The Endless Wait

After five jam-packed days in Vancouver, Ava spent most of today sitting around on her bum waiting. We waited to go through immigration as we drove to Washington and we waited a really, really long time for the ferry from Anacortes to San Juan Island.

Despite arriving at the ferry terminal 1 1/2 hours before the ferry we wanted to ride was set to leave, the ferry was already filled so we had to wait another 2 hours (3 1/2 hours total) to finally get a ferry to Friday Harbor.  We wandered around the shore near the terminal, ate lunch, and Ava spent a lot of time reading maps and playing in the backseat.

Once we finally drove onto our ferry - the M/V Kaleetan - we enjoyed a smooth ride.

With the sun nestled behind the clouds for most of the day it was pretty chilly (despite Ava's general insistence on not wearing a jacket) so we shared a large cup of hot chocolate.

Once we arrived in Friday Harbor, we took a short drive to the Sawmill Creek Cottage, our home for the next two nights.

Ava explored the property and the rocky beach finding crabs, geese, and loads of barnacles and shells.

After dinner in town, the sun finally came out so Ava got to eat an ice cream while walked along the harbor.

With a long day ahead of us tomorrow, Ava went down (relatively) early in her pull-out couch bed. 

Up In The Air

Leaving the downtown/Coal Harbour area, we took the free shuttle driven by the (un)intentionally hilarious Javier across the harbour to North Vancouver.  After a few nervous moments, Ava made it safely across the Capilano Suspension Bridge, which sways back and forth 230 feet above the Capilano River and stretches for 460 feet.

Ava's favorite park features was the Treetops Adventure, which offers a "squirrel's-eye view" of the forest.   

Ava also survived the bird's eye view of the canyon below via the Cliff Walk.

After a brief bus ride, we arrived at Grouse Mountain, to take the Skyride and chairlift to an elevation of 4,000 feet where we took in views of Vancouver and the surrounding areas. 

The mountaintop featured a number of fun activities such as Birds in Motion (a bird show with owls, eagles, and falcons) 

And the World-Famous Lumberjack Show where we cheered for Johnny Nelson from the Green River logging camp. 

As a special treat, we all enjoyed a couple of BeaverTails - a flat, fried, donut-type dessert.

On the backside of the mountain, Ava and Chris found enough snow to make snowballs. 

On the bus ride to Lonsdale Quay, Ava crashed out. 

She was woken from her slumber when we arrived at our bust stop so we could wander around the Lonsdale Quay Market, and then take the SeaBus across the harbour. 

For our final dinner in Vancouver, we headed to Gyoza-King for a taste of home.

The True North Strong and Free

Ava's adventures in Vancouver continued today with an all day celebration of Canada Day.  We started by paying homage to the First Peoples by visiting the giant inukshuk in English Bay.  

Ava then took her second boat ride of the trip to Granville Island, this time on a False Creek Ferry (the competitor to the Aquabus). 

The purpose of today's visit was to play at the free water park in the warm sun and Ava took full advantage riding the waterslide several times, getting sprayed, and playing in the splash pools .

After riding the bus back to the waterfront, Ava wasn't allowed into the (Three?)Lions Pub because they only had a bar/club license, but they directed us to the Steamworks Brewing Co. where Ava enjoyed a burger whilst watching the USA-Belgium match.  Despite the tough loss, we enjoyed the match, and Abby and Chris enjoyed their fresh beers. 

The big Canada Day festivities were held at Canada Place, and we braved the crowds to get free Canada swag, wander through the Canadian Forces and sports pavilions, do some arts and crafts, and see some strange Canadian band on stage. 

With the sun not setting until super late, Ava had to stay up well past her bedtime to watch the 10:30pm fireworks show, which was well worth it especially when the crowd spontaneously sang "O Canada."

Biking Around Lord Stanley's Park

With the sun shining brightly this morning, we headed straight for the bike rental shop right after breakfast and geared up for a day riding around Stanley Park (yes, dedicated to the same man who donated the Stanley Cup trophy).  Ava and Chris rode together on an adult/child trail-a-bike - or, as Ava calls it, a "twosie" bike.  After getting the initial kinks out, we had a smooth day cruising around the seawall.

Our first major stop was the Vancouver Aquarium.

In addition to viewing the usual displays of fish, crabs, and jellies, Ava enjoyed seeing the penguins, frogs, the beluga whale show, and the indoor rain forest.

Next up were the beautiful totem poles. 

We made plenty of stops and diversions along the way in order to take in the views of the city,

the Brockton Point Lighthouse, 

the Lions Gate Bridge, 

the free Kids Water Park,

and lunch at the Tea House on Ferguson Point.

The last major stop on our riding tour was Third Beach where we were able to explore the slippery reef due to the low tide.  Unfortunately, Chris slipped and ate it with Abby joining him moments later.  Both were scraped up but suffered no permanent damage (although the same can't be said of their camera). 

Ava enjoyed burrata and pizza for dinner and had an early-ish bedtime as we get ready for a late Canada Day night tomorrow.