Vancouver's Granville Island

Granville Island is an artificial island dredged up from False Creek in the early 1900's--I swear I am not making this up--designed mostly for heavy industry. Things change. After the decline of heavy industry there and the usual seedy phase, it has become the artsy/fartsy/touristy district...galleries, theaters, many interesting shoppes, and restaurants. We explored Granville Island on our 2nd evening in Vancouver and had a great dinner there too. Interesting place, August 30th.

It was not our first visit to Vancouver...in 1972, specifically, July 21st,
we were there, and bought this brass bed (now long-gone) in a place
(unfortunately) called Gaslight Village; Vicki and Rebecca reading together
in the bed, c. 1976, has always been a favorite family picture

Some manufacturing still going on

Superb photography gallery

What happens when industrial goes artsy

Ample historical information

View from our table at the resto

Vancouver has many skylines...

Sandbar Restaurant...for me, first installment of a week's seafood...

What? Your town doesn't have a rental BBQ raft?!

My repas

Hers

Feeling a bit crabby

Last time we ate under a bridge was at the Galata Bridge, Golden
Horn, Istanbul...

Much interesting contemporary architecture in Vancouver

And sculpture

Interim Update #1,289 101 Nights On The Road

After 15,000+ miles and 101 nights on the road, we are back in Cary, NC...preparing for our next adventure, of course. Yes, the blog is nearly two months behind, but I'll catch up eventually. And soon, possibly. We'll be in Orlando during the rest of October and most of November, feeding the Mouse and blogging. And preparing for the next adventure. And whither then, I cannot say...

Preview of coming attractions...

Out-Takes On The Road To Vancouver

We continued driving the interior of British Columbia, at times surpassingly beautiful, at other times not so much, but still interesting...

Possible solution to the problem of staying awake late enough for
the northern lights

Possible solution to a problem yet to be identified

Liquor is much cheaper in Canada, especially BC; just make
sure you drink it all before entering the US

BC wines; couldn't find my photo of Yukon wines

Part of the selection of hockey sticks at the Canadian Tire store where
we had our tires rotated

Another gold rush town

Canadian counsel on "gaming" [we've been in half
a dozen US casinos since...and there is no such concern]

Hot sauces at a Canadian hasty-tasty

Never once in our weeks in Canada was an ill-word or gesture
offered on US/Canadian relations; this, outside someone's homestead,
was the only instance of comment on the US...and we couldn't agree
more

The Chasm, a sort of petit grand canyon in BC

Part of an enormous strip-mine, almost its own grand canyon

Log jam

Still snoey up there, end of August

Do not plant potato seeds...you have been warned!

Miles-long traffic jam trying to get out of Vancouver
for the Labor Day weekend

Sex And Violence On Fish Creek

Fish Creek is in the Tongass National Forest, road access to which is through the Alaskan hamlet of Hyder, adjacent to the Canadian town of Stewart. Just a few miles out from Hyder, the US Forest Service has built a catwalk along the creek, a few hundred meters long, from which you can safely observe the spawning salmon and the feasting grizzlies. We visited this place in 2002 and were knocked out...and knocked out again on August 25th.

Not a huge water-way

But the salmon come here, in the season, by the thousands

Among the many informative displays

They spawn and die, a dance of love and death

As if on cue...

Not a small one

Nor a picky eater

A great show...