Stanley Park

Glen's conference provided him with breakfast so I decided to indulge by having a room-service breakfast.  My oatmeal came topped with a pile of walnuts and poached apples to which I added a drizzle of honey and some cream.  It was by far the best oatmeal I've tasted.   A big pot of coffee allowed me to linger reading the paper before I sat down to see what letterboxes could be found in Stanley Park.  Seven was the number, some hidden in the depths of the park, others along its edge.

Stanely Park is a peninsula jutting out into Burrard Inlet of Vancouver's harbour.  A seawall runs around its perimeter and nestled in its depths are an aquarium, a miniature railway, rose garden, tea house, totem poles and two lakes.  Beaches dot the western edge while a yacht club and HMCS Discovery (Royal Canadian Sea Cadets) on Deadman Island grace the eastern one.  Construction of the seawall began in 1917 but wasn't complete until 1971.  In 2006, a devastating windstorm destroyed much of the old growth forest and portions of the seawall.  It has since been repaired but the trees rot where they fell.

I began my walk at the yacht club and continued past the Discovery until I reached the totem poles.  When Meg was two, we had explored the park so it was nice to see the same sights again.  Some things have changed and the season certainly was different but the totem poles are ageless.  There was a letterbox planted along the road running past these poles so I followed the seawall until I reached the steps mentioned in the box's clues.  That's when I saw the Girl in the Wetsuit, a bronze sculpture sitting on a rock in the harbour (inspired by the Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen).  I wanted to take some photos (see above) so walked beyond the steps.

After digging for fifteen minutes in the leaf litter (I'd brought my gardening gloves) surrounding the tree where the letterbox was planted, I gave up and headed to the next box near the miniature railway.  This was also a failed attempt but I did find some peace in a memorial garden dedicated to air force men and women.

By this time, I'd wandered through some of the loneliest parts of the park and some of the quietest.  Soaring cedars and redwoods make up most of the old growth forest of this 1000 acre park and ferns drape their roots.   It being a Thursday and damp, not many people walked the trails.  I've since learned that hiking them alone is not advised.  Oops.

The final box I'd decided to hunt for was at Beaver Lake.   The route suggested by the clue led me to the trail that circles the lake but all I saw was swamp so it wasn't very scenic.  Then I found the box.  Yay!!  It was the 60th I've found since beginning this hobby.  By this time it was 3:30 pm and I knew I should get back to 'civilization' before it grew any darker.  I continued around the lake and finally saw open water.  Lots of ducks swam around the beaver lodge and I identified one as being a Wood Duck.

When I got back, Glen's meeting had ended early so we decided to have a beer in the hotel's Seawall Bar & Grill.  Elma joined us and we had a great time relaxing while watching people walk the seawall.  Glen had a 'working' dinner so after he left, Elma and I ate in the Seawall restaurant.  I had delicious fish and chips while Elma enjoyed Pacific Cioppino with lots of seafood.  She also ordered fried Brussel sprouts which looked tasty.  I was surprised to find Glen waiting for me when I got back to the room.