God, it’s nice to visit a country where half the population doesn’t uncritically believe everything a power-mad narcissist says.
Sorry, just had to get that off my chest.
In late June, we made a kind of mini-tour of British Columbia to catch up with Mary Anne’s relatives, a few friends, and to visit Yellow Point Lodge for the first time in three years.
Our first stop after taking the ferry from the mainland to Swartz Bay was for tea in Sidney (see above).
Although we saw quite a few cousins in Victoria, I took no family photos. I believe that Mary Anne has posted some on Facebook, so you may have seen them there. I saved my photography for our first stop as we left town heading north: the Malahat Skywalk.
The Skywalk was new since the last time we passed this way. It’s a Native-built attraction designed to give spectacular views and a bit of education about the local flora and fauna.
The idea is simple: walk up a gently spiraling ramp, look around, then either walk down or take the slide. While at the top, one can terrify/amuse oneself by walking out on some netting suspended over the abyss. I chose the slide, Mary Anne the abyss.
It’s about a quarter of a mile (0.5k) along an elevated trail to the Skywalk. We saw a couple of wooden animal sculptures along the way.
Those of you who remember my post on the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona may agree that the walkway supports are kind of reminiscent of the cathedral’s supporting pillars.
We arrive at the Malahat Skywalk. <cue fanfare>
We are looking roughly east. That’s the Finlayson Arm in the foreground and Mt. Baker in the distance.
Slide time!
After a nice brunch in Duncan, we checked into our cabin at Yellow Point for four days of intensive eating, drinking and relaxation. Come to think of it, that sounds a lot like an average day in my retirement.
Since you have heard me talk about the Lodge for years, I thought I’d show you the cabin we stay in, Three Oaks, and the view from the cabin lawn.
Our cabin mates and old friends: Kenn, Pam and Michelle.
Dragging our bloated selves into the car, we once more headed north to Comox where relatives from Mary Anne’s “other” family awaited. Once again – no family photos from me. But I did get a few shots of the Canada Day parade in neighboring Courtney, BC.
I tell a lie. I did get one photo of a relative. Here are Mary Anne and her half-sister Tara deep in concentration.
We retraced our steps to Nanaimo and caught the ferry to Horseshoe Bay on the BC mainland to visit old friends Alison and Barry.
Vancouver is a large and fascinating city and we did a fair amount in our two day visit. “Did”, yes. “Photographed”, not so much.
These were taken just off Esplanade Ave E near the SeaBus terminal in North Vancouver.
Barry poses with an Isetta during a lunch stop at, wait for it, Isetta Cafe.
That’s about all for now. Just time to squeeze in a couple of photos of us!
