The Pacific Northwest - 21-22 June 2010

The Pacific Ocean Again - 21 June 2010

We slept very comfortably at the Camperland Resort last night. We decided to rebook for the night again, to save some money. Even though it would take us at least an hour and a half to get back from Vancouver.

We took off and headed back onto the Trans-Canada 1, going west into Vancouver. The road was pockmarked with road-works for the majority of the way, but it didn’t hold us up too much.

The turn off for downtown Vancouver took us through some not so desirable areas. The poverty, drug use and ‘ladies of the night’ were highly apparent in this area and quite disconcerting. The car doors remained locked at all intersections. The pan-handling and begging was highly evident and confronting throughout the entire city. We have noticed that there is more poverty in Canada and visual indications of the global financial crisis. More so than we have seen in the States.

We decided to make our way up to Stanley Park. This park is about 1000 acres and is circled by both bike and walking paths. These two paths are separated by a line and everyone seems to follow the lead and doesn’t use the other lane. We walked around Stanley Park for a short while and found ourselves face to face with a Racoon. This is the first live one we have encountered. Most of the others have been squashed on the side of the highway. The raccoon would approach us, or anyone else and sit up on his hind haunches, not a foot away from you, begging for food. If you tried to walk away, he would follow closely. It was working, too. He looked well-fed. He was probably the most successful panhandler we saw all day.

We found that the parking in the park was $10 for the whole day, instead of the $24 that we had seen in the city. We were very happy with this occurrence.

We walked from Stanley Park back into Vancouver. The city seems very clean and well presented. Lots of water features and trees. To both Mark and I the downtown area reminded us of downtown Melbourne, the riverfront (seen crossing the Granville Bridge) of Brisbane and the Harbour of Hobart.

We made our way down Granville St towards Granville Island. The walk took us through an area that really reminded us of Brunswick St in Melbourne. We crossed the Granville Bridge and made our way down to the Granville Public Market. This area was so much fun. The shops really reminded us of the arts and crafts shops at Salamanca and Brunswick St. The food market made my mouth water and reminded me again just how much I am missing cooking and going fresh food shopping. It’s funny the things that you miss.

The walk back from Granville Island was a nice way to take in the city skyline. We walked over a different bridge this time but then made our way back over to Granville St, when the urge for a beer and a cider took over. The fact that I could buy cider here was a major point of happiness for me. They do not sell cider in the States, but in Vancouver it seems to be sold quite a bit. The bar we stopped in was gripped with World Cup fever. Everywhere in Canada seems to be at the moment.

After scanning the skyline, we made our way towards Vancouver’s tower. This is not like the one in Seattle or Sydney. It is tacked onto a building top, we declared that it really didn’t count in the tower stakes. After walking towards the waterfront we made our way down to Gastown. This area is a famous historic district of Vancouver and very cool. There were many Native Indian shops and art galleries. We walked through a couple and could have walked away with a house full of artwork.

Halfway down the main street we came across a steam powered clock. This clock is powered by steam and still worked. Well the internals still worked but the clock itself seemed to be stopped. But funnily enough, when we stopped to look at the clock it was the same time that Mark’s watch was. A little bit freaky. We only realized when we came back past that the clock wasn’t keeping time. It is a funny fact that a stopped clock is only right for one minute, twice a day. And that was the precise minute that we stopped there. Freaky.

We yet again encountered panhandlers in Gastown. Still hard to get used to. But you do have to say No. We walked back to the waterfront and headed back towards Stanley Park. It was at this point that we headed to the beginning of the walkway that we mentioned at the beginning of the blog. It wound its way around the waterfront and the back of some pretty amazing buildings. Along the boardwalk we encountered camera groups, running groups, lots of people walking their four legged friends and lots and lots of walkers, runners and cyclists. And as said before, everyone used their lane.

The walk was longer than we anticipated but it was worth it as the view was just stunning. We saw quite a few float planes and the strangest gas station ever – floating in the centre of the harbour. How strange?

We made our way back to the car and proceeded to wend our way throughout the outskirts of the park. It took longer than anticipated, but was very beautiful. After driving back through the dodgy areas of town, even more so at sunset, we made our way back onto the highway and up to our campsite. We arrived late and decided to just hit the sack, unsure of what tomorrow would bring.

The Air Up There – 22 June 2010

We woke this morning and were pleased to see the sky trying to clear. We were much warmer last night and slept well.
There is a steep (almost vertical, mostly) ridgeline that runs along the back of the campsite and rises several hundred feet into the ghostly mist that extends from the bottom of the remaining clouds.
Not far from the campsite, there is a good-sized waterfall that can be clearly heard and seen in the distance from the campsite. The girl at the front desk, and a couple of the volunteer workers here suggested we take a walk up there and have a look. So we did. It was only about 1 mile return journey and not too steep as far as the base of the falls so off we went.
It was really beautiful. there iss so much moisture here that the pine trees gros as thick as grass and are all covered in moss an inch thick. It is wondrous. But you do keep expecting to see King Kong come crashing past. Or at least Sasquatch.

We had discovered through the wonders of the internet, that it was going to be prohibitively expensive for us to take the ferry to Vancouver Island and the city of Victoria. So, we went to Plan B.

We drove back down to Vancouver, and passed through the city, heading south, and arrived at lunchtime at the US border at Peace Arch.
There was another slightly confused border agent when he was confronted with a pair of Aussies, one with a US passport and a California-registered van.
We managed to convince him, however, that we were not a threat to National Security and he allowed us through, blissfully unaware that we were smuggling a banana and a quarter bottle of red wine!

A couple hours south saw us entering the orbit of Seattle. This is another of those cities that you hear good things about, but that lack the charismatic identity of cities like New York or London or Paris etc. etc.
We had both wanted to see it and made a point of stopping.
Of course, Paris had the Eiffel Tower, London has Big Ben and New York has the Statue of Liberty.
Well, Seattle has the Space Needle. Built in 1962 (we think it was the first such tower in the world) for the World’s Fair, and celebrating the dawn of the Space Age, it rises 504 feet (over 40-storeys) over the northern edge of downtown Seattle and offers an unbelievable 360-degree view over the city and the harbour, a part of Pugit Sound, connected directly to the Pacific Ocean, which we only saw yesterday (in Vancouver) for the first time in three months.

It was $17 to go up and normally (as in San Antonio) we don’t go in for such things, but we both felt that we would regret it if we didn’t. I’m pleased to say that it was worth every cent. It was awesome and we had one of Seattle’s (on average) 90 clear, sunny days of each year to enjoy it.
But the entire cityscape was dwarfed by the massive form of Mount Ranier, snow-capped and partly concealed by mirage in the distance.

After this, we got stuck in the afternoon rush hour and did two laps of the downtown (it is a lovely, clean, handsome downtown but we didn’t circle it twice on purpose) before travelling about 30 miles south of town to our evening campsite at the Sawyer Lake RV Park, where we paid $19 for a site and power and $6 for dinner for two (home-made tacos). It is a pretty spot and quiet. Hopefully, we’ll sleep well.

Mark and Pia and Elliot Bay

The Tower

Mount Rainier from 504 feet

The very cool electric buses of Vancouver (and also Seattle as we later found out). Check out the top of the bus.

Totem Pole, Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC

Pia and Statue

Stanley Park

Can I please have some food?

The Park and its skyline view, Vancouver, BC

The Marine Building - once the tallest building in the world outside of New York

Inuksuit - Safe Journeys

Gassy Jack - the plaque says it all.

This statue is like an easter egg hunt. It is a game for tourist to find the statue.

The lone gas station!

Three little house boats all in a row.

Entrance to Granville Island

Steam Clock - check out the top of the clock, you can see the steam

Float Plane and Paddle Steamer in the harbour

Bridal Falls - the name says it all.