Expedition Canada

Rain on Vancouver Island Sun May 8th   Vancouver Area Rainfall Chatting to some local friends yesterday they said, 'of course you know the area around the Sunshine Coast has a lot of micro-climates, the further south/east, the wetter it gets'.   Thinking about it and recalling how it could be raining in Marlborugh and sunny in Burbage I can understand how, with the prevalence of multiple mountain ranges here, this could be possible.   The prevailing winds are generally easterly, unlike Wiltshire's windy westerly's.  Similarly, the mountains behind us are often covered in cloud and rain, while the coast is bathed in sun.  The high mountain range on Vancouver Island usually has a bank of cloud above it, as the easterly's blow in diagonally across the Strait of Georgia, the water that separates the Sunshine Coast from Van Island, cools the air which forms cloud, rain and snow on 'them there hills'.   Interest piqued, what I found ...

Vancouver Traffic Mystery Creek Mon Apr 26th Which can flow quite smoothly will come to a grinding halt if there is an incident on either of the two bridges that separate North Vancouver from Vancouver.  More later. The morning excursion was a repeat of the day before, only this time we were confident we knew where we were going.    Hyannis, Power Line, Fishermans and Baden Powell trails, with plenty of water for Jack to explore on route. Fred tried out her new hiking poles, which made going down hill much easier. Jack made short work of the hills and slopes with his four-paw drive.  He really has become quite adept at going places I would not dream of climbing up or down. Confirmation during morning that a SWIFT transfer of funds from the UK had been completed and it was agreed I could collect the car in the afternoon, which  was booked for 15.30. Poles and Pylons I set off at 1400 to drop the hire  car  back in Burnaby, which is in east Vancouve...

  Phew! Rock Climbing Centre Tuesday 20th The pace has not slowed.  Our day was spent in and around Squamish, a town midway between Vancouver and Whistler on the Sea to Sky Highway (Route 99).  The highway goes on to Pemberton and then  the northern interior of BC.  It has some amazing views as you drive the various dual and single carriage sections.  First stop was Britannia Beach, and specifically Watts Point. An area popular with rock climbers, and Nick, who can be found up there at least once a week scaling the granite outcrops. "The first bit is step then it's OK" says Nick.  We have been lulled into a false sense of security before!   We did not get to the top.  I'd prefer to be upside down in a plane at 3,000' that halfway up tracks hewn out of the rock, where I have to look down  where I have been.  Coupled with that a spaniel has no sense of danger and at one point fell down a 10' drop when curiosity got the better of ...

Escape from Alcatraz Baden Powell Trail Saturday 17th April It makes a catchy title, but it's not true; though we are out!   We have been very fortunate to be staying in a delightful gardened lower floor suite in North Vancouver, with some incredibly welcoming hosts.  But it's still great to be able to get out and about. Late Saturday morning and no covid test results had arrived; we feared the worse.  Just as we wound up lunch the email that we had been waiting for arrived.  Negative tests results! Actually we discovered, that our day of arrival was day one, so we could have done our ten day test a day earlier and been allowed out  at midnight last night if clear test results had arrived yesterday.  So we lost a few hours.   Today was sorting out car hire, shopping and going for a walk with Jack on the Baden Powell trail, which is a ten minute walk from where we are staying.   Only we took a wrong turn and it took us 20 m...