Capturing the Art of Nature
A Visit to Fortress Park
A small park with a three spoke entrance
Category
Parks on the Air
2022
Click on image to view gallery
I have been enjoying doing Parks-on-the-air these past months. It is even more rewarding to find one that no one has activated yet. Such was Fortress Park in Port Coquitlam. There are actually a few more in the area that are patiently awaiting their first radio-activation! Earlier in the week I saw that Thursday and Friday would be dry days and suitable for outdoor adventures. Ralph was free on Thursday and so we planned a joint activation but Friday was still open and so I scoured the POTA map for some parks that were never activated. Fortress Park met that goal and had an interesting name to boot.
The map showed three access corridors to the central hub of the park. After reviewing Street view and satellite images, I picked the widest one for my driving destination. As Friday morning arrived it looked a bit more questionable for the weather than I had hoped and during my drive to the park some drops were hitting the windshield. But they were light and I did have my tarp should it become necessary. I continued along and crossed the Fraser, soon I was scouting a place to park the car. I found a spot a short way down the road from the entrance and after parking I loaded up my wagon.
The entrance pathway has a modest incline up to the hub which is the highest point in the area. So, the park is actually a small summit as well. There is a kids play area in the centre and a big sign with a dog waste bag dispenser and deposit bin. They seem very serious about cleaning up after your dog. The grass was still quite soft and mushy with all the rain so I had to tread carefully as I scouted the area. I selected the highest spot on the south-west corner and there I set up the antenna and my table. There was a handy tree on the north end so I attached the shorter element to it and used my fence post for the far end. This way I avoided crossing one of the gravel paths with the antenna and maximized the elevation gradient of the park.
I was soon on the air and calling on 20m, I decided to go straight to 20m as the weather still looked iffy and I wanted to be ready to pack up fast if needed. My first two contacts were with Alaskan stations both of which I have worked before. They were both strong signals which was good as this residential area offered me an S5 noise floor. Next was an Arizona station with a strong 59 signal. Just above the noise I heard a fellow POTA activator calling from West Vancouver. I managed to get him logged but it was a struggle. Now I was on a roll with stations being logged from California tor North Carolina and Wisconsin. I eventually worked a New York station and then one in St Johns, Newfoundland. It was a fun run for the 30 minutes I was going. My friend Ralph also worked me from his home, so even if he didn’t get out there, he was part of the adventure.
During this time a few dog owners came by and were busy walking their four-footers, a few stopped by to ask about my activity. One woman was quite interested and thought it fun that her small park was on a list that many large parks failed to be on. She seemed happy for me being there getting it activated. As I was packing up the weather continued to brighten and there were actually some periods of sun on the park. It ended up being a great day for the adventure and just perfect temperature wise.
By 2pm the calls had slowed down and since I had 25 logged, I decided to pack up rather than re-spot myself. That went quickly, I then decided to walk around the hub area and gather a few photos before heading home. The spot does offer some views of the mountains and valley but most were obscured by homes. It is a lovely little park and I am sure the pet owners find it very convenient. The high noise floor makes it less inviting for radio but still quite usable. I managed to get on to the highway just ahead of the Friday Rush-hour so my drive home went fairly quickly, not that I mind right now as I am quite enjoying my new car. I will be back fairly soon to one of the other parks near this one and hope to be the first one there as well.