Murder in Whistler

Friday was a provincial wide specialist professional development day, and I had decided to go to the CUEBC conference in Surrey.

We had asked friends to join us on a weekend that we had booked at Sundance Lodge in Whistler. Patty and Olivia came up from Washington, and picked up Paula, Bridget and Daniel, and went up to Whistler in the late afternoon. The conference I was at was close to the border in Surrey, so I went down to Burlington, picked them up, and headed back over the border to North Van, picked up my gear, and then on to Whistler. We got up to the lodge at about 10:30. We had booked two apartments which were on the same floor, but with a few rooms in-between.

We were staying at Whistler Creekside and woke up to beautiful views down the valley and over the lakes. It was in between the mountain biking season and the ski season, so the town was a bit quiet. We all went in to town for a walk around the village. After we had walked from one end of the village to the other, Roger, Olivia and I decided that we would go for a walk up the mountains, while the others decided they would head back to the lodge.

We crossed the creek and began to head up Blackcomb Mountain. The walking was easy on grassy hills which would be the ski runs during the ski season. The slopes got a bit steeper at times and we stopped regularly to take in the views, as well as to catch our breath. The views were spectacular. All the colours of fall spread out like a carpet in the valley below. We were looking across the valley at the snow capped peak of the nearby mountains and wondering how much further we would have to go to reach the snowline. We had decided that we had better turn around by about 3 pm, so that we would be able to get back down the mountain before it started to get dark. As it neared 3 pm we also began to see snow on the sides of the road. We continued a bit further and decided that we had reached the snow line, so we stopped for a bit, took in the view, and headed back down the mountain. On the way back we stopped at a rocky outcrop that was strewn with rocks and Roger and Olivia decided to build an Inukshuk to join the other Inuksuit that others had built.

When we got down to the village we decided to call in to the Whistler Brewrey and have a snack and a drink. We ordered some chicken wings and a taster tray of the beers. There were seven beers on the wooden tasting tray that arrived. We tasted them all before deciding which we preferred, and ordered a pint each.

Paula had picked up an unopened "Murder" game that was set in a ski resort, so we ha decided that we would play that on Saturday night. We had all been given information about the characters we were playing, and had brought up gear appropriate for the scene. We moved furniture from one unit to the other so that we had enough for all of us to have dinner and play the game. It was fun with Roger dressed up as a Texan with a broken leg, using a mop as a crutch, while he sipped his Havana Club rum and Havana cigar.

We woke the next day to find that it had snowed up on the mountain, and that if we had done the walk up the mountain today instead of yesterday that we would only have had to walk half the distance to the snowline. We had another walk around the village before heading back down the Sea to Sky Highway, stopping at Brandywine Falls and back along the edge of Howe Sound to Vancouver.

Driver's licence

If you are resident in BC for more than 90 days you must get a driver's licence. They will not accept an International licence after the 90 days.

Well, I finally got my driver's licence. I had to wait about six weeks from the time that I passed the Knowledge Test. That was a bit stressful - having to get 80% of the test correct to pass. This was done on the computer, at $15 a sitting.

On the day of the test I had an appointment at 8:30 am. It was pouring rain. The tester said that he wasn't there to test my driving ability, as he said that he knew that I could drive because I had held a licence for over 30 years. He said he was looking to check to see if I knew the BC laws and to see whether I had brought any bad habits with me.

We went out to the car and he checked all the lights and indicators. He then said that he would not do any talking, except to give instructions for turning, and where to go. He took me through every type of speed zone - around a school, a playground, shopping district and in the highway, before telling me we were heading back to the testing centre. We sat in the car for a bit while he discussed a few points, and then he said that I had passed, and that we had better go inside to get my licence. I paid $50 and collected my Victorian licence before breathing a sigh of relief and heading for school. I was back in class by 9:30 am.

Seattle weekend

We were supposed to visit Carol and Terry in Winthrop this weekend, but they rang to say that they were suffering with coughs and splutters, and that we might want to reschedule our visit.

We decided that we would head down to Seattle. The forecast was for rain, but there were things that we could still do despite the weather.

We headed down to the Skagit Valley on Friday night and went to the Burlington-Edison High School game against Blaine. It was also the Homecoming game. The Homecoming Kings and Queens of each year level were announced and presented to the crowd. It was unfortunate that it was bucketing with rain. I did manage to be in the right place to capture the BEHS Rollercoaster Cheer on video.





On Saturday we drove down to Seattle and had a look around at the Waterfront area. We stopped at the Curiosity Shop and also went to the Pike Place Market. It was while we were at the Pike Place Fish Market that Bridget spotted someone in the crowd and asked me if it was Ben Graham. It was, so I suggested that we go over and say "Hello". We did go and talk to him, and he introduced us to another couple of guys he was with. They were also players for the Arizona Cardinals who were in town to play the Seahawks on Sunday. One of them commented that ".. it must be true what he says about being famous in Australia, if people rcognise him in the street in Seattle". We talked for a while and he let Bridget get a photo with him. The Cardinals won the game.


Ben was captain of Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League from 2000 - 2003. He left Geelong to play football in the US for the New York Jets. He also captained them, and therefor became the only player to have captained two professional team in two different sports. He is the only player to be named a captain of both an AFL and NFL side. During his career he has played in the biggest game in two codes, the AFL Grand Final (1995) and the Super Bowl XLIII. He was the first Australian to have played in a Super Bowl.

The next day we went on the Underground Tour from Pioneer Square. It gives you a glimpse into the past of the city, and the colouful lives of some of the people. It is amazing to listen to the stories of how the city was rebuilt after the great fire.

Thanksgiving weekend

Thanksgiving is celebrated in Canada on the second Monday of October. That means a long weekend. Most families celebrate with a turkey dinner on Sunday. That also happened to be Bridget's 17th birthday, so we had a dinner with some friends on the Saturday night.

One of the teachers at school invited us to share the celebration with her family at Cultus Lake. It is about a ninety minute drive up the Fraser River Valley towards the mountains. Her two daughters were in Calgary and unable to attend. As it turned out, it was a very multicultural affair, with 4 Aussies, I German, and 3 Mexicans, as well as her family. There were about 30 people for a sit-down turkey dinner. Each family was to bring certain things to contribute towards the meal.

It was a beautiful clear day, and it was a lovely drive out to Chilliwack, with the Fall colours in the trees and a very clear view of snow capped Mount Baker in front of us for most of the trip. Near Chilliwack, we turned off the main highway and headed through farming country towards the foothills of the Cascade range. We started a gradual climb for a few kms. towards Cultus Lake, which is a summer resort, with houses around the shore. It is also very close to the US - Canadian border.The only problem with having Thanksgiving dinner out in "The Valley" was that we had to drive home.

On the Monday holiday we decided to go to the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia - UBC. They have a great collection of First Nation Totem Poles and other pieces from the Pacific Coast of BC and Haida Gwaii, or The Queen Charlotte Islands. They are still in the renovation phase of their redevelopment and several galleries are still to be opened.

Paula and Nola headed off for Vancouver Island on Tuesday. They caught a ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo, and stopped at Chemainus on their way down to Victoria. Tara, the downstairs tenant, works for Fairmont Hotels, and booked them in to The Empress Hotel. The next day the weather was kind to them. and they went to Butchart Gardens. On Thursday they caught a ferry back from Schwarz Bay to Tsawwassan. They called back at home to book another Fairmont Hotel in Seattle and headed south. I am not supposed to know that they had to come back to get Nola's passport as well. They went down and stayed in Mount Vernon, and went to La Conner and Anacortes while they were there. They spent Friday night in Seattle, ent to the Pike Place Market on Saturday, and returned to Vancouver via Chuckanut Drive, and Taylor's shellfish farm.

Handsworth had a Pro-D Day on Friday, so Bridget and Daniel had no school. I was contemplating taking Friday off and suggesting that we all head down to Seattle. I shouldn't have worried about whether to take the day off, or not, because my problem was solved. When I got home after the staff meeting I was told, "They've gone!" They had already left for Seattle. No problem now!

Friday after school the weather was nice so I decided to walk home. I knew that there was a track under power lines and if I followed them I would end up near home at the base of Grouse Mountain. The power lines cross the Mountain Highway just near school, so I started there and followed the trail. I hung my keys and whistle from my backpack so that they rattled as I walked. Apparently this is one of the most active times for bears as they are trying to find food to build up their fat reserves in preparation for hibernation. There were still blackberries on the bushes, so I picked some as I walked. I wasn't sure where the trail went from Lynn Valley Road, so I walked a couple of blocks on the road and picked it up again on 29th Street. A bit of a way up the mountain the trail hit a creek. I walked up the creek a bit and found a park. The trail seemed to continue on the other side of the park. I came to a road and the power lines continued up the mountain. The path seemed a bit narrow and overgrown, so I decided to walk along the road. This turned out to be the Braemar Connector. This took me to the top of Lonsdale, and then I decided to stick to the roads till home. It took me about an hour and a half, and it was probably about 7 - 8 km.

Saturday was great weather as well. The temperature was in the high teens and it was beautiful and sunny. Not having a car, I was trying to decide what to do. I decided that I would go for a walk to Grouse Mountain. I had talked with the kids about doing the Grouse Grind again, but neither of them were interested in going. They just wanted to stay at home. Bridget did have a bit of a cold. I have a 12 month pass for the Skyride, so I thought I would walk to the lower station, catch the cable car up, and walk some of the trails up on top. Well, I walked up to the power lines near home and followed them to Grouse. It is much quicker than going by road. I don't know what made me do it, but, when I got to the start of the Grind, I decided to do it again. I think I was regretting it after about 10 minutes. I had started the timer on my watch as I stepped through the gate. I reached the 1/4 way mark in 30 minutes, 1/2 way in 50 minutes, 3/4 in 1 hr and 15, and finally got to the top in 1 hr and 36 minutes. That was about 15 minutes better than the last time I did it.

I walked around to get the views, and then went to see the bears again. I took the chair lift to the peak and got a closer look at the huge windmill that they have constructed as a power generator, which will provide abour half the power needed on the mountain. It also has a viewing capsule at the top of the tower. I caught the cable car down and then had to walk back along the power lines to get home. Quite a bit of walking so far this weekend.

On Sunday we had to take Nola to the airport for her flight home. We dropped her at the departure area at 11:15 and then being such a nice day we decided to drive to Steveston. We walked around the shops and along the riverside wharves. We had fish and chips while watching the boats come and go, and the seagulls and other birds looking for a feed. The view back up this arm of the Fraser River looked straight at Mount Baker. It was very clear and the snow capped mountain looked great. We have a 12 month pass to the Canadian National Parks and Historic Sites, so we decided to go to the Gulf of Georgia Cannery. Paula and I had been before when the kids were away during the summer, but we thought that they would enjoy the tour and we didn't have to pay anything extra. As we were walking into the Cannery a voicecalled out from behind us. We turned around to find some of our friends who had just come down for an afternoon walk, and icecream.

We watched a movie about the fishing industry in this area, and then took the guided tour of the canning line. When that finished the guide took us through another part of the building where they produced fish meal and oil mainly from herring. We had more time this time to explore the exhibits, and to get a feel for what it was like working in the cannery.

A day in Vancouver

Another beautiful sunny day. We decided to go to Chinatown. It was fortunate that we happened to arrive at the same time as a parade was starting. It was to celebrate 60 years of the Republic of China. There were lion dancers, and all sorts of groups marching to commemorate the founding of modern China.

After the parade we walked around the shops looking at all the herbs and spices, and the varieties of dried foods. There were all sorts of roots and vegies, as well as the shops that sell all sorts of paper products to burn as offerings to the dead. We then stopped for lunch at Hon's House of Noodles.

After lunch we walked wown to Dr. Dun Yat Sen's Classical Chinese Garden, then down to the gate into Chinatown. From there we headed towards Science World. We then caught a False Creek Ferry to Granville Island. It was a perfect day for taking photos of the city. I left Paula, Nola, Bridget and Daniel to wander around and look at the shops and entertainment, while I walked back across the Granville Street Bridge and along the walkway around False Creek, back to the car, which was parked near Science World. It took over an hour. When I got back to Granville Island I used the walkie talkie to find Daniel who knew where the others were. We then headed to the House of Icecream to taste several of the 218 flavours on display. I had mango fudge this time. The make over 500 flavours, but can only display 218 at any one time.

On the way home we detoured into Stanley Park and stopped at the totem poles. The city was just lighting up as the sun was going down, and with the moon in the backgound it looked great.

Whistler

Today, Saturday, the kids stayed home to, hopefully, get some homework done, while we headed to Whistler. We stopped along the way at Shannon Falls, the Tantalus Lookout, and Brandywine Falls. There was quite a bit of low cloud this morning which hid the higher mountains from view, but the day tuned out well and the cloud lifted for the return trip in the afternoon. The views on this Sea to Sky Highway are stunning. It will be the end of the mountain bike season at Whistler when they close the mountain bike park, and convert the chairlift back to passenger only, after the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend in 2 weeks time. There were still quite a few people up there today and it was difficult getting a car parking space. The free public parks were full. They had one of the large parking areas fenced off for paving and there is still quite a bit of work going on up there in preparation for next year's Winter Olympics.

Tour guides around Vancouver

Paula's sister, Nola, arrived on Wednesday afternoon on her way back to Australia. She has just had some time in Europe, including a 14 day cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. Paula took her around Gastown and Canada Place and then they came and picked me up from school. I had interviews with parents every night last week and was glad when I left at 5:15 pm on Thursday. Cheryl had invited the staff to her place for drinks and nibbles, so Paula and Nola came as well. Good company and a few drinks and before I knew it, we had to leave.

On Friday I got an email from one of my students inviting me to have a read of her blog. I had been reading parts of my blog to them so they could see how they can be used and to show that we can have audiences for our writing. Also as a stimulation for their own journal writing. I had shown them where they could access certain things on the internet, and was pleasantly surprised to get the invitation, and excited to see what she had created. It was brilliant! She had set up the account, uploaded her own photo, and written a couple of paragraphs. It looked great. Her mum sent me an email as well, saying how impressed she was that her daughter could do what she had done. It's great to see kids excited and technology being used properly.

Even though none of us had students on Friday, we did have a Pro-D Day to attend. I had made arrangements to go and visit another school in relation to the ITF report that I have to do when I return to Australia. As part of the International Teaching Fellowship, I have signed a contract that includes researching and reporting on an aspect of education. I had chosen to research "Innovative and Creative use of Technology in Schools". I have to use the Pro-D days at school to do this because the North Vancouver School District doesn't provide any extra days to conduct the research. Some of the other ITF's in other school districts have been provided with up to 10 days as a professional courtesy. NVSD says that it provides schools with Pro-d days, and that I should use those. That means that I have to make a choice between what is going on at my school on the day, and getting out to research other schools and programs. The Provincial Pro-D days don't allow me to get in to other schools because they are closed as well. I have requested assistance from the North Vancouver Teacher's Association, which has provided me with coverage for a day.

I did choose not to attend the activities at Eastview on Friday, and instead had made arrangements to go to a school on West Vancouver. I visited Ridgeview Elementary School which has been running a 1:1 laptop program in the grade 7 classes. They have had laptops for 5 years and the two year 7 teachers teach both classes. They have a mobile trolley that has 30 laptops and the cart is equipped with a wireless router and a printer. I was able to discuss the program and watch a couple of lessons in which students were developing a blog and student e-portfolio. I enjoyed mixing with the students and seeing what they were doing.

I thought they were going to pick me up near Ambleside Park, so I had walked down towards the shops and the park. I rang only to find out that they were on Grouse Mountain. While I was at Ridgeview, Paula had taken Nola up Cypress Mountain for a view of the city. There is a pretty good view of the city, the coast, and the islands from the lookout on the mountain. After that they decided to go up Grouse Mountain to see the bears, the Lumberjack Show, and take in the views from the peak. I knew that they would probably be up there for a couple of hours, so seeing as it was a nice day, I decided to walk along the sea wall to the Capilano River and then follow the river up the mountain to the dam and then on to home. As I was walking along the beach I heard a young voice say my name, and turned to see one of my students having fun on the swings.

The walk up the river follows the edge of the river for a bit and then you have to go up a couple of blocks of houses before again finding the trail along Keith Road. The trail continues through the forest and along the edge of the cliffs that are about 50 metres above the river. It goes along the fence behind the Capilano Suspension Bridge property and crosses numerous small creeks and valleys on the way up to the Hatchery and Cleveland Dam. The trail from the beach to the dam is about 8 km, so I guess that by the time I got home I must have walked about 15 km. I was ready for a rest and a drink when I got home.

It was also the Australian Rules Grand Final, and Geelong was to play St Kilda for the Premiership. We had been trying to work out how, or where we coupld watch it. In the end I decided that I would pay to get access through the internet and I would connect my computer to the TV. We had invited some friends to come and watch, and also organised some food and drinks. The broadcast wasn't due to start until 9:30 pm, so we filled in the time with some AFL videos from YouTube. Bridget and Daniel were both wearing their Geelong Cats jumpers and the countdown was on. Bridget is the keenest fan and was quite on edge when the game was so close. It was only after the siren sounded to end the game, with Geelong winning by 12 points. She was straight on to the computer to chat with friends. The internet broadcast finished a couple of minutes after the final siren, so we didn't see any presentations. Bridget was announcing who got the awards as her friends sent the messages. 3 Grand Finals, and 2 Premierships in 3 years is pretty good effort.

Visit to Ridgeview Elementary School

Thank you Mrs Wilson and the two year 7 classes for allowing me to come in to your classroom. I enjoyed my time watching you work with blogs.

Fort Langley

After the cruise around the harbour we decided to head out to Fort Langley again. We had all been earlier in the year when we had gone with my class. It was different going without the class because I didn't have to be constantly monitoring who was where, and their behaviour, the entire time. We were able to browse around the fort in our own time, and this time had time to read about some of the exhibits and displays. When I came with my class we had several stations that we had to visit during our time at the fort. It was a good way to get a class involved, but I appreciated the chance to come back and take in the things that I had missed.

Fort Langley was built by the Hudson Bay Company as a trading post. It houses one of the oldest standing buildings in BC, and is the place where BC was proclaimed a Province. There are docents here that act their part and bring the venue and builings to life. They explian about life in the pioneer times, demonstrate the various crafts and jobs associated with the times including blacksmith and cooperage.

Heritage harbour cruise

As part of the North Shore Heritage weekend, there was an historical harbour tour organised abourd the MV Magic Charm. This motorised vessel would have been able to carry around 200 - 250 passengers. The tickets were free. I just had to pick them up at the local Museum. I got 4 tickets and had to make sure that we got to Waterfront Park in time for the departure.

The forecast had not been great for the weekend, but it turned out to be a fantastic day. We arrived at the pier a couple of minutes before departure and boarded the boat. We went upstairs to enjoy the fresh air and the open air views. We pulled away from the pier right on time at midday, and headed west along the north shore of the Burrard Inlet towards the Lion's Gate Bridge. There was an interesting commentary about the harbour and it's history. As we got closer to the bridge, the boat turned towards Stanley Park and continued east along the south side of the inlet. There wew 4 luxury liners loading passengers for the Alaskan cruises. There were 3 at the Canada Place terminal and 1 at Ballantyne Pier. The boat continued past the container terminals and bulk terminals towards the Second Narrows Bridge. As we got closer to the bridge it began to turn again and headed back along the north shore, and headed back towards Lonsdale Quay, past the Sea Bus terminal and back to the pier that we had left from. The tour took about 45 minutes, and there was a queue of people waiting for the next one. They were running 3 free cruises for the day.


It was an interesting commentary about the harbour and the weather had been kind. It was lucky that we had found out about it and collected the free tickets. A nice trip.

School

We have just completed the first full week of school with the Terry Fox Run on Friday afternoon. I have an interesting mix of students. It has been an interesting start with the grade 2 and 3 classes spending the first 3 days in the gym. Students don't get allocated to their new classes until the new school year starts. They go to the room and the teacher that they had last year on the first day, chat about the summer and hand out notices that need to be returned, and are dismissed about an hour later. They also come back to that teacher the next day who tells them which teacher and class they will move off to. We have the maximum number of students allowed in those classes and there was discussion as to whether we would actually get another teacher and create another class. We still didn't know on the Friday as we left school, but the decision must have been made over the weekend, and we didn't get another class.

We had held off drawing up timetables, which would only have had to be changed. Now the process could begin. The music teacher had to set up his timetable first, because he is the main provider of Non-instructional Time (NIT). Then we could try and find 3 x 30 min slots for gym bookings. The computer lab timetable is yet to be done.

I have 14 boys and 13 girls - a nice balance. We had Student Alert meetings during the week, where teachers meet with the "School Support Team" and are briefed on all the students in the class. We are given files and information on students that are in need of special assistance. I was told that I have 4 students that have been designated by the School District with a variety of designations, and that a 5th student would be designated in the next few days. I have since been told that there may be a 6th student designated in the near future. According to the North Vancouver Teacher's Association (NVTA), there is agreement with the School District that class sizes are fixed at a maximum of 22 students in a Kinder class, 24 in grade 1 - 3, and 30 in grade 4 - 7. There is also a limit of 3 students with Individual Education Plans (IEP's). Any more than 3 and there needs to be a special Consultation procees. The consultation process has to take at least 48 hours and it must be finished before September 28th. Fun! Fun! Fun!

I have already been to a Grade 4 parent information night, which was to give parents a bit of information about the transition from Primary to Intermediate in the Elementary school. The students, and the teachers, are considered separately for various things. Next week I will also be at school until at least 5 pm each night for parent interviews. I have 27 students, each of which is allocated 15 minutes. That is another 7 hours of meetings.

We certainly don't start the year gradually. It is jump in at the deep end, and away we go.

Bear in the yard

Tara, the downstairs tenant came up this morning to tell us that there had been a bear in the backyard last night. We hadn't heard anything, but there was a mess. It had been raining and our bedrooms are at the front of the house.

She had woken to find a mess outside their back door, underneath our balcony. They have had a box type freezer under cover near their back door. This morning the freezer was tipped over on it's side and there was cardboard and plastic garbage around the yard, as well as bear scat on the grass. It had knocked over the freezer and helped itself to a pizza, a box of popsicles, an apple crumble, chicken nuggets, fish sticks and other bits and pieces. It decided to leave the "Lean Cuisine" and the frozen ground beef.

She has rung the North Shore Black Bear Society, so that they may be aware that there is a bear active in the area, and will be moving the freezer in to the laundry. Once a bear knows where to get food it will return. So we need to be wary.

Terry Fox Run

Yesterday the students at school ran the Terry Fox Run to help raise money for Cancer research and to continue the Marathon of Hope. The kinder students ran around the field at school. the Grade 1 and 2 students did a short run through the green belt near the school, and the grade 3 to 7 students did a longer run through some of the streets around the school.

I do recall hearing about his courageous run and fight with cancer back in 1980. He and I were the same age.

In 2004, Terry Fox was voted 2nd in a vote of the Greatest Canadians of all time.

There are statues of him across the country and many schools, libraries, roads and parks have been named after him, as well as a mountain in the Canadian Rockies. For a list check here.

Coho Festival and White Pine Beach at Belcara

Another great day weather wise and we headed down to the Ambleside Beach for the Coho Festival. There were lots of activities for kids, mostly related to the environment and how to promote a safe environment for the return of the salmon each year. This was a big weekend in West Van with a concert on the night before featuring, Sheryl Crow, Neil Young and Sarah McLaughlin. We looked at all the exhibitions and watched some of the entertainment and the mountain bike riders exhibiting their skills.

We decided to take a drive to White Pine Beach at Sasamat Lake in Belcara Regional Park. We had to go all the way around the Burrard Inlet. When you are at Deep Cove you can look across the Indian Arm to Belcara, and from Cove Cliff it is only about 500 meters across the Indian Arm to Belcara. To get there by road you have to travel back across the Ironworkers Bridge over the Burrard Inlet, along either Highway 1, or the Barnet Highway to Port Moody, and around the inlet towards the Indian Arm. It is around 40 km either way.

We were heading to White Pine Beach, which Paula had been to before, for an end of year excursion, with a Kinder class that another Aussie teacher has out in Maple Ridge. We arrived at the carpark area and headed for one of the beaches. Paula had organised a picnic, so we had something to eat while sitting in the shade and watching people playing in the water. They were using all types of blow up lilos and kids play toys. Some people were swimming across the lake which was quite a distance, given that the track around the lake was 3.2 km. I did walk around the lake which took around 40 minutes. When we left we drove to the Belcara beach area for a view of the area from there. The whole area is very wild and scenic.

Biking in North Van

It was a beautiful day today. There was a brilliant blue sky with hardly a cloud in sight. We decided to go for ride in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve. The Seymour Valley Trailway is a 10-km paved path that winds through a beautiful diverse forest and crosses scenic creeks and streams. The Trailway features five picnic sites that include outhouses, benches, picnic tables and garbage cans. The Trailway is ideal for joggers, bicycles, strollers, and in-line skaters.

I left Paula, Bridget and Daniel to walk and ride around Rice Lake while I headed along the trailway. Bicycle books suggest that the 22 km round trip to the fish hatchery and Seymour River Dam should take about 2 - 3 hours. The paved path was great. There were families with young kids on their own bikes, as well as third wheel type tandems with young kids behind their parents. There were those hiking, biking, a woman pushing another in a wheel chair, those on in-line skates and quite a few skateboarders, including some who were lying down on their boards like a luge on the downhill parts.

It took about 45 minutes to get to the end of the trail. I decided to go down the hill to the river. It was flowing quite swiftly over the rocky bottom, and looked quite deep on the other side. I then rode up the hill a bit and turned off on a gravel trail for the fish hatchery. This path wound through an old growth forest with cedar, fir and spruce. The valley was carved out by glaciers in the last ice age. I got to the hatchery after crossing quite a few bridges over beautifuul clear water creeks to find that it was closed. As I was riding alone, I was whistling and watchful as I turned every corner. There are signs at the entrance to the par, and near the hatchery reminding us that we are in bear and cougar country, and to take all precautions.

I stopped at the picnic spot at the end of the trail and had a drink before heading back along the trail. Even though the trail is up and down all the way, it must be more of a downhill gradient on the way back, because I got back to the carpark in about 35 minutes.

The weather and scenery were great.

New school year

The new school year started on Tuesday. Some teachers have been in at school for the last week, or more, preparing for the start of the year.

On the first day students arrived at school and spent almost an hour with the teacher from last year. It was a nice connection to be able to chat with them about their vacation. Teachers took attendance and handed out information and paperwork that needed to be filled in to update information for the new year. Students were then dismissed and teachers stayed for a staff meeting and then used the rest of the day for planning.

It is difficult to get the planning and timetabling started because we don't yet know how many classes we will have. Classes are at the allowed maximum of 24 students in the grade 2 and 3 area. The school district are trying to decide whether to create another division at this level. this has implications for timetabling specialists, and also for areas like the gym and library.

On the next day students again reported to their teacher from last year who took attendance and then told them which class they would be in, and who their teacher would be. We then waited for an announcement for students to move off to their new rooms, classes and teachers.

It was quite a nice way for the transition into the new class to take place. I got a chance to have a chat to last year's students and to hear the stories of their vacation, and wish them well for their new class.

Tour guides for the weekend

It is a long weekend, both in the US and Canada, for Labour Day. We had arranged with friends from below the border in WA, to come up for the weekend. None of them had sporting commitments and we were going to act as tour guides and show them around Vancouver. Even though it is only 100 miles from where they live, the kids had never been here and it was a long time since Roger and Patty had been here.

Well, guess what? They arrived on the Friday night, and the forecast was not good. It was overcast and rained on both Saturday and Sunday. They had to leave on Sunday night, so the fact that Monday wasn't too bad weather wise, didn't enter into the equation.

We had hoped to take them up Grouse Mountain, but a look out the window confirmed that the top was in cloud and not worth the trip, so we decided to head to Stanley Park. We had two vans and communicated using walkie talkies. There was a guided commentary coming from the lead van as we headed down to cross the Lion's Gate Bridge and our first stop at Prospect Point. It is here that we are reminded by a plaque on a rock that there was a huge storm in December 2006 which took out some 10,000 trees in the park.

"In the early morning hours of December 15, 2006 a major windstorm struck this revered park with a vengeance. After two short hours of gale-force winds, some reaching 119 km/hr, the storm subsided leaving a level of devastation that had not been seen since Hurricane Frieda in 1962, and for the first time in over 40 years the entire park was closed to the public."

We walked out along the point to check out the view and noting that the tops of Cypress, Grouse and Mount Seymour were all still enveloped in cloud. We also walked down to the bridge and walked out to the first of the support towers. After heading back to the cars we drove around to the Totem Poles. From there you get a good view of the city. There were at least three liners berthed, waiting for their passengers before departing for their cruises to Alaska.

After heading through the park and towards English Bay we drove through the city, passing by B C Place, and G M Place, the citie's two main stadiums, through Chinatown, and finally stopping at La Casa Gelato to get icecream. This shop has over 500 flavours, but can only serve 218 from the shop at any one time. You are able to taste flavours such as garlic, curry, wasabi, durian, death by mango, etc. We all discussed the flavours we tried and headed towards Gastown. We parked and walked along Water Street past the Steam Clock and the Railway Station to Canada Place and the Convention Centre. By this time we were all starving and headed home for a meal.

On Sunday we awoke to a wet and miserable day. It didn't look any good for scenic views from the mountains and the breeze was quite cool, so any swim or water based activities looked out of the question as well. We decided to head in to Granville Island and the public markets and surrounding shops and galleries. There are always street entertainers there in summer and some of us watched the entertainment while others strolled through the market. After a couple of hours here we headed back for an early dinner before they had to head back to WA. Before they left, Paula made sure that our SA friends from down the street came up to say hello. Both families had heard about each other and were keen to meet. We had a bit of a chat and a drink before it was time for everyone to leave.

One more day until school starts for the new school year.

A day on Vancouver Island

The Grouse Grind

Bryan arrived with Rosie and Robyn saying that they were about to head up the Grouse Grind. He wanted to know if anyone was going to join them. Bridget, Daniel and I decided to go as well.

The Grouse Grind is an extremely steep and mountainous trail that climbs 853 m (2,799 ft) over a distance of 2.9 km (2 mi), with an average grade of 30 degrees.

I have been told about it since I arrived, and decided that I should at least try it once. Daniel, Michael O'H and Bridget also climbed it on Tuesday with Michael M. and Don, and the rest of Michael's soccer team.

We had been suitably warned and organised drink bottles for the climb. Information books suggest that beginners usually take about an hour and a half to 2 hours. The record is 24 minutes. They also have an annual race which is coming up next month.

We arrived at the gate, but in spite of all the information signs and warnings, we stepped through the gate and began to climb. There are wooden steps, and steps that are back-filled with rocks, as well as just rocks and tree roots. After a while of constant climbing I stopped for a breather and a mouthful of water. The sweat was already dripping down my brow. After about 25 minutes of constant uphill climbing we saw the 1/4 way sign. This was another good spot for a rest. Not may people were passing us, except when we stopped for a rest, and we seemed to be playing a game of leap frog with the others near us. When we stopped they passed us, and when they stopped we passed them. Bridget and Rosie continued at their own speed somewhere in front of us. Daniel would go at his own speed and then stop and wait for us. Bryan and Robyn were a team with Bryan helping her up the steeper bits. There weren't many kids doing the trail. I only saw 3 other kids. I did see a guy walking up sipping a beer can, a woman climbing in knee high, pointed toe boots, and a guy and a girl going barefoot. They were carrying their flip-flops (thongs).

The terrain and views didn't really change all the way up. There were a couple of spots where you could get a view, but mostly we were just climbing a trail up the mountain looking at trees and rocks, and more trees and rocks. We reached the 1/2 way mark in about 50 minutes. The only thing to do now was to keep going because we were getting closer to the top than the bottom. Climbing down the Grind is prohibited. It would be a great strain on the legs and knees, as well as the fact that they would be going against the flow of uphill traffic and causing a traffic hazard.

We seemed to be going at a constant 25 minutes for each 1/4 of the trail, and it was a great relief to hear someone say that they could see the top somewhere up ahead. Near the end of the trail there is a sign prohibiting downhill travel, and it was finally in sight. As I got closer I could see people sitting on the larger rocks near the end of the trail, watching and waiting for the other members of their group. Bridget, Rosie and Daniel were sitting on the rocks, and Bryan and Robyn had been a short way in front of me.

I was glad that I had reached the top. I don't see any need to do it again. My legs were tired and my knee was a bit painful. We were all glad to get a drink and sit down for a while before we caught the gondola back down the mountain.

A day in Victoria, Vancouver Island

We caught the 8:30 am ferry from Horseshoe Bay, near Vancouver, to Departure Bay in Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island. The ferry took about 1 hour and 40 minutes. We then headed south and stopped at Chemainus to grab a snack and view the murals around the town. It also happened to be Market Day so we wandered around the stalls for a while.

We then headed to Victoria and arranged to meet at a car park at the harbour. We walked around the harbour for a while and watched some of the street entertainment. We then took a guided harbour tour on the little harbour ferries that do either a Gorge tour, or the Inner Harbour tour. Each of the ferries can legally only take 12 passengers.

After the cruise we continued to wander around the harbour area, walked over to the Empress Hotel, walked through the Parliament building, and then walked around the shops. We wandered back towards the harbour and stopped for dinner at the Swan Pub.

After dinner we headed for Swartz Bay to catch the 9 pm. ferry back to Tsawassen. It was dark by the time we left, and we finally arrived home at around 11:30 pm.

A Day on Vancouver Island Slideshow: Mark’s trip from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia to 3 cities Vancouver Island, Victoria and Chemainus was created by TripAdvisor. See another Canada slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

Grouse Mountain

The sky was clear and blue so we decided to go up Grouse Mountain for the day. We have a yearly pass, and this allows us to get 4 guests per card up the mountain for half price. We rode the gondola to the top, which takes about 4 - 5 minutes to rise the 850 metres, or 2800 ft. to the top.

First we went to the Birds in Motion show. They talked about the birds and have trained them to fly around and land on perches in the open air stadium. They had an owl, peregine falcon, red-tailed hawk, turkey vulture, and bald eagle. The handlers were a bit worried when Rocco, the bald eagle looked like he was about to fly off into the mountains, They commented that he has been giving them a few problems lately.

After that we walked across to the grizzly bear enclosure to look at Cooler and Grinder. They were both up and active because they were being fed. The keepers were throwing apples into the enclosure.

Over the loud speakers we heard that the lumberjack show was about to start so we headed to the seating area and waited for the show to start. During the show there are demonstrations of log chopping, axe throwing, tree felling, speed climbing, and log rolling.

We then hopped on a chairlift which took us to the top of the mountain where people were heading up for the views, the zip-line tours, and the parasailing.

On the way down we stopped at the chalet for a drink and to watch the movies at the Theatre in the Sky. We left the mountain via the Sky Tram which has great views of the city and the Capilano Dam.

Stanley Park

We decided we would ride bikes around Stanley Park. It is a great way to see the park and the views, as well as getting some exercise at the same time. Bryan and family decided to get the Sea Bus across the inlet and walk around the city. They were going to rent bicycles and meet us at the first yacht club along the bike path around the park.

Daniel's friend Michael wanted to come with us, so Daniel, Michael and I rode down Grouse Mountain, over the Lion's Gate Bridge and met them at the yacht club. Paula and Bridget had their bikes on the back of the car and we used the walkie talkies to meet them at the totem poles. It was a good day for riding around the park because it wasn't too hot. We stopped at all the main stops around the park and went in to the Lost Lagoon. Here we saw a family of raccoons, 6 in all, wandering along the path swimming across the water, and crossing over the bridge.

Bryan's family returned their bikes to the rental place and Paula drove to pick them up and drop them in Gastown, while Bridget, Daniel, Michael and I rode back around the park, over the Lion's Gate Bridge and waited for Paula at the information Centre so that she could save us the trip back up Grouse Mountain.

Sea to Sky Highway

We decided to go on the Sea to Sky Highway to whistler for the day. The weather was great and we took our South African friends with us for the day. We left at about midday and made our first stop at Shannon Falls. We also took the walkie talkies with us and the other car got a running commentary of the things that we were seeing along the way.

Shannon Falls was fun with the kids climbing all over the rocks at the bottom of the falls. Daniel managed to slip and fall in, getting his shoes, socks and pants wet. We had a picnic lunch in the park and then continued the trip. As we were passing the Strawmus Chief (a huge monolith) we could see the coloured specks of people climbing the rock. We stopped several times for the views of the Tantalus Range and the views of the Cheakamus River valley.

There has been a lot of roadwork on this highway in preparation for next year's winter Olympics, and the road is pretty much completed. It is double lane almost all the way to Whistler.

The next stop was Brandywine Falls. This waterfall has a spectacular 70 metre drop to the valley floor and then feeds into a lake formed by a dam. On the walk to the falls from the carpark we crossed a railway line, and could see the Whistler Mountaineer slowly moving around a bend in the track so that the travellers on the train could get a decent view. The rocks and trees all around are covered in a green moss, which gives the whole are a kind of soft feel about it.

When we arrived in Whistler we parked the cars and walked to the base of the Whistler and Blackcomb chairs. The whole area has been taken over by mountain bikers who are all covered in body armour. Every second chair on the chairlift has been converted to be able to carry bikes. We wandered around the village for a while and then stopped at a pub for some snacks and drinks.

On the way home the views were jast as spectacular and we made several stops for photos.

Meeting family in Burlington

Bryan and family left Seattle after doing the Underground Tour, and drove up I5. I arranged to meet them in Burlington at a supermarket, and we drove out to a friend's place for lunch. We then took Chuckanut Drive along the coast and bought some seafood at Taylor's Shellfish Farm. We stopped for the views along the way and headed for Vancouver via Bellingham.

The Cascade Loop

Paula and I arranged to met Patty at Sea-Tac airport because she was going to be seeing someone off at the same time that we were meeting Bridget and Daniel. We sent them up to Burlington for a few days while we went and met Kerrie, another teacher from Australia, and one of her cousins, Regeena.

We picked them up in Seattle and headed for Everett where we turned off I5 to start the Cascade Loop. The road heads towards the Cascades through the farming area of Monroe and climbs towards Stevens Pass, which also has a ski area with nordic and downhill facilities. The pass is 4,061 feet (1,238 m) above sea level. The trees begin to thin as you head east over the mountains.

We followed the Wenatchee River down the valley to Leavenworth, which is a beautiful village that has a Bavarian flavour. Back in the 1960's the logging industry was falling apart and the town decided to remodel with a Bavarian influence to attract tourism. We spent some time exploring the shops and admiring the scenery. There are many shops catering for tourists, and most of the hotels seemed to be full.

We travelled further along the Wenatchee River to Wenatchee, which is in the centre of a large apple growing area. It is also where the Wenatchee River meets the Columbia River. It has a population of around 30,000 and has a nickname of "The apple capital of the world".

The next day we had a bit of a drive around Wenatchee, crossing the Columbia River twice, before heading further up the Columbia River. The country is so dry along the river valley. It is like a desert. There are no trees in sight, and it is amazing that there is so much water in the river, but that the countryside nearby looks so dry. The valley is obviously very fertile because wherever there is some available land, it is irrigated and producing a variety of fruit crops.

We stopped at Lake Chelan, which is the 3rd deepest lake in the US, and the 24th deepest in the world. We walked along the main street, checking out the shops and local galleries, and then headed towards Winthrop. There was a smoky haze in the sky, which restricted our view of the mountains. There have been fires in BC, and we wondered where this smoke was coming from. It was also quite warm, but it wasn't until we got to Twisp and called in at a supermarket, that we found out how hot. It was 108 degrees Fahrenheit. We stopped at the supermarket in Twisp to get some lunch and also to view the displays inside. The owner is a hunter, and has stuffed trophies on display on the walls and above the upright freezer aisles. He has many types of deer from around here, and a bison, and black bear. He also has lots of animals from other parts of the world including safaris in Africa. At the information counter there are photos of his latest acquisition - a fully grown bull elephant. I didn't think you were allowed to hunt like that anymore.

We stopped several times during the trip, and I issued warnings to be on the lookout for rattlesnakes if we stepped off the side of the road. I have heard several stories of the rattlesnakes in this area. Luckily we didn't see, or hear any.

Winthrop is a tourist town with a cowboy, western appearance. There are covered verandahs with wooden boardwalks on both sides of the street. It was in 1972 when Highway 20 was nearing completion across the North Cascades that the locals decided to restore the town with the American Old Western theme. It attracts tourists throughout the year and has over 100 miles of groomed snow trails in winter.

We began the climb into the mountains, which were mainly hidden from view by the smoke haze. It actually created an eerie kind of scene as mountains appeared out of the haze, and had an orangish tinge as the sunlight shone through the smoke. We still stopped several times for photos, and found that there were still patches of ice that hadn't yet melted along the side of the road. When we got to the viewpoint over Ross Lake there was a sign from the National Parks Service stating that they were monitoring at least 12 fires in the National Park that ranged in size from a single tree to quite large fires. Some of the fires had been burning for over two months. The lake was a brilliant milky aqua colour, which sparkled with the sunlight.

The road follows the Skagit River, which had very little water flowing in it below the dam. It began to grow as other streams and rivers flowed into it. Near Concrete we stopped for a view of part of the local elk herd grazing near the river. There would have been around 30 animals in the herd. We continued down the Skagit Valley towards Burlington where we caught up with Bridget and Daniel. Paula stayed here with them and I drove Kerrie and Regeena back to Vancouver.

Edmonton, Alberta

From Canmore we headed to Red Deer. We wanted to have a look at the place because this was where I had originally been matched for an exchange in 2008. It is in the middle of the Alberta praries. It has a population of around 90,000 and is surrounded by farms. We stopped at the Information Centre, which was at The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.

We then headed north towards Edmonton, calling in at the small town of Lacombe, which has, in recent years, been getting the walls of the central business district painted with murals depicting the history of the area. You can see, read about, and listen to a podcast about the murals here.

From Lacombe we again headed towards Edmonton, passing the town of Leduc, which was the site of Alberta's first oil strike in 1947. We decided to head for Elk Island National Park to camp for the night. On the drive into the park we saw a small herd of bison near the road. We set up camp in the Astotin Lake camping area and walked to the lake to watch the sunset. The next day I went for a walk to the Beaver Ponds. I should have used the insect repellant before I left. I didn't see any signs of moose, or beavers, although I did see several lodges in the lakes and ponds.

We packed up our tent and went for another walk in a search for bison, but with no signs of them within an hour of walking we left the Park and headed for Edmonton. We found a campground very close to Fort Edmonton, which we planned to visit the next day. It was in a valley just off Whitemud Drive, and it was right next to a ski club. The local Snow Valley Ski Club has a lodge and 2 chair lifts on the nearby slopes. This is only minutes away from West Edmonton Mall, Fort Edmonton Park, and not far from the centre of the city. We camped next to a teacher from Red Deer, who said that there have been quite a few teachers from Red Deer exchanging to Australia over the years, and he thinks that the teacher I was matched with last year, is in Australia now.

The next day we packed our tent and headed for Fort Edmonton. It was a nice sunny day and we got quite warm walking around. Once in the Park, we boarded a steam train for the journey back in time to the fur trading and the Hudson Bay Company. The fort has been built to original plans and gives you an idea of what life would have been like in those times. The docents (the people who act in period costume) tell you what it was like and answer questions as if they were living in those times. Just outside the fort is a First Nation settlement with a couple of tepees. From the fort you walk around a corner and are greeted with a vista of an 1885 Edmonton street, with a variety of shops and houses. Further on, and around another corner you find a 1905 street with electric lights and a tram car running down the street. You continue around another corner to the 1920's. It was very good value for $13.50 per adult. We spent most of the day there.

We then wanted to see West Edmonton Mall and it's nine attractions:

• Galaxyland - the world's largest indoor amusement park
• World Waterpark - five acre indoor waterpark
• Professor Wem's Adventure Golf
• Putt 'n' Glow
• Ice Palace - National Hockey League sized ice skating rink
• Sea Life Caverns
• Sea Lions' Rock
• Deep Sea Derby
• Ed's Rec Room

There are also over 800 shops in the mall. When you park your car you need to take note of the door that you enter the mall through, so that you can remember where to get out. There are 58 entrances. Click here for some Mall trivia.

Canadian Rockies

After taking Bridget and Daniel to Seattle so that they could go to Philadelphia for a couple of weeks, Paula and I headed inland on our way to Canmore in the Canadian Rockies.

We crossed the Cascades over Snoqualmie Pass, and headed towards Spokane. On the way we travelled through the farming area of Ellensburg. All along the highway the fields were full of hay bales in various shapes. Some were looking like huge marshmallows wrapped in white plastic, but most were in large rectangular shape that were then stacked in huge hay sheds, or stacked in long shapes like a shed, which then had large blue and white tarpaulins thrown over the top. It seems like a lot of the summer work on the farms here is to provide feed for their animals in the winter.

The landscape continued to change as we went further inland. It seemed that the closer we got to the Columbia River Valley, the drier the land looked. There were no trees, and the entire landscape was rocky and brown. From this plateau it is quite a descent to the river. We crossed the river at Vantage, and then began the climb back out of the valley. The dry valley began to change to huge farms on both sides of the highway.

From Spokane we headed towards Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and north to cross the border into Canada. We were looking for a place to stay and found a Provincial Park at Yahk. We camped right on the river.

We continued on through Fairmont Hot Springs, Radium Hot Springs and into the Kootanay National Park. The road entered the park through Sinclair Canyon, which had been cut through the mountains by a river that the road follows. Amazing mountain scenery all around.

We arrived in Banff and spent a short while getting supplies before driving the 24 km to Canmore. While staying in Canmore we explored the town, walked along some local trails, drove to Lake Minnewanka, and drove the Kannanaskis Loop.

At Lake Minnewanka some of the backcountry trails had been closed because of an active mother grizzly bear and cub, and while on the Kannanaskis Loop we spotted a mother moose and calf near the road, and also several groups of mountain sheep. When we crossed back through the Jasper National Park on the way home we also spotted quite a few mountain sheep.

Celebration of Light fireworks

We have just come home from a fireworks show in English Bay. It was part of the Celebration of Light fireworks shows. Over 4 different nights, 4 countries compete for the overall best show of fireworks set to music. Tonight was the last night and it was China’s turn, Last Wednesday it was South Africa, which also had a natural Celebration of Light with a massive lightning storm just before their show. Have a look at Youtube. Last Wednesday week Canada opened the show and was followed last Saturday by the UK.

We had decided that we would go in our van with friends from down the road, because we could get more in, and would only have to take one vehicle. I arrived to pick them up and found that we had another friend of the boys coming as well. That meant we would have 4 adults and 5 kids in a seven seat van. We decided that two of them could sit on blankets in the back. I also attached the bicycle carrier so that I could take my bike. They were expecting around a million people in the city, and parking would be a problem. We had a good run in at around 6:00 pm, and I dropped them right on the beach road at English Bay, which is where the fireworks were being staged. My task then was to find a parking spot. All parking for blocks around the area was restricted and they were towing offending vehicles. I headed further in to the city. I finally found some some high-rise car parks where it was only $5 for the night. The problem was that I had a cargo boot on the roof and couldn't get in because of the height. I had to get the chairs out of it before it was light enough to lift off, get the bike and rack off the trailer hitch so that I could open the back of the car and get the boot in. This done, I then put the bike and rack back on and parked in the parking garage. I then stowed the rack in the car and hopped on the bike to ride across town back to English Bay.

Everyone seemed to be going in the same direction. When I got back to the beach the crowd had grown. There were people searching for a good position from which to watch the fireworks, and an already large crowd on chairs, towels and blankets. We still had 3 hours to wait. It was entertaining watching the passing parade of people. There were hundreds of boats in a semi-circle around the barges from where the fireworks would be launched. The police boats were patrolling the area making sure that they stayed a good distance away. An emergency fire boat put on a display of shooting water from it's two water cannons, and the police were in force patrolling the crowd, and searching coolers and bags for alcohol. One guy near us was arrested for smoking pot. He was handcuffed, and bags and bicycle marched away. The crowd was very well behaved as we counted down for the show. At 9 pm there was a blast and three sky rockets exploded. The countdown had begun. There was a similar explosion at 9:15, 9:30, 9:40 and 9:50. Ten minutes to go.

Just before 10:00 pm the Chinese National Anthem was played, and then the show began. They put on a wonderful display, but it was difficult to hear the music from where we were and through the noise of the explosions which reverberated from the nearby high-rise apartment buildings. There was no breeze so the smoke hung low over the water. The show lasted about 25 minutes and finished with about 30 seconds of continuous explosions and star bursts. There were huge applause and then the crowd began to move. I crossed the road through the crowd to get my bicycle and when I had unlocked it and turned around I couldn't see the rest of them anywhere.

I walked my bike with the crowd because there were just so many people. When I got to where the crowd thinned a little I got on the bike and rode to where the car was parked, and got it out of the garage. I then had to get the cargo boot back on to the roof and then hope that they remembered where I had said that the car was parked. I had packed the walkie-talkies and had given them 2 while i had the other. I began calling them but was getting no reply. There was no point in me driving in the direction they were coming from because roads were closed and I had no real idea of which way they would be coming from. Finally after about 30 minutes I heard crackling on the walkie-talkie. After several crackly calls I managed to work out where they were and went to pick them up.

Once in the car we had a dream run home. It was quite a fun night.

Roasting in Vancouver

We have been back in Vancouver for the last two days, which just happen to be the 2 hottest days ever on record in the city. There are no fans in this house, and you can't get one anywhere in the city. There is no breeze at all, and there are no insect screens on any of the doors or windows. We can't leave the front door open because of the possibility of local wildlife, including bears, may walk in. The humidity here is high, so it is not too comfortable

Waiting for a breeze to pick up.

Camping at Cannon Beach, Oregon

Camping at Cannon Beach in Oregon

We followed the Capron's down I5 and crossed the Columbia River at Longview. We followed the river to Astoria, and then headed down the coast to Seaside and Cannon Beach. The campground was about 4 blocks away from the beach. We set up tents and went for a walk down the beach. The most prominent thing along the beach was Haystack Rock, which is one of the largest monoliths in the world.

One thing that strikes you about the beaches here as compared to the ones we have been used to in BC and Washington is the vast expanses of sand. The tide rises and falls about 4 ft. here and when the tide is out you might have to walk a couple of hundred metres out to the water. At low tide people walk out to Haystack Rock and explore the marine garden, that is under the stewardship of the Friends of Haystack Rock, who run an education program. There are sea stars and anemones, and all sorts of shellfish. Roosting on the rock are thousands of sea birds, including gulls, murres, cormorants and puffins.

When the tide goes out the sand on the beach is great for riding on. People ride horses, bicycles, and three-wheeled contraptions from one end of the beach to the other. It would be about 5 miles long, and if the tide is really low you can get all the way to Arcadia Beach.

The sea fog was with us for the first few days, which kept the temperatures down. There were patches of blue sky, but there was no wind to blow the fog away. It cleared up for the last few days, and it was great to spend time on the beach.

There is quite a bit of driftwood washed up on the beaches here, all the way up to huge tree trunks. You are allowed to have a fire on the beach as long as it is away from the grass, and not near log piles. We cooked on the beach a couple of times, and then sat around the fire roasting marshmallows to make s'mores, and chatting while watching the coals smoldering in the fire. We had dinner one night at Mo's seafood restaurant, which is right on the beach. There are a few of them up the Oregon Coast.

Roger and I drove Lucy in to Portland so that she could catch the bus back to Seattle for a volleyball camp that she was going to attend. As we left Cannon Beach we drove out of the fog and there was blue sky all around. There was a constant stream of traffic heading out of Portland towards the beach. The temperature also rose as we went further inland. It was 95F when we got to the Greyhound bus terminal, which was right next to the Central Railway Station. I took the dogs for a walk to the river while they bought the ticket and said goodbye. On the way back to the coast the temperate dropped from 95F to 63F.

Cannon Beach is a very pretty little town, but a hive of activity with tourists browsing the shops and galleries during the summer. The colourful baskets of flowers everywhere made a nice contrast to the grey of the wood in most of the building.

On the way back home we stopped in Astoria to have a look around. I walked around the harbour area, and we drove up to the Astoria Column, which is a tower on top of the hill right in town. The column has 164 steps that lead to the viewing platform at the top, which gives a 360 degree view of the Columbia River, its mouth to the Pacific Ocean, across the river to Washington, and the surrounding mountains and rivers. Fantastic views. We then drove across the Astoria-Megler Bridge to Washington, and on to BC. and home.