Since June 7, 1957 the Albion Ferry has transported passengers for free across the Fraser River and this morning John sent me a link to an ad on Craigslist that appears to be selling off the ferry boats.

Photo credit: Stephen Rees on Flickr

With the opening of the new Golden Ears Bridge the ferry will no longer be in operation, returning Glover Road to the quiet community of Fort Langley on July 31st, 2009. It’s a shame since outside of peak rush hours (that would sometimes see 7 sailing waits) it was a nice little boat ride across the river.

“It will be sad to see it go,” said Albion Ferry President Dave Miller in a statement. The ferry, introduced in 1957, makes about 80 trips per day, moving 4,500 vehicles; the bridge will provide for several thousand vehicles to cross in each direction per hour. [The Province]

The ferry terminal on the Maple Ridge side had been designated as an official historical place and there’s talk that they might keep it going if investors step up. However, with the ad already on Craigslist and only a few interested parties so far (including Washington State) the future of the ferries is still pretty uncertain.

I was recently able to spend a morning out in a kayak in Deep Cove and was reminded how special the North Shore truly is. From sea to sky there are natural wonders, tasty treats, and great communities to explore.

I was with a group and the first stop of the day was at Deep Cove Outdoors where we were treated to some legendary Rolly Polly doughnuts and coffee from Honey’s (just down the street).

General Manager Bob Putnam told us a bit about the services, products and special deals this summer from Deep Cove Outdoors:

Women on Water
Every Thursday evening at 6:00pm women are invited to come out for a paddle and to socialize with Women on Water.

Cheap Date Night
Every Friday evening is Cheap Date Night at the Cove where you can rent a single kayak (2 hour rental) for $20 and a double kayak for $30.

Explorer series: Full Moon
“We venture out on the night of the full moon with hopes of seeing it rise over the eastern mountains and flood Indian Arm with its silvery light.” Guides will take you over towards Belcarra where you will be able to float and watch this spectacle while learning about the moon and its effects on the tides.

You can rent a kayak for an afternoon, sign up for a guided tour, or take on one of the Deep Cove Outdoors multi-day adventures.

Even if you’re an experienced kayaker, if it’s your first time out in Deep Cove I would recommend having a guide as I learned a lot about local history, the dynamics of Deep Cove’s protected land and waters, and the Spanish explorers. While out on the water we were also told a story about how Belcarra came to be and that it’s a Celtic word meaning, “the fair land on which the sun shines”.

Getting out to Deep Cove you can take a transit bus, or choose between the scenic Dollarton Highway and Mount Seymour Parkway. Once you’re in the Cove, there are resturants, shops, an active community centre, beaches, Cates Park, Panorama Park and Deep Cove Park. You can also take walking tours to explore landmarks and the Cove’s history.

Before yesterday I hadn’t been out in a kayak in about 12 years and I realized I really missed the activity combined with being out on the ocean like that. I’m fortunate to have two more opportunities to kayak this summer and if I play my cards right, I just might get a special man in my life to treat me to an upcoming Cheap Date Night in Deep Cove.

The Vancouver Canadians are hoping to increase engagement with the ladies at the baseball diamond with their Girls of Summer campaign.

“This year, we have developed an entire marketing strategy that speaks to women who are looking for fun, safe and affordable entertainment experience”, says Andy Dunn, President, Vancouver Canadians.

“Whether they are coming to the Nat Bailey Stadium with friends, family or significant others, there is a great experience waiting for them on and off the field.”

“We want the female fan experience to be controlled by our female fans, so, we are creating a Girls of Summer ‘member-only’ webpage that is their community and will be managed by them – truly “a club of their own”.

Girls of Summer Fan Club
Women can sign up to this exclusive Girls of Summer fan club to receive special offers and tickets for Canadians games. This is the first-ever “female only” baseball fan club in the country. Members will receive….

Ladies Day on the Diamond
The Ladies Day on the Diamond is a full-day workshop and Baseball 101 session on July 25th at the Nat.

Mommy & Me Hit The Tee
Just missed this event that took place June 10th but it appears to have been a success. Watch for more opportunities like this is the future.

Baseball was never a sport that I could get behind until I experienced living within the Red Sox nation in Boston, combined with having the chance to catch games at Nat Bailey stadium back home. Since that time I’ve also married into a Cubs family and the fact that the Boise Hawks (the Chicago Cubs farm team) often play the Canadians is enough to get us both out to the ballpark.

The Vancouver Canadians have often been gracious enough to provide me with tickets for contest giveaways on my site so I’m happy to support them. It’s always a treat to catch a game at The Nat and I think it’s something that every Vancouverite should experience. Speaking of which, you can still enter to win my Father’s Day prize pack (including 4 Canadians tickets for this Sunday’s game) until the end of today.

Photo credit: uncleweed on Flickr

It is officially “Skateboard Week in Vancouver” according to a proclamation made by the Vancouver Park Board on behalf of the City. I remember the days when Vancouver outdoor staircases, plazas, fountains, and buildings were being retrofitted with skateboard-proof knobs and bumps. My, how we’ve come a long way.

“Skateboarding has come so far. Only ten years ago it was illegal to skateboard in the streets. Boarders were being ticketed and skateboards were being confiscated. Skateboarders were buying boards with no place to use them,” said Park Commissioner Sarah Blyth. “Now it’s a whole new scenario.” These days, the city is working closely with the Vancouver Skateboarder Coalition (VSBC).

Blyth says the city and VSBC is working on a skateboard strategy to improve their skateboarders’ situation. So far there has been a great deal of progress. Over the past ten years six new parks have been created. The relaxation on the ban on skateboarding in the streets has turned the city into a Mecca for skateboarders. [VSBC]

It’s a little-known fact that I grew up reading Transworld Skateboarding and could routinely be seen clipping and pasting Thrasher articles to the corkboard in my teenage bedroom. I’ve always loved the skateboard culture (from kickflippers to those leisurely longboarders) so this is great news for the local community. I spent many summer days at local skate parks, albeit perfecting my BMX skills, and have seen my fair share of amateur videos from packs of skaters showing off their skills outside the Toys R Us on Whalley Ring Road.

It’s also been great to see the evolution of the Vancouver Skateboard Coalition and the way its interacted with the community. To finish off Skateboard Week with a bang, they’ll celebrate National Go Skateboarding Day this Sunday by hosting Wild in the Streets and a few other special events.

Each year the Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards Society honors the best of Vancouver’s theatre community and tonight they’ll be announcing this season’s winners.

I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to become more involved with the arts community over the last year so it’s exciting to see people I have watched & enjoyed being honored in such a way. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to check out the bulk of these productions due to scheduling conflicts but I’m hoping that having a guest theatre blogger on Miss604.com will help with coverage going forward.

Here are a few of the Jessies nominees (of the 130 individuals nominated in more than 25 categories) that are highlights in my books:

The 27th annual Jessies awards ceremony takes place tonight at the Commodore Ballroom.

Quick contest The theatre community has been really great with supporting my work (and offering up contest prizes). As such, if you’d like two tickets for opening night of A New Brain by William Finn on Granville Island tomorrow, I’ll give them to the first interested party that leaves a comment on this post.