Eric Joseph Rubio: Vancouver 2018, Days 4-6

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Vancouver 2018, Days 4-6

Read my report on days 1-3 here first!

DAY 4 (SUNDAY)

We were up early and drove across Vancouver Harbour to North Vancouver and Lynn Canyon Park, famous for its suspension bridge. We walked across said bridge, swaying the whole time, and then did a loop trail around nearby Rice Lake. There were few other hikers at that time of day, but sure enough as we walked back to the parking lot, we saw it almost completely full and lots of people creating a bottleneck to cross the bridge.

Rice Lake, within Lynn Canyon Park

Back at our room we had lunch and then in the afternoon we wandered around the nearby suburb of Richmond. Their combination public library/cultural center had an interesting exhibit about tiny houses and their use as a solution to lack of affordable housing in some communities.

As part of our stay on campus we had a coupon for The Point Grille, one of the on-campus restaurants, so we had dinner there that evening.

Buffalo chicken wings at UBC's Point Grille. Except instead of chicken, that there is cauliflower. And it was delicious.

DAY 5 (MONDAY)

As we found out upon arrival to Canada when we spent some time taking our loose list of activity ideas and making actual plans, this particular Monday was a civic holiday in Canada, comparable to Labor Day in the United States. So I was a little concerned that it would be extra crowded at Grouse Mountain, one of the Vancouver area's top tourist attractions, that day. But in truth the crowds were manageable and we enjoyed a half-day there.

Grouse Mountain features a variety of activities on the mountaintop, from wildlife exhibits, a few hiking trails, and a whimsical lumberjack show, besides restaurants and great spots for photos.

Grouse Mountain Lumberjack Show

On the peak of Grouse Mountain, with Vancouver spread out below

View of Vancouver on the gondala ride back to base camp. Stanley Park in the middle of the right edge of picture, with UBC's Grey Point just above it. Downtown Vancouver right in the middle of the picture.

We were both easily tired by about two in the afternoon after just four hours on the mountain. So we returned to UBC to relax and then finished the day with ice cream from a local shop and watching the sunset from nearby Wreck Beach.

The sun sets on British Columbia Day beyond Wreck Beach

DAY 6 (TUESDAY)

I had seen several dozen Tim Horton's whilst driving about Vancouver during our trip, so I decided that on our last morning of this particular visit to our neighbor to the north, I would have breakfast from Tim Horton's. So Naomi and I walked to one of the campus locations and I enjoyed a classic breakfast sandwich. Delicious.

Then it was a leisurely walk back to our room to pack, check out, and return to the airport. This would be our first time using our brand-new Global Entry status, and it was very satisfying to move quickly through security and border preclearance before settling in the departure area with great views of planes taking off to the west.