I Would Walk 1000 Miles
Today, Dave and I arrived safely back at Dulles. I was so so so tried. Our day of flying was not that bad, but the 5am PDT wake up time was horrible. I was glad to be home, but I wasnt. I am always ready to keep going but, I guess it was time to come home. Maybe I was also so tired because, Dave and I walked maybe 30 miles on Sunday. Fun times.
On Sunday, we woke up at a decent hour. I guess it was 10am or 11am. It was in time to get breakfast at the Cambie bakery. I had become accustom to eating the bacon, eggs, and toast as two mini sandwiches. After our meal, we walked downtown to The Lookout at Harbour Center. Appearently, this observation deck is affectionately called "The Hamburger" by locals. It kind of looks like a burger. From the top, we were able to see all of the city at 360 degrees. It was sweet. I snapped a bunch of pictures all the way around. It was cool to see the crazy buildings from another perspective. Plus, we could see over downtown west to the Burrard Inlet. It was beautiful. Next, we caught a short movie on the observation deck. The soundtrack was terrible, but it was very informative. After our short viewing, we wish we had more time. Oh well, we got a few ideas and headed out to Stanley Park.
Alexander Hamilton, the land commissioner for the Canadian Pacific Railway, proposed to preserve the end of Burrard Peninsula. This led to the creation of the park, which was later named for Lord Stanley, Canada’s governor-general from 1888 to 1893. Before the land was set aside, it was used to protect the city from potential invasion.
We started out toward the park down Hastings Street. We decided to walk east around the park so, we could see the sunset on the way back. There is a walkway along the entire outside of the park. There is a paved trail for walkers and bikers/roller bladers. As the park curved around Coal Harbour, we had excellent views of downtown. The first cool thing we saw was the Nine O'Clock Gun. This symbolizes the barricade that Stanley Park use to be. The gun now fires everyday at 9pm. We did not hear it. About one third they way around, we stopped for ice cream. I love drumsticks. The next cool thing we saw was the Girl in Wetsuit. This sculpture commemorates Vancouver's links to Japan.
At just about halfway around, we left the walkway. We hiked up into the park looking for the base of the Lion's Gate Bridge. I was in awe of this supension bridge. The only other one I have walked across was the Bay Bridge. That was the plan, we were to walk across into North Van. Luckily, there was a walkway, and the views were spectacular. When we set foot back on land, we traveled east toward the Calipano Suspension Bridge. We did see a tourist office along the way. The gentleman inside was very nice, and gave us a discount. He said, "Its only, mile and a half up the road."
We arrived at the gate, and waited in line for some morons to take forever to purchase tickets. It was worth the wait. The bridge was awesome. It was made out of wood and steal lines. I guess it stretched about 100 yards across a ravine. We must have been another 100 yards in the air. The scenery was beautiful. It was impossible to snap any photos. The bridge was constantly swaying. On the otherside, was a wooded area. There an enormous tree house had been erected. We were able to climb from tree top platform to tree top platform on small bridges. Many of the trees were 1000s of years old. Below, the forest floor was rich with vegetation and ponds. We spent some time enjoying the shade. Then we went back across the suspension bridge to have a snack. Refreshed, we walked back toward the Lion's Gate Bridge. We only had a few hours till sunset.
Back in Stanley Park, we found our way down to the seawall. We had to continue around it toward the west side of the park. We didn't have to walk far until we found a sweet spot. We were searching for a perfect spot to watch the sunset. We had about an hour to go so, I sat on a bench to relax. The sun slowly crept toward the mountians in the distance. I won't say this sunset was better or worse then Alaska, but it was equally fantastic. I shot some great photos with the inlet and mountians.
During twilight, we continued around the seawall. We caught a few glimpses of some sea lions. One was playing in the water. Another group was cleaning their young. We also saw the Siwash Rock. It wasn't that impressive. It is suppose to look like an indians profile. We also saw a few man made pieces of art. Someone had cemented some small rocks together into towers along the shore. It was pretty cool. This side of the park also had lots of beaches and even a pool! We finished our trek completely on the opposite side of the city from the Cambie. Oh well, we had been walking all day.
On the way home, we stopped for some sushi. Just by chance, a road was completely lined with sushi restaurants. I ordered a few california rolls, some cucumber rolls, and some salmon rolls. It was tasty. Dave said it was cheap as well. The food was the fuel we need to get home. We had been walking for about 9 hours.
When we got back to the Cambie, Dave packed up. I went downstairs and had a few beers. It was a good time, I was able to meet some of the people who worked their. We hungout past closing. It was a fitting end to my stay at this crazy place.
Well, that was my trip. I have to thank Tony and Jill for their hospitality. I can't thank both of you enough. Hi Nicco! I really enjoyed the time I was able to spend with both of you. Alaska was so cool. I hope to make it back up to see you both. Ah Vancouver, the laid back nature oriented city to the northwest. I loved it! I would say to anyone, stop on by if you have chance. I only wish I had more time.
