Suburban Photos - Page 15

Klazu · #**281** Posted **Jul 7, 2015, 6:26 PM**

Jug Island Beach is a nice short walk from Belcarra and has a great view of Indian Arm.

Deep Cove and Quarry Rock on the other side.

The small Jug Island.

GMasterAres · #**282** Posted **Jul 7, 2015, 6:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by vanman

Maybe it's time we start up an SSP hiking group haha.

You may actually be onto something. We've had quite a few hiking friends move out of Metro Vancouver in the past 5 years (most from out of town returning home to Australia, the UK, the US, etc.) and most of my friends just don't hike. My last and longest hiking partner also joined the Army and is now back east so don't even have him to go out with to places.

I'm so far out of shape these days and with our new daughter, my wife and I really need to start doing some more hiking and trekking around. I want her to grow up healthy and not fat like I am now.

Klazu · #**283** Posted **Jul 7, 2015, 7:44 PM**

Take my photos as a motivation, jhauser. We live in such a beautiful province!

Klazu · #**284** Posted **Jul 25, 2015, 12:00 AM**

New Westminster from Pattullo Bridge.

Klazu · #**285** Posted **Aug 10, 2015, 10:24 PM**

These are already from last September, but few photos from hike to St. Mark's Summit. It's a 11km round-trip with 460 elevation gain. Takes 4-5 hours.

Trail to St. Marks.

They have been improving the first 2km of the trail.

Peek of The Lions.

West Lion

East Lion

Sea to Sky Highway down below.

Hazy Horseshoe Bay.

Ferry traffic

Cypress Mountain ski runs.

Bowen Island in the haze.

Surrounding Howe Sound.

Admiring the view.

Some people are not afraid to sit on the edge...

Hazy weather, but great view!

SFUVancouver · #**286** Posted **Aug 10, 2015, 10:27 PM**

Awesome photos, Klazu. I'll have to do that hike!

Klazu · #**287** Posted **Aug 10, 2015, 10:36 PM**

Thanks. It's definitely a worthwhile hike with rewarding views from the summit. The new trail is easy to walk but it only lasts the first 2 kilometers.

When I was up there it was super-hazy. You cannot tell from the photos which I put through several filters to see something. I think it is much clearer this year with less smoke from forest fires.

Klazu · #**288** Posted **Aug 10, 2015, 10:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klazu

When I was up there it was super-hazy. You cannot tell from the photos which I put through several filters to see something.

Just as an example, before and after some post-processing. Keep in mind that the original one is taken through a great camera and an expensive sharp lens, yet it came out so hazy. There is only so much you can do in post to clear the view.

Spikester · #**289** Posted **Aug 11, 2015, 12:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klazu

Just as an example, before and after some post-processing. Keep in mind that the original one is taken through a great camera and an expensive sharp lens, yet it came out so hazy. There is only so much you can do in post to clear the view.

Have you tried the new Dehaze filter in Photoshop/Lightroom? I've been amazed by some of the results I've seen from that.

SpongeG · #**290** Posted **Aug 11, 2015, 10:10 PM**

i find microsofts photo editor does pretty good - just hit "auto adjust"

works especially well when taking pictures through windows

this is low res cause its from facebook - taken on a camera phone

without

with auto adjust

Klazu · #**291** Posted **Aug 12, 2015, 12:35 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spikester

Have you tried the new Dehaze filter in Photoshop/Lightroom? I've been amazed by some of the results I've seen from that.

I am using CS6 for obvious reasons and that seems to be only available for the CC. Pretty neat feature, but seems to also have some compromises in terms of noise. Not sure if it will make a huge difference over the old trick with adjusting Levels, but thanks for the tip.

Klazu · #**292** Posted **Aug 28, 2015, 10:58 PM**

With all the drought in past four months, I wanted to see the water levels in Vancouver's reservoirs for myself. There is no public access to Coquitlamn Lake (as far as I know), but I visited both Seymour Lake and Capilano Lakes yesterday and this is how they look like four months into the drought.

Things are actually not looking bad at Seymour Lake. I was surprised to see the water levels being down by maybe only a meter.

They seem to be some summer maintenance at the dam.

There were fire fighting choppers whirring over the lake. Not sure which nearby fire they were attending to.

It's a completely different story at Capilano Lake. There the water level is down my over 10 meters. As a result a lot of new shoreline has emerged. They should use the opportunity to remove some of those logs.

There is almost no water facing the Cleveland Dam!

Strange to think that the other side of this dam wall is currently empty.

The lake surface is low that there is absolutely no water passing through the dam eventhough it is wide open. Never seen it like this.

Canyon below is just ponds.

No more waterslide.

This is how it normally looks like.

• Video Link

So yeah, it looks pretty bad and water levels are currently at around 53-54%. The rain this weekend will help to regain some of lostwater, but unless we will see a normal rainy winter, next summer might be even more challenging and water restrictions will kick in even sooner. Sad sight.

Klazu · #**293** Posted **Oct 2, 2015, 2:24 AM**

For once I had my cell phone at hand when we taking off from YVR. Mount Baker looks absolutely stunning from the air. Mount Rainier next to Seattle (some 200 kilometers away) is the hump below the wing.

Coulds around Cascade Mountains. Scattered glaciers here and there but no new snow yet.

Klazu · #**294** Posted **Oct 5, 2015, 6:24 PM**

It has been three years between our two trips to Dog Mountain in North Vancouver.

First Lake en route.

North Shore Mountains from a cliff.

Crown Mountain (part of Grouse Moutain).

View from Dog Mountain.

Lions Gate Bridge

Ironworkers Second Narrows Bridge

Metrotown in the haze.

Downtown with Vancouver Island mountains in the background.

SpongeG · #**295** Posted **Oct 6, 2015, 12:14 AM**

wow that cruise ship (last pic) is huge

Klazu · #**296** Posted **Oct 26, 2015, 6:19 PM**

Few photos from the hike to Whyte Lake in West Vancouver.

The trail goes under the Upper Levels Highway.

It's a nice short hike through a calm Nelson Canyon Park.

Whyte Lake itself is a tiny forest lake.

Klazu · #**297** Posted **Oct 27, 2015, 7:04 PM**

Last weekend I happened to visit the small Invergarry Park in North Surrey. I didn't know that there is a nice mountain bike terrain park in there. There are trails for three different skill levels. Looked fun.

Also Port Mann Bridge is well visible from the area.

Klazu · #**298** Posted **Jan 14, 2016, 8:56 PM**

Not Lower Mainland per se, but close enough. Last Saturday we decided to give skiing at Mount Baker a try and drove there from Vancouver. As expected, the snow was just heavely and already now crazy deep!

The drive up the mountain is beautiful, even in the first morning light.

Closer we drove, higher the snow banks got. No wonder that the base is currently at respectable 282cm (111 inches)12:36 14.1.2016.

One of the biggest surprises to us was that 6 out of 8 chair lifts at Mount Baker have no safety rail whatsoever! I have never seen such and found it very unpleasant to be sitting there when you suffer from minor vertigo. I just wonder how often people fall off from these lifts and hurt themselves badly. Incredible that such lifts still exist in 2016!

The ski center is actually not on Mount Baker (3,286 meters / 10,781 feet), but on a ridge between Baker and Mount Shuksan (2,783 meters / 9,131 feet). You cannot even see the former, but you can see the latter, which looks epic. The ridge right from the mountain is a backcountry skier's heaven!

Be aware that the ski center is on a north face of the ridge and is in a shadow for the most of the day.

View from the top of the ski center (1,551 meters / 5,089 feet) is gorgeous on a sunny day.

Yeah, there is no lack of snow on Mount Baker. They hold the world record for snow fall at 29 meters (1,140 inches) and even the average annual snow fall is 17 meters (669 inches)!

After a full day of skiing we drove to check out the famous Picture Lake, which was frozen all over.

Back in Sumas the sun was already setting and it felt like spring. All mountains behind the trees is Canada.

Mount Baker definitely makes for an amazing day trip from Vancouver. You just have to leave at 6am and you will be there when the lifts start running at 9am. We will be going back, since the snow on Baker is so heavenly dry and crazy deep.

Klazu · #**299** Posted **Jan 21, 2016, 10:34 PM**

Turning the clock back to September 2014, here are some photos from a hike up the three peaks of Mount Seymour. It's a fantastic nine kilometer round-trip that takes one approximately five hours.

Trail up is fairly steep and has lots of boulders.

There are some spectacular drops to check out.

First peak ahead!

Tri-Cities area of Lower Mainland (Eastern Metro Vancouver).

Mount Baker is an ever-present part of the local background.

Burnaby Mountain

Port Mann Bridge and Guildford area in Surrey. Note the huge Canadian flag.

The very hazy Downtown Vancouver. The weather gets hazy during summer.

Panorama from the first peak. Wish the sun would have been behind me, but what can you do.

Onwards towards the next peak!

View from the second peak. Indian Arm fjord peeking.

Better view of the Indian Arm.