Wow, this is an amazing city!
I arrived in Vancouver on Tuesday around 5pm, which was about two hours after I had intended. Part of the delay was due to a little divert I made to Lake Whatcom and part was due to traffic delays outside of Vancouver. The latter was not fun at all in 30 degree heat and heavy biking gear (I better get used to it though – it’s only going to get hotter on this trip).
My AirBnB host in Seattle, Carol had recommendation that I stop in Bellingham on my drive to Vancouver. Lake Whatcom is just outside of the town. When I saw it on the map I knew that’s where I wanted to be and I was right. It is beautiful!
I stopped and had lunch at a little diner and started talking to the guy sitting behind me. What a nice guy! It seems like most of the local folk are very friendly as I had a lady ask me in the parking lot where I was off to. Trinity definitely attracts a lot of attention, possibly because there aren’t that many BMW’s in the U.S. or possibly it just sparks people’s sense of adventure. Whatever the reason, I enjoy seeing people’s faces light up when I tell them what I’m doing. That makes me happy!
Vancouver is absolutely stunning! It oozes life and has the most amazing mountainous backdrop. I’m staying with Grant’s (a friend and colleague) parents in an apartment (condo) next to English bay which is in central Vancouver. The view from the apartment is jaw dropping! I’ve been watching the sun rise and set each day, which is really quite special. You’ll see why from the photo below.
Wednesday (1 July) was Canada Day. The Day is celebrated because on July 1st, 1867, the British North American Act created the Canadian federal government, which stated that Canada would become an independent territory of England. Any celebration of Freedom is wonderful in my books so I’m glad to have been a part of it.
I spent the day with Grant’s mom (Darlene), step dad (Ted) and cousin (Avery) up on Grouse Mountain, which is about a 20 min drive out of the city. The views over the city from there are amazing. You can also see the snow covered Mt Baker in the distance, which is 100 miles away in Washington State (USA).
Grouse Mountain is well catered for tourists. In the few hours that we were up there we watch a spectacular wildlife movie (a Disney production called Wings of Life); watched a lumberjack show (these guys are amazing but totally nuts); watched a birds of prey flight show; I saw two grizzly bears; and had some lunch. It’s certainly the first time I have had macaroni and cheese as a side dish to a burger. And of course a pint. I’ve discovered that there are a lot of micro breweries around Vancouver. I understand this is a trend that started in Portland, Oregon (USA) and has moved up the west coast. Nice!
Yesterday morning was dedicated to getting Grant’s motorbike on the road. We had to go and get his insurance sorted out and take his bike in for a service and tyre change. Luckily that all went smoothly and I even got to lift someone on Trinity. Another first for me!
The drive back from his dad’s place into town was wonderful for many reasons. The scenery was lovely but mostly I had so many ‘reminders’ triggering memories throughout my life. Many of these were street names, namely Balmoral Drive; Erskine Street; Patricia Drive; Lynnwood Drive, which all have meaning to me for different reasons, but watching Grant riding in front of me reminded me so much of being a teenager and spending time with my best friend at school, Dylan. We were inseparable and in many ways Grant reminds me of Dylan. It was certainly a ride down memory lane.
Once the bike was sorted out we headed off to Granville Island. It’s a Council owned island and provided a mixture of industry and community facilities. It has great facilities for kids and an amazing food market. The place we went to for lunch was fab and I tried my first Caesar (it’s basically a Canadian Bloody Mary). We then had some ice-cream with a lovely view over the apartment blocks across the water. A very good day indeed made very special by Grant’s wonderful family!
Mel & Trinity 