Vancouver 16 & 17 June


We are in Vancouver for three nights as the seven couples who joined us here for the Canada-Alaska section depart and we are joined by two more motorhomes for the final section in the USA parks and canyons.  It’s a chance to catch up on laundry, restock our supplies and relax after some long drives.
We aren’t actually in Vancouver but in Surrey, a mix of semi-rural and city, about 50 km south, right on the border to the USA. We are so close to the border that we have both had texts from our telephone companies welcoming us to the USA. The distance to Vancouver is problematic as there is no public transport near us. Even taking the motorhome to a local park and ride and then boarding public transport still results in about a 90 minute trip to Vancouver. Some folk wanted to visit the Butchart Gardens near Victoria on Vancouver Island. With ferries, multiple buses and delays the return trip plus visit takes at least 13 hours.

We decided to take it easy over our two non-travelling days. On the first day we said goodbye to our departing fellow-travellers, caught up on our laundry,. lazed about, and went to the pub.

On our second day we visited Redwood Park, a 32 hectare arboretum only 4 to 5 km away. It’s a collection of local and exotic trees began about 120 years ago and we saw sequoia, oak, maples, cedar, various other conifers, etc. It is laid out in groves of the various species with five km of well formed and well maintained paths and lots of grassed areas, some with picnic shelters and most with sturdy picnic tables. There’s a tree house, a playground and a fairy grove in which kids deposit fairy houses – hundreds of them.





Merryn spotted an owl who perched beside us and calmly studied us. We think it may be a barred owl or a spotted owl; both are common in the area and contribute to the control of local rats, mice and pigeons.



Depending on diversions, we will drive a mere 20 or 30 km to Ferndale, Washington State tomorrow.

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