The trip to Vancouver, BC was an adventure. From Anacortes to the border crossing was scenic and uneventful. The crossing was quick, even with all the questions about whether I owned any guns. Oddly, I wasn't asked if I had any guns onboard, which I didn't. The adventure really began when the GSP decided that the quickest way to the RV Park was via downtown Vancouver, through Stanley Park, and across the Lions Gate Bridge. Oh, and did I mention the realllllllllllllllllllllllly narrow tunnel it took us through. Laura's fingerprints are permanently embedded in the passenger seat armrests.
Our destination was the Capilano River RV Park in West Vancouver at one end of the Lions Gate Bridge. In 2001 we stayed at the RV Park in our tent trailer, so we knew it was centrally located to everything.
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| Located next to the bike path that runs along the shoreline. |
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| We were in site #18 |
Having survived the Lions Gate Bridge crossing, the next challenge was getting through the off-ramp curve and maneuvered over to the left lane so we could turn towards the RV Park. Due to traffic, we got stuck in the right lane, which became a worsening situation when three lanes became two lanes and our lane was forced to turn into a very tight shopping mall parking lot designed for small cars. A hair-raising experience was had by all as I navigated the parking lot with thirty-five feet of extra wide motorhome and a tow. We were so glad to eventually reach our campsite and collapse.
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| Lions Gate Bridge with Stanley Park to the right. |
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| Near the Capilano Pacific Trail. |
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| Reverse sunset as the sun is reflected off the glass of downtown. |
Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
With a mix of Native American arts, gardens, woodlands, and a pinch of Disney's Tom Sawyer Island, Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is an enchanted place to visit.
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| One of our favorite places. |
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| That's the way I feel when I stand near Laura. |
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| Lots of beautiful totems. |
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| Originally built in 1889, Capilano Suspension Bridge stretches 450 feet across and 230 feet above the Capilano River. |
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| Free Bear Hugs |
We've visited the park before, but new this time was the Treetops Adventure. Providing a view of a thriving coastal rainforest in the mid-story of 1300-year-old old growth Douglas-firs. Treetops Adventure utilizes an innovative compression system using no bolts or nails in the trees to support the suspension bridges running from tree to tree.
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| The start of the Treetops Adventure. |
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| The path leading to the Treetops Adventure. |
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| Visitors venture from one magnificent Douglas fir tree to another on a series of elevated suspension bridges, some reaching as high as 100 feet above the forest floor. |
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| It was great viewing the trees at this level. |
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| One of the many water features in the park. |
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| 1300 year old Douglas Fir tree |
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| The convection created by the trees made it very comfortable. |
Another new feature of the park to us was the Cliffwalk. It follows a granite precipice along the Capilano River with a labyrinth-like series of narrow cantilevered bridges, stairs, and platforms.
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| Cliffwalk |
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| Stay off of this one if you suffer vertigo. |
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| The platform is suspended a couple hundred feet in the air |
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| Amazing to see such large old growth trees near a city. |
Stanley Park
Laura and I rode a tandem bicycle twice around Stanley Park on our honeymoon in 1986, so the place is both beautiful and magical to us.
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| At Stanley Park looking towards West Vancouver |
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| The Teahouse Restaurant at Stanley Park. |
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| Finding the car in parking lots is easy. |
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| We did a lot of bike riding on the trip. Here Laura is in Stanley Park. |
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| Dale in 2014 |
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| Dale in 2001. Wow! No smartphones, Facebook, tablet PCs, Amazon Kindle, Google Maps, Gmail, Android, camera phones, iTunes, DVRs, YouTube, Skype. How did we ever manage? |
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| Part of the bike and footpath that circles Stanley Park. |
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| One of the beaches near Stanley Park. |
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| Canada Place |
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| We drove to Stanley Park, mounted our bikes, and then rode to the cruise ship terminal (Canada Place) that served as the Canadian Pavilion during the 1986 Worlds Fair. |
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| Vancouver Rowing Club at Stanley Park. |
Deep Cove
While I worked 6-8 hours each morning (I get up at 4 am), Laura would research places to visit once I was free. One such place was Deep Cove, BC.
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| Public access and kayak rentals. |
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| The TV series Cedar Cove, which is supposed to be in Washington, is actually shot in Deep Cove, BC. |
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| We paddled about for two hours. |
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| I'm not sure who enjoys the kayaks more, Laura or I. |
The kayaks have become a fixture on our RV trips. Originally purchased when we had our Catalina 30 sailboat, they've been a great way to explore destinations from the water. The stability is very good, they aren't heavy to carry around, and the construction makes them very low maintenance.
One Way Only
After a six-plus-mile ride along the shoreline, we somehow convinced ourselves to try out the Lions Gate Bridge. About two-hundred feet up the bridge Laura turns to me and says she's not sure. I point out that we just passed a One Way Only sign, so we're already committed. In low gear, the ride wasn't bad at all for either of us.
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| Rest stop at the first tower. |
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| First milestone |
As Laura led the way, I rode behind fretting about her falling off the bike and sliding under the guardrail. Add to that an unexpected sense of vertigo caused by looking through the guardrail to the water hundreds of feet below. Despite the fear factor, it was a cool ride. When we got to Stanley Park, they have a path that takes you under the bridge and puts you on the other side for the return trip without having to cross the busy road. No peddling was required for the return. The scariest part of the downhill run was the other cyclists that would wiz by at crazy speeds.
Sharing Stanley Park
SIGGRAPH 2014 coincided with our trip, so we played B&B to Madison and Sean when they came to Vancouver to attend the conference. With them sleeping on our sofa bed, I was reminded of the makeshift B&B Laura and I stayed at on our honeymoon. To make room for all of the visitors coming to the Worlds Fair, Vancouver created a service to make it easy for folks to rent out a room and get connected with visitors. Essentially a pre-Internet version of Airbnb. Laura and I stayed in a high-rise apartment while its single man/waiter tenant slept on the sofa in the living room during our stay. It sounds weird, but it worked out great. We either walked or took the bus to the fair each day of our visit.
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| Looking west |
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| The view west. |
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| Prospect Point, Stanley Park |
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| A visit to the Teahouse is always high on our Vancouver, BC to do list. |
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| So amazing to get to share the Teahouse with Sean and Madison |
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| Dale and Laura at the Teahouse Restaurant |
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| Brockton Point Lighthouse, Stanley Park |
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| Enjoying the setting sunset at Stanley Park |
Royal Vancouver Yacht Club
One of the perks of being a yacht club member is reciprocal privileges at other clubs. We hadn't been Portland Yacht Club members on our previous visits to Vancouver so this would be our first call at RVYC.
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| Front of the RVYC |
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| Underground parking entrance at the right and proceeding under the stairs. |
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| Arriving for lunch |
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| Fish and Chips |
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| Laura's lunch |
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| Lunch outside on the second story |
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| One of the inside restaurants |
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| Tastefully nautical |
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| A grand feature of the club's architecture. |
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| The ground-floor family restaurant. |
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| Outdoor dining next to the family restaurant. |
Overlooking the club's marina, and with a commanding view of the bay west of Stanley Park, lunch at the RVYC turned out to be a delightful experience. We'll definitely visit again in the future.
Granville Island
One of the last places we visited before heading back to the states, was Granville Island. Situated on the same waterway as the 1986 Worlds Fair overlooked, the destination is quite the tourist hangout with harbor tours, huge farmer's market, restaurants, galleries, and marinas.
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| Red-hulled water taxi |
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| Walking about Granville Island |
Farewell
We departed Canada on a misty gray morning. Our stay at Capilano River RV Park had provided us the central location we sought. Missing was the Wi-Fi the park had promised. While technically present, it was unreliable, slow, and mostly frustrating to trying to use for work. My normal fallback of using my phone wasn't an option because we were in Canada where phone data for USA-based customers was super expensive. I thought perhaps the performance issue was just the number of folks in the park, but I started measuring performance (event at 4 am) and it was all over the map.
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| Not fancy, but close to everything and especially the bike path |
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| Celtic Safari tucked into its spot |
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| You can tell the RV park was laid-out before slide-outs became popular with RVs. |
Border Crossing -- Special Treatment
After passing through some sensors on the way to the border guard, US Customs had us pull into a holding area, leave the motorhome and wait in the Customs office where they would periodically have a different agent ask us questions. Meanwhile, US Customs drove away with our coach while we sat in the office wondering what was going on. After 1.5 hours an agent called us to the desk and said a gauge near the entrance door of the motorhome set off the US Customs' gamma radiation detectors. "Plan on getting this special treatment every time you return to the USA in the motorhome as long as that gauge is aboard. You're free to go, have a nice day". The gauge isn't even original to the coach and dates from the first half of the twentieth century. Installed by a previous owner, the gauge has markings that glow in the dark. Guess what they used back then to get them to glow in the dark? Radium, which is highly radioactive. It emits alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. Radium was still be used on watch and clock dials as late as the 1970s.
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| The Culprit |
Despite the special treatment at the border, the experience made me feel good about the US Customs staff. They were always professional and polite. While it was obvious that every compartment of the motorhome had been inspected, the coach wasn't torn apart.
Clear of US Customs we were off to Bellevue, WA outside of Seattle.
Live
well, Laugh
often, Love
much
