youtu.be/j38b6rzHgxo

Above is a utube video of our adventure. Sorry little long, but so much fun.

So today was a beautiful day for an adventure

A couple of days ago I ask Rob (my son) if he was interested in an adventure with me. First we made plans to go to the new coaster that goes down cypress bowl. It sounded like so much fun so I started checking it out on the internet. I was just about to get tickets for it when I saw there was a weight limit on it. Oh, oh! Rob is a little over the weight that they say to go on the coaster. So I emailed the company and ask whether the weight restriction was stringent or if they would look the other way for a little bit of extra pounds. They wrote back and said weight is not to exceed and they do apply it. So that idea was out for us. For me I still want to go on it. So maybe another day will buy a ticket and go. Anyone else want to join me? It does look like fun.

So now have to think of another idea for adventure. So I started looking around the internet and came up with going to the sea to sky gondola. Oh that looks like a nice day trip. So I wrote Rob and he said sounds good. So now we had a plan and I bought the tickets online to go. The price was a little pricey, but hey gotta have a pricey adventure once in awhile. Also to get Rob to walk with me a bit is another bonus. He does walk, but not up and down hills. So this will be a little bit of an exercise he may not want. Hey though he said he would go along with me.

It is Monday and he has the day off. I texted him in the morning and said I would be on my way as soon as I filled my tank with gas. I loaded up my back pack with my wallet and camera and my keys. Filled a water bottle and stuffed it in the back pack. I then go the dog walked for the morning and then left them at home. Well they had it nice for the day anyways. In an air conditioned house while we where sweating out on the trails taking a walk.

I got to the gas station. Grabbed my wallet to pay for the gas. What the heck. The bag is wet. The whole bottom of my bag is soaked. My wallet is soaked. Well silly me did not put the lid on the water bottle right. Hum! Only have half a bottle of water now. So emptied the bag and turned it inside out. Set my wallet between the seats and hoped it would dry enough to walk with on my back when we get there. Well at least I can say my camera was hooked to the outside of my bag so it didn’t get wet. My phone didn’t get wet either. Lucky for those things.

Headed to Maple Ridge and picked up Rob. We where on our way. The temperature is slowly creeping up. It is gonna be another hot one today. Well hopefully up in the mountains it will not be as hot. I get to Rob’s place and he is outside waiting for me.

Well we are off for our adventure. We chat away as the radio plays tunes in the background. Always goofy chatting between us. We never really have any serious conversations between us. Two peas in a pod. We may just sit back and enjoy each other company in silence or we chat away goofily with each other.

I take the route around burnaby mountain and along Hastings street to highway 1 at the iron workers bridge. I usually take routes where I don’t have to be on highway 1 so much. I am not much for that parking lot. But sometimes you just do have to take highway 1. In North Vancouver to highway 99. I should really see where marine drive goes and maybe take that some time. Well just a thought, but might take longer.

We pass horseshoe bay and are now heading northeast towards Squamish. That is where the sea to sky gondola is. Another half hour drive along highway 99. Traffic goes along nicely and then comes to a dead stop. Puttering along. Then back up to speed. We pass a few stops along the way. Parking lots are filled to the brim with cars. I hope the one we are going to is not full or we will not be able to get in. We pass the Britania mine and Rob says that would be someplace to go another time. I said sure what not. Another adventure for another day. Another slow down in traffic as we get closer.

We finally pull into the parking lot. We are here. The sea to sky gondola. We get directed to a parking spot. Yes we are going up.

We get into one line. Then realize we are in the wrong line. So have to go around the building and get into another line. The car we are getting on comes around. We step onto the car and take a seat. Rob on one side and myself opposite him. We are the only ones on this car. Up we go. More up we go. Just keep going up. My ears are popping. More up we go. Slowly. Then the line starts going more vertical and we make our way along the tops of tree. Slowly making elevation as we go. Oh this is so neat. You can see everywhere as we make our way up. The view is spectacular. Just too bad there is smoke in the air. We are still going up.

We make it to the top and through the building. The doors open as the car is still moving slowly. We step out and onto the platform. Well it is nice that the place is not crowded, but there are a few people there. The parking lot was pretty full when we got there.

We make our way to the map. Check it out. I point out what I would like to see. He agrees as long as the trail is not too steep. So we walk Fort over to the suspension bridge. Look out over the rail while we wait for some people to clear off the bridge. The view is so great. We finally walk across the bridge. Rob being funny bounces as we go across. I am holding on, but it is not too bad to cross. There is a little bouncing. As we make it to the other end a whole lot of people come on to the bridge. Making it a little harder to get off the other end. We do make it.

I look out over the view on that side of the bridge. Then we head for the panoramic trail. As we walk along the trail. It is an easy trail, but there is ups and downs. The trail is wide and well kept for people walking. We make it to the platform to walk out of-very the cliff. There is nothing under you and you can see forever. The thing is you have to wait for people in front of you to leave so you can go on. We wait in line. Rob is sweating now. You can see the water running down his face. I ask whether he is okay. He can stand in the shade where I am. He says there is a nice breeze where he is so he is fine. Two more people go onto the platform in front of us. They stay out there a bit long. Getting her hair right and the pose right to get the right picture. Then they pose again for another picture. Then someone else from their party pops into line to go on and they say come out with them. Which makes it even longer they are on the platform. The lady in front of us says there is a lineup of people waiting to go on the platform. Please hurry up with your pictures. They finally leave and the group in front of us go on the platform. More pictures taken and then it is our turn.

Rob and I walk out. It is a wooden platform, but you are walking out onto nothing under you. Did I say wow! Yes it is a wow moment. A couple of pictures taken and then we leave to let someone else walk out.

We make our way back down the trail. Rob has water running on him. Silly him wore a black tea shirt.. I don’t think a lighter coloured tea shirt would have made any difference. We stopped and had some water. Then we made our way back up the last hill on the trail and came out back at the main area. We walked over to the restaraunt and looked at the prices. Um don’t think so. So we head back to the gondola and wait in line to go back down.

The ride down is more spectacular then going up. First it is a slow ride vertically across the landscape. Then all of a sudden the ground drops out from under you and we start heading down horizontally. Ears are popping as we make our way down. Nothing under you and the view is everywhere.

Finally we make it to the bottom. Out of the car we step. Make our way to the gift shop for a boo before we head for home. Then into the car where the air conditioning is turned on full blast for Rob.

Now back in the car. Traffic is busier now. It slows every now and then and the speeds back up. Then another slow where we find ourselves passing the horseshoe bay ferry are. As we turn to highway 1 the traffic is thick and slow. Must have just been a ferry come in.

We near cypress bowl and I think. Someone had said that there is a spot up there where you can see a great view of Vancouver. So I say want to get off the highway for a bit and see if traffic clears. We drive all the way up to cypress bowl. Find the coaster that is there. Cars are parked everywhere. There must be allot of people out on the trails up there.. I make another turn and end up stopped as a movie is being filmed up there. Guess can’t go that way.. we come back down from the ski area and stop at the lookout. The sky is smokie, but there is Vancouver in all its glory. You can see out into the bay, Stanley park and the lions gate bridge.. it was a nice stop for us. I had to stretch a bit so this little walk was great.

Down the mountain we go again. Through all the switchbacks to get back to highway 1. We turn onto the highway and traffic thank goodness is not as bad. Over the iron workers bridge and then back onto Hastings street. Through burnaby and around burnaby mountain.

We make it back into Maple Ridge where we stop at Boston pizza for a bite to eat. Nope not opened. Well bummer! Next stop was red robin for some cheese sticks. Yeah I love those cheese sticks.

After we eat I drop Rob off and head for home. Such a wonderful day to spend with my son. I think I may have tired him out a bit. He did spend it with his old mom. Something he doesn’t do too often. Is always a pleasure when he does. Like I say we are two peas in a pod. We may not say much unless it is goofy stuff, but we do enjoy each other’s company.

Well that was my adventure for the day.