Bella Bella cycles to the Ladner Village Market

Ah hah! Bet you thought my short legs couldn’t reach bicycle pedals!

Oh darn it, you’re right. 

Happily, my friends Louise and Jack took me for a spin with them on their own bikes. We visited the historic town of Ladner in Delta, British Columbia.

Delta is a suburb of Vancouver. It’s a big municipality, covering 364 square kilometres. Delta is bordered on the north by the mighty Fraser River, on the west by the Strait of Georgia, and on the south by the U.S. border and a vast inlet called Boundary Bay.

 

To the east, Delta is home to one of nature’s ecological powerhouses, Burns Bog.

The municipality is also home to the Tsawwassen terminal of B.C. Ferries (please see my previous story).

Delta’s roots are rural, with big, fertile farms protected by the province’s Agricultural Land Reserve. One of the oldest communities in Delta is the town of Ladner.

Yup, this sure beats pedalling for myself.

Ladner is named in honour of Thomas and William Ladner, who began farming and fishing here in 1868. The historic town is on a floodplain, surrounded by dikes to protect it not only from floods on the Fraser River, but high tides and storms on Boundary Bay and the Strait of Georgia.

Delta's riverbank- and sea-dikes stretch more than 61 kilometres. They are great for walking and cycling! 

The area attracts big flocks of snow geese, ducks, and Canada geese. You can cycle (or drive, of course) to the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary on Westham Island to see all kinds of birds that visit Ladner’s neighbourhood from season to season.

On alternating Sundays throughout the summer, you can take a break at the Ladner Village Market. It’s been running for 16 years. The next markets in 2012 are scheduled for August 12^th and 26^th, and September 9^th.

48^th Street is closed to cars, and filled instead with stalls that sell lots of food, fresh produce, and crafts. You’ll step lightly to the bands playing live music …

… and cycle away full of energy again!

Story © S. Clouthier

Bicycling and Ladner Village Market photos courtesy L. Christie

Other photos © S. Clouthier and D. Wei

Map of Delta courtesy TastyCakes/Wikipedia

Bella Bella’s bike courtesy Folkart Interiors