Day 13 - Stanley Park and Granville

So today we thought we'd get our urban on while on this wilderness adventure. Vancouver is the third largest city in Canada, so there is much too much to see in a day, but luckily we know what we like, and Vancouver has lots of that to go around. Our first stop today, after another great  breakfast at Holly and Larry's In Deep Cove was at Stanley Park - one of the largest urban parks in North America. The route was simple, we took our old friend (the Trans Canada) West and got on the Lion's Gate bridge, then it was a quick right into the park. We found a spot for the Jetta and headed in. Our first stop was at prospect park - not sure what it's all about, but there was a great view of the North shore and the Lion's Gate bridge!

From there we headed clockwise around the park - it's a 1,000 acre park, so it's not small,  it we were full of energy, so we strode off full of confidence and excitement. From Prospect Park we made our way to Siwash Rock, which like Sleeping Giant and Kitchekewana in Ontario, revolves around a native legend where a man/giant is turned into stone. It was lovely, but more impressive was how deep in the wilderness we felt. Not 100 meters from the car we were deep in second growth the prelate rain forat - we liked it!

And on we went. Next stop was 3rd beach and the famous Sea Wall. Most of us have heard of the Stanley Park Sea Wall, but it's another thing to walk along it. In the middle of this big city there you are,  balanced on the edge of the continent. 

T and G using the Sea Wall expertly.

Nothing between you and the gaping Pacific but this perfectly paved trail for walkers, jiggers and cyclists. It was our first real taste of the ocean on the it rip - and I mean that, we put our feet in right away. About as cold as Lake Superior, but much more salty!

You can't tell but our feet are in the Pacific, well, 4 out of 6 feet are.

We then followed the Sea Wall around the West side of the park, arriving at 2nd beach with an appetite. 2nd beach is the home to a large water park and concession stand. We took the opportunity to grab a quick lunch (veggie dog, veggie burger and sweet potato fries) and did some serious people watching. By this time Gord was sound asleep on Theresa's chest, so we had time on our side. 

After lunch we moved inland from the ocean and found ourselves in beautiful gardens. "Lost Lagoon" appeared on our left and our feet asked if we might make a change. Since it was already 2:00 and we had so much more to do we left behind the pedestrians and hopped aboard (an incredibly expensive) tour bus to take us back to Prospect Park and our waiting car. The tour bus driver was one of the worst we've ever experienced, and Gord's squawking caused some tourists to change seats, but we arrived back at the car with healing feet and an eye towards dinner, or at least a snack!

How do we get there?!

Granville Island is a former industrial zone South of Vancouver proper, and it's been revitalized as an open air market zone. Theresa has fond memories of getting lost in the endless stalls of fresh produce, artisan cheese, local delicacies and prepared food, as well as buildings and buildings of art, crafts, metal works, blown glass and everything under the sun. We drove I. The general direction of where we thought it should be, then pulled out Theresa's iPhone and made a u-turn. Once the car was parked we headed into the busyness. I was on the look out for fresh produce - we're heading for Tofino and camping tomorrow, so I was hoping to get some cucumber and some of the famous BC berries. The cucumber was more expensive than a grocery store (and was from California) but the fresh BC blueberries and blackberries got our attention. We picked up a pound of each and kept going. 

Mmmmmm..we're missing our own raspberries and most of strawberry season in Ont, so we needed some of these.

Walking through that much can make anyone hungry, so when Gord and I saw the donut stand we HAD to stop for a lemon ring. Delish! There is so much to see at Granville that I could never do it justice here, but we saw lots of clothes, beautiful hand made and unique stationary, jewelry, soaps, original prints, candles, toys, boats, and on and on and on. We could easily have spent an entire day there, and still not exhausted every building. 

As a final stop we decided to forego a dinner in the city in favour of a quick bite at the Granville Brewery. For $6 you can sample three of their varieties (4 oz. glasses - we're responsible parents) and they also sell some great munches - we selected our three brews each and ordered the guacamole/chip platter and the vegetarian pizza. Gord was nearing the end of his rope, so we sipped and noshed quickly, and headed back to Deep Cove. Ty's Dave was the Ginger Ninja (teased like ginger beer to me) and I liked the classic lager. 

You can tell by MY face that Gord was closer to bed time than breakfast.

As a night cap we decided to jump in the hot tub at Holly and Larry's - they were nice enough to turn it down to 90 degrees so it was closer to Gord's bath than a real hot tub, and we chatted with the family about our exciting day in the big city. The water did the trick and Gord slept more soundly that nit than he had since we'd been in Deep Cove. We would have liked to stay up and chat with the Watson's all night, but we had a ferry to catch in the morning and Paul works at 6:00, so we said our goodbyes, thanked them profusely (though not enough) for their hospitality, and said goodnight to another great day. Leaving family that lives across the country is never easy, as we're never sure when will be the next time we'll meet up, but there's something comfortable about these partings as well, an understanding that no matter how long it takes for us to reunite, that it will be easy, and pleasant and as if we've not been apart. That is the benefit of old friends, and that is the benefit of family.

In any event, off to Tofino!

TOTAL FUEL FILL UPS: 5

DAILY WILDLIFE: horses, gulls and dogs at Stanley Park