Leaving North Vancouver for a day in the "country" was full of anticipation. It wasn't long before we had left the suburb behind and was on the main hughway to Squamish.   This road had been greatly improved and widened for the 2010 Winter Olympics, mostly four lanes all the way. It was a stunning drive with mountains on one side and beautiful water ways on the other side.  The mountains took on a variety of colours from shades of grey to blue to green, some e...

The granola bought at Granville we enjoyed for breakfast, along with a number of other items produced from a freezer, pantry and fridge that seemed to have a never ending supply of homemade delicacies. We are being treated to some wonderful food and great hospitality.   At mid morning we set off or Downtown Vancouver to see some of the sights of the city. Stopping a number of times we saw the Law Courts (modern building with stepped external walls and gardens a...

Tina had made us a great breakfast of pancakes, fruit and muffins which we heartedly enjoyed. It was then time to go exploring Stanley Park, Downtown Vancouver and Granville Island.     Stanley Park was full of large trees, terrific views of the city and water ways, excellent walkways and cycle paths and interesting exhibits.   We stopped to take photos of trees, city views and totem poles! As it was school holidays, there were plenty of locals in the park ...

Outside  Bright Angel Lodge I saw condors for the very first time. Three of them were circling over the South Rim wall of the Grand Canyon and over us. They were so close I could clearly see their tagged numbers. These condors were attracting a large crowd who were momentarily focused upon birds rather than stoney cliffs of the canyon.   Rob and I decided to go for a walk along the South Rim, along a sealed trail that hugges the canyon cliff face. This was a ...

  Sunrise over the Grand Canyon was magical. It was worth getting up at 4.45am to see the sun illuminate the cliffs of the canyon. From darkness to brilliant shades of red, orange, white and brow, the Canyon burst into life within an hour.  Ground squirrils emerged, basking in the warmth of the sun and displaying amazing agility as they effortlessly scampered across the edges of the cliffs.  A surreal experience as I witnessed one of the most amazing sights I ...