Vancouver, possibly the most beautiful city I have ever been to. There are so many places to see, we really could have spent weeks here...
We stayed in an RV park right at the bottom of Lion's Gate Bridge...not pretty, but super convenient with full amenities...couldn't ask for much better at $60/night. We first arrived and Johnny wanted to show us Stanley Park. We naively hopped on our bikes and started on our way..sounds like a piece of cake right?? Lion's Gate Bridge, is super long, almost all uphill and the ride into Stanley park was on this crazy busy commuter bike lane. People were whizzing by on a narrow path, with cars flying right next to us...very stressful driving with an inexperienced 6 year old..everyone's nerves were pushed to the limit and I have to say this was the most stressful time we have had so far on this trip...after about an hour of some seriously nerve wreaking biking, we finally arrived at beautiful Stanley Park. It truly is an oasis right in the heart of the city.
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| Lion's Gate Bridge |
Instead of the Capilano Bridge, we decided to do the much less visited Lynn Canyon suspension bridge; beautiful paths and sweet swimming holes, a suspension bridgeand waterfalls....the only downfall to the day was some serious signage EVERYWHERE warning visitors of all the deaths that happen in the canyon every year from cliff jumping and reckless hikers.
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| Those red squares are deaths! |
We stayed in Vancouver for 3 days, I had an amazing surprise, my great friend Yun happened to be here visiting a friend, so we were able to connect for a quick coffee. It is so great to meet friends in unexpected places.
There are so many amazing nooks and crannies to explore across Vancouver and the surrounding area..Deep Cove, Horseshoe Bay, Whytecliff Park, each with spectacular views, unique landscapes and interesting things to see, with waterfalls everywhere (I am a total sucker for a pretty waterfall)....we even got a fantastic surprise in Whytecliff park- two Seals sunbathing on the rocks...
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| WhyteCliff Park |
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| WhyteCliff Park |
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| Deep Cove |
Goodbye to Vancouver- hello Whistler- another amazing drive....Shannon Falls- INCREDIBLE!
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| Shannon Falls |
Whistler about what you would expect-beautiful, touristy, trendy, amazing hiking, restaurants and things to do- we all loved Whistler. We stayed in Whistler RV Park...about 15 minutes south of Whistler- right next to Brandywhine Falls. It was up this very steep windy road...the park was easily our best view yet, best of all we met some new friends- these ones were from Langley, had a great night chatting and getting to know them (hi to Kathryn and Jay!). My favourite part of Whistler was probably the village itself, (Olympic Plaza was very cool), and probably the Train Wreck Hike...my friend Courtney lived in Whistler last year and recommended this one....fairly easy to do- and amazing sights along the way. At the end is an old train wreck that happened in 1956- there are 7 cars strewn across an area of beautiful forest, local artists and visitors alike have painted each car so now it is a wonderful work of art.
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| Whistler RV Park |
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| Train Wreck Hike |
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| Olympic Plaza, Whistler |
On to Tofino....back down to Vancouver to grab the ferry- (that in itself was an experience)...lucky for us we were able to see some Orca's in the distance. The drive to Tofino was pretty crazy, long, narrow roads going up and down mountains (oh the gas!!!). Just outside of Port Alberni we noticed a bunch of cars on the side of the road and we caught a glimpse of some impressive looking rocks...we decided to pull over on a whim...this was honestly the most beautiful place I have seen. It's called Kennedy River Cascade. I read a perfect description of it "the water here has worn the rocks into smooth sculptures". It really does look like a giant piece of art, surrounded by crystal clear water and cascades of small waterfalls. (I forgot to mention that I totally buggered my knee I was out of commission hobbling around for several days, lucky for us we were in Tofino so I could "rest" on the beach:). Girls and Johnny quickly changed and tested out that water, jumping off the small ledges into freezing cold pools.
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| Ferry to Nanaimo |
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| Kennedy River Cascades |
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| Kennedy River Cascades |
Back in the car and on to Tofino...a magical place, with a laid back vibe, pretty touristy, but still retains a sense of calm and serenity. We stayed in Bella Pacific Rv Park, (our friends Nick and Kath stayed here too). The park is right on the beach, beautiful sites, great location. The next 3 days we spent having fun in the surf, (well as Anneka pointed out, "hey mom, have fun watching us have fun"- the stinker!). Everyone first went boogie boarding, as surfing lessons were all booked for the wknd....on Monday we got the girls in to a highly recommended surf school Pacific Surf Company. They were so great, we had the most amazing instructor named Annie (don't worry my Annie, she still wasn't as cool as you!) she was so patient with the girls and spent the afternoon making sure they were successful riding the waves feeling like professionals. Tofino was definitely their favourite and I foresee this is a place we will visit again.
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| Annie and the girls Pacific Surf Co. |
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| Party Wave! |
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| Tofino at Sunset the beach on our campsite |
Now on to Victoria for our last leg if our Canadian tour....what a ride it has been.
