Almost made it, an overnight stay in Los Angeles

Well the plane broke down.  We had a 7 hour wait in Los Angeles Airport so we organised to go to the lounge for food, drinks and shower before we left.  Supposed to leave at midnight.  At 7pm we were told the plane was delayed till 2am.  At midnight we were told the plane now wouldn't be going till 1pm the next day.  All in taxis and off to the Marriott at Manhattan beach.  Just lucky we knew we would have a long stopover so we had a change of clothes.  Staying at the Marriott was good too, great room and sensational breakfast.  Now waiting for a bus to take us back to the airport for our flight home.  Better luck this time!!!
We did get to see the 'Hollywood' sign and have now seen an airport hotel....good trip to California!

Los Angeles from the 6th floor of the Manhattan beach Marriott.

Early morning...a little less spectacular.

Living large with our view at breakfast.

Wonder if we can arrange another breakdown?

Goodbye USA and Canada....hello home and work and grandchildren and children.

Well, we are now at the Los Angeles airport waiting for a plane for the 13 hours to Brisbane.  Looking back on the last 6 weeks and we have made some interesting observations we would like to record in case we completely forget the little things on our holidays.

The USA people were so friendly and polite, quite opposite to the stereo type we imagined.

New York was a whirl wind, we’ll just have to go back for a couple of weeks to get a good look at all the things we missed.

The cruise was something we imagined would be pretty good.  We didn’t for a second understand the sheer brilliance of the ship and the scenery.  We were overwhelmed on so many occasions, the beauty was so great it hurt the eyes!!!  It was like a dream watching the world go by from the ship.  Having Cath at Niagara Falls and on the cruise also made for a fun time.  It will also give the family one more person to call upon if they want to hear of our experience....any takers?

Canada was a photographers dream.  I can imagine anyone even slightly interested in taking landscape photos could spend a year here and still not get enough of the mountains and scenery.

The tourist attractions are so well managed, organised and maintained.  We were there in the shoulder season and glad of it.  There are wide viewing decks and lots of car parking.  Every attraction has stacks of historical and nature notes which enhance the experience.

The people of Canada were always helpful.  No matter where we were, in the largest city or smallest town.  If we stood on a street corner with a map in our hands, a local would come up and ask us if they could help.

The driving is similar to Australia, just a few different rules and regulations.  The Police presence is almost nonexistent but all the drivers seem to sit at about the speed limit and we didn’t feel threatened at any time by crazy drivers.  Maybe I was the one they were all avoiding??

The roads were first class, even to the minor attractions; the roads were wide with plenty of pullover areas to take the odd photo.

The weather was kind to us.  It was often very cloudy and rainy in the early morning but by midmorning the sun came out and we managed to get just about everything done that needed doing.  We went 6 weeks without having to buy an umbrella, so that was a good sign.  We did 4589kms.

The next thing for us is a decided decrease in the calorie intake and a few more walks around the block so we can revert to our former physical perfection.

Hope you enjoyed the blog , we certainly enjoyed the quiet drink while we were writing it…. till next time…….ᑕᕝᕙᐅᔪᓯ (Tavvaujusi) (Goodbye)

Vernon spending the last of our Canadian dollars on a shoe shine by a large, strong Indian woman who nearly sprained my ankles with the polishing. 

Sunday drive

Had a much better nights sleep last night!!!
Hot day today, sun was out and the predicted top was 16 degrees, almost time for shorts and t-shirts.

Went for a drive to Squamish this morning along the Sea-to-Sky Highway.  We did it the other day in the rain, it was only about 50 kilometres, we had nothing else planned, thought a Sunday drive to annoy the locals would be nice.  Got away at 9.30 and had coffee in Squamish then took about 2 hours to get home after stopping at all the scenic views.  By that time the traffic was thick, lots of cyclist, motorcyclists and tourists.  Managed to get the car back to Vancouver and decided to return the car this afternoon rather than in the morning when we will be packing and getting to the airport.  (To hire/return a hire car to the airport there is a 17% surcharge, so we picked up and dropped off Downtown).

After our drama with Budget on arrival it was smooth sailing on return.  No dents or scratches so we passed that test.  Drove 5,489 kilometres with just one little under carriage panel falling off and screwed back on with screws bought in Calgary.  No problem!

Walked around town, back to Gastown, had our one and only McDonalds lunch in Canada, got back to the motel to try and regain some energy to go out to find tea.
Well, we didn't get any energy and had tea at the pub next door, now we have to pack.  Looking forward to that!!!

At Browning Lake on the Sea-to-Sky Highway.

Beautiful, peaceful spot.

Lots of rocks, moss, trees and narrow walking paths.

A little angel in the woods.

The reason they call it the Sea-to-Sky Highway.  From the waterfront to the snow.

A bay along the road.

Vancouver and the ice hockey

Had a late start to the day.  We were kept awake most of the night by a couple in the next room deciding it was time to sort out all their differences.  They finally fell asleep exhausted at 4am.  They did checkout today so we should do better tonight.  Made us a little tired today.  Lucky we had no plans.  Went and did our laundry, went to the Post Office, collected some autumn leaves and then headed to the Granville Markets for late lunch, walk around then home by 4pm. 
We had to get home early, we were watching an ice hockey game (National Hockey League - NHL) on TV in a pub in Edmonton a couple of weeks ago and decided to try and get some tickets to a game.  Managed to get tickets to a game tonight - Vancouver Canucks against Edmonton Oilers.
Checked the venue, Rogers Stadium, a 15 minute walk along Georgia Street down from the motel.  Walked along Georgia Street which goes across a bridge.  The crowd headed left instead of towards the stadium.  We presumed there were steps down and under the bridge to the stadium.  Pam even took a photo of me in front of the stadium.  Followed the crowd and we were suddenly at a stadium on the left side of the road.....we must have looked like idiots getting a photo in front of the wrong stadium.  Never mind, didn't see anyone we knew.
Big sellout crowd as it was the first home game for the Canucks for the season and they were confident with a new coach in charge.  Both teams are rated by the bookies to make the finals and both teams had lost their first away games.  Big pressure.  The pressure only got worse for the home team when the Oilers scored in the first 2 minutes.
We found out there are 3 x 20 minute periods and the game takes about 2 hours.  Plenty of entertainment, light shows and hype.
The home team scored twice in the last couple of minutes of the first period and the crowd was awake and loud.
The home team went on to win 5-2 and it was very exciting after a miracle goal with about 3 minutes to go after the opposition goalie was binned and a 'Hail Mary' shot from the back field by a Canuck ricocheted off the wall and rolled slowly but surely towards the goal with Oilers chasing in vain..  We had some very friendly Canucks fans around us who tried to explain (in between them spilling beer and screaming at the Oilers fans) all the rules and tactics of the game.  I think they enjoyed having some aliens in their midst.
Walked home, stopped for coffee and a wind down before getting to our (we hope) quiet room for a well earned rest.

Our leaf collection on the rocks.

Taking a beak on our walk around Stanley Park.

Pam is an artist really

Another one of her suggestions for the art show.

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Our leaves on grass.

Pile of sulphur on the wharf opposite Stanley Park.

Totem poles in Stanley Park.

Waterfront opposite Stanley park.  The mountain behind the sulphur pile is Grouse Mountain, lucky we squeezed it in yesterday.

Canada Place, where the cruise ships dock.  None in today, very late in the season.

Burrard Bridge from the Granville Markets.

Game night.

 

Just not at this stadium...try this side of the road.........

Warm-up.  Both full teams on the ice.

The National Anthem.

A little team-v-team disagreement.

At the break between periods a couple of ice skimmers come on and resurface the ice while a few blokes do any repairs to the goal nets.

Due to it having such a big TV audience, every 5 minutes there is a break.  During the break a heap of people come on with snow sweepers and sweep all the excess ice away while a couple of them shovel it into a rubbish bucket.

Penalty face off.

A little one on one disagreement.

The mascot waving off the winning team.

Announcing the man of the match award.

Back to Vancouver and up Grouse Mountain

Back to the mainland today from Vancouver Island.  It was very foggy when we woke up this morning but we have learnt from experience that the sun will eventually burn the fog/cloud off and we will generally have not a bad day.  This theory proved more or less correct and we left on the ferry at about 11am for the hour and a half through the islands and into the pier at Tsawwassen.  On the way we decided, due to the good weather, to continue through Vancouver and head up Grouse Mountain.  As you can imagine Pam was a little apprehensive catching another gondola up a frozen mountain.  Got to the top and there was a bonus for us.  They had a couple of orphaned grizzly bears in a huge natural  enclosure.  One of the bears was a real poser and played up to the crowd.   Next was a chair lift to the peak of the mountain.  There was snow and a freezing wind.  The surprise I had for Pam at the end was a trip on the ‘Skyride’.  This is a lift up the centre of a wind turbine tower to the top of the world.  Pams response to this experience…she put her foot down, drew the line, told me no, and refused to take another step towards the tower. 

I did the right thing and went up in her stead and brought back heaps of photos for her viewing pleasure.  It was an interesting trip and with the blades of the turbine only a few feet away it gave a bit of an unsteady feeling.   By the time I got down to earth we were more than ready for the chair lift down to the visitors centre.  Had to have a hot coffee to defrost the fingers.  Wish we could have waited for the sun to go down, I’m sure the sunset over Vancouver Island would have been very photogenic.  To the hotel and a walk to tea. 

Leaving the dock on Vancouver Island.  Two ramps feeding 4 decks of cars/trucks.

And it just gets colder, even with the sun on my back.

Our sister ship, negotiating the narrow straits of the islands east of Vancouver Island.

Not warm at all.

Mount Baker in Washington, USA from the ferry.  About 3,000 metres tall and about 120 kilometres away.

In the gondola going up Grouse Mountain......why am I doing this AGAIN??!!

I'm here to check out the bears.

Hello there bear.

I'm loving it, tell them, I'm loving it.

Looking back down at the top of the gondola ride and the bottom of the chair lift.

Arriving on the chair lift, doesn't look too cold does it?

Looking through the Sitka Pines to the snow covered mountains in the distance.

Pam in need of a hot chocolate.

Not wanting to go closer to the turbine tower.

Maybe a ride on the zipline...we forgot to buy a ticket at the visitors centre so they wouldn't let us go on the ride.  Bad luck really.

Staying warm...a bit.

Not far to go now.

And we'll be up in that pod at the top.

Or someone could stay on the ground....notice the red coat?

Ranges from the top.

An idea of the experience.

Even more mountains.

Looking back towards the vistors centre.  Ski slopes on the left.

Vancouver Island in the distance from the top of the chair lift.  Vancouver city to the left.

Found this little man on our walk.

Sun going down behind the clouds.

Again, with container ships waiting to enter Vancouver Harbour.

Still not getting any warmer.

Our last glimpse before it's back to Vancouver.