With the impending arrival of our baby, there is a long list of things we've been meaning to do before the big day. One of those was visiting one of Dave's BYU roommates that just moved from Germany to Vancouver, BC... last year. (My, how we love to procrastinate!)
On Friday afternoon, we packed up the car with all of our necessary gear, including our nearly-new passports... I even smuggled in an U.S. orange
accidentally (
gasp!).
Surprisingly, the drive up went by so quickly; we didn't realize it but the trip is less than two hours from our front door to theirs... made us think we need to do that trip more often!
As we drove up to the address, we had to unlatch the gate and follow a long, tree-lined driveway to their house. They live on about 10 acres of lush property, including a hobby farm (for which the Canadian government gives them a very nice tax credit). As we emerged from the car, we were greeted by three smiling, energetic kids, rushing about the yard on bikes. After a few tricks were displayed for us, Mike & Lynette gave us a tour of the home and the grounds.
A tour of the barn included a look at their goats and a grey mare, then we wandered through fruit trees and passed a dried creek. A pet rabbit and various birds & squirrels rounded out the animals. The property was beautiful and you can tell they've been working hard to spruce up the place. That night, after a rousing game of Foosball, the kiddos went to bed and we stayed up late talking while Lynette put the finishing touches on her son's hockey birthday cake.
I had a rough night sleeping, but it was mostly related to the same challenges I experience at home. In the morning, we ate a quick breakfast of cold cereal and yogurt before making our way into the big city of Vancouver along Highway 1, better known as the Trans-Canada Highway. It was quite strange to see the Canadian flag flying high above all the buildings in the area; as we are so close to the U.S., it's hard to remember that we were not in a different state, but rather in a different country!
The other reason we had come to Canada was to visit the Arc'Teryx factory outlet - or Mecca as I jokingly referred to it. For those unfamiliar with the brand, it is a high-end, high-quality outdoor gear company. And the factory outlet meant the possibility of awesome deals on some amazing gear! However, supplies move quickly there - and we must have caught them in a bit of a slump; Dave didn't find much, but he did grab a performance t-shirt for $15 that normally retails for around $55. After I made him pose for a picture to capture this momentous occasion, we hopped back in the car for a return trip to the house and to catch the last hour of the birthday party.
Unfortunately, our trip back was not so quick or fun. When I think of a highway that crosses an entire country, I think of a large interstate with at 3-4 lanes running each way. This was two lanes in each direction, but it is also the only way in and out of Vancouver. I'm not certain if there was an accident or if this is just how things are in Canada, but we sat in some pretty nasty traffic during the entire return trip.
The plan, after the birthday party, was to head to Stanley Park. After getting everyone buckled in and heading back onto the Trans-Canada, things got even uglier, traffic-wise. Almost as soon as we immediately merged (their merging lanes are way too short!) onto the highway, we were stuck in a snarled mess of other minivans, SUVs and sedans. And we sat and sat. Dave's friend is not a fan of air conditioning, so I thought I was going to die as we sat in that car in 85+F weather. And rolling down windows didn't help much. Eventually, we got off the highway and tried to find an alternate route parallel with the highway. But, we soon discovered that the idea was all in vain - the cause of the traffic was due to the closure of said highway, as well as the bridge that would get us into downtown.
After some deliberations about other alternate routes, I said we could just scrap the idea for that day. I was the only reason we were going to Stanley Park - sadly, I've never been there before.
So, as a quick solution, we headed for a local park called Derby Reach which runs along the Fraser River. Sadly (especially to a very pregnant lady), they had no public bathrooms available so I held back on my usual downing of the water bottle - even though it was extremely HOT.
We hiked along some lush, green trails & wooded areas (complete with signs of a bear image and the warning "Watch Your Small Children"). After a few meltdowns from tired children and a battle with swarming mosquitos, we found a quiet bank along the river. We stayed there for about an hour; as the children played with the mud, water & rocks, I relished the time to talk & to soak my swollen feet in that cool water!
That evening, we took Mike's family and his parents to dinner at a place called "White Spot" - a local favorite restaurant. Dave & I both ordered the BC chicken burger with a field greens salad - oh, and thick milkshakes. As I had been low on liquid intake all day, I figured the milkshake would help with my dehydration issues - or least cool me off. After some quick goodbyes, we packed up the car and made it to the tiny Alder Grove border crossing in less than 20 minutes. After a 5- minute wait, we were on US soil and headed for home under a lightning-filled night.
Although it was a quick trip, it was nice to visit with friends and get a way from home for a bit.
Every time I go to Costco, I grab a bag of bananas. I love them when they are still a little green and have a bit of a bite to them - and I have the best intentions of eating many in that perfect state of tastiness.
Typically, our 4
