I took a visit to the Lower Vedder near dark and how beautiful it was, just watching the end of another day as darkness fell over the area, the flood tide was now having an affect on the flow, covering the few sand bars still exposed.
It was enjoyable watching wave on wave of geese heading to their roost on the gravel bars of the Fraser, a few miles away. I imagined they were content after a day of feeding on the agricultural lands of the Valley, they honked quietly to each other as they passed overhead.
Waves of salmon, quietly, silently, ghost like, passed by, unnoticed except to the experienced eye, only a slight ripple created by their silver backs still fresh from their ocean home for the last 2 or more years giving their presence away.They were drawn by that age old urge to reach the place of their birth, a few miles upstream be it the hatchery or a gravel bed further away. A lone solitary figure is making his last casts of the day hoping one of these passing fish will cut their journey short and take his offering.
Wave on wave of traffic also zip by, not so quietly, at the end of their weekend, heading to the hustle and bustle of City life 60 miles or less away. Many if not all are aware of Nature at work, a few feet below and above where they travel.
As I prepare to leave the area darkness has now fallen, I know I will return, God willing to this sacred place to many of us, be it the Chilliwack Vedder River or many of our precious water courses in the Province of British Columbia. When you do, take time like I did tonight to see the sights and sounds around you, you will be rewarded in more ways than one.