Elgin Heritage Park and the Nicomekl

Ralph and I normally get outdoors to use our radio gear and activate a park in the parks-on-the-air program but we have both felt we were neglecting our other outdoor hobby – photography. So, for today we decided to forego the radio and walk a park with our cameras. Well, that was almost the case but before we could visit the park, we needed to use our radios to do some sightline tests for the upcoming White Rock Torchlight Parade. Our club is providing communication support and we needed to test what equipment we would need for the locations. That took about an hour and then we set out for the park.

Elgin Heritage Park follows along the river and as we didn’t want to travel it twice, we parked a car at each end of the walk. As it was past noon, we decided to walk easterly and so keeping the sun behind us most of the time. We first dropped off Ralph’s car at the east end near the dyke bridge that Elgin Road crosses over. We then drove west past the Stewart Farm House area to a fen formed by Chantrell Creek and which forms the widest part of the park. Parked, we grabbed our cameras and set out on foot. The walk is really quite pleasant and follows along the south side of the river quite closely except for when the marshes get in the way.

We took our time stopping for both wide angle and tiny close-up macro photos as we made our way east. At the farmhouse we decided to head for Wards Marina. There we noticed that the water level was very low in the river as we were at low tide. The gangway to the docks was fully grounded at the far end of its length. Though the boats were still in water the mud banks forming the side of the river were fully exposed and we could see huge fields of oyster shells along its length. Many looked dead but they were still alive, later I talked with a local who said that they were not safe to eat due to toxic run-off from the farms.

We continued along enjoying the views, coming eventually to a slough area which was currently drained due to the tide but it was bordered by dead tree stumps. This reminded me of Stave Lake and though the stumps were smaller, as a group they offered some interesting photos. Perhaps I could call them the Ghosts of The Nicomekl. Continuing on we soon returned to the edge of the river to find our surprizing discovery. There was a high-priced motor boat stranded high and dry on the mud. A few locals were talking about the fools who had gotten themselves stuck there. One cyclist who knew more of boats than I said it was a half million-dollar boat stuck in the mud. Checking my tide chart, I figure they had been there for hours already and high tide was another 8 hours away. They may not need to wait to maximum but they had a long day ahead of them while the endured ridicule from the cyclists and walkers of the trail.

Continuing on, we came to the area around the Nico-Wynd Golf Course. The course wasn’t busy but there were a few out these chasing holes. I watched one father with his six-year-old-ish son. They were both done-up in golf gloves and clothes which looked quite cute. The father wasn’t too bad but the youngster would hit the ball OK but he didn’t line himself up for the direction he wanted to go and his shots were veering off. The nice thing is that his father was patiently helping him to enjoy the time out there. Continuing on further, we watched a flock of Canada Geese swim their way up current along with a pair of kayakers.

Before long we left the golf course area and wandered past a high-end sub-division of nice homes. They were in a very nice setting and well kept up. We next entered into the Nicomekl Portage Park as we approached Elgin Road. Here we encountered a few more historical signs talking about the history of the area. There also were some huge bushes of Oregon Grape growing alongside the trail. The berries weren’t quite ripe yet, not that they taste that good at the best of times. As I was not suffering from Diarrhea, I decided to not eat many of them. A short distance more and we were back on the road near Ralph’s car.

Avoiding the traffic racing across the one lane Elgin Bridge we crossed the road and walked to the car. Though only a 2.5km walk, it was hot and exposed enough to tire one out. So, sitting in the car after the walk was a relief. We drove back to my car and there we encountered a second surprise. This time we encountered two large van/busses unloading a good-sized wedding party. They were here to take photos, likely having dropped the bulk of the group off at the farm house. It felt good getting into my air-conditioned car and the short drive home went quickly. We both quite enjoyed getting out and doing some photography for a change. We may alternate weeks between cameras and radios for the next while.