Orcas and Eco-Sculptures Bike Ride, Saturday August 23rd 2025
Iain writes:-
This ride was originally billed as a trip to look at orca art in Vancouver. This was following a visit to a fundraiser, including a showing of Free Willy, for the whale museum at Telegraph Cove. It turned out that there isn’t much orca art to look at, fortunately Burnaby came to the rescue with its annual eco-sculpture floral displays.
The day dawned warm and sunny as we met at Waterfront Station and headed west through the tunnel under the convention centres. This recently got a mention as one of Vancouver’s unknown bike routes. Travelling west it provides a rather dramatic exit from grungy service tunnel to spectacular waterfront views.
Louise’s Shot of the Digital Orca, Complete with Shipyard, Ships and Semi-People
The digital orca by Douglas Coupland was approached by a fairly convoluted route, passing an enormous raindrop sculpture on the way. Here’s what Douglas himself said about the sculpture in 2009.
“The Digital Orca sculpture acts as a sculptural conduit that allows the viewer to travel in time between the past and the future, also allowing the viewer to marvel along the way at the people and activities that created Vancouver’s thriving harbour culture. The sculpture also addresses the massive changes currently reshaping the economy of the Province.
Through the act of pixelizing an orca whale in three dimensions - a process that creates a crackling and unexpected sensation in the viewers mind - the orca cliché is turned upside down and what we thought we knew well is rendered exciting and new. On closer inspection, the colours and materials used in the sculpture’s surfacing evoke the everyday life of the harbour and the diversity of those workers on the working waterfronts of the Province.”
Glenn and Louise next to a Controversial Bench, by Iain
The Granville Street Bridge bike lane has only been open a couple of weeks, it’s stage one of a pretty impressive revamp for the bridge which will eventually provide direct access to Granville Island. The Stage 1 part has led to the interesting placement of benches on raised asphalt ramps. Eventually it will all make sense, for now we can say that the benches are getting quite a lot of use and do make a contribution to the pedestrian friendliness of the bridge.
Our next Stop of Interest, as the highway signs say, was the Rainwater Garden/Daylighted Stream at 8th and St Georges. We had to backtrack to get to this as were too busy talking and missed the turning. The first plans for this came in 2005 and it’s nearing completion, the block to Broadway is the last to be done. What an amazing contribution to the street, parking replaced by a rainwater flower meadow.
Rainwater Garden by Iain
Our South Easterly progress continued with the route taking us to Trout lake and Central Park in Burnaby, where we encountered our first eco sculptures.
Orcas making their Way along East 29th at Slocan Park by Iain
Trout Lake market and its “Fringe Market” were both massively busy, we didn’t linger but headed off across the border into Burnaby and Central Park and the Calf and Bees sculpture. Theses eco sculptures are close to the southern edge of the park, you can see the whole inter-active map here, and while you are there take a moment to linger next to the memorial placed by Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, it’s loaded with poignancy and meaning. Don’t drink and drive.
Bees in Central Park by Iain
Don’t Drink and Drive, by Louise
By now it was getting noticeably warmer, water bottles were being filled at every opportunity and electrolytes topped up. All day in bright sunshine is difficult, throw in bikes and hills and it’s even trickier. We made our way to James Cook School and then Captain Cook Park, the park claims a bike route, this turned out to be non-existent so we had to do a minor re-route. The mural at the school was worth a stop.
Iain with his Intelligent Look, Checking out an Orca, by Louise
Downhill on Kerr Street is always exciting, direct to the Fraser and Romer’s Burger Bar, we fought off the temptation to call it a day there. We then backtracked due to construction and made our way through the River District, now becoming a lived in hub after many years of construction. We found a shady grove (complex musical reference there) with a picnic table and refuelled. By this stage it was clearly going to be a hot day so we decided not to go to New West to see their orca, this would have involved a steep climb out of New West and enthusiasm was limited.
Eagles, butterflies and Salmon were next on the sculpture tour. For what is supposedly public art the eagle and butterfly are sited on a golf course and a welcoming environment for cyclists was somewhat lacking. However the Salmon were easy to get to, even if the bike route to get there had its moments. It used to be possible to wheel our bikes across the railway line, this has now been closed off so we needed to go on the road. Next we cycled along Byrne Road, this was also a bit difficult until the bike lane appeared and we went up to the BC Parkway, more water here.
Onwards from there to Deer Lake and one of the best downhills that Burnaby has to offer. We went close to the Christine Sinclair Centre and then steeply uphill to the next golf course. This was very welcoming and we topped up our water again, ice was offered too! From there it was on to familiar territory, the Burnaby Urban Mountain Trail, crossing Hastings and then off to Willingdon to see the somewhat uninspiring sheep at the library.
Our next complicated decision was which pub to visit, Belgard Kitchen got the vote, turned up there to find it closed for a private function, so we went to the Alibi Lounge instead, mainly for the quality fries, before we split up to head for Downtown or the North Shore.
This was a long, hot day. We each probably drank about five litres of water, start to end was nine hours outside. You can see the route here from Iain’s Garmin 1040, round about 71kms Waterfront to Alibi. The next bike ride to look at things will likely be one that will connect the Rainwater Gardens, I just have to find out where they are.
