Saturday, August 16, 2008
Vancouver and Northern Vancouver Island
[Note: This is the second post today. Be sure to read the prior post.]
[Be sure to click on the photos for larger versions.]
This installment covers Tuesday (August 12) through Saturday (August 16).
Tuesday was a warm, overcast sightseeing day. We started by driving to the Gastown area of downtown. There we saw the statue of the original Gassy Jack (after whom the town was named) and a famous steam powered clock.
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We also walked through some souvenir shops, one of which had a nice collection of native arts and crafts. Because of the high density of homeless people, we turned back without walking to Chinatown.
We next took an exterior elevator to the observation deck on the top of the Heritage Center. After taking some photos of the town, we walked down to the cruise ship dock / convention center.
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We then drove to Chinatown and went on a tour of Dr. Sun-Yat-Sen gardens and house. The guide to the house was very informative, and we learned a lot about how the upper class lived during the Ming Dynasty. When you know what to look for, examples of Yin and Yang pervade the house. Leaving the house and gardens, we walked a couple of blocks for photos of the gate that marks the entry to Chinatown.
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We had lunch on the waterfront at a nice restaurant, where we took advantage of a buy-one, get-one entrée deal that came with our tickets to the observation deck.
After lunch we drove to Stanley Park where we visited the Vancouver Aquarium. In addition to fish, jellyfish, sea lions and seals, the aquarium has several Beluga whales, including a mom and young whale.
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Wednesday we went sightseeing in the car up the Sunshine Coast. This trip involves taking two ferry trips northbound to Powell River, then returning on the same route with two ferry trips southbound. The scenery along the way was pretty, but it ultimately did not seem worth the long driving day.
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We visited a small, local museum in Powell River, then drove up to Lund, which marks the end of Highway 101 – coast highway from Canada, through the US and Mexico, to South America. Between Lund and Powell River we saw a small informational road sign which said “Nuclear Weapons Free Zone,” but we didn’t get a photo.
Powell River was build around a paper mill, and the harbor for the mill is surrounded by WWI vintage concrete ship hulls. Due to a steel shortage during the war, some ships were constructed of concrete. They were abandoned after the war, because the weight of the concrete adversely impacted their cargo carrying capacity.
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We had a nice lunch at Rene’s Italian restaurant in Powell River, and supper in the RV. Tonight was more Olympics on TV. In general, the Canadian coverage on CBC is better than the U.S. coverage on NBC.
Thursday was another sunny sightseeing day in Vancouver. In the late morning, we went to the Burnaby Village Museum, which represents the village restored to the way it would have looked during 1925. In the afternoon we visited the Telus Science Museum in downtown Vancouver. This was a hands-on science museum, and although it was geared toward children, we enjoyed the visit.
This evening we walked a few blocks from the RV park to a nearby shopping center, where we had gyros for supper. Tonight was more Olympics on TV.
On Friday we moved (by ferry) from Vancouver to Vancouver Island. Once on the island, we headed north to Campbell River, where we dry camped at the Elk Falls Provincial Park. We arrived shortly after 1:00 p.m. After lunch, we headed west in the car to visit a couple of waterfalls. Supper was in the RV, and with no electricity for TV, we turned in early.
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Saturday was a drive north through mostly forest land and nearby coast to Port Hardy, on the northern end of Vancouver Island. After checking into the Sunny Sanctuary Campground around noon, we went sightseeing in the car again this afternoon. We visited Port McNeill, where the town was celebrating Orca Fest. Besides a few craft tents, the main attractions were a display of old cars, including some that had been modified for drag racing, and free canoe paddling.
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We then took a scenic drive to Port Alice, and finished by visiting Fort Rupert, a native village which featured a couple of totem poles.
We had supper in the RV and (again) watched some of the Olympics. We finally have Internet access again, so I also took the opportunity to update our travel blog.
[Be sure to click on the photos for larger versions.]
This installment covers Tuesday (August 12) through Saturday (August 16).
Tuesday was a warm, overcast sightseeing day. We started by driving to the Gastown area of downtown. There we saw the statue of the original Gassy Jack (after whom the town was named) and a famous steam powered clock.
.JPG)
We also walked through some souvenir shops, one of which had a nice collection of native arts and crafts. Because of the high density of homeless people, we turned back without walking to Chinatown.
We next took an exterior elevator to the observation deck on the top of the Heritage Center. After taking some photos of the town, we walked down to the cruise ship dock / convention center.
.JPG)
.JPG)
We then drove to Chinatown and went on a tour of Dr. Sun-Yat-Sen gardens and house. The guide to the house was very informative, and we learned a lot about how the upper class lived during the Ming Dynasty. When you know what to look for, examples of Yin and Yang pervade the house. Leaving the house and gardens, we walked a couple of blocks for photos of the gate that marks the entry to Chinatown.
.JPG)
We had lunch on the waterfront at a nice restaurant, where we took advantage of a buy-one, get-one entrée deal that came with our tickets to the observation deck.
After lunch we drove to Stanley Park where we visited the Vancouver Aquarium. In addition to fish, jellyfish, sea lions and seals, the aquarium has several Beluga whales, including a mom and young whale.
.JPG)
Wednesday we went sightseeing in the car up the Sunshine Coast. This trip involves taking two ferry trips northbound to Powell River, then returning on the same route with two ferry trips southbound. The scenery along the way was pretty, but it ultimately did not seem worth the long driving day.
.JPG)
We visited a small, local museum in Powell River, then drove up to Lund, which marks the end of Highway 101 – coast highway from Canada, through the US and Mexico, to South America. Between Lund and Powell River we saw a small informational road sign which said “Nuclear Weapons Free Zone,” but we didn’t get a photo.
Powell River was build around a paper mill, and the harbor for the mill is surrounded by WWI vintage concrete ship hulls. Due to a steel shortage during the war, some ships were constructed of concrete. They were abandoned after the war, because the weight of the concrete adversely impacted their cargo carrying capacity.
.JPG)
We had a nice lunch at Rene’s Italian restaurant in Powell River, and supper in the RV. Tonight was more Olympics on TV. In general, the Canadian coverage on CBC is better than the U.S. coverage on NBC.
Thursday was another sunny sightseeing day in Vancouver. In the late morning, we went to the Burnaby Village Museum, which represents the village restored to the way it would have looked during 1925. In the afternoon we visited the Telus Science Museum in downtown Vancouver. This was a hands-on science museum, and although it was geared toward children, we enjoyed the visit.
This evening we walked a few blocks from the RV park to a nearby shopping center, where we had gyros for supper. Tonight was more Olympics on TV.
On Friday we moved (by ferry) from Vancouver to Vancouver Island. Once on the island, we headed north to Campbell River, where we dry camped at the Elk Falls Provincial Park. We arrived shortly after 1:00 p.m. After lunch, we headed west in the car to visit a couple of waterfalls. Supper was in the RV, and with no electricity for TV, we turned in early.
.JPG)
Saturday was a drive north through mostly forest land and nearby coast to Port Hardy, on the northern end of Vancouver Island. After checking into the Sunny Sanctuary Campground around noon, we went sightseeing in the car again this afternoon. We visited Port McNeill, where the town was celebrating Orca Fest. Besides a few craft tents, the main attractions were a display of old cars, including some that had been modified for drag racing, and free canoe paddling.
.JPG)
.JPG)
We then took a scenic drive to Port Alice, and finished by visiting Fort Rupert, a native village which featured a couple of totem poles.
We had supper in the RV and (again) watched some of the Olympics. We finally have Internet access again, so I also took the opportunity to update our travel blog.
