Day 10 Day 1 – Thursday 25th May – Vancouver. Day 1 of the British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies Escorted Tour

The weather today is warm and sunny with blue skies so we decide to take the shuttle bus over the Lion Gate Bridge and take the gondola up Grouse Mountain.  It proves to be a great decision and along with a number of other fellow travellers we soon reach the top gondola station.  The views back over Vancouver are fabulous and today very clear.  The top of this mountain has generally been shrouded by low cloud most days and there has been fresh snowfall at the summit within the past week.

Part of the mountain has been fenced off and there are two orphaned grizzly bears living inside the enclosure.  There are mixed views about these magnificent creatures being in effect “in captivity” but they were orphaned as cubs and would have died in the wild or had to be shot if, as they almost certainly would have, started to hunt for food on the edge of habitation.  When we do catch a glimpse it is clear they they have privacy if they want it and the local ranger told us that they have as little human interaction as possible.  On a closer view later they certainly appeared content and even playful with one of them rolly pollying down snow covered slopes!



The final ascent is by two man chairlift and we are soon up at the current snow level where conditions are most definitely spring like!

The other wildlife on the mountain was appropriately a grouse.  And a particularly aggressive one at that!  He had a go at a number of people’s legs as we passed by on our way to the wind turbine on the summit.  I was glad not to be wearing shorts!  The views from here were fabulous in all directions.

 We had a long late lunch sitting on the balcony of the mountain lodge before making our descent and the return shuttle and walk back to the hotel.

 Late in the afternoon the rest of the group arrive at the hotel in Vancouver following their flight from the UK.  We meet up with them in the early evening for a drink and official welcome from Chris and Hilary Vendy, our tour leaders.  The meeting is well organised and our tour leaders are knowledgeable and informative.  They also have a good sense of humour and are clearly very approachable.

Following that we walk along the edge of English Bay heading for the Cactus Club bar and restaurant we had spotted with lengthy queues the previous evening.  We too have a wait, to the minute as informed by the reception team, which we spend chatting to the young people waiting to be seated.  This is clearly a place for the young and we have significantly increased the average age of the clientele!  The service is excellent, the food really good and we have a great view of the beach front and the sinking sun from high stools.  After perhaps one glass of red wine too many we walk back in the setting sunlight.


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