historic and charming downtown of Steveston with a light snack from Pajo’s Fish & Chips at Garry Point Park. Strolls along the waterfront, wetlands, waterfowl, historic cannery, boat shops, and homes, highlighting the rich and varied heritage of the area.

The rest of the day we entertained ourselves with walking through the compact downtown. Some tourist oriented shops, but well supported by locals giving Steveston a more “real” feel than one might expect. Highlights were the Japanese and Community Cultural Center and, the newly established but wonderfully rustic Romanian Bakery with its welcomed warmth from the wood fired oven (the loaves were exceptionally delicious but huge; make sure you’ve either got a very hungry group or a strong rack on your bike).

Throughout the afternoon the weather constantly changed from beautiful warmth and calm; to dark, grey, wind, and rain. Somehow we were always in a bakery or coffee shop when it rained and were always pleasantly surprised that it was nice again when we were ready to continue our walk.

Towards evening we wandered into an unexpected event. CTV news was doing their community focus program with the evening news filmed at a different community each evening. By wonderful coincidence it was being filmed on the Steveston boardwalk this day. We were given lots of little mementos (key chains, brochures, mini-thermometers, 2010 Olympic pins, etc.) and treated to the Kyoto Drums a reflection of the strong Japanese heritage of Steveston. The news anchors were very nice and between their on-air presentations, they would tirelessly pose for photos with local people including their pets.

As daylight faded into evening we found a window table at Le Nakamura restaurant for an excellent Japanese dinner. Afterward it was a short walk around the block to the Cultural Center where we were allowed to watch a Kendo class in its entirety. The participants ranging from old to young and beginner to advanced made a thrilling display of practice and training bouts with this Japanese form of sword fencing.

An easy drive and again an empty border crossing (going south) brought us home without incident. We all came away from this trip delighted and eager to return to enjoy the many hiking, biking, and cultural experiences that this nearby community has to offer.