Day 17 – Sunday August 22, 2010 – Vancouver
Kilometres: 7.8 KM
Time: 10 minutes
Weather:
Sunny with cloudy periods. Around 20 C at 11 AM
It was another day of seeing the sights and walking. Ian and I started off in North Van and gradually worked our way long the seashore to West Van. We stopped at a beach that offered a really good view of Lion’s Gate Bridge and Downtown Vancouver. The beech was nearly deserted, which was surprising considering the weather on this beautiful Sunday.
From there we drove as close to the seashore as possible, along twisty roads with huge houses, which I’m sure offered magnificent views of the sea and Vancouver. After several stops we came to our final hiking destination: the lighthouse. Walking through the forest was amazing. The Douglas fir trees towered over. Some were bent by the wind and some tree trunks reminded me of palm trees that stood at strange angels because of sea breezes. But here in Vancouver, the underbrush was nearly forest-like. Small ferns grew in the shade, cedar added a lush green, and sweet fragrance to the air.
We came to a crossroads and there was section of a 500-year-old tree. Standing on its side, it was taller than me. While not all the trees were this size, they were some scattered about the forests. The area offered many paths, but we took the one directly to the un-manned lighthouse. The currently lighthouse was built in 1912, while the previous one goes back about 50 years from that. The public isn’t allowed access to the lighthouse. He stood on some large boulders that overlooked the lighthouses and, for our hiking efforts, were given a magnificent view.
We were soon sitting in the car and driving further west. We stopped in Horseshoe Bay for a quick lunch and the drove back home.
After a couple of games of air hockey, Wii, and go fish, it was time for dinner. The day just flew by and around 9 PM it was time for me to go back to my hotel.
