If you are in Vancouver, by all means rent a bicycle. We even got really good mountain bikes with disk breaks, which are a pleasure to ride. Vancouver has a lot of bicycle trails and it's a law to wear a helmet. We did a 30km ride around the city and in Stanley park, where the track goes on the ocean coast and under the shade of trees. The best time is in the morning as it's still 25 degrees, whereas later it gets as hot as 30 and tracks get busy if it is a weekend. The best view on the Vancouver skyline is in Stanley park where the statue of Harry Jerome (1st athlete to run 100m in 10 seconds flat in 1960) is located. The seawall views are also very stunning.
Even though,
Vancouver seems to be a huge city by the sheer area, but it only has ca. 600,000 of
population. A city on the ocean is always an attraction in itself. It was
around 30 degrees as we arrived with a ferry and we were surprised to see quite
a few topless folks walking around the city. The crowd looks very intercultural
and alternative. We have had quite a cultural shock to be in a big city again after
a peaceful and silent nature. We plan to rent a bike to discover the city
tomorrow…
The Canadians seem to be crazy about organic food (bio products in Germany). They also do a lot of sports - biking, skiing, hiking, jogging... We haven't seen too many overweight people. 
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| sea dollars |
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| water taxy |
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| floating houses |
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| hearts |
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| floating houses |
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| legislature building |
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| totem statues |
At the Pacific Rim on Vancouver island, some rainforests still exist. There you can find very old trees (some over 800 years old) and unspoiled wilderness where every ever-so-small space is used to grow something. The shrubs and trees and bushes and ferns are so tightly woven with each other, that man could hardly get through it - astonishing. We visited such a rainforest, where a well-kept boardwalk led through the park. Actually, all the National Parks we visited were in an excellent condition and there were always Park Rangers around, who showed and explained things. So buying these tickets is money well spent.
To visit the Pacific Rim NP we stayed in Ucluelet (Ukee). Our sentiment pretty much matches the picture of a road sign, which stands at the crossroads, i.e. Tofino - hell, Ucleuelet - heaven. Ucluelet is a cosy, peaceful city, with quite relaxed people. Whereas, Tofino is too crowded with people trying to look hip and cool.
I'd recommend to everyone to do the "Wild Pacific Trail" in Ucluelet. It's so impressive. The walk is pleasant in the shade of a wild rain forest with trees of all shapes and sizes.
We did a speed boat trip in Ucluelet. The best part was a pretty bumpy ride. It's even better than a rollercoaster. You have basically two options where to sit. Option one - in the 1st row, offers the best view, but is very bumpy. Option two - in the back - it's not that bumpy, but you get all the water spray into your face. The trip takes 3 hours, but it goes so fast. We saw a whale even though it's been hiding from us, seals and beautiful rocky coast where a lot of sailing ships found their grave. 
A highway going to Ucluelet is very picturesque and winding. We stopped for a 30 minutes in Cathedral Grove with stunning trees. The size of the centuries old trees is tremendous. 
Our B&B in Ucluelet is a very cosy place to stay for a few days. It is tastefully furnished, has ocean view, offers a good continental breakfast. The host was very friendly and gave us really helpful tips what to do and see. The best thing, however, is the outside hot tub with ocean view. 
The Floating House is a good place to have dinner, their specialty seem to be spareribs - very recommendable.
Nanaimo is more than a ferry port, a cute harbour city. It has been nicknamed the "Bathtub Racing Capital of the World" and "Harbour City". A Nanaimo Bar is a very tasty dessert which goes well with coffee. We walked along the promenade where you can fly by water plane to Vancouver or rent a boat. A short trip with the ferry to a pirate island was fun as well. Troller's fish and chips at the harbour are quite tasty.  |
| Hidden track to train wreck |
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| follow the rabbit, the eye |
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| train wreck |
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| train wreck |
We’ve
driven highway 99 or “sea to sky” today. As the name suggests, it goes from sea
to the mountains. We met quite a few bikers on the way. It is almost as famous
as route 66 in the USA. It’s very picturesque and fun to drive. It took us to Whistler.
We
played around with the idea to go snowboarding on the glacier. Alas, the weather
conditions were not good enough. Tomorrow it is the last day on which the glacier is open for skiing. However it’s been so warm
recently and not snowing for over 3 months so
that the glacier will be closed till winter season.
Yesterday we arrived at Lillooet, the"ground zero" for the gold rush in Canada. A small city where restaurants close already at 21:00 and the door to the hotel at 22:00. We were lucky to find a Greek place for dinner. While dining there, we saw a few old-timers passing by. The next day we asked at the local museum whether it is something special happening in the town. It happened to be a summer festival called "apricot festival" with lots of small events, one of which was exhibition of old American (muscle) cars. |
| Clearwater lake |
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| Helmecken falls |
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| Clearwater lake |
