B.C. road trip

Our first family trip this year was to British Columbia to visit family and friends.

Pre-trip drama:

- Monkey had a bout of vomiting that lasted a couple days and the presence of blood (a tiny bit but still) prompted me to make a last minute visit to the veterinarian. Turns out he has a tumor or cyst in his abdomen, pushing on his liver and stomach. We got him on an anti-emetic and a soft food diet but it seemed like his time left was limited.

- About a week before the trip our A/C stopped working -- air was coming through but it was not cold. It's an old unit, probably over 20 years, and was leaking coolant through a crack. We had someone re-fill and seal, a temporary measure that is currently allowing us to live sanely. Before the repair we were using fans and sleeping in the basement. The usual tactics. (If you ever need a big fan that blows HARD, get one of these bad boys.

Day 1: June 29th

We were supposed to arrive in the afternoon but our Porter flight got pushed back so we didn't arrive until late that night. Thankfully our friends were still able to pick us up and drop off our weary heads at our downtown hotel. I was a little too awake and hungry to go right to bed so I picked up some late night fried chicken from the HiFive across the street.

Day 2: June 30th

We met up with a friend for brunch at Maxine's and a day of walking around Sunset Beach Park, a popular destination on a warm and sunny afternoon. Sora was thrilled to collect shells, an activity she'd enjoy often this trip.

Day 3: July 1st

After the hotel breakfast we took a bus and a long walk up Main St. to our friend's condo where we had lunch and played board games. It's been a while since I've been in Vancouver and I'm not exactly an expert but everything seemed so shiny and new, at least along Main St.

Afterwards they dropped us off at a Greek restaurant where we met up with MJ's cousin and his wife.

Day 4: July 2nd

We weren't expected in Mission until the evening so we were free to take advantage of the continuing nice weather and do a little exploring. After picking up our rental car (wherein we were "accidentally" upgraded to a luxury car, at a luxury price), we visited the Bloedel Conservatory, a kind of jungle biodome, complete with exotic birds. For lunch we ate at the exquisite Season in the Park restaurant, taking in the charming views from its cliffside patio.

The drive to Mission was uneventful though I found the route more circuitous than my pre-printed directions suggested. The car proved to be a comfortable ride.

We were staying with MJ's cousins for a couple nights in their brand new camper, a first for me. Sora was delighted to meet her cousins and our visit was pretty open-ended and relaxed. The nights were cool and provided an absolute quiet, a blanket of silence.

Day 5: July 3rd

We drove over to Rolley Lake Provincial Park for a bit of hiking and geocaching.

The sky had taken on an overcast gray, blurring the tree's shadows and keeping everything muted. Headed into Maple Ridge for lunch at The Big Feast, followed by ice cream and gelato.

Day 6: July 4th

Before saying goodbye our hosts had a filling dinner with us in Coquitlam at a Korean restaurant. Much cheer, and calories, was had.

Our first ferry, the first of many, was from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale, an evening ferry as that was all I could reserve at the time of booking. I watched a couple YouTube videos of the ferry experience so I was prepared for all the little rituals and protocol involved. Even so this was the most stressful part of the trip for me, as any break in the connections between ferries threatened all of the remaining ferry and hotel reservations.

But it actually was really nice. The ferries were punctual, tidy and the views majestic. There's a commissary with reasonable food on the bigger ones, and the bathrooms (at least the ones I used) were private and clean.

After departing it was a short drive to our hotel and checking in for a night's stay.

Day 7: July 5th

On this Saturday we had brunch with friends at Molly's Reach, the same hangout featured in The Beachcombers, and despite the crowds we were able to score a table. Gibson's is a cute seaside town, with grand views and a relaxed atmosphere.

After eating we checked out the local aquarium, though it's more of a living classroom than one of those

shiny menageries packed with families. The fauna were local and rotated regularly, the specimens returned to their homes. The staff let us actually touch them (after washing our hands) -- a prickly urchin, a slick sea cucumber.

Our afternoon and early evening was taken up with a couple legs -- driving to Earls Cove Ferry Terminal (1 hour), a short ferry to Saltery Bay (1 hour), another drive to Powell River (0.5 hours), and then a long ferry to Comox (1.5 hours). The drives through the mountains and along the sea were breathtaking and easy-going, and all connections were made happily with time to spare.

On the ferry to Comox we were fortunate enough to see a pod of orcas and a humpback whale, each viewing a magical spell over the ship as we squinted at the remote creatures, the Pacific wind tussling our hair.

Day 8: July 6th

We met up with some more of MJ's cousins who lived in a quiet corner of Courtenay for a light lunch before spending some time in a nearby lake, the mountain water immaculately clear and refreshing. The difference from the Ontario lake water I'm used to was stark -- none of the stink, none of the cloudiness, just sweet, incredibly clear water.

Dinner that night was at White Spot, a restaurant I associate with my early visits to Vancouver, back when Pops was still at UBC.

Day 9: July 7th

Today was took the ferry over to Denman Island, a small island with a handful of year-round residents. We had a friend act as guide as the points of interest aren't marked, adding to the private, personal feel of our day. First a wide beach at low tide: walking over the mounds of rock, inspecting the creatures in the tidepools. Then a swim in a secluded lake, the water deep and dark, the sun warming the droplets off our backs and faces.

Day 10: July 8th:

Return to Vancouver via the Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay ferry (1 hour 45 minutes) and then a wretched drive through downtown traffic to our hotel, the Residence Inn where we had a short rest before meeting friends for dinner at Tamam.

Epilogue:

A good trip with lots of memories. The weather let us enjoy the best of Vancouver -- sunny but mild temperatures. No major illnesses or accidents. Monkey recovered and is basically back to his old self.