Stanley Park and Vancouver Aquarium

No, we're not back in Bali or Maui.....we spent the morning at the Vancouver Aquarium,a beautiful home to many of the world's unique and special marine creatures. On a cloudy and cold mid June morning (people are calling it June-uary) the aquarium seemed like the obvious place to be, and although we are not big on aquariums (or zoos), we were pleasantly surprised at the modern facility. We enjoyed the 4D BBC "Shallow Seas" movie, where we not only wore 3 D glasses, but also were prodded, sprayed with mist, and had shots of air blown on our face and feet, giving us a virtual reality experience. My sister and I yelped and laughed our way through it!

Cute stingray!Beautiful Beluga Whale

 

The gardens in Stanley Park are so beautiful at this time of year. The rose garden, especially, was in full bloom and we took the time to "smell the roses." Even the guys were comparing notes on which flowers smelt nicer!

 

View from Prospect Point looking out over English bay at a lone sailboat.

  

The Lions Gate Bridge, famous Vancouver Icon. Also the place my older brother's Engineering Collegues somehow managed to suspend a Volkswagon Beetle from back in the 70's!

  

Loss Lagoon, at the edge of Vancouver city.

 

I have to finish this post with this tree I spotted in Stanley Park. My sister said it looked like a Picasso painting of a face, which I like. These "eyes" are not carved into the bark; they are a natural part of the tree, as we saw them on several of the same type of tree.

Bears at Whistler Mountain!

Yesterday, while riding the gondola back down the mountain, we saw 2 black bears galloping down the slope and off into the bush, then this morning, as I sat reading my book in front of the picture window, I saw something move and as I looked up, there was a large black bear just below the front yard where we're staying! He was munching on grass and after 10 minutes, he meandered down the private road in front of several cabins. Later on, we walked on the path down to the Village for lunch, and surprise, surprise: another bear, eating in the grassy area next to the path, totally unconcerned with passerby's.

Whistler Mountain Sightseeing

Whistler Express Chair lift takes you up to the Peak to Peak Gondola, which is an incredible engineering feat connecting Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. There was still a lot of snow on the mountains. Beautiful scenery, fresh mountain air and an exhilarating ride across the valley.Peak to Peak GondolaIf you have a fear of heights, you might catch a few butterflies on this one!

Whistler Mountain

I love Whistler. I've been coming here since I was about 14 and have so many great memories of this place: skiing holidays with family, hiking and walking along mountain trails, seeing bears, riding the gondola and chairlifts (sometimes at 20 below zero, freezing my but off; other times at 30 degrees Celsius, with views to die for), drinking hot coffee or soup at an outdoor cafe in the Village, sitting around a fire after a long day on the slopes, walking around the golf course (not actually golfing, which I hate!) So many fun times. Relaxing times. Invigorated by the mountain air, the purity of Nature, and the resort atmosphere of this quaint place just 1 1/2 hours north of Vancouver. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way about Whistler. Tony's daughter spent 2 years here; now his son, Timothy has been here 2 years, working and enjoying the lifestyle that Whistler is famous for. I've heard that during ski season about 1/3 of the staff are Australians. As you wander around the Village, it becomes quite evident that people from all parts of the world come here to see what all the fuss is about. And of course with the Winter Olympics just finished, Whistler, no doubt, will attract many more curious travelers. I for one, will be back!

  

Celebrating Timothy's Birthday at Sushi Station! Delicious food!The Olympic Mascots!

 Spring has sprung!

Yesterday, as Tony walked 20 metres down the road to dispose of our garbage in the bear proof shed, he suddenly saw something move out of the corner of his eye and as he turned to look, he came eye to eye with a black bear! The bear was within a few feet, but there was no fear on either side. Both knew instinctively that there was no threat. Tony came back to the cabin and was so excited. All he wanted was his camera and to tell me "There's a bear out there!" Of course, by the time we  returned, the bear was moving on. It seems there are a lot more bears lower down on the mountain slopes this spring because there's still snow covering their usual feeding areas. So, maybe, we'll be lucky enough to see some more of these woolly creatures.

The bear that got away!

Comox, the Ferry to Powell River, and Skookumchuck Rapids!

After the cold and wet conditions at Telegraph Cove, we drove down the highway to Comox and stayed our last night at a small provincial park right on the ocean, near the Ferry Terminal. The sun came out and as we walked along the rocky shoreline, we talked about our 2 weeks on Vancouver Island. The highlight for both of us was Tofino and the bush walks in the wilderness areas there. Of course another highlight for me was catching up with my girlfriend, Terri, talking the hours away, like only women can! She took us out on Friday night to a local coffee shop/used book shop in Oak Bay (Victoria) and we sat drinking peppermint tea and watched local guitar players and other performers in an open mic concert.

Tony built another perfect fire and we roasted hotdogs and listened to the birds as the sun gave way to dusk and our bed beckoned us. Another fulfilling day of travel, exploring new places, discovering new things about ourselves, pondering what tomorrow might bring.

From Comox, we hopped on a ferry that took us across to Powell River on the Sunshine Coast of BC. We weren't too interested in Powell River, so we headed along the highway south to another ferry terminal and 40 minutes later we found ourselves in Egmont at a small private campground (Strongwater), another campfire, a stir fry veggie and rice dinner and views to snow capped mountains with eagles soaring through the wind. We had heard about these special rapids at Egmont, called the Skookumchuck Rapids. 

We read that it was best to go at the turn of the tides, so we got up early and made the hour long trek through an amazing fern filled forest to the rocky lookout point just in time for the 8:30 tide change. The rapids were running and it was quite a site, but an added treat was watching a tug boat trying to pull a huge load of logs against the tide! Another tug boat arrived and went to the back of his load and pushed it while the other guy pulled. They hardly moved, inch by inch and I wondered if they would ever reach their destination.

 

 

Whale Watching at Telegraph Cove, Northern Vancouver Island

 

Freezing cold and rainy, but we still enjoyed the sea breeze, the eagles, sea lions, seals, dolphins and one Minke Whale!

 

  

Telegraph Cove

Sea Kelp

All things Canadian!

 

The Mapleleaf

 

 

The famous acrobatic Snowbirds

  Bears

 Logging trucks

 Totem Poles

Holly

 

Moose (Okay, so we didn't see any live ones, but you get the idea!)

  

And names that make Australians shudder!