Days 70 to 73 photos Yellowstone Park

Yellowstone falls & river

 Glacial boulder

 Hot water & steam coming up out of the ground via a cave

 Hot springs & bacteria with Yellowstone lake in the background

Above - me on the boardwalk at the artists paint pots 
Below - Speaks for its self!

 The real McCoy!

 A herd of deer

 A herd of buffalo (bison)

 The lovely Elk & his huge horns still covered in velvet

 More hot springs - you wouldn't want to bathe in them

 This was a waterfall of boiling water

 Look how high the rock face is

Hope you liked sharing some of our photos

TTFN xxx

Days 70 - 73 west Yellowstone to Jackson, Wyoming 23 - 26.06.12

Day 70 West Yellowstone 23.06.12

So excited this morning, we’re spending the day going around the lower loop of YELLOWSTONE PARK! The sun is shining & the sky is blue & I’m back in shorts & vest top so am very happy.

We drove in at the West entrance & almost straight away there was a traffic jam. This either means road works or wildlife. By the time we got to the cause of it the Park Rangers were waving everyone on & we had to make do with watching the herd of Buffalo at the river’s edge – magic. However fairly soon after we saw another herd & had the chance to pull in & film them. There were lots of young ones too.

Our first stop was Gibbon Falls which were very dramatic & the Hot Springs which smelled very strongly of sulphur. Next the Artists paint pots & we had to walk along a boardwalk so as not to damage the fragile environment & also so as not to get scalded by all of the hot water & steam.

They are called the Artists paint pots because of the colours that are formed by bacteria growing because of the salts & the heat, very pretty.

As we drove along we saw 2 Elks & hope I got them on video. We went to the Norris geyser basin next & they were absolutely amazing. Even knowing almost nothing about geology I can see how interesting these features are. We stopped in Canyon Village for a hot dog & drink then drove along the Yellowstone River to Canyon Falls. Now we’ve seen many Falls on this trip but these were really eye popping!

Yellowstone Lake was the next place & I have never seen such a big lake, it was like a sea. It’s so big that it makes its own weather! That is a fact. We had to sit by it with an enormous double ice cream.

Next was the West Thumb geyser basin which actually goes into the lake. Some of the hot springs were very deep,  bubbling & boiling away, it was just like having a sauna as you walked past them.

Finally the time had come to go to see ‘Old Faithful!’ We got there at 6.30pm & it was due to perform at 6.50pm so that was a stroke of luck. We even managed to get good seats on the benches even though there were loads of others there. It started off with spurts of steam & a bit of water & then up it went but so quietly. I was surprised as I expected it to make a loud noise. Afterwards we carried on around the boardwalk looking at several other geysers, hot springs, boiling water, steam coming out of the ground, very dangerous & there was a little girl of about 4 running on her own! One trip or slip & she could have been badly hurt. Some people have no idea how dangerous things can be!

On the last part of today’s drive we stopped by a massive glacial boulder to take photos & also filmed some deer & buffalo. What a long but brilliant day, roll on tomorrow!

Day 71 West Yellowstone 24.06.12

Sunday again so called home then got ready for our 2^nd day in Yellowstone Park doing the upper loop this time. This is shorter than the lower loop but we do take lots of detours to see things.

First stop was Canary Spring, named because of the colour of the bacteria in the 1800s. It’s a boiling hot waterfall & is now blue & orange, an amazing sight. Then we drove to another spring & there was a herd of buffalo by the pond so we went to film them. I could never get fed up with this & would happily watch wildlife all day. Driving away we spotted a man by some trees with his camera so stopped & there was a huge elk with really big antlers just grazing on his own.

A little while later there was a big crowd & some rangers & again we stopped but apparently it was a bear asleep by a tree & you couldn’t see anything. We’ve seen bears close up so we moved on. Our next call was to Mammoth, a nice little place & we had lunch outside & there were deer grazing on people’s front lawns. A lady walked by with a big dog & a large deer was clearly unhappy about this & followed them until they moved off. It was quite intimidating.

We had a little walk by the river then to the Roosevelt lodge where we had a lovely meal before driving home via Mount Washburn, which was very high with snow still in places. Another fab day.

Day 72 West Yellowstone to Jackson, Wyoming 25.06.12

Sad to be leaving West Yellowstone as it’s a lovely town. Before we left we went to the museum & saw lots about the history of the railroad & how the park became popular & accessible to the public because of it. We’ve got to drive down through the park to get to Teton NP & Jackson so will be stopping off at a couple of places on the way. The Midway geyser basin was one of these & certainly didn’t disappoint. It was basically large, deep ponds of boiling water with different colours around them & rivulets running into the river. Very colourful & hot.

We couldn’t leave without popping to see ‘Old Faithful’ again & had an hour to spare so went for some lunch then took our places again. No 2 eruptions are the same so this one seemed a bit longer & a bit lower than the last. We drove past the continental divide where the water in the area goes 2 ways to different oceans. We’ve both loved Yellowstone Park so much, it is so diverse with the landscape, wildlife & all of the different features in it that every minute is an adventure as you don’t know what’s coming next.

We’d entered Teton NP & stopped at the Snake River Overlook. There were signs all around about bears & bison but we didn’t see either worse luck. Finally checked into the Motel 6 in Jackson, the town seems great, very busy. Reading the reviews on this hotel we knew it was a budget one, Jackson is a very expensive place to stay. Our room is spacious, clean, fridge & microwave & nice bathroom. A sign in the room said you could get iron & ironing board from the lobby & also a coffee maker so I asked & got one! The fridge is so noisy we put it in the bathroom for the night otherwise there was no way we would sleep!

Day 73 Jackson 26.06.12

Well, it worked, we didn’t hear the fridge! Moved it back before we went out though. Also left a note requesting an extra pillow, will let you know if we get one when we come in.

Got ready & left about 11 for Teton Village in the park. Part of it was closed off as there was a bad gas leak, the bit we did see was lovely & we’ll pop back tomorrow. It’s a bit like Whistler & seems geared up to skiing & horse riding.

We drove on to Jenny Lake where we had some lunch & a walk around part of the lake. This park is very different to any other, with the Teton mountains towering over everything it’s all about the scenery here & not the wildlife or features, but still lovely in its own right.

Jackson was our destination after driving around, we even managed to be there in time for the ‘shoot out’ in the street! Done by the local actors & using blanks it was still very impressive & entertaining.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this part of the journey. Photos coming separately. By the way we got the pillow!

TTFN xxx

Days 64 to 69 Photos

Me & my friend in Canmore with the raspberry ale!

Entering the Blackfeet reservation

 A herd of buffalo just over the border in Montana

Glacier national park

Up the mountain in the park, road only opened that day!

 The 'car wash' made by the snow melting!

 Above - little log cabin in the woods.
Below - a cafe on the Blackfeet reservation

 On the bank of the Missouri river

 Above - On a seat in West Yellowstone
Below - One of the bears hunting for food at the Grizzly & Wolf discovery centre

 You can just see the young wolf's tail while the others ask him what he's up to!

 Me coming out of a teepee

 Can't resist a comfy seat!

Hope you liked the photos. Hopefully will have some good ones to show you in a couple of days.
TTFN xxx

Days 64 to 69 Canmore to West Yellowstone 17-22.06.12

Day 64 Canmore, Nr Banff 17.06.12

Father’s day, have a great day all you Dads out there.

Had a disturbed night due to a) Midge bites itching like mad in the night

                                                    b) The noise from people going home in the early hours.

Not complaining as we’ve all done it!

Got ready to drive into Banff for a look around. On the way we had to stop for a train to cross the road. I kid you not, it had 3 engines at intervals along it & at least 150 large container wagons. It must have been half a mile long & I didn’t get the video camera out in time!

We arrived in Banff & found a parking space. It’s a lovely place, touristy, alpine, lots of shops, cafes, restaurants etc. Bought some gifts & went into a pub called ‘ Tommy’s neighbourhood pub’ with lunch specials for $8 so we went  for the steak sandwich with fries & onion rings. It was delicious!

By this time our 2 hours of parking was up so we went back to Canmore. On the way back a black bear was trying to cross the road! We spent an hour in our hotel then went for a walk up the street for an ice cream & a look around. Found the best used book shop ever, thousands of books, I could have spent a few days in there. Back to the hotel for the evening with a bottle of raspberry ale!

Day 65 Canmore to Cardston 18.06.12

Slept better last night, shower, breakfast & packed then walked to the post office to get some stamps for postcards before setting off on the 220 mile drive to Cardston & our last night in Canada for a while.

After a short time on the road the clouds came over & the mountains changed to very flat land as far as the eye could see. Then the rain started & did it come down hard? We didn’t stop & arrived at the South Country Inn in Cardston at 3.30pm & checked in. Nice hotel but no coffee / tea maker & no breakfast again.

At last the rain stopped so we went for a walk up the street then to the Greek restaurant next door. We had the best meal so far, souvlaki with rice, lemon potatoes, Greek salad & pitta. The waitress told us that the chef is from Greece, no surprise as the food was as good as any I’ve had on a Greek Island!  Read my book until it was time for bed.

Day 66 Cardston, Canada to East Glacier, Montana, USA 19.06.12

Going back to America for the next couple of weeks & so looking forward to more rest rooms & better road signs!

Set off in the rain as you might guess by now & crossed the border with no problems, the 2 men on duty were very pleasant, unlike the one on the way to Canada.

Just after the border there was a statue of 2 Indians, flags & a sign about the Blackfeet tribe.

Then we saw a herd of buffalo lying down in a field. Pity they weren’t up & about but at least we saw some.
We went to St. Mary & stopped for a coffee, the lad who served us said he wasn’t sure if the road through Glacier National Park was open as it is shut all winter because of the 30 – 40 feet of snow they get every year! Last year it didn’t open until mid July! While we were there another employee came in to say the road had just been opened. How lucky is that? If we’d been a day earlier we wouldn’t have been able to cross it.

He also said that 2 WEEKS AGO they had 32 inches of snow! Hard for us to take in, that’s more than we’ve had in the last 10 years.

We entered the park & paid $25 for a pass then started driving through wonderful scenery again. Past Saint Mary Lake with trees & mountains stopping several times to take pictures then we started going up over the mountain. This is when it got a bit hairy as the clouds dropped, the rain was coming down in sheets & the road rose up & up getting quite narrow in places. Oh, I forgot, the snow was piled up at each side & looked as if it was going to come down on us!

When we got higher up some of the road had suffered from the winter weather & there were a lot of workmen & women up there working on the road & clearing drains. The melted snow was coming down onto the road in waterfalls, just like going through a car wash at times. It was scarey but also exhilarating.

The road started coming down again & we were out of the clouds & could see again. Lake MacDonald was another stretch of water we drove past & we stopped at the Apgar visitor centre for an ice cream which we ate by the lake. (It had stopped raining.)

That was a lovely national park to drive through, different again from the others. We carried on to East Glacier, about 40 odd miles away to the Mountain Pine Lodge. The little old lady who checked us in was the owner with her husband, Terry. She told us of lots of walks to do & then forgot our room number 3 times, a real character.

I have to tell you that this place is a throw back from the 1950’s! The cabins are lovely & clean but the furnishings are pure retro. The tv is ancient (Poor Roy was hoping to catch the England match but no chance!) No drawers to put anything away, no fridge, no tea / coffee maker, wi fi so weak we might as well not have any. The whole atmosphere of the place screams 1950’s but it’s all part of the adventure we’re on.

After sorting our stuff we went for a walk up the road & then to the village half a mile away. On the way past the golf course we saw a big brown bear run across the road & off into the trees by the rail track. Didn’t expect that!!! Went into a nice gift shop & treated myself to some hoop (not massive) earrings then walked back looking out for bears all the way. Certainly won’t be walking around here in the dark!

We decided to go to a diner called Luna’s for tea & had a pud called huckleberry pie with whipped cream which was delicious. Then waddled back to the room to see if the match was on but sadly we can only get 6 channels & none of them have the match on only baseball!

Day 67 East Glacier to Great Falls 20.06.12

Didn’t sleep well at all, kept thinking I could hear bears but it was a dog tied up near our room! Set off for Great Falls through the Blackfeet reservation. Their village looks so depressing & in need of a good revamp. Do feel sorry for how the tribes have all been treated over the years.

The landscape has been very flat, plains with a few deer & lots of horses & cattle. Arrived at the O’Haire Motor Inn & checked in. This is a little different as they advertise a bar with mermaids swimming in the pool visible by a glass wall in the bar. Interestingly this is also the hotel pool so I won’t be going in it!

We unpacked, made a hot drink & pottered about then the noise started, the woman on reception had told us we would have a lovely quiet room. We waited for a while & it went off but then started again so Roy went to reception to see what it was. It’s the generator on the roof above us. So we packed up & moved to another room. Thankfully no noise here.

We had a look around & found the bar for later, although a few appeared to have been in there for a while! Then we went for a walk by the Missouri river, that was the plan but there were so many Canada geese with goslings that we only went a short distance. Back to the room & got ready for tea in the hotel restaurant then up to the bar to see the ‘mermaids’.

The food was nice but as for the ‘mermaids’ I could have done better! 2 young girls in goggles & bikini tops with home-made tails in black fabric with wispy bits of net at the bottom. Nothing like on the web page. Oh well, at least we went. We left before the lady on the piano started but Roy went through later on his way to the chocolate machine & said she was worse than he had imagined!

Day 68 Great Falls to Bozeman 21.06.12

Got ready & went to look at the falls before setting off for Bozeman. Stopped on the way for a picnic at Safeway & had a frappachino. Prefer milk shake myself. Carried on & checked into the Super 8 at Bozeman, seems like a lovely area. Pottered around & wrote some postcards then went to McDonalds next door for tea. We’re both getting sick to death of fast food & the way everything is cooked, can’t wait for beans on toast, bacon sarnies & a Sunday roast! Not really much to report from here as we just had a quiet time.

Day 69 Bozeman to West Yellowstone 22.06.12

Didn’t sleep well, too much on my mind as I had 2 viewings on the house yesterday & should hear back after the weekend. Got ready & went for our first free breakfast for 6 days, bliss.

Set off for West Yellowstone where we’ll be staying for 3 days & the weather is much warmer so the shorts will be out again. We arrived at the One Horse Motel really early at 12.30 but Holly, one of the owners, said we could move in. If you can imagine motels from films where you pull up in front of your room then this is it. The room is lovely with everything but a coffee maker so we’ll have to make do with beer instead!

Roy did a load of washing (Poor henpecked man you’re thinking!) while I settled in then we went for a walk into town while it was drying for a look around.

It’s a very nice town for people going to Yellowstone Park with lots of shops, cafes, restaurants &, best of all, a Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Centre. They have all either been rescued as cubs or put there instead of being destroyed because they were being nuisances to towns & unable to relocate because they’d got used to going through bins etc as a source of food.

We had a great time watching the bears, they are put in the compound in 2’s or 3’s after the ranger has hidden lots of food for them to find. The wolves were mostly lying around until a young one went into a deep hole & was digging & 2 others went over to see what he was up to so we got some great photos & video. They are doing a great job educating people about bears & wolves & the bears also have a job testing bear proof bins for designers. It’s a non-profit making enterprise.

On the way back we stopped for a pizza & a beer as we were very thirsty.

I’ll put the photos on separately again.

TTFN xxx

Photos from days 60 to 63

Hope you like these photos.

View from our hotel room in Kamloops

 Roy doing the ironing - he did the washing too!

 On the deck at the Solstice B & B in Valemount

A real log cabin in the woods

I was telling the truth about the stunning Canadian scenery!

Athabasca glacier sign

 Roy by the explorer vehicles that took us onto the glacier

 Does it look cold & windy? It was - very!

 A view of the glacier

 The big brown bear we saw at the roadside on the way to Banff.

 Self explanitary!

 Lake Louise, lovely even in the rain.

Hope you've enjoyed sharing some of our adventures via the photos. More to come in a couple of days.

TTFN xxx

Days 60 to 63 vancouver to Banff 13 - 16.06.12

Day 60 Vancouver to Kamloops 13.06.12

Leaving Vancouver today for a 1 night stay in Kamloops, it's very cloudy & the mountains are invisible so good job we video’d them yesterday. Set off through the amazing Canadian countryside of trees, more trees, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, sheer rock faces, just like on the tv. It rained a bit but doesn't detract from the views at all. We stopped at a rest area in the mountains & had a hotdog & hot chocolate. There was still snow on the ground & it was freezing! We finally got to the hotel after firstly going to the wrong one, then sitting outside Starbucks with the computer on looking for directions, luckily it was only down the road!
We checked into the Maverick Motor Inn & have got a great room on the top floor with views of the city through the picture window, perfect.

I unpacked & sent Roy off to do the washing. We got ready & went to the chinese restaurant next door. The food was brilliant but the portions were enormous! Even the waitress talked us out of having rice as she said we should see the portions before deciding. We didn't have the rice! Back at the hotel we got 'The Great Outdoors' with John Candy & both enjoyed watching it.

Day 61 Kamloops to Valemount 14.06.12

Off to our 2nd & last B & B of the trip today, 220 miles to drive. The sky was overcast &, lo & behold, not far into the journey the heavens opened & it rained for the rest of the day. We stopped at a place in Blue River for some food before carrying on. Just down the road I spotted a flash of black & it was 2 black bears near the side of the road grazing on the plants. Roy quietly pulled up nearby so I could video them. It was thrilling, one didn't mind at all but the other moved further & further into the longer grass as if it was hiding. What a buzz!

Not much later we arrived at the Solstice B & B run by Leneaya & her husband Keith. She greeted us like long lost friends with her almost 2 year old daughter, Jessie. We were made to feel very at home in their lovely log cabin. The huge deck looked out over the trees to a river & snow capped mountains. It really is out in the woods! What a view to wake up to every morning.
We settled in to our room with wooden furniture that Keith had made & then were invited into the kitchen to talk to her while she cooked their tea. While we sat there with our cups of tea we saw humming birds coming to feed on the deck.
We went into the living room that is for guests & watched 'The Patriot' with Mel Gibson before turning in for the night. Everywhere is so quiet.
Unfortunately, & because I'm so biteable! I had a few midge bites!

Day 62 Valemount to Jasper, Alberta 15.06.12

We slept well in our extremely comfy bed & went out on the deck until our cooked breakfast was ready. The rain has stopped so we took some photos & the dog seemed to get on them all!
Brilliant breakfast, fresh fruit salad, bacon, eggs, potatoes, tomato & toast. While we were having our breakfast Jessie decided to sit on the dogs back out on the deck. It was so cute, the dog rolled over as if to say, 'go on then!' The next thing Jessie was lying by the dog & they were cuddling each other. Pity we couldn't get the camera fast enough! What a wonderful life for a child.

Then we set off, reluctantly, on our 130 mile drive to Jasper. We'll do some stop offs on the way. We had to stop to pay for a 3 day pass to Jasper & Banff national parks - we didn't know about that & left $60 lighter.
The scenery is amazing, hope we don't start taking it for granted. We stopped in Jasper for a drink & a look around & were quite disappointed by it as we thought it would be a bit more vibrant. Nice but not quite what we expected. decided not to go up on the cable car but save the money towards tomorrows trip.
We stopped at a few viewpoints for waterfalls & lakes & then I spotted a coyote. They are such shy creatures but I tried to film it. We saw another one at a stopping place a few miles further on but it ran off as soon as it saw us. It's brilliant seeing animals in the wild.
Then we stopped at the Athabasca falls which were fast & furious & just by the carpark. An Indian gentleman asked Roy where they were when he could see & hear them!!!

We arrived at the Sunwapta Falls Lodge, the most expensive hotel apart from New York, at 4.00pm & checked in. Our room is very nice with views of the mountains. Unpacked & went for the 5 minute walk to the Sunwapta falls, again very fast moving water, nothing would stand a chance if they fell in. My bites were starting to itch &, to top it all, I've got another on my foot from the walk to the falls! Blast!

We booked a table at the restaurant for 7.30pm & relaxed before getting ready. When we went down the lad made a comment about being late, then we discovered that the time has changed again & it was actually 8.30pm! Thankfully there was a table for us & we both had the spaghetti with buffalo bolognese sauce.
It was lovely but pricey, we couldn't eat like that every day on our budget but it's nice for a change.

Day 63 Jasper to Canmore, Nr Banff 16.06.12   

Woke this morning with terrible earache in my left ear & swollen glands. Packed up & set off for our 2 day stay in Canmore. We are travelling along the Icefields Parkway which is one of the top 10 drives in the world. They are absolutely correct, so I won't bore you with more talk of the scenery.
On the way we stopped off at the Columbia Icefield & paid $104 to go on a trip on the Athabasca glacier.
I put on 2 fleeces & my waterproof coat with a hood for my poor ear. We were driven in a coach to the edge of the glacier & then transferred into an explorer. The drivers / guides are all very knowledgable about the glacier, history, everything to do with the area & kept us entertained. Once we had got quite a way onto the glacier we had 25 minutes to get off & explore, but only in specific places. The wind was so fierce it almost blew me over & it was so cold, like being in the arctic! Absolutely amazing though, a trip not to be missed. Sadly, at the rate it is melting, there will be no glacier there in 100 years time.

After we got back to the centre we had a slice of pizza & hot chocolate to warm us up.
As we drove along the road we could see 2 cars stopped so we pulled up & there was a large brown bear on the roadside grazing. He wasn't bothered by us but then other vehicles started pulling up so he scarpered.
Further on there was another group & there was a large grizzly with 2 cubs but I could only see it's head. Looked big though. There were some orientals & they were making so much noise I'm surprised the bear stayed where it was!

Next stop was Lake Louise, very pretty but, unfortunately, it was raining again so we had a quick look, took some photos & left. We carried on to our hotel in Canmore, the Bow Valley Inn & another nice room looking out on the mountains. It's hard not to look at them as they are all around.
We went to the brew pub, The grizzly Paw, next door & I had a raspberry beer & Roy had another sort of beer & we both had the burgers. Had a walk down the street then back to the hotel as the rain had started again.

Photos going on a separate blog.

TTFN xxx

Days 55 to 59 Seattle - Vancouver, Canada 08 - 12.06.12

Day 55 Seattle to Vancouver 08.06.12

Got up at 7.30am, showered, had breakfast & packed. We’re going to Vancouver, Canada today for 5 days. We’ve only got 130 miles to go so there’s no rush. Just before the border the rain was so bad we could hardly see where we were going. We filled up with petrol, as it’s so expensive in Canada & then crossed the border. The guy on duty wanted to know where we were from, why we were going to Canada, what we did for a living, if we’d bought any alcohol or cigarettes but didn’t even look at our car papers which we’d made sure to print off! Typical, if we didn’t have them he would have wanted to see them.

Anyway our plan was to surprise Jennie at work but before we could do that we had a text from Louise saying that Jennie had gone for some lunch & could we go to her house at 4.00pm? Since being in Canada Jennie hasn’t been able to get in touch via phone so emails Louise to text us.

We first had to find an HSBC bank to get some Canadian dollars, which we did, then find the hotel & sign in. As we were too early to check in we popped next door to McDonalds for a coffee & burger then checked in & unpacked. Our room is a nice 2 queen bed room with everything we need for our 5 night stay &, for the first time in ages, I unpacked properly!

The next thing was to find Jennie’s house, Roy had an idea where it was from Google maps but hadn’t allowed for the fact that house numbers don’t go in numerical order! There were odd gaps between them of 50, 70 or even more than 100 so we’d gone past Jennie’s house without realising it. After turning round & going back we found it & went in to have a look at where she’s been living for the last year & a bit.

At this point it should have been a grand reunion but we had that in Vegas when she & Louise surprised us! After an inspection of the house we went for a walk down to the water via her neighbourhood, which is very nice & residential. We were hungry by the time we set off back so went into White Spot (similar to Wetherspoons) for some tea & then to meet Amy & Mike who share the house with Jennie. We’ve been lucky with the weather today as it’s been very pleasant.

Day 56 Vancouver  09.06.12

Woke at 7.30am & got ready for our trip to Whistler, where the winter Olympics have been held. Picked Jennie, Amy & Mike up about 9.30am & set off on the 70 mile trip to Whistler. On the way we stopped off at Shannon Falls & Brandywine Falls, both very picturesque. Whistler is lovely, like an alpine village in the mountains with snow still on top of them. We had a wander around, took some photos & had an ice cream. There were loads of people on bikes going up on the ski lift then cycling down the steep path back to the bottom! This is what they do when the skiing season is over. Looked dangerous to me but exhilarating!

After a couple of hours we drove on 40+ miles to the Joffre lakes high up in the mountains. So high in fact that there was still quite a bit of snow that we had to walk through down through the trees to the lake! Wow, it was worth it. Pure typical Canadian scenery, woods, lake, mountains with trees & snow on, perfect. I have to say that throughout the day I had shorts on, even in the snow!

The scenery on all of the drive today has been superb. On the way back we stopped for a drink & the 3 ‘young ‘uns’ had hotdogs then we came back stopping by the water for a quick look before dropping them all off about 8.00pm & calling at Wendy’s for baked potatoes & chilli for our tea, then back to the hotel to relax.

Day 57 Vancouver 10.06.12

Can’t believe how fast these Sundays come around! Rang home so they know we’re still alive, then got ready for our next day out. Picked Jennie up at 10.30am & drove to Capilano Suspension Bridge. Jennie’s friend has got us complimentary passes which was greatly appreciated. What a well set out place it was. We went over the suspension bridge, 450 feet long, 230 feet high over the river. Yes, I walked over it & loved it! It was swaying loads because of all of the people going both ways but was very safe & great fun, just like on ‘I’m a celebrity!’  I can prove it by the pictures! We also went along all of the wooden walkways up among the Douglas firs in the treetops adventure & high up on the cliff walk via another 7 suspension bridges ( not as long as the main one), up the sheer granite cliffs over the canyon. Fantastic! We rewarded ourselves with hotdogs, chips & a drink before heading off.

Next stop Grouse Mountain. Jennie has a year pass so we got in for half price. Nice one Jennie! We went on the skyride which is a cable car straight up the mountain, a great 6 minute ride standing with 60 odd other people. On the way we could see the 3 wolves in the wolf enclosure at the bottom of the mountain. Brill – I love wolves – the furry kind, not the footie team!

When we got off we were glad to have on layers & rain coats as the cloud was very low & there was still a fair bit of snow around. No shorts today! The first thing we did was watch the lumber jack show – 2 guys competing against each other, chopping wood, climbing massive, high trees & log rolling in water & they both had a drenching. It was all great fun. Then we went to see if the 2 rescued grizzly bears, Grinder & Coola were visible in their enclosure. They were both rescued as cubs when their mothers were killed & have lived there for 11 years as they wouldn’t have survived in the wild. They have a large area including a big pond & somewhere to hibernate so don’t do too bad. Coola was only visible from the back but Grinder was having a look around but not walking around. They only came out of hibernation mid April.

On the mountain the snow is usually at least 20 feet deep every winter & takes quite a while to go. As it was too cloudy we didn’t take the ski lift to the summit as we wouldn’t have seen anything but we did enjoy watching people on the zip line.

Next we went to see the birds of prey show & saw a Kestrel, 2 owls, a vulture & a bald eagle. Drawn back to the bears in case they were moving about we listened to the rangers talk about them & then got the cable car back to the bottom to see if the wolves were around. We did see one of the white wolves lying down but the others weren’t around. Then we saw 2 black tailed deer so, all in all, it was a great day.

Jennie came back to the hotel with us to help put the photos on to discs, then we dropped her off at home.

Day 58 Vancouver  11.06.12

Forgot to say in yesterdays blog that people, including Jennie, actually run, jog & walk up Grouse Mountain for pleasure & there’s a list of fastest times with different age groups. If you saw how steep it was you’d think they were mad! There was even an 80 -89 year old age group & the times were amazingly fast!

Got ready & had a walk up the road before going to Starbucks where Jennie works to meet her when she finishes. Today we’re exploring the city & going to Stanley Park so we dropped the car off at Jennie’s house & walked to the skytrain to go downtown. When we got there we went on the seabus to North Vancouver then came back & went to an Irish pub for some lunch.

Well fed we set off for the water front & had a walk around seeing a big cruise liner & lots of sea planes landing & taking off. We walked to Stanley Park & had an ice cream then walked round. I have never seen so many cyclists, joggers & roller skaters in my life, everybody in Vancouver seems to be fitness orientated! It’s great to see after the excesses of America!

After walking for most of the day my feet & legs were a bit tired so it was nice to relax in the hotel for the evening.

Day 59 Vancouver 12.06.12

After 3 days of good weather it was a surprise to wake up to drizzle. No problem as we’ve got lots to do today. First off was to draw out some more money & we discovered that we could only use the HSBC bank so wasted quite a bit of time. Then we took the car for an oil change & then into town to find an Alamo office to take out breakdown cover for the rest of our trip. This done we did a bit of souvenir shopping before picking Jennie up from work.

We’ve booked hair appointments and the girl, Bonnie, is Vietnamese. She looked at my hair & went off to get the colour for the highlights & base without looking at colour charts – which was a bit worrying! I can honestly say no one has put colour on my hair so fast before! Then Roy had the fastest hair cut ever & I had the colour washed off & my hair cut. All in all she made a great job of us both but there were moments when I feared for our ears as she was a whizz with the scissors!

After a bit of shopping we dropped Jennie off at home, she’s making us chicken casserole for tea, yummy! Roy dropped me off at the hotel so I could do some sorting out & went to Jennie’s to fit her a blind & go for some shelves before picking me up for tea. All I can say is, ‘ Jennie, you make a great chicken casserole. Thank you!’ The day may have been miserable as far as the weather was concerned but it was a triumph as far as getting things done that needed doing & having a lovely, home cooked tea. Our time in Vancouver has been great & we’d like to thank Jennie for being such a great guide & host.

 In Whistler at the olympic rings

Me in the snow by Joffre lake in my shorts!

 Joffre lake - perfect scenery

 Left to right - Mike, Jennie, Amy & moi!

Jennie & I at Capilano

 Who likes my friend?

 The suspension bridge - I'm a celebrity...

 Yes, I did go all the way across & back!

 Roy & I in the snow at the top of Grouse mountain

 Can anyone see a grizzly bear???

 Bald eagle & friend

 Jennie hard at work

 Roy & I at the steam clock in downtown Vancouver

 Just to prove we were there

Hope you've enjoyed hearing about our adventure in Vancouver & seeing the photos.

TTFN xxx