133. Hamilton VLA Neighbourhood Park, Richmond

We came by after work and daycare today to find an "E" cache for a challenge that Charlotte is working on.  We found "ERT06" - part of the East Richmond Trails series.  It was high up in a tree so I picked Charlotte up, hoisted her as far up as I could and she grabbed the cache, looking very proud of herself for her accomplishment.  Afterwards, we played for a bit at the nearby playground, but it was so hot that neither of us really felt much like being there and we soon headed home for dinner!  Maybe we will give this park another shot on a cooler day...  The playground is located at N 49.10.831 W 122.57.881 and is point no. 133 on the map at the bottom of home page.

132. Terra Nova, Richmond

Finally it's time to check out the amazing million-dollar playground at Terra Nova!  I have been saving this one for a long time, wanting to make a day of it rather than just a quick post-daycare trip.  Today we met up with our friends from two families: Gaby with Matias and Anna and Eva with Alex and Nika.  And what an amazing playground we found!

The main structure is about three storeys high and has all kinds of opportunities for climbing and sliding.  It was a bit too much for Charlotte, but the older kids had a great time.  There are lots of things to climb on and everything is made of wood and rope – no pre-fab playground equipment here!  After our picnic, we went to explore yet another part of the playground that I hadn't even realized existed at first and that's where Charlotte really had some fun.  There was a huge slide, much like the amazing slide at Garden City and the kids had a blast sliding down there as a "train".  And then there was the zip line!  I don't know how many times Charlotte went on that thing, but because it was a bit big for her, she really needed help staying on and so I had to run up and down along with her.

We were there for over four hours altogether and the kids all had a great time.  Definitely one of the best playgrounds we have ever visited, rivalled only by John Storvik in Anacortes and City Park in Lynden.  The playground is located at N 49.10.431 W 123.11.897 and is point no. 132 on the map at the bottom of home page.

131. Albion Park, Maple Ridge

Charlotte and I found ourselves in Maple Ridge on this very, very hot day, in search of "Sudoku Summit", a geocache with a difficulty rating of five.  There was a souvenir at stake.  Geocachers will get it...  After making our find, we returned to this playground that we had spotted from the car on the way to the cache.  We found a shady spot to spread out our picnic blanket and set to.  Before very long, a little boy named Otis came along, but he was with his security detail (i.e. his parents) and they looked at Charlotte like she had two heads when she asked their son if he wanted to play with her.  Eventually, they went on their way and another family came along, also with a little boy.  They gave off quite the unfriendly vibe too, so no playmate there.  Later on, as we were packing up to leave, a man came by with his dog and he was so unfriendly that when we were just a few feet away from him, he deliberately turned his back on us rather than exchange a "hello".  This playground gets a failing grade from us because of all its unfriendly people!  The playground is located at N 49.11.424 W 122.32.637 and is point no. 131 on the map at the bottom of home page.

130. Emery Barnes Park, Vancouver

Emery Barnes Park is a lovely little gem in downtown Vancouver.  It's a busy spot at all times, but when we were there at lunch time on a Tuesday, it was really bustling.  Charlotte really didn't spend much time on the playground itself as there is a water feature that few kids could resist.  It's meant to be decorative, but with its stepping stones, child-sized bridges and the little "river" leading from the waterfall to the spray fountain, it's hard not to resist kicking off your sandals on a hot summer day.  We had brought Charlotte's swimsuit along in anticipation of a trip to the beach later in the day, but we pulled it out here and let her loose.  She made a new friend, as you can see from the picture.  Maya was there with her mum and she did a great job of looking after Charlotte.  While Pete was keeping an eye on Charlotte, I went off to find the geocache hidden just a few metres from the fountain, appropriately named "Emery Barnes Park Cache".  The park is located at N 49.16.580 W 123.07.446 and is point no. 130 on the map at the bottom of home page.

129. Mahon Park, North Vancouver

Our second playground of the day was Mahon Park.  We chose it because it has a water park!  Charlotte has been there before with nana and granddad and today we gave it a try too.  We were there quite late in the day, so even though it was still a warm evening, it wasn't as hot as it had been and most of the kids had already gone home.  Charlotte made a couple of new friends to run around with though.  She also found someone to order about, getting her to push her on the swing a lot longer than I think she wanted to!  We're going to have to keep an eye on that...  The playground is located at N 49.19.499 W 123.04.985 and is point no. 129 on the map at the bottom of home page.

128. Bell Park, Coquitlam

We were driving along Lougheed Highway today when I needed something from my bag that I couldn't reach.  I needed to stop, so I pulled off the highway and Charlotte immediately spotted this playground and asked if we could stop.  We were in no hurry, so we did!  Shortly after we arrived, another dog raced over to join us - for the first time ever, Theo had met a canine namesake!  "Two Theos!" said Charlotte, delightedly.  After the other Theo had gone on his way, we were joined by a boy named Tristan and his mum.  Tristan shared his toys with Charlotte and she showed him how to do tipple-tails.  He was quite enthralled by Theo, which made Charlotte proud; she loves to let everyone know that Theo is her dog when he's attracting attention!  There is a cache called "Booty Crack" just a few metres away from the playground, but we had found it a long time ago - when Blackford Girl was just a baby and too small for playgrounds!  The playground is located at N 49.15.125 W 122.54.300 and is point no. 128 on the map at the bottom of home page.

127. Riverside Adventure Park, New Westminster

Although today was daddy and Charlotte day, I had Charlotte in the evening as Pete was going out.  He dropped her off to me at work, but it took us a very long time to get back to New Westminster due to the traffic.  It really seemed that Charlotte deserved a chance to stretch her legs, so we stopped off at the awesomely-named Riverside Adventure Park, not too far from Blackford Island.  I found one of my very first geocaches here way back in 2006; it was called "Delusions of Grandeur", named by a CO who was as amused by the name as I am.  I don't know where the "adventure" part of the name comes from and as for the "riverside" part, well, the river is in sight, way down the hill, with a highway and a busy rail yard to cross before you get to it.  The park is a lot different now than it was in early 2006 when I found my seventh geocache.  The dodgy playground equipment has long since been removed and replaced with a sanitized version that offers little challenge to anyone.  But Charlotte did have fun giving Owlie a ride on the loop.  "Delusions of Grandeur" is long gone too, but "Illusions of Grandeur" has been in its place for some years now; Charlotte and I have both logged a find on this cache!  The playground is located at N 49.12.300 W 122.56.022 and is point no. 127 on the map at the bottom of home page.