Capilano and Grouse

Now we have our own vehicle, the real thing begins. Charlotte is stocked with food and we are ready to hit the road today, heading for Osoyoos, BC.

Yesterday some sights around Vancouver were truly spectacular.

Capilano Suspension Bridge crosses a gorge in the temperate rainforest. I believe a scene from Twilight was shot here, for the Twilight fans out there!

The First Nation People are well represented here, with some magnificent wood carvings along the path to the bridge. Whilst crossing was not a particularly pleasant experience for me, Bill and Lozza loved it. Eventually the ground became stable on the other side and we went for a guided walk through the forest, where a nibble on some hemlock settled my somewhat disturbed tummy. Another first nation remedy involved the second largest slug in the world - a banana slug. The slime from this slug was used as a dental anaesthetic, with Lozza confirmed for the group by licking it! She assures us that it was effective!

A skywalk above the trees (once again including suspension walkways - thankfully shorter) gave a view from above the Douglas Fir, Hemlock and Maple trees.

Further up the mountain is Grouse Mountain, a winter ski resort open in summer for sight seeing. A Skylift took us to the top of the mountain, where some snow still lies. What were we thinking? Bill and I took an immediate trip to the tourist trap, where we acquired the most expensive sloppy joes we will ever acquire! Both of us were also in sandals and Bill wore shorts. We, like many others, just dealt with this! Lozza, being a Victorian didn't notice it!

A further ride up the mountain in a chair lift avoided a walk called the "Grouse Grind" - a winter ski run. Not for the faint hearted, we are assured. From here spectacular views over Vancouver impressed us. Back down to the top of the Skylift, where we watched the two grizzly bears playing in their dams. These orphaned bears have a 5 acre enclosure and appear to know what their role is when it comes to tourists. The raptor show was also impressive, with USA's emblem, the bald eagle strutting his stuff. Laura was probably most impressed by a tiny chipmunk who entertained us as we walked along the path, once again admiring the stunning red cedar carvings. Beneath the skylift 3 wolves (2 white), also brought into captivity through some mismeandour in life slept in their reservation.

Traffic back into Vancouver was heavy so we stopped in West Vancouver for dinner, followed by a shopping trip for provisions. The whole foods supermarkets that we have seen throughout USA and Canada are fully provisioned with organic and healthy food options! Yay! Makes my life somewhat easier. It has been difficult finding appropriate food for me. I am sick of iceberg lettuce salads with not much else in them. Whole foods is like heaven on earth!

I think we have a lot of berry products to consume over the next few days. 1lb of blueberries, blueberry/blackberry juice, berry jam for our wholemeal bread (minus the corn syrup that is in every commercial product available elsewhere). It is all sounding berry good to me!