Waterfront Lodges and Gardens Galour!

I know I complained, a little bit, about the weather in Vancouver on my last post, but we've also had some truly beautiful days, where I could ditch the layers and enjoy the sun.

Yay. spring!

Rapidly growing Metrotown

As my sister tries to complete the marathon-like requirements of the Tourism Challenge (or whatever it's called) we've managed to take in quite a few gardens. As many of you know, I'm a little obsessed with taking photos of flowers. Batten down the hatches, as there will be a flurry of them in this post. (Unless I can resist...)

Peonies!!!

One leaf didn't get the spring memo

Dark purple lilac

Fraser River from the old fishing docks

Wisteria wonder near Commercial Drive

We've crossed over from Vancouver to North Van a couple of times, via the SeaBus to meet either friends or family and today, we saw a rather amazing sight. It's a luxury lodge being shipped up the coast to either Vancouver Island or perhaps the Haida Gwaii.  We're waiting to see if the news says anything about it.

Freighter for scale

If you get the chance, I would recommend a trip up the Sea to Sky Gondola. It's a bit pricey, but you can get a break by buying online 12 hours in advance. We went on a cloudy day, but were lucky enough to have the grey lift and the sun shine brilliantly as we hiked around some of the easier trails. The summit gives you brilliant views of some of the surrounding glaciers and long stretches of the coast line and city of Squamish.

Shannon Falls at full volume

The Valley near Squamish

Mount Garibaldi

Sky Pilot and Co-pilot Mountains

Between the riverfront of the Fraser, the blossoms of Queen Elizabeth park and the soaring tors of the coastal mountains, it's been a good visit, so far.

What to Do When You Can See Your Breath

As we occasionally do, we've headed, blissfully (dare I say naively?), off for a good visit home. Spring on the West Coast, what could be nicer? Just before we were ready to leave we were suddenly inspired to check out the weather. Highs of 11 degrees Celsius. Hmmmm...

The snow receding from the "Lions"

Repacking (long sleeves, lots of long sleeves), we felt we were ready for the "crisper" temperatures. On our arrival we stepped out of the airport at a crushing 6am and got slammed by a wall of..."crisp". It was around 11, as predicted, and the sun was shining, but heavens, it felt chilly. (We're obviously getting soft.) The day warmed and we were able to remove a top layer without shivering in our shoes.

Muddy waters of the Fraser River

This didn't continue. Come the weekend the clouds rolled in and the temperature dropped (below double digits) and our poor equatorial bodies went into shock. The solution? Stay inside or layer up and hope for the sun. First world problems, I know. I forgot how cool spring is here.

Pink Dogwood in bloom

We did actually see our breath, one morning, while waiting for the bus, but we didn't take our own advice and rush back to the warm confines of the house. I have been forced to buy closed shoes, to keep the chill wind from tickling my toes, but with appropriate layers, I seem to be surviving.

Fiddleheads uncurling

While I proudly state that "I am Canadian", I'm apparently one of the wimpy ones from the temperate lower mainland that can't handle the chill, a state that's exacerbated by warm Ecuadorian breezes. I suspect my new hiking boots might be my go to footwear for a while, at least until summer realizes it should be on its way. Or maybe I'm not cool enough for that "chill" west coast lifestyle.