On our last full day in Canada we packed up and made the drive towards Vancouver. This is about a 6 hour drive, and I was amazed at how often and how quickly the weather changed as we drove. About halfway along we stop at Bridal Veil Falls. It's a short 15-minute walk up to the falls. The forest here was so green, lush and damp (total Cullen territory, by the way) and moss was growing on all the tree limbs. The viewing area stopped short of the base of the waterfall, and if there was drier footing I may have hiked up a bit more to see the base. It was amazingly peaceful in these woods. 
We hiked back to the car and just missed the BC undercover police bust some car vandals! It would be absurd to think the cops were around catching hikers with beer. I mean, utterly ridiculous...
Back on the road to Vancouver! Pardon my naivety, but Vancouver is huge! I don't know what I expected but apparently the size of it was a surprise to me. We followed the city's electric buses, drove through historic Gastown with its old fashioned street lamps with hanging flower baskets and found our Marriott hotel (thanks, Kim!) right in the heart of downtown.
We checked in and then headed back out to the public markets at Granville Island. This is a beautiful area of shops and markets and a lovely place to spend the evening. We walked along the many art shops, found the kids pavilion, tried the gelato, and took in the scenery. Along the main waterway it's bustling with tourists and activity. We found the public market here, too, and it was so interesting to walk around the various food stands. Such variety! One could easily eat dinner just by grazing from booth to booth. Beautiful foods. Whatever you were looking for -- meats, cheeses, pastas, fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, candies -- there was no doubt you could find it there.
The interior side of the island features a quiet waterway, and you get the sense that Vancouvians are active people all year around. Here we saw people playing tennis, kayaking, crewing, running, sailing and walking. In the middle of this big city these parks were quiet retreats.
Before returning to the hotel we did a quick drive by the 2010 Vancouver Olympic flame site, which turns out was viewable from our hotel.
So long, Vancouver! I only wish we had one more day here to really explore and experience this wonderful city, though in my short time here it's apparent that this is a great place to live. It's so clean, eco-friendly, active and has real grass! But, alas, our Canadian vacation must come to an end, and the next morning we're heading back to the good ol' US of A. Here's a sign you don't see every day:
From here it was an easy drive back to Seattle. We had a drive-by tour of the Space Needle, Mt. Rainer, Chinatown (I'm beginning to think every major city except Miami has one), and the Mariners and Sea Hawks stadiums. Adam was a wonderful traveler this whole trip as well as the long flight back to Florida.
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