Day 22 - Vancouver - the adventure ends

Saturday 25th June

The last day of our trip.
We had birthday cake and coffee for breakfast - thanks you Gary, Thomas and Pam.
Then we headed back into down and to Stanley Park. This park is on a peninsula in Vancouver and is a beautiful green space with lakes, forest, ornamental gardens, tennis courts and a pitch and putt. There were families out for the sunny day and lots of people on bicycles.
We got some caches - including one that hadn't been found for a long time, we found a place where we could get a good photo with the Pacific in the background and we went to play Pitch and Putt. Unfortunately it was closed, a disappointment.
We walked back along the river. There were so many huge pleasure boats moored to floating docks. In one section they were all for sale with the price written on the sale notice - boats aren't cheap! There is obviously a lot of money in Vancouver!
AS a final treat we went on the Fly Over Canada ride. We were strapped into our seats and dangled over a huge curved screen so that we really felt that we were flying. The whole experience was enhanced by tilting seats, smells and feeling wind and rain. It was very well done if a little shorter than we were led to believe!
Then is was back to pick up our bags, give big hugs to Thomas and Pam - and final advice - and then we headed to the airport.

At Stanley Park there were a group of tall, apparently dead trees
with smaller trees growing out of the top.

I've never seen a swan in Canada before

There were lots of geese

Turtles sunbathing

Oddly shaped trees 

Beautiful walks

Big thing of the day - this huge slug, we thought it might be a fake and actually conceal a geocache, but it wasn't, it was real!

Thomas was on a roll, finding all the tiny caches.

Right behind us is the Pacific Ocean

Thomas and Pam's turn for an adventure.

Lots of very expensive boats

Like father like son!

Our last view of the Rockies from the airport.

Day 21 - Vancouver

Friday 24th June

It feels weird to have come to the end of our travels, to not have more country to cross. Theoretically we should be going to Victoria Island but we haven't got the time and that will have to wait until another trip.
Vancouver is huge and it's quite difficult to actually find the Pacific Ocean - I think the big visit will have to wait until tomorrow.
We went on Skytrain out to the airport to meet Thomas and Pam. We had spotted a trail of geocaches nearby so we thought we would get them while we were waiting - we even picked a good one to make our 2000th. However while we were imagining Halifax Airport - or even Heathrow - Vancouver airport is surrounded by wide, busy highways and we realised the caches were only going to be found if you had a car. So instead we sat at the airport and watched aeroplanes taking off and landing!
Once Tom and Pam had arrived we dropped their things off where we are staying and headed downtown.
We were aiming for Granville Island.
Granville Island is a small island filled with shops, restaurants, a micro brewery and geocaches!
We ate, we geocached and we went on a brewery tour which included samples!
For dinner we ventured back downtown for a special birthday meal which was lovely - at a restaurant called Forage. A great day!

Seen from the Skytrain and nearly missed by me
- logs being floated down river

The bridge onto the island

I don't think these were the boats you could rent.

Tom and Pam looking for caches

I'm over here!

Stealthily looking for a cache!
I think Gary had already found it.

Yes! Number 2000. 

Granville Island house boats.

Hmmmmmm!

Happy cachers!

We got a boat back to the mainland - unfortunately it wasn't this one!

Going out for dinner.

But we have to get a cache on the way.

Thomas points to the Microsoft office

Yes - a great name for a store.

Day 20 - Oliver, BC to Vancouver, BC

Thursday 23 June

We had a lovely evening at the Burrowing Owl Winery. We sat on the deck of the restaurant with the sun shining down and the views of rolling hills and vineyards disappearing into the distance.
This morning we left the tranquil, warm and dry valley as we set off for Vancouver. Once again the mountains were shrouded in fog as rain threatened.
We weren't on the Trans Canada highway but a smaller two laned road which wound its way along. Unfortunately we were sharing the road with huge lorries which moved slowly downhill and even more slowly up the other side. We imagined that things would speed up once we joined up again with the Trans Can but what we hadn't realised was the volume of traffic that we would also meet up with. From about 200km outside Vancouver the roads were crowded with everyone except us seeming to know where they were heading.
As we entered Vancouver itself and headed for the Airbnb we had booked for the evening we found ourselves in the wrong lanes and at one point our gps told us to keep left and then turn right! Oh yes, only 3 lanes of speeding traffic to get across!!!!
We were very relieved to find our rental and then to get the car to the Mazda garage where it will have a good service before its return journey. 
We took the SkyTrain into the centre of town which was really exciting. We went the wrong way for some time before we realised and it was time for a calming drink in the Gastown part of town when we eventually arrived.
We though we would head for ChinaTown as we haven't had good Chinese food for ages. Unfortunately this part of Vancouver seems to be right next door to the parts of the city where you feel a little intimidated to walk through. In the end, not really finding the ChinaTown we expected we got directions from a group of friendly police officers and were redirected.
We never did find a Chinese restaurant but we did have some good Belgium food!
Tomorrow we will wait for Thomas and Pam to arrive and then head into the downtown and explore some more and claim our 2000th geocache.

Yesterdays view from the terrace at Burrowing Owl winery

Sunset.

A geocache first thing this morning under a nearby bridge.

Back in the mountains - once again they are cloud covered.

A very pointy mountain peak.  

A little white church at a place called Chuchuwayha.

More clouds and more rain

More rain more clouds!

The toll bridge from Surrey into Vancoucer

Our last port of call.

We've travelled 6949km to get here.

Skytrain - a great way to get around Vancouver
- just make sure that you are going in the right direction!

Pole position.

Gary pretending he's the engine driver!

Views of downtown Vancouver.

Skytrain goes underground - warp factor 10!

We hoped to reach the Pacific. This was as close as we could get. 
Hopefully we will find a better spot tomorrow.

Gary retrieving a very small geocache.

Some great street signs!