Delta Adventures

Sunday, April 19, we went to the annual all you can eat Pancake breakfast in Delta. They put big jugs of Maple Syrup on the table and, in our case, it’s more like all you can eat syrup, with pancakes to sop it up. Good syrup too, not that pale watery stuff that barely meets the government standards. You get 3 sausages and two big fluffy pancakes to start off with, but there is a big bin full of pancakes, that stay surprisingly hot, off to the side. You can go back and get more as many times as you want. I had a total of 5 this year, and more syrup than is probably good for me. But mmmmm, they were so good! You get all this plus beverages (in my case, an orange drink and later, tea) for a grand total of $7. There was a point when I worried if we would find a seat, as the lineup was really long and the seats looked to be full already, but people came and went, so by the time you got your food, there was room to sit. Funny how that happens....and nobody is in a hurry either.

Afterwards we wandered upstairs to look at the crafts, but they weren’t as impressive as last year. It doesn’t matter, though, since the whole reason to go for the Delta pancake breakfast is to get us to that area so we can go geocaching after we eat.

The first two stops were in the parkland on the river that runs through town. There are lovely trails through the woods, and we took the steps up the hillside last year, so this time we walked the access road along side the woods instead. Mind you, whenever there was a pathway into the woods, there was also a sign warning about the bears. Bears have been pretty plentiful around this entire end of my province the past few years. I really need to get a good bear bell.

The first cache wasn’t hard to find, and was hidden among the rocks. Of course, that area is full of rocks of all sizes, so it was an interesting area. If we didn’t have other caches to find, and if we had not already attacked this area from a different direction before, I would have happily explored further. GCX5PT

The second one was more cleverly hidden. We walked right by it several times before we clued in. The path took us by one of those areas that bears would definitely like though.....with all kinds of frogs making one heck of a racket. The walk was worth it however, as we came to a nice little lake, with an osprey nest ....or rather a pole with a platform for an osprey. It wasn’t occupied. GC1FXF

Then we went back to the Old Stone Mill, on the main street of Delta. There is a cache there too, but I think it must be inside, and we didn’t go in. The mill is open to the public daily from Victoria Day Weekend to Labour Day Weekend. GC1Q3GG

On the way home we stopped at two grave yards to pick up another couple more caches. One was at the Pine Hill Cemetery, which opened in 1894 and is still in use today. While looking for caches, I’m usually aware of where other people may have gone. I noticed that there was almost a path into a cedar bush, so I poked my nose in there. I found a grave that had been totally grown over by this cedar. Though that was not where the cache was, it was still like finding another treasure to me. GC1NAF3

We stopped to check out the Black Church, which was somewhat different than most others I’ve seen. It’s now someone’s home, so I couldn’t get as close a look as I would have liked. Our final stop of the day was at Soperton Cemetery. It was in use from 1803 to 1952 and many of the graves have been badly damaged over the years. It has been lovingly restored though, in one of the most unusual ways I’ve seen yet. GC1N8G4