Goodbye Vancouver

My flight to Japan was in the early afternoon so I had plenty of time margin. I had noticed that there was a Denny's 24 hour diner on the corner. Back in the mid-80s I used to grab an early breakfast in a Denny's after working all night on my dissertation.

I couldn't pass up indulging in a bit of nostalgia. So at about 0800 I left my packed suitcase in the dorm and walked over to the diner.

Diners are part of the US mythology, emblematic of the unattached wandering life. The decor in this one, a diner neon sign and wallpaper of a Texan highway scene reinforced that. From the town names on the signs, Tucuman and Amarillo, it appears to be on Highway 40, near the Texas-New Mexico border.

I splurged on a full breakfast using the last of my Canadian cash. I still had plastic for the train fare to the airport.

At Vancouver Airport, code name YVR because maybe there are too many other airports starting with V, I watched the departures for a while from the observation deck.

By and by I went airside, and soon it was time to board. So it was goodbye Vancouver, goodbye Canada, and goodbye North America. Next time I go around the world, if I can, it will probably be the southern route, via South America.

October 15 was lost to me as I was crossing the international date line.

My further adventures are in the next blog Retiredfeline in Kyushu and Seoul.

Bowen Island

I had already visited Vancouver back in 2001 and done the usual sights like Granville Island as well as Vancouver Island. This time I wanted somewhere different. I had considered day trips to various places in the vicinity of Vancouver. In the end I decided on Bowen Island, which can be reached by metro bus to Horseshoe Bay, then a ferry.

As expected, the mountains and bays made for great scenery.

Horseshoe Bay is itself a visitor destination with accommodation and water craft. It's the terminus of an express bus service 257 from downtown Vancouver.

The passenger and vehicle ferry terminal.

The incoming ferry which would turn around and be our ferry.

Waiting to cast off.

The top deck.

Soon to be filled with cars.

We're off.

We had to sail out of the narrow bay, then turn left for Bowen Island. That backdrop!

I think the other ferry was the service to Langdale, a bit north, on the mainland.

Mountains on the mainland.

Approaching Bowen Island.

Snug Cove in sight.

I won't even attempt to pronounce Bowen Island's Squamish name Nex̱wlélex̱wm. The x with an underscore is a new one to me.

It was too early for lunch so I took a signposted walk along the shore.

Crossing a creek.

Apparently spawning salmon come up this creek and keen wildlife watchers await the time of year to witness the phenomenon.

The sign.

The obligatory ducks photo.

A memorial garden with plaques on benches memorialising the lives of residents past. I got the impression that Bowen Island has a greater proportion of retirees.

Time to have lunch so I went to the local hotel which had a great view of the cove.

This was ok but I forgot that I don't like tartare sauce that much. Maybe I should have had the fish and chips instead of a fancy sounding dish.

Lunch over, I wanted to work some of it off, and encountered these Canadian geese resting in the park.

I gave them a wide berth so as not to alarm them, but they didn't seem too perturbed by my passage.

About a half hour later I emerged up the main road near a shopping centre.

I walked back to the terminal and relaxed on a bench near a cafe until the ferry arrived.

And the was the enf of my day out in the picturesque outdoors. The return to downtown Vancouver was the reverse of the outward trip.

Hello Vancouver

Vancouver is a stunningly beautiful city thanks to its location between the mountains and the sea. The vibe in Vancouver is different to the eastern seaboard old-world. It's a Pacific city. My first thought on seeing the modern trends manifest was that the Californian new-agers had moved here.

The Canadian is one of the world's great rail journeys and I had seen marvelous landscapes and met diverse folk. Bear in mind that you can't spend all your time looking out the window, and you miss stretches at night. I wouldn't ride the epic 4466 km again even if free—once suffices. West is the better direction as the best mountainscapes are near the end. But you could also visit the Rockies by taking a tour from Vancouver.

It took me a while to find the bus stop for the service to my hostel what with construction and relocation. The minibus service ran along Pacific Street skirting the harbour. I could understand why Vancouver is a favoured bolt-hole for cashed up Asians seeing the blocks of high-rises with grand views. I was staying at a hostel because everywhere in Canada hotel rooms are expensive. Even Airbnb is expensive.

I checked in and had a late lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant. It was authentic and filling.

I spent the afternoon doing my laundry, another thing not available in most hotels. I went to an op shop and donated my old cold weather jacket. I'm unlikely to need one again in the near future, and also it was necessary because one of the later flights in my itinerary had a bottleneck of 15 kg checked luggage.

One advantage of the hostel location in the West End was nearby Davie Street with lots of eateries.

The Canadian: British Columbia

A few km out of Jasper, we crossed the continental divide at Yellowhead Pass. The rail and road lines run along the shores of Yellowhead Lake.

A bit further west is Moose Lake. The morning mist lingered on the water and slopes.

Here's a map showing how much further we had to go. While British Columbia is not as wide as Ontario, the north south direction and the mountanous terrain meant more travelling time for longitude traversed.

We got to see some of the golden fall foliage.

The magnificent cloud shrouded mountains.

I think this would be a great drive.

I had the pot pie for lunch.

If the GPS is correct this would be either Packsaddle Peak or Yellowjacket Peak. Or one of the other peaks in that range.

The train slowed down so that we could get good pictures of this waterfall. I assume this is Pyramid Creek Falls since the GPS shows that we are near the park of that name.

Another picture.

Forestry is an important industry.

I liked the look of the ravines.

By dusk we had reached Kamloops North Station.

We could alight and walk around.

The station is north of the central district, on the east bank of the North Thompson River. So we didn't get to see the confluence of the North Thompson and Thompson Rivers that make Kamloops an important transportation hub. But I had seen that before, on a van tour to the Rockies from Vancouver in early Sep 2001.

I realised that I didn't know the name of my sleeper carriage so I located it. But they are all identical in layout anyway.

Dinner was served soon after we set off again.

The morning found us trundling down the Fraser River Valley around 0800.

Unfortunately that is my last picture on the Canadian. We were due to arrive at Vancouver Pacific Central Station around 1000, but delays from rail congestion kept us on the train for another couple of hours. Then there was the wait for our luggage to be disgorged onto the carousel. Some US passengers missed rail connections to Seattle. I had a day of leeway in Vancouver, and I did a bit of touring so I will comment on the train trip in another post.