This week hasn’t been going particularly well. (Yes, I know it’s only Tuesday.) I got some bad news on top of some other things happening or to be more precise, not happening. And on top of on top of all that, I was scrambling to meet two deadlines (which I did), woke up sick Friday, and when this morning rolled around, I realized I hadn’t been out of the house since Thursday. Today I was determined to get out of the apartment and breathe in some fresh air – not think about writing or how certain aspects of my life appeared to be improving and now they’re not (again).
It has been my intention for several weekends to visit Trout Lake and do some exploring. I phoned TransLink earlier this summer and got the instructions on how to get there. Of course, because I intended to go the day I phoned, I didn’t write the route down.
But I remembered the bus number I need to take. So, off I go, catching bus route 20 Victoria/Downtown. Before sitting down, I ask the bus driver which stop I need for Trout Lake. First, the driver says 12th Avenue, but as I turn away, it’s amended to 14th Avenue (maybe that should have been my first clue). I get off at Commercial Drive and East 14th, right in front of a park entrance.
There is no sign that I am aware of. But it’s hot in the sun and the cool trees are beckoning. I sit on the first bench in the shade I come to. There is a slight breeze blowing. I pull out the current book I am reading, looking up every now and then at a child and an adult playing on the climbing structure. I stay for three chapters, by which time I’m ready to find a lake.
But the pathway appears to wander further into a wooded area. I walk for a while, mostly in shade. I discover the tennis court; meander down one path for a few minutes; when it crosses another path, I change directions. All the while I am looking out for a lake. I am also looking out for a sign telling me I’m in the right place. I wander for another half hour – no sign, no lake – then catch the bus home.
The first thing I do when I walk through the door is Google the intersection Commercial Drive @ East 14th Avenue. And voila – Trout Lake turns into Clark Park. According to the info on the Vancouver Park Board’s website, Clark Park is the second oldest park in Vancouver, after Stanley Park. The first park to be donated to the Park Board, the land was gifted by Mr. E. J. Clark and named in his honour. It’s about 4.28 hectares.
The bus driver must have misheard me, but I’m glad they did – I can save Trout Lake for another day, another adventure.
This Is the Way It Is & That's Okay 