Riding the Sky Train into Vancouver and meeting up with kin.

Vancouver, BC

April 23rd, 2017

Today we took the Sky Train into Vancouver city and spent a few hours wandering around BC Place and few waterfront streets before making our way to Granville Island by bus.

Michael looking a bit sleepy. It was an early start!

Vancouver has some pretty awesome architecture, mixing the old and the new. 

Canada Place from the Sea Wall

Canada Place

The Drop.

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Vancouver Convention Centre behind me.

Float plane docks

Getting ready to take off

Bye bye!

Walking to the bus stop to get the bus to Granville Island

A sculpture along the way

Gas Lamp district

Michael next to a Gas Lamp

Blue building

Michael, Jason, Finn and Zuzana

Finn not to sure who these strangers are.

Jason and Finn

Finn, ZuZana and Michael deep in conversation.

I hope you enjoyed these photos. They are just a few of the many we took in and around Vancouver. It was cool and damp but still a wonderful day. 

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

We were all ears!!

Golden Ears Provincial Park

April 21st 2017

Saturday saw us going out to Maple Ridge to visit friends from our days back in Yellowwood Park in Durban, South Africa. We met Dave and Liz van Rooyen when we were all bringing up our kids in the '70s and Michael knew Dave though work. We met up with them again after we moved to Canada and they arrived here as well, a few years later. They lived in Ontario for while and then relocated to British Columbia. 

We had a wonderful day with them walking around Golden Ears Provincial Park. Some info about Golden Ears:

Nature and Culture

• History: The park was named after the twin peaks of Mount Blanshard near the peak’s western boundary. Originally part of Garibaldi Provincial Park, the establishment of Golden Ears Park in 1927 recognized the almost impenetrable mountain barrier between the two areas.
• Cultural Heritage: Human activity in Golden Ears, both past and present, has been confined to the accessible Alouette Valley in the south of the park. In the 1920s, the forested slopes of the valley became the site of BC’s greatest railroad logging operation until a disastrous fire swept through the valley in 1931. The lake and its forested surroundings were also the traditional hunting and fishing grounds for the Douglas-Lillooet (Interior Salish) and Katzie (Coast Salish) First Nations peoples.
• Conservation: The park represents the Coastal Western Hemlock biogeoclimatic zone and is characterized by a second-growth forest of western hemlock, western red cedar and Douglas fir. There are a series of sphagnum bogs at the south end of Alouette Lake.
• Wildlife: The park’s lush plant growth, numerous waterways, and mountainous terrain provide habitat to a variety of animals including beaver, deer, black bear, and mountain goat. 

Then we walked around the local area where the van Rooyen's live. Very nice residential area with views of fields and mountains. Sorry, did not take photos.

Michael and Dave on the trail

Rapids above the lake

Amazing colour of the water in the river.

A tiny waterfall.

Moss covered trees

Alouette lake. The mountains in the distance are covered cloud.

Michael and Dave fixing the problems of the world.

Liz and Dee. It was a chilly day.

There is that beautiful green river again

Moss on the old logs. 

Driftwood bench

Time to head back to the van Rooyen's house

Just gorgeous

The water is crystal clear emerald.

Enjoying time with old friends

Two gorgeous Yellowwood Park girls.

Thanks for following along on our epic journey.

Goodbye USA, Hello Canada!

Burnaby Cariboo RV Resort

April 18th - 25th

It is with very mixed feelings that we left the USA and crossed back into Canada, Sad to leave because of all the amazing places, people and things we have seen, yet happy to be back in Canada where we still have so many places to see before we get back to our home base in Stouffville, Ontario.

We took the truck route at the border and we were through in less than 3 minutes. Easiest border crossing ever. We had booked into the campground in Burnaby from Wednesday and we got a great site at the back of the park, away from the road. Most of the sites were too small to park an RV and a tow vehicle, but we had space for both and we were right near the pet walk. 

Great campground with nice facilities, clean bathrooms and an indoor pool and spa. It is also walking distance to the Sky Train into Vancouver.

Our first day it was grocery shopping, laundry and a trip to the Drug Store to top up our medications. The weather was not great so we were happy to just get used to our surroundings and get settled. This park was the most expensive that we stayed in the whole winter at $345 for a week.

We have friends who live in the Vancouver area and arranged to spend some time with them. The first couple was Darrell and Adrienne. Adrienne's father and my father had been big buddies in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) since long before we were born so she is the person I have known the longest. Even longer than some relatives!! It was great to see them again. The last time was in Pickering when my father was still living with us about 10 years ago.

Darrell and Adrienne took us under their wing and wined and dined us and took us on some wonderful adventures in this beautiful city.

Arriving at Lynn Canyon

Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge

Waterfall next to the bridge

Adrienne, Timmy and Michael

Forest in Lynn Canyon

Panorama from Cypress Mountain

Vancouver from Cypress Mountain

Big tanker in English Bay

Totem in Stanley Park

Stanley Park

View from Cypress Mountain

Up on Cypress Mountain

Adrienne and Dee

Such a beautiful city

Ferry Terminal at Horseshoe Bay

Michael at Stanley Park

Another pic of the totem

Lions Gate Bridge

Sea to Sky Highway

Lunch at Furry Creek Golf Course

Waterfall at Furry Creek Golf Course

Our view from the golf club

Mount Garibaldi

Stawamus Chief

Adrienne and Darrell at Shannon Falls

Shannon Falls

Below Shannon Falls

Mt Garibaldi. A volcano which has not erupted in 8000 years

Howe Sound

Stawamus Chief is a very popular rock climbing area on the Sea to Sky Highway near Squamish. We tried to spot some climbers but could not see any. Here is the Wikipedia blurb about the rock.

Stawamus Chief

Stawamus Chief

A quick stop at Porteau Cove for a few photos,  on our way back from Squamish

Porteau Cove