Mini-Ferries

The other day, we made a trip up to Vancouver with visiting family.  It was yet another opportunity to ride the Canada Line, of which we are big fans.  I have railroading ancestors (both my grandfathers were engineers on the Union Pacific, one a switch engineer and the other a passenger train engineer), so I am sort of obliged to like trains, but I actually do like them and think that one of the great losses of the late 20th Century in the U.S. was the general disappearance of passenger trains.  The Canada Line isn't that kind of train, of course, but light rail is yet in the family.  However, as much as I like it, I can't quite figure out how to make it a viable feature for Point Roberts.  We could have one that goes from Point Roberts to Bellingham, I suppose, but it's hard to believe that would ever be economically viable.  But at least I get the opportunity to appreciate Vancouver's offering.

But the even better part of this trip (whose goal was Science World) was the ride on the False Creek Ferry System, and specifically the aqua boats.  That was indeed a marvelous little turn and, though I've never been in Venice to ride the gondolas, I can imagine it has something of that kind of feel.  Further, it does seem as if we could use them here.  I know nothing about boats, so it is probably the case that we couldn't use these mini-ferries to take us from here to Blaine or from here to Bellingham, and especially not arrange it so that one would leave every ten minutes.  I assume the distances would be too great.  But maybe we could just have them to go around the peninsula itself: grab a mini-ferry at the foot of Gulf Road and take it over to the beach at Lily Point, for example.  That would be a fine entertainment and would give everyone here on Canada Day (today!) something extra to do.  But it's probably not enough for an economic development plan.  Happy Canada Day to all the Canadians!