Five of us met at 8 a.m. on Monday morning at the foot of Kerr Road. We set off along the waterfront to walk the riverside parks leading up to the Knight Street Bridge. It was a beautiful sunny day and ideal for a walk. We met people coming the other way and out for a walk. A number of industrial sites we remembered from the past had now been converted into blocks of townhouses.

As we approached Knight Street Bridge, we saw a number of interesting boats tied up against the shore of Twigg Island. And then we had to make our way briefly inland up Borden Street to reach the bridge.

We walked along the sidewalk looking at Vancouver's industrial heartland. When we reached the far side, I stopped over River Road and showed how you could drive to that part and park. then you could use a right-of-way to walk the dike, passing through Richmond Plywood and continuing to River Road beyond. Near the end of the bridge, we took a small path which slid down at the side of the embankment and led under the edge of the bridge to Vulcan Way. Here we made our way left, crossing the road in due course. We made our way to the corner and when the road veered to the right, we found the entrance to Bath Slough. This led up between warehouses and came out to River Road. We crossed it and were out to the riverbank again.

We walked along by the river, watching the barges being towed upstream and looking at the industrial activity on Mitchell Island opposite. When we had to cross the road, we came to River Road Cafe and decided it would be a good idea to stop for coffee. Continuing east after the break, we passed Pacific Seafoods and saw fish coming out on a conveyor belt and being chopped up maybe for feed.

We crossed back to the river side when we passed this plant and walked through a relatively rural section as we approached the Canada Line Bridge. I had walked the footbridge at its side on the opening day some ten days earlier, but Bev did not know that there was a $10 million footbridge at its side.

We carried on on the path until we reached a road leading off. We took it down to River Road and then went one block to he right. This took us to the Canada Line footbridge. We went across it, taking photos of the walkway and trains. Jack dropped his pole into a yard of cars below and went back to get it. He was not allowed to go in but a workman inside fetched it for him. Apparently this is a Park-and-Fly storage area for people coming to gamble at River Rock Casino. An unmanned SkyTrain car is on a track opposite to whisk them to the hotel. We carried on to the north side at Cambie Street and then turned around to come back. The walkway is lit and there were views in all directions. I suggested to Jack that the club's New Year hike should be over there with Auld Land Syne sung in the middle.

On the return we walked the road facing us, turned right at the corner, and then continued until we found a trail on the left. It was further along than I had remembered it to be so I asked a woman controlling traffic at a roadwork site if it was still there and she said it was. We found it - an old unused CN line that Richmond has converted into a trail. We followed this until it passed under Oak Street Bridge and then turned right to walk under the bridge. When a patch of grass appeared on the right, we walked across it and came out through a gate opening. Here we continued on south, choosing to make a detour into the Holiday Inn Express to have a washroom stop. We passed through the Free Breakfast area where Doris and I had once stopped and had a coffee on an early walk by - we declined the breakfast.

After we came out, we continued, crossing Brighouse Road and took the path to the left of the hotel up onto Oak Street Bridge sidewalk.
Now we began the crossing of our third bridge, this time to a little more muted noise, although one truck caused a more massive vibration. At the end of the bridge, we did a small U-ey onto the road at the side and then headed west. To my surprise, this took me to a new park that I did not know - Ebisu Park. It had a picnic table and it was close to 12:30 so this seemed a great time to stop for a break.

The park had a small playground attached and there were a number of children around. I told the party that a fervent reader of my books had said that Arthur Laing Bridge was the most frightening bridge of any - you are protected from the oncoming stream of cars by a line of white paint. My son had told me that he once saw a couple crossing with the woman pushing a baby in a buggy and the man holding a copy of my book!

After lunch, we made our way to Marine Drive and went right to reach the end of the off-ramp leading west and up to Granville Street. Taking our lives in our hands, I led off and the party followed. After all the ballyhoo, it was a relatively simple journey, and we stopped at one spot to look down on the RivTow headquarters below us - the organization made and shaped by Lucille Johnstone, the River Queen.

At the end of the bridge, we got off onto a well groomed bicycle path and followed it to the Bridgeport Bridge. This would have been the shortest way back to the station, but I went back under it and went over the Moray Channel Bridge - our fifth and last bridge. At its eastern end, I showed Bev and Jack the trail south which would take them all the way to Steveston. In conclusion, we made our way up to Bridgeport Station, took a Canada Line train to Marine Drive Station, changed onto the #100 bus and had an uneventful trip back to the cars.

The walk across on the sidewalk was noisy but interesting and you could see Vancouver's industrial heart below you. I stopped on the south side and showed the party River Road below. I showed them how you could drive to that point and park. And how you could walk through the Richmond Plywood property on a right-of-way to reach River Road continuing east.