Capilano Area and Garibaldi Lake

On Saturday, Ian volunteered to take us back to the Capilano area near the dam and show us the historic Douglas Fir tree known as “Grandpa Capilano”, as well as the gorge where the fish hatchery was.  We had a nice walk through the rainforest area near the Capilano suspension bridge.  Grandpa Capilano is well over 300 years old, is 190 feet high and 75 feet in diameter.  This is only one of the enormous trees in the woods filled with ferns and moss.  We took the path along the gorge and the water that originated from the Cleveland Dam cascaded down through the gorge down to the harbor. 

 

While I know a little bit about east coast fish, I don’t have a clue about salmon.  Ian is not only a great host, but is a huge fly fisherman and was telling us all about the salmon that run in the area  Evidently the Coho Salmon that were born and released from the Capilano hatchery, return to breed there.  There was a very neat display showing the “fish ladders” that the fish jump to get upstream.  Many ladders are man-made when the natural water course has been interrupted by something like a dam.  However, these salmon return to breed and since they are farmed fish, they are harvested and processed for animal food products once their eggs have been harvested to raise the next batch of salmon. 

We were a couple weeks early, in two weeks or so there will be lots of salmon in this area and those that die before reaching the destination of the ladder.  Bears and eagles will be prevalent feeding on the dead or dying fish.  Too bad, we would have loved to see that!

Ian, Ava and Benjamin had us over for a nice evening and Ian cooked a gourmet meal for the Kaulback and Tony and I.  It was a great ending to a beautiful and enlighten day.

 

 

  

Sunday we took a long planned hike to Garibaldi Lake with Chris and Christina.  A 13 mile hike with 3,500 feet of elevation change was to be our most challenging hike of the vacation.  When Tony and Chris were planning the hike, it was likened to being as nice as the Lake Louise hike in Banff near Alberta, Canada.  The hike to the tea house is one of my favorites, so I was anxious to see how it compared.  By the time we made it to the trailhead it was around 10:30.  It was a popular trailhead, and we were lucky to get a parking place. 

We made fairly good time getting to Taylor Meadows, the ¾ mark of the trail to the lake.  During the summer Taylor Meadows is evidently covered with wildflowers.  A few varieties we just starting to bloom, but we were too early for the major profusion of bloom the end of July and beginning of August.  We passed on the back side of Black Tusk which we had seen from Whistler the Friday before.  As we made our way into the meadows the sky was starting to be overcast and we heard thunder in the background.  However, the storm stayed in the distance and we made our way to the lake.

The water in the shallow areas as we first crossed over the bridge to the lake was a beautiful aqua blue.  However without the sun to hit the deeper areas of the lake, the water didn’t share its aqua highlights except momentarily.  As we made our way to the lake, snow capped mountains and glaciers were across the lake forming a perfect backdrop.  As we stopped for lunch we had a perfect view of

Garibaldi Lake, it was worth the hike.  We had a nice lunch and were entertained by the Whiskey Jacks in the area.  I really didn’t believe Christina when she told me to hold my arm out for the birds, that they would come and land on them if tempted with food.  Not only did they grab the food, but would perch
on your hand, your arms, or your head and steal food out of ziplock bags if you weren’t looking.  

 What brave little birds.  I wanted to take a couple home!!

We never did get the sun to turn the whole lake aqua and eventually the clouds closed in and a small rain shower with some distance thunder paid us a visit.  We eventually headed back down the trail and made our way back to Kathleen’s.  Our cruise departed the following day and we had lots of packing to do.

  

We made it!  Garibaldi Lake.



Packing up the truck after a long day of hiking.

Stanley Park and Whistler

As we set out on our own for Stanley Park we were determined to walk the circumference of the seawall surrounding the island.  Stanley Park is an island adjacent to downtown Vancouver that you drive through to get to West Vancouver on the other side of the harbor.  As you leave the world of high rise buildings, hustle bustle of people and ridiculous traffic, you are suddenly whisked away to one of the most beautiful, serene and diverse part of the city.  Stanley Park is in itself a destination, with hiking, biking and walking trails, beautiful rose and rhododendron gardens, a heated ocean pool overlooking the harbour, a kids water playground, an aquarium, beaches, teahouses and ice cream stands galore.  There are many way to get around the park besides walking;  trolleys, buses and horse drawn carriage give tours of the island.   http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/stanley-park.aspx .

 

 

Of course, we walked and walked and walked.  Not only did we walk the circumference of the island, but we walked along the harbor seawall past Canada Place, the Cruise ship terminal and down to Gas Town and back; a total of 11 miles that day as we took in the beautiful sights of Vancouver.  As we made our way around the island, we saw some wildlife, an otter eating a fish, cormorants swimming and diving for food, sea gulls, Canada geese and some swans. 

As we did a little reconnaissance for the luggage drop off on cruise day, we walked into historic Gastown, http://www.gastown.org/ just as the clock stuck 3 and saw the tail end of the famous Gastown Steam Clock blowing its stack of gas and playing a melody.  Our timing couldn’t have been more perfect.  http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/09/24/bc-steamclock-gastown.html .  When researching for this blog, I found that the clock is actually a recent addition and is only 35 years old.  They did a great job fooling me into thinking it was an antique.  There are lots of lovely shops and eating places in Gastown and I would have loved to browse through the shops.  However, the task master informed me there was no time, the parking meter was expiring in 90 minutes and we had to get back to the car which was 3-4 miles away, so we had to keep walking-and FAST!  We did arrive with 5 minutes to spare as we wound up our perfect day in the park.



Olympic Torch at Canada Place

Even though Kathleen has an expansive view from her deck, try as I might, we couldn’t see any US fireworks on the 4^th.  Last year we spent the 4^th with the Haakons and Spadafores, other Cancun friends.  Missing that event this year, we were wishing them a happy 4^th of July and Happy Birthday to the twins!, Joseph and Nickolas.

 

Route 99 on the way to Whistler

On the 5^th we took a trip up to Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, the site of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games-skiing venues.  This is our 3^rd trip there and it just seems to getting better all the time.  We took the chair lift from the base of Blackcomb to the tippy top, 7^th Heaven.  The view from there was incredible with lots of snow topped peaks, some with active glaciers.  Once at the top, hidden from view on the other side of the mountain was a skiing and snow board training camp as well as general skiing.  We watched athletes training and learning how to perform tricks on skis and snowboards.  It was amazing and very entertaining.

 

It’s so hard back east to have enough snow to ski in the winter, much less around the 4^th of July!  Blackcomb is 7,992 feet high and its sister peak, Whistler is 7,156 feet.  The town of Whistler was named after the sound that the marmots make, a whistle.  We had the good fortune of seeing a marmot that was greeting our bus along the road to an intermediary chairlift.  He seemed very anxious to follow the bus, looking for a handout no doubt.

Whistler-Blackcomb also features the Peak 2 Peak Gondola for moving people between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains at the top; Peak 2 Peak holds records for the highest and longest unsupported cable car span in the world. Whistler Blackcomb is also often the most-visited ski resort, with over 2 million visitors a year.  Two cable cars offer a view of the valley beneath with a glass bottom.  The most popular cars, if you don’t want a long wait for those cars, take the peak to peak mid day.  Every single leg of the trip offered incredible views and I LOVE the fact that I didn’t have to walk up to get there!!!!!! 

 

 

Taking the Peak 2 peak we ended up on Whistler Mountain where they were having a great cookout on the deck.  Even though Tony had already had a ham sandwich that we had packed for the hike, he indulged in the best burger he ever had at 7,000 feet, oh and a beer another best too.  We made our way up to the tippy top of Whistler to be greeted by the huge Inuksuk, the mascot iconic symbol that came out of the 2010 Olympics.  An Insuksuk is a stone landmark or cairn that marks a destination or the path of a trail.  No problem missing the trail with these, they are huge! 




We found a nice trail from the top of Whistler back down to the chairlift and decided to walk down with a few other travelers.  The views again were incredible and 100 Insuksuks later we made it to our ride down to the bottom.  We had hoped to see a bear or two along the way down in the chairlift.  The first time we took the ride we saw a mother and cub, however we were not so lucky.

 

Kathleen had evening plans so we were in no hurry to return to Vancouver.  We spent a nice evening walking through the Olympic park, listening to live music and had a nice dinner.  The days are so long here and it doesn’t even get dark until 10 PM, you lose track of how late it really is.  As we made our way back to Vancouver we could see the sun finally dipping behind the mountains along the coast range and blue glow of twilight lit up the sky.  Upon arriving at Kathleen’s, we discovered that she hadn’t gone out and as it was 10:30 PM, she was very worried about us.  There had been a bear attack in the Whistler area that day and she was worried a bear had gotten us too!  After she had written us off as goners, her biggest concern was not what she would tell Christina or my mom, but what would she do with all our clothes if we didn’t come back!  Practical Kathleen;  Don’t they have Goodwill in Canada???  Luckily we came back to hike another day.

View from top of Whistler Mountain looking at Black Tusk in the background.

 

Greetings from 7th Heaven at the top of Blackcomb Mountain, home of the Winter Olympics ski runs in 2010

Vancouver and Cancun Friends

For our first full day in Vancouver, Kathleen had freed her morning calendar and following in Ben’s footsteps, volunteered to show up the lighthouse that we had seen from the seawall walkway the night before.  We decided on a picnic and packed some sandwiches in Tony’s backpack.  Off we went to find the lighthouse at the end of the trail at Lighthouse Park, 40 minutes from Kathleen’s.

The weather was beautiful and Tony directing our hike set us immediately off onto the road less traveled.  Kathleen mentioned that this didn’t seem like the trail she was used to, and right she was.  This trail was a little challenging even for me, much less an 82 year old.  By the time we had gotten to the end of the trail, we realized we had taken one of the side trails not leading to the lighthouse.  We made it full circle and found the easy path down to the lighthouse.  I was a little concerned Kathleen thought Tony was trying to kill her, taking her down the adventurous path!  However, she was a great trooper and came through the experience unscathed. 

 

 After a picnic lunch, we came back to the house to be met by the afternoon’s entertainment-Catherine!  Catherine took us to the Cleveland dam and saved me from another road less traveled experience.  Luckily Catherine convinced Tony to drive to the trailhead, rather than starting at Kathleen’s and walking down a steep path a couple thousand feet or so, my knees are still thanking her!  We had a great view of the dam and a mountain formation call “The Lions” and the stroll through the forest was quiet and serene. 

Kathleen, Tony and I met Chris, Christina, Catherine, Ian and Ava at a lovely restaurant on the water, The Beach House.  Kathleen proceeded to tell the crew how we tried to kill her on the trail, but that she did survive.  Going through some pictures later in the evening we found pictures of her adventures on the Camino de Santiago in Spain three years ago.  The trails there looked as bad as the one we had her on.  She’s an amazing woman, walking the 600 miles by herself over a 4 week trip.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course the highlight of the dinner was getting to spend it with friends. 

 

However, an additional bonus was to be entertained by Ava.  She is such a polite and delightful child.  For some reason, I just can’t seem to take enough pictures of her, so humor me as I indulge in the Ava show! 

 

Ava in motion, thanks Samsung Galaxy 4-who needs an iphone!

 

She's got the whole world in her hand!

 

 

 

July 2, 2013 The Adventure Begins......

Today our long awaited Alaska trip begins!  Over two years in the planning, what started off being a 40th wedding anniversary trip is a 41st anniversary trip.  Alaska is a place that Tony and I have never visited, but has always been on that bucket list.

Alaska is a photographer's paradise, filled with sights of calving glaciers, snow topped mountains, soaring eagles, breaching whales (fingers crossed) and BEARS!  And we will see bears since the entire trip has been geared around going to Brooks Creek in Katmai NP during the July salmon migration upstream at the falls.  So armed with a whole 22” carry-on full of camera equipment, we are ready!

Our entire trip will last a month, a combination of flying to Vancouver and visiting Cancun friends; cruising the inside passage thru Glacier Bay, traveling by train via Whittier to Denali, bus trips to Anchorage to meet Crissy, a two plane trip to Katmai and back(one being a float plane) to view the bears at Brooks Creek, journey by car from Anchorage to Seward for whale watching and glacier viewing on the Kenai peninsula and a red eye back home at the end of the month.  It is an aggressive schedule but we are psyched, about everything but the boats.  We don't do boats!!!!  So if there was a really easy way of doing this trip without the cruise we would be doing it.  I'm just hoping the weather is nice and the seas are calm! 

We started our morning today at 3:30 am and we were picked up by George of LARA Frederick Airport Transportation who took us from Mount Airy to Reagan Airport without a hitch.  We flew American Airlines for the first time in a long time.  Because of our Advantage Credit Card we boarded in zone 1, we each had a checked bag for free, I had picked our seat assignments for free,  I could bring on  two carry-on items, of which one was a 22" rollerboard full of all my camera equipment which weighed as much as our checked luggage(!) and they served sodas and coffee for free!!!!  Spirit has been the most convenient airline for our Florida flights and I had forgotten how great it was to fly American.   Another bonus our flight was fairly empty so we moved up to the exit row seats for free.  SWEET! as Crissy would say.  The entire first leg I felt like a VIP!!!

View of Mount Baker from the plane

However, the most pleasant surprise was going thru the Dallas Fort Worth Airport.  What a nice airport!  I used to hate going through there in the early 1990's and 2000's.  How many times was I OJ Simpson, running thru airports trying to catch a connecting flight 3 terminals away, so, what a pleasant surprise today when we entered a beautiful totally renovated facility.   Now there is a sky tram,  a monorail kinda thing to get you between terminals easily, I thought I was in Disney World for a minute.    No more running thru airports in Dallas!    

Lion's Gate Bridge



The airport had great restaurants, lots of shopping-too bad I didn’t have a longer layover, beautiful mosaics and art sculptures.  But the most unique place there was the Minute Suites.  With a capacity of 40 people, travelers who have long layover or have been sleepless in Seatle can rent a cubicle and catch some z's.  You need a shower? Nooo problem, they can accommodate that too.  I guess we would have been thrilled if they had one of these place when we were diverted to Atlantic City fogged and sleeping on airport benches!

We arrived in Vancouver and though we were in DC.  Trapped 3 ½ hours in traffic trying to get across the Lion Gate’s Bridge, we finally made our way to Kathleen Kaulbacks for our Vancouver stay in West Vancouver.  We are staying in her lovely home with a beautiful view of the city of Vancouver from her deck.  We were able to meet Chris K.  and Christina Lees for a long walk along the seawall to top off our long day of travel and a great start to our adventure.