8/29 Grouse Mountain

Friday

I started the morning with my Vancouver ritual of buying a hot latte and pastries around the corner from the hotel. Then we headed back to North Vancouver, over the Lionsgate Bridge, to the foot of Grouse Mountain. We had gone up there after visiting the Capilano Bridge, but that day was so overcast we wouldn't have enjoyed the mountain. On this day, the sun was shining and the day was perfect.

Grouse is a pretty peak in a chain just norht of the city that includes Goat and Dam Peaks, to name a few. Grouse is around 4100 feet high, with a hiking path 2 miles long that gains 2800 feet in elevation in that distance. Talk about a tough climb! In fact, they call this path the Grouse Grind and track the times of participant who sign in at the bottom and check out at the top. Frequent Grinders are placed in groups based on the number of climbs they've completed, with names like Kilimanjaro, Elbrus and Vinson Masif for the highest peaks on each of the continents.

We stepped into a cable car to rise to the activity area high up on Grouse, about a 6 minute ride. The view of the mountain and bay was spectacular. once on top, we headed to Altitudes Cafe for lunch. Philip was pretty hungry but I wanted to save my appetite for dinner at West. We had reservations for dinner at one of the top restaurants in Vancouver and I was looking forward to that. They should have named it Attitudes Cafe. It was staffed by college students, obviously the ones who weren't rugged enough for the other jobs at Grouse like maintaing the park and watching over the guests and wildlife. The service was lousy. And the food was no better. We sat and watched other diners shift tables like playing hopscotch -- trying for better views -- while waiting forever to pay our bill and escape to actually see the mountain. I also saw the hostess seriously mistreat a very tattooed family, and then finally we finished paying and ran out of there.

Once inside the park area, we caught most of a cute raptor show that featured an athletic red-tailed hawk, talkative great norned owl and stage shy falcon. The falcon actually flew away -- good thing they have a honing device on him!

Next we walked to the base of the peak of Grouse, bu it's paths were closed off, so instead we followed a winding path that headed up around the back of it. We found ourselves in a lovely gladed area along the mountainside, on a path that leads to lots of pack country hiking. My back wasn't up to traversing the spines of the peaks, so we turned around and headed back down. Along the way, we became fascinated by a small group of ravens that were flying from tree to tree and vocalizing in ways we'd never heard them do before. It was really special to get to hear that.

We stepped back into the activity area and followed a couple of grizzly bears around their fenced-in habitat. These grizzlies are orphaned youngsters being raised on the premesis, and a very popular Grouse Mountain attraction. Next we road a ski lift up and down a small part of the mountain to enjoy the view. At the top of the lift, Philip saw a man who he said looked exactly like Donald Sutherland. We weren't quite sure if it was him at that point.

At the to of the lift, we learned about a paragliding concession operating from the top of the peak. It was around 3 at this time, and we had to start heading back soon to the hotel if we wanted to make our dinner reservation. (West is so popular that the best we could get with 2 weeks notice was a 6:30 reservation). We knew there would be lots of traffic heading back, but we were really curious about the paragliding. Philip was very nostalgic for his hangliding days as a boy in Venezuela.

We went to inquire and learned that they had one more opening that day, at 4 pm, and cost was roughly what we would spend on our planned, pricey dinner. Philip was very sweet and encouraged me to go paragliding. "West" was quickly exchanged for "down"!

Funny enough, while we waited for the pick-up time in the lobby and Philip told me stories about hangliding off of the Avila in Caracas, we spotted two of Philip's family friends from there! Talk about the world being a hankerchief! After a few besos, they headed off to the bears, and we to the top.

We were taken up to the peak in a Range Rover by Yarrow, the Czech tour operator, and a park ranger. As we glanced up at the take-off point, we realized there was already a spectator waiting up there -- a big black bear! He was a juvenile who'd been spotted often in that area, so the park ranger had to close the path to the peak to everyone on foot. As it turned out, the first person she turned around was Donald Sutherland. He was very nice, but she met with a lot of resistance from other visitors who didn't understand how startling a bear on the top of the mountain could easily ruin their day -- and wasn't fair to the bear.

We drove to the top and waited for Yarrow and his co-worker to unpack their gear. Soon Yarrow hooked me into the harness, I put on a helmet, and we waited for the right wind conditions. I learned that the wind blows in sets, like ocean waves, and that like all aircraft, paragliders take off and land against the wind.

We ran like mad to get the wing (and ourselves) aloft, then we took off. I sat back as Yarrow glided us down towards the area above the gondola. He spun us right and left, gliding and catching the thermals, while people below and in the gondola waved and took pictures. It was an unbelievable experience. The view of the trees, the bay, the city and beyond were incredible. We followed behind a red-tailed hawk in flight, actually startling him when he noticed us. And we saw ravens soaring with the wind, seeming to enjoying playing in the air as much as I did.

After 20 minutes and many spirals, we spun downward over Lake Capilano (near the Cleveland Dam) to lose altitude, then landed in a field. The landing was different from tandem sky diving -- instead of lifting my knees and letting him do all the work, I had to put my legs in a running motion just before touching the ground. It must have been funny to watch. We landed well and it was over, just like that. I can't wait to do it again, hopefully solo some day!

We endured the traffic back to downtown, then rested and readied ourselves for dinner. We had cancelled with West, opting instead to hit a local sushi place recommended by our concierge. The restaurant was great. Although the service was a little hurried (they were packed), the food was excellent. Philip said the salmon sushi was the best, and freshest, he's ever eaten.

We finished the night with a yummi martini at the hotel bar, then crashed.

8/28 Vancouver Island

We started out early, heading to Tsawassen to take the ferry across to Vancouver Island. We missed the 10 am ferry by a few minutes (what? so we woke up late. we're on vacation!), so we had to pass nearly an hour's time at the ferry terminal before heading out on the 90 minute ride. It wasn't tough.

The terminal was packed with touristy little shops and food concessions, as well as many interesting people. It was prime people-watching territory. We also found a cool spirit bear at the doorway, as well as several friendly dogs.

The voyage itself was wonderful -- definitely not just a means to an end. We watched a hydrofoil, several float planes and many island as we glided from point to point. Philip and I took seats outside on the starboard side to enjoy the view.

Upon reaching Vancouver Island, we headed to Butchart Gardens. Everyone had told us it was beautiful, and I was looking forward to seeing some flowers, but I didn't have high expectations. Butchart is a lovely, expansive garden that is a huge tourist attraction. The Butchart family started the gardens in their quarry, that was once part of their Seattle cement business. Jenny Butchart started with a gifted rose bush and a few seeds. She turned them into a glorious Sunken Garden, expansive rose garden (catalogued, with dozens of varieties), lovely Italian garden and serene Japanese garden, to name a few areas.

We stepped into the gardens and our stomachs led us to their lovely restaurant, where Philip had lunch and I had afternoon tea, with all its wonderful snacks. With the beauty of the gardens behind us, the buzzing of a bee and the wonderful food and tea, we sat back and relaxed (ok, well, having a bee buzzing around wasn't so relaxing).

We could have stayed all day in the Japanese garden. It was so beautiful and relaxing. And there was a path to Heard Cove from there, a lovely little cove with a few historic boats anchored, and the entrypoint for visitors coming by sea plane. You can bet Philip was looking around for sea planes!

We left Butchart Gardens and drove due south to the capital city of Victoria. A this point we were hoping to find an inexpensive B&B to stay on the island for the night, so that we could see Tofino the following day. But by the time we reached Victoria, it was clear that, being the peak of the season, very few rooms were available and none were inexpensive.
It was a bit disappointing, but we decided to enjoy Victoria and make the most of our time there.

Victoria is a beautiful city, the capital of British Columbia, and also a college town. The downtown area was very touristy, obviously shaped by the cruise ships that stop there. At least there are no high rises, so the city still looks quaint. And overlooking the beautiful bay is a huge hotel that looked just like the Frontenac, and onle that looked quite like the Fairmount Royal York.

We strolled the streets for a while, pausing to admire the Spirit Bear statues, chat with the tourists and check out a few shops. We especially loved an outdoor store full of climbing equipment. But pretty soon it wsw time to head back to Schwartz Bay, to the ferry back.

We arrived at the ferry terminal just in time to make the 8 pm sailing. The sunset from the boat was beautiful. Back in the hotel room around 10, we quickly collapsed.

8/27 Vancouver

After a refreshing night of sleep, we decided to head to the Capilano Bridge. I had no idea what it was exactly, but I love bridges and everyone told us to go there. The drive was short but with few lanes and queueing cars, it took a while.

We were very lucky to arrive and encounter a celebration unveiling a new totem -- the Salmon Totem -- inside the park. A local artist had been working on this totem for a year and they had native dancers and speakers performing before the big unveiling. We headed over to the bridge, and I discovered that the Capilano Bridge is a suspension bridge hanging between the two sides of a high-sided ravine. People are able to walk back and forth across the bridge, or they can stop for pictures and not move out of the way for other people. Or they can jump up and down on the bridge, causing it to buckle and rock and scare some of the people on it. As friendly as Vancouver is, this tourist-filled place is not the mecca for consideration.

In any case, we enjoyed walking across the bridge and looking at the Capilano River far below. The river is beautiful, rocky and winding, and filled with salmon at times (thought not on the day that we visited). The walk was a little challening, especially in the center of the bridge, where it tended to move more.

On the other side of he bridge, beyond the churros y chocolate stand, were wonderful interactive activities for the visitors. We walked along paths hung high up between the trees, and marveled at the size and age of the Douglas Firs, hemlock and Cedar Trees filling the park. Then we followed along a second path on the forest floor.

While standing in the line to cross back over the bridge to the entrance, we met a couple with their dog standing behind us. He was an older yellow lab mix, very sweet, but not very keen on going across the bridge again.

in his nervous excitement, the dog pushed past us so we let them all move ahead. I don't even remember glancing down again at the water -- I was so interested in watching the dog. He was very brave, sliding a bit on the bridge as it moved up and down or side to side. He was so happy when they reached the other side! Then we gave him a good petting, and I gave him some almonds from my back pack. He enjoyed the almonds so much I thought he'd cross the bridge again!

After viewing the newly-unveiled Salmon Totem, we left the park and walked to the restaurant across the street. he day was hazy and chilly, but we still enjoyed sitting out on the terrace.

We left and headed up to Grouse Mountain, but it was too cloudy to see anything and my back was too sore to handle the hills. So we headed back to the hotel where I iced my back and read an Outside Magazine. Philip slept for 3 hours. Now we know that he gets tired after any flight -- even when he's not the pilot! When Philip awoke, we went for a walk through Stanely Park, along the marinas. We enjoyed watching all of the joggers, bikers and bladers, though I was sad taht my back prevented me from joining the joggers.

As the sun set and the night became chillier, we headed back to the Spotted Prawn for another wonderful meal. Why not go back to a great local restaurant surrounded by tourist joints? We finished dinner, then walked south to Robson street at the suggestion of our waiter. Robson is a lot like Queen St. in Toronto, filled with funky shops and lots of tourists. In fact, we felt that Vancouver was very similar to Toronto in a mixed-up, northwestern way. It felt a little like being in an Escher painting of Toronto. In any case, we walked along Robson for a while before heading back to the hotel for the night.

8/26 in Vancouver

Tuesday

Today we traveled from Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver on a very long Delta flight. The shuttle to FLL picked us up so early that we didn't sleep last night.

Fortunately, the plane was empty enough that Philip and I each grabbed a row of 3 seats to stretch out and sleep. Can you believe I actually slept on a plane?!? We were up around the time we reached Montana -- good thing, because the view from the plane was beautiful. Unfortunately, our row on the 757 somehow didn't have a window, so we had to steal glances from the side of the window for the row in front of us.

Soon enough we reached Vancouver. What a beautiful city! We rented a car (Ford 500) and headed downown toward our hotel, stopping first for lunch. We stepped out of the car into a sunny, 60 degree day. Delicious! The restaurant was an Asian place named Red Door in the cute South Granville area. We had stumbled onto Vancouver's version of SoHo without even trying -- a good omen for our vacation! We were seated outside and happy to have one of those standing seat heaters next to us. (Just the day before, we were battling 90+ degree heat!) The food and service were excellent. And I enjoyed a Hefeweizen beer that was the first of many wonderful beers on our trip.

After lunch we wanderred the street a bit and checked out a Dean & Delucca-type market, picking up few treats for the hotel. Then we continued towards the hotel.

We reached the Marriott and I checked in while Philip found parking -- not so easy downtown. I was old that we would be given a 'view room'. What a view! We were on the 23rd floor with a spectacular view of Vancouver Bay. We could see North and West Vancouver across the water, and Stanley Park just ahead. But the best part, especially for Philip, was the view of the air taxis just below us. We were right above the docks! We spent quie a bit of time decompressing from the flight and enjoying the view of DeHaviland Beavers, Otters and other planes taking off and landing with great frequency. They need such little 'runway' -- it's amazing to watch!

We took a nap, then headed out to walk around and explore the bay. Of course, Philip wanted to head directly to the sea planes. We checked them out, then headed west towards Stanley Park, stoping just short to turn around because of my bad back.

Along the way, we chatted with several friendly people, including an interesting guy who is going to work as a chef in Nanaimo and needs money to take the ferry there, The way he asked was so laid back -- I think because he knew people would help him. And we all did. We also met and petted several friendly dogs who were frolicking in a dog park. Two whippets were especially fun -- and fast.

We walked around Canada Place afer that, enjoying the gian painted bear statues scattered around the area. We discovered that they are spirit bears painted by local artists, due to be auctioned in October for charity. I had fun posting for pictures in front of many of them.

Then for dinner we found a restaurant near the hotel named the Spotted Prawn. The place was nearly empty, and were told that they were about to close, but would stay open for us. We enjoyed edamame, brie in phyllo, salad and oysters, capped of with the most amazing creme brulee. (Of course this reminded us of Dorit Genet.) Our waiter was wonderful and so friendly. He gave us lots of pointers about the area. Then we headed off to the hotel and crashed hard.

But before we went to sleep, Philip discovered a 'hitchhiker'. We got into the hotel room and he suddenly said that he felt something under his sleeve, and that he thought it was a bee. He lifted his sleeve and sure enough, out flew a yellow jacket. Thankfully it didn't sting him. I have to admit that I ran into the bathroom while he caught the bee in a glass. Then we opened the hotel window and let him fly free. What a relief!