British Columbia

(FYI - I just posted some videos in this post... :)

Day 306 – August 30 (continued) We waited in line for 45 minutes to go through border control into Canada (the line was HUGE – many many motor homes). We just pulled by a window, Canadian customs asked us a few questions, we declared our pepper spray, and that was that – we were straight through!

Just after we crossed the border we spotted two large pretty birds. We were commenting on them when all of a sudden they flew right up in front of Dolph!!! We looked back and one was dead on the road – darn it! Why do they fly JUST as you are approaching? Sad.

We stopped just after the border and bought a terrible and expensive sandwich so we could use their bathrooms and get back on the road. We also tried ketchup flavored chips (crisps) for the first time and yuck they were awful – never again.

Although we had driven this road before, the changing colors of the trees now made it look all new to us – stunning views. Also, this time we were facing the snow-covered peaks that we hadn’t noticed as much on the way North West.

Once it got dark, we were lucky we spotted in time the huge herd of caribou standing in the middle of the road! For a few miles we spotted half a dozen groups of caribou – some with the largest bucks we have ever seen – amazing!! Too bad it was too dark to take photos!

We got into Whitehorse at about 10:30 pm, sadly we had no choice but to purchase a McDonald’s dinner and then parked in Wal-Mart for the night. Day 307 – August 31 When we got up and went in to do our Wal-Mart stock up shop, my atm card wouldn’t work! So I spent ages on the phone to the bank, trying to get it sorted out. Finally, we got it to work, did our shopping and then stopped in the lovely city park on the way out to have a lunch sandwich.

On the way we stopped in Nugget City to use the restrooms and get petrol. We then accidentally missed the turnoff for the Cassiar highway and went all the way to Watson Lake.

Ah well, that gave us a chance to check that our Tupperware ‘sign’ was still there and get a map of the highway from the visitors center.

It’s still there!

The story behind the sign post forest

All SIGNS lead to DOLPH!!!! A coincidence? I think not. Then it was back the way we came from for a short while to the Cassiar-Steward Highway turnoff that would take us south to Hyder.

Highway is a stretch of a term for this road - it wasn't even sealed in many places.

We stopped at 8pm at a lovely lake side pulloff that had a picnic table and made some soup for dinner. (at the back right of the photo is the spot)

Also Murray heard a loon call for the first time – I agree with him – it does sound like a ghost howling!

The lovely lake we stopped by for our soup!

Me ‘preparing’ dinner (i.e. mixing the lumps out of the soup). Dolph posing.

When drove on and soon after we were passed by a pickup truck with a guy hanging out the window with a beer in his hand whoooo hoooooing out the window at us! Ha ha Later on, we passed them – when the boys were standing by the side of the road relieving themselves. They eventually caught up and passed us again, with more whoooo hoooooing, and then in the middle of a small town we saw them pulled over AGAIN as the girl in their group was squatting in the middle of the road – nice. That was the excitement of the night.

Other than that we just drove and drove. Eventually we had to pull over for the night because the windy road was SO hard to see! There were no painted lines on the road – middle or sides – and it was very hard to see when corners and hills were coming up. Lots of fog too. So at 10pm we pulled over and crawled in the back to sleep. This was the first time we have ‘camped’ in the middle of nowhere – and it was quite freaky! A lot of creepy noises in the dark, animal foot steps sounding like humans...or where they...., etc. Murray didn't get to sleep for a long time - he kept looking out the curtains to make sure everything was alright.

Day 308 – September 1

We got up at 7, well – actually 8 since I had forgotten that we had crossed time zones again and headed south. It was SO cold last night – probably the coldest night of our trip yet.

It was 31 degrees when we got up (as you can see) – so it must have been in the 20s overnight. Even Murray slept with his hat on AND with his head under the covers (first time ever)!

It was a beautiful drive down the Cassiar Highway

It is a shorter but equally beautiful and more rugged alternative to the Alaska Highway for people traveling to the US or the Canadian west coast. While most of the route is paved or chip-sealed, some portions of it remain unpaved, and the stretch between Iskut and Dease Lake contains several steep and winding sections.

The area we drove through today has mountains that provide 90% of the world’s jade – pretty impressive!

We managed to spot three bears along our travels...here's one that hung around long enough for a snap!

Finally we arrived at the Hyder/Stewart turnoff. We drove past Bear Glacier which was gorgeous

This area is all part of a massive rainforest - as you can see!

Then we arrived in the small town of Stewart. It was rainy and miserable, so we decided to pop into the local pizza joint to have lunch. Then after getting a few food supplies we drove over the ‘border’ to Hyder, Alaska. Stewart is where they filmed 'Insomnia' (2002 release) with Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank. A murder drama....... if you see it you'll get a taste of what this area is like. There actually was NO border control at all to enter the USA again – totally bizarre! Hyder is this little two dog town that just happens to find itself on the other side of the border line. Interestingly there are no duties on imports here etc...so a bit of a loop hole port. Isolated from the rest of Alaska by a road less range of mountains, Hyder sits on the US border at the end of Canada Rout 37A. Despite the face that it works on Canadian time, has Canadian phone numbers, and sends its children to Canadian schools, it enjoys a very Alaskan atmosphere. We checked into our campground and then went to the bear viewing platforms just a few miles down the road. The crazy truck we saw that some Germans were using to travel the Americas – crazy Germans! We didn’t see any bears at the view point though, so after awhile just went back to our campground (The Run Amuck) and did laundry & used the wifi, nice and relaxing in the warm laundry room! Day 309 – September 2 Today we got up at 6:30 in the morning and drove the 3 miles down the road to the bear viewing platforms. Murray setup his tripod and camera and got to work.

An immature bald eagle snacking We saw grizzly bears in the river on and off all day. Usually only one, perhaps two at a time, and sometimes with a few hours in-between of nothing. The chum salmon were clearly visible in the river – thus why the bears fish here! This fish is about 3 foot long - seriously huge!

We took a lunch break and had a sandwich by our truck (and old lady told us off – saying a bear might come get us). But – ummm we were keeping an eye out, didn’t have much food out, and where ELSE where we supposed to eat? We don’t have a motor home like her! John Dee Dee enjoyed the bear viewing from the platform The Hyder area has a large number of brown bears (grizzly), and salmon crowd the streams in summer. The Fish Creek Wildlife Viewing Site (just 3 miles North of Hyder) is part of Tongass National Forest. It covers the Southwest Alaskan mainland and over 1,000 islands. So yes - it rains A LOT! It certainly didn't stop for us. An immature eagle There were quite a few guys there who knew each other, and had big cameras and lenses like Murray. However, they were quite standoffish. Finally late in the afternoon after Murray started up a conversation they became a little bit friendly. I guess they just don’t like ‘one day tourists.’ They sit there for weeks on end photographing the bears. One cute older couple had walkie talkies, which worked fabulously because she could tell him if bears were at the other end of the platform – because it was quite long (and sometimes it just HAPPENED that the rest of the guys heard the tips and went running to the other side of the platform as well....) The platform was only built a few years ago, and has rangers stationed on either end with walkie talkies and bear spray – just in case. I spent part of my day in the truck reading, but Murray spent from 6:30am to 6:30 pm on the platform – other than that quick lunch break.

This is a lovely lagoon area on the other side of the platform from the river This shot is to show off the belly from all the fish consumption! The bear photos here are different than in the fields elsewhere - due to the climate in the rainforest the bears are always wet and therefore the coats never show off their 'fuzzy' potential or colours. A shame, but the chance to view them in the wild, hunting and interacting, is still a thrill! Lurking on the side of the stream, ready to pounce on a salmon!

Murray at work – with his camera and lens carefully covered up with our bag cover A Blue Heron strikes into the shallow waters..... Look closely (click on pic) and you can see the little fish snack! Cool lagoon reflection Showing off her balance tricks! AND her 'nails'. Smelling a bear down stream.... Watching and waiting for the bear to leave UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL They also eat a lot of grass to 'aid' in digestion of all that protein! I think this is what the grass helps with ! So does a bear **** in the woods? Yes he does - but also into the stream! Down stream from this scene is the Evian bottled water factory.....

Murray sitting by the cut-outs of the size/shape of an average black bear (on the left) and brown – grizzly bear (on the right) Eventually we made our way back to camp and made a quick and easy pasta tuna dinner, unloaded all of Murray's photos from the day onto the laptop, and watched an episode of lost before falling asleep exhausted.

Day 310 – September 3

We slept in a bit, and then went to the dock first to look for eagles. We saw a few, but they were very skittish – difficult to take photos! Mature and immature Immature Our lunch looked better.... Me in front of the huge sign on the outside wall of the local bar - that red line is what we drove the day before yesterday he view down by the docks – eerie! All day with the bears again (10am to 7pm) These siblings seeming to ‘share’ fish – or at least they didn’t attack each other when one stole fish from the other They are both 3 years old - can you tell who is the better fisherman and who is the scraps chaser?! Murray chatted a lot with two of the photographers there – Morris & Bob. They saw a LOT of bears throughout the day. I read pretty much all day in the truck (I got through an entire book!). Now and then I’d go out to the platform to watch bears and sneak in a granola bar in for Murray. Did you catch a fish? No? Me neither Wow – check out those massive claws And the chase is on – the fish totally knew when the bears were after them The fish swam as fast as they could away – some even got out of reach But most were caught in the jaws – lunch time! Ahhhh such a sad fish face Murray also got some photos of this immature eagle sitting nearby WHAT? Something in my teeth??? WHAT?

That evening when we were finished up we went to the nearby Sealaska Inn for beer and pizza. We loved the poster of this ‘road yacht’ – the first RV! This is the route the ‘49ers’ take on motorcycles in order to hit 49 states. They have to do it in less than 10 days to be officially inducted into the 49ers club. Hyder, Alaska is the final stop! We had a half bbq / half chicken feta pizza which was lovely – amazingly good crust! The ice cold coors light when down like a treat as well – fab! Murray uploaded photos while we ate, and I enjoyed the free internet terminals! Murray also got attacked by a bear – it was a lucky escape from those claws Day 311 - September 4 We went to see the bears at 7:15 am for our last morning at the creek So this was an amazing morning - the mother and her two cubs finally made an appearance in the distance! She is VERY cautious with her new cubs and doesn't like to bring them up the river close to anything - bears, humans, etc... Most of the serious photographers (who sold their work) were waiting for this particular mamma and two cubs. The excitement was incredible. Tri-pods were comming out of every angle - everyone elbowing for a spot! The sow only catches one fish and then brings it back to share with the cubs - well they grab at it. So anyway - it only lasts 5 mins and then they dissapear into the woods like ghosts and come back the next day if you're lucky - or not. It was important to get the shot - but Murphy's law was in full effect for Murray. After getting a spot and focusing - the camera only fired once! ONE shot! The card was full! Ahhhh - so Murray changed the card and then focused again on the bears - the the battery died!! Ahhhhh - can you believe it??? The bears left and Murray only had this one 'poor' shot. How frustrating. That was the first and last time that we saw them.

Surrounded by soaring mountains and beautiful glacial rivers and streams, opportunities for diverse nature-based experiences abound at Fish Creek Wildlife Observation site in Hyder

One of five world-class viewing areas in the Tongass National Forest, this preeminent nature watching site draws over 400 visitors a day to Southeast Alaska. Immature trying to steal the Mature's fish!! An immature and mature eagle – stunning Both brown (grizzly) and black bears frequent the site from mid-July through early September, following the arrival of salmon that return to the fresh water of area creeks to spawn. This was a very 'UP CLOSE' shot of a big grizzly hiding in the foliage right near Murray! She looked right down the lens at her reflection I suppose. Kinda scary - they can charge you out of nowhere!
Bears can be observed and photographed as they fish for chum and pink salmon in the clear shallow waters of Fish and Marx creeks, where as many as ten to twenty bears at a time can be viewing form the raised viewing platform (in the high season). We saw on average one bear a time - at about one sighting per hour.

Bears can be seen walking on the road, through the parking lot, and along the dike. The guy running the campsite said he had been coming to Hyder for 10 summers now, and had only been to the observation site once, because he saw SO many bears just wandering around town! The Tongass is the largest national forest in the United States and consists of the largest piece of contiguous temperate rainforest in the world under public ownership. Known for its abundant wildlife, including more than 5,000 brown bears, the forest consists of over 2,000 islands and 14,000 miles of coastline.

An incredible collection of ecosystems that includes glaciers, mountains, estuaries, lakes, caves and rainforest, lead more and more people to visit Alaska’s Tongass National Forest each year.
Sockeye slamon in full colour for spawning!

We said to one of the rangers that we had never heard of Hyder! If it hadn’t been for a lady who had mentioned the town while we were chatting in Glacier Park, we wouldn’t have known about it. He said – I know, it’s not very well known – don’t tell anybody! Ha ha

We got our passports stamped (yes, our real passports – hey why not? We have some empty pages still) and then went back to camp to have lunch. We reorganized the truck, had some lunch and then left around 3. On the way we got a great view of salmon running in a river. Then we just continued to drive and drive and drive. We drove Eastwards until 7 when we stopped in the town of Smithers for Murray’s first Dairy Queen meal. Great burger, but the blizzard seemed overpriced for what it was (just soft serve and a little bit of peanut butter cups).

We drove on, with Murray getting so tired that he started singing Justin Timberlake songs in a chicken voice (you had to be there – it was pretty funny). Eventually we got to Prince George and pulled into the Wal-Mart at 11:30pm, exhausted. Then we parked near the motor homes and crawled in the back to sleep finally!

Day 312 – September 5

We got up at 9, with all the motor homes gone and just us in the far end of the parking lot! Had a tailgate breakfast, did a shop for the things we needed, and then got back on the road. We drove around Prince George trying to find a visitors center, eventually we stumbled across it. The guy was a great help and we got some info about Vancouver and a postcard from Prince George. Then we continued on. We got to Liloet around 5, and found a campground

With this view of the river It was an odd campground. The guy running the place, Ron, was nice, but the bathroom was basically just a concrete block structure. Oh well, at least the showers were hot! After eating a late lunch we resorted to this after it started raining on us…. On the internet – in the rain – under an umbrella – nice huh? Steve - this is where Murray rang you!! One of the things we miss the most is just having a living area! It’s not very comfortable to sit in the back of the truck on the computer, and we can’t usually be bothered to set up our tent for just one night (especially when it’s so dusty and dry), so the picnic table becomes our new living room. Works well, as long as it doesn’t rain!! At least our movie that night before bed was good – Factory Girl – very interesting!

Day 313 – September 6 Dolph was up early and ready to get back on the road The drive was lovely – this was right next to the road. LOTS of black bears! LOTS! We arrived in Whistler around 10 A view of the ski hills in the clouds – Murray used to come here nearly ever year snowboarding, I came once too – we really love Whistler We spent an hour or so walking around the village (I had no idea they turned the ski hills into mountain biking trails in the summer – scary)! And then it was time to continue on to Vancouver. Our first city traffic pretty much on this entire trip was a bit of a shock! But we managed to get down to our friend Emma’s apartment in good time.

We sat around for a bit and chatted, catching up on the past few months (we met Emma on our Central America tour). Then she took us out to a great little Jamaican restaurant not far from her place. We enjoyed some Brazilian Brahma and some Jamaican Caribe beer and had lovely spicy meals. We walked back because it was such a nice evening and then went around the corner to a 24/7 café with free wifi! Murray and I shared a lovely coffee and vanilla blended drink and a fabulous piece of carrot cake, while catching up on our emails – lovely.

After finishing up there, we went back to Emma’s VERY hot apartment. She said she thought the flat was so warm because of the big window she has that let’s the sun in all day. However, Murray went over and felt the radiator and it was hot! So he checked the thermostat and – the heat was on!!! We all laughed and laughed as Murray shut it down and suddenly the room was back to a more comfortable temperature!! She had only been living there a short time, and just figured that the heater wouldn’t be on – you wouldn't expect to have to check that in summer!

Day 314 – September 7 We caught up and then caught the bus down to West 4th

Me in the bendy bit of the bus Emma & Murray (she hurt her shoulder in a cheese rolling competition – where you chase a roll of cheese down the hill – ouch) We went to a cute little coffee shop for breakfast bagels and tea. We also met Emma’s friends from Perth there – Amanda & Jason Then we all went out to catch the action at the red bull soap box derby They also had these cute little red bull cars! This was our favorite ‘car’ – the Ghetto Blasters The teams really went all out – the top gun car of course Not sure what this one is?? I like the teeth though A bear on a log – ha ha The monster car – they had a coffin for a car and loved to scare the people who walked by Batman & the Penguin I love this one – a chicken car with an egg, a chicken and silverware – very creative! The Beatles and their yellow submarine Cute – the dog sled car And Murray’s favorite – the white snake 80’s rocker car (they were singing and dancing for the crowds – very entertaining) The stereo was blasting - " here i go again on my own....going down the only road I've ever known..like a drifter I was born to walk alone.. " and the lead guy was signing all the ladies' chests with black marker pen! This was a car for a local beer – not sure – but I do like the Chewbacca! He reminds me of Murray's yawn! Top Gun again – of course the boys loved that they had girls in just men’s white shirts and heels – hummm The ghost buster car racing past us down the track (they all did a 30 second skit and then raced 2 by 2 down the hill) The crowds were massive!!! So crowded Amanda, Emma, Me and some random guys standing up on a ledge so we could actually SEE the race! Murray and Jason decided to see how people were getting up on the roofs for views – they decided this ladder contraption looked just a BIT too precarious though… We finally gave up on the crowds and walked down to the beach Me, Emma & Amanda in Vanier Park It wasn’t THAT warm – but people were still out on the beach playing volleyball – with such a great view!! The view of the dog beach and the city of Vancouver in the background Murray & I The dog beach was packed!!! I think that’s such a great idea though – keep all the craziness and poo in just one section of the beach! HEY - GO FLY A KITE!!! Then we made our way towards Granville Island – this port packed with amazing boats was on the way Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo.....

We had a great view of the harbor while we sipped lovely cocktails on Granville Island (I had a Caesar – a bloody mary made with Clamato, and Murray had an apple mojito)

Murray was also excited to spot this Rhodesian Ridgeback – his favorite kind of dog We had some fantastic fish and chips at a walk up place near Granville that was so popular that the line was nearly a dozen people long! But wow was it worth it – great chips, great fish – we especially loved the wasabi mayo! On the way to our bus stop Murray and I decided to pose in this 100 – we’re not sure what it’s for… A bee And a pic of Murray’s most spotted 4wd– the FJ (he cannot drive or walk past one without saying to me ‘FJ!!’) They are seriously EVRYWHERE in North America. We caught the bus back and then of course made our way to that great 24/7 café for hot chocolate, cookies and wifi!

Day 315 – September 8

We got up at 6 and tiptoed around trying not to wake Emma, then we headed out towards Tsawwassen – the British Columbia Ferry terminal for trips to Vancouver Island. We got there just before 7 (our map wasn’t great and it was actually further than we though it would be)! Paid for parking, got tickets for the 8am ferry (they only go once and hour unfortunately). The ferry took and hour and a half, and when we arrived at Vancouver Island we realized just how big the ferry was as we saw tons of cars and even semi trucks driving off from the lower deck (we decided not to bring Dolph since it was expensive for just one day). We caught a taxi to Sidney by the Sea because we didn’t have much time until our booked whale watching tour. However, when we got there we were informed that our tour had been cancelled because we were the only people who had signed up for that time. He did say though that we could quickly make our way down to the end of the dock where they probably would have room on the zodiac tour that was about to go out. We got down there and luckily got the last two places, and quickly changed into the full body suits they made us wear for warmth and because they were floatation devices. It didn’t take long before our great guide Jeff spotted some transient orcas (these are the orcas that don’t live here full time and eat sea life like seals, sea lions, porpoises and sometimes even whales)! Daaaaa- NA, Daaaa - NA, Da-NA, Da- NA, Da-NA - DA- NAAAAAHHHHHHH!

It was hard to get a photo of them completely out of the water because it happens so quickly and so randomly In the summer about 300 killer whales, drawn by to the area by the migrating salmon, come to cavort and scratch their bellies on the gravel beds in the shallow waters in the area. We were lucky enough to witness a group of orcas circling around a seal and eventually killing it They even threw it in the air, playing with it before eating it, awfully cruel They were thrashing all over the place Lovely tail fin photo They were jumping like crazy – just hard to photograph it! Murray was having trouble keeping his camera steady in the zodiac raft because of the waves and the weight of the camera lens – tough work! This one is called ruffles - she's the matriarch and over 100 years old. because of her ruffled fin

This was our last view of the orca - RIGHT by our boat! We had SUCH a great time – it was amazing to see the whales in the wild – we are SO glad we were there at the right time!!! Afterwards we went into town and I had lovely Italian lasagna at a Greek restaurant Murray had a buffalo burger – yummm Then we caught the local bus down to the city of Victoria And Murray was served up a chicken The Parliament buildings are an impressive site, right on the inner harbor Me with a gorgeous orca statue The amazing gothic-looking Empress hotel and its bizarre trees out front! Murray tried to steal the gun from a mountie on the way t0 the bus stop And a lovely sunset as we caught the ferry back to Vancouver It really was a fantastic day. We want to go back and spend a few weeks properly exploring Vancouver Island some day – there is just SO much to see and we barely scratched the surface. It was great though.

Day 316 – September 9

We woke up to overcast skies and light rain, so we decided to make today our admin day. We did a LOT of laundry, Murray worked on his budget spreadsheet and of course – blog photos. That evening we made spaghetti Bolognese for us to enjoy with Emma along with garlic bread – of course. Followed by some lovely half-baked Ben & Jerry’s ice cream – very nice. And of course, we went after dinner to the 24/7 café for wifi – I worked on the blog and we had some nice warm drinks of hot chocolate and milky tea before heading back.

Day 317 – September 10

Today we got up and went straight to the 24/7 café to finish off the blog post. Then we caught the bus downtown to main street, then the sky train – exciting. We started off on Robson street and found the Coastal Peoples gallery where Murray had his wedding ring made. It was fun to look around and check out the artwork and jewelry. Then we ended up having a lovely Chinese meal for lunch Murray was tempted to buy this shirt – Steve and Lance and Shelly were singing this song CONSTANTLY in South America!! Reminds us fondly of them :)

Afterwards we shopped around the area and eventually caught the bus back to Emma’s place. I finished packing up, and then Murray dropped me off at the bus station (I was going home for a brief visit to see family). I caught the four hour bus down to Seattle and then checked into a hotel for the night. The cab driver tried to rip me off with the fare – but umm I’m a big city girl now – I don’t THINK so! The room I was given actually had three queen sized beds – crazy!! I called Murray to say goodnight then crashed!

Day 318 – September 11 I caught a morning flight to Minnesota, and was met at the airport by my Mom. We made our way to the nearby Mall of America and shopped and shopped and shopped. After all our shopping we went out for fabulous meal at the Napa Valley Grille

We left the mall at 8:30 pm (wow the shopping time flew by – crazy we were there for like 5 hours!). We stopped by my aunt Joni’s house on the way home – it was great to see her and my Grandma Sis.

Day 319 – September 12

I had coffee with Grandma and Joni and then hit the farmers market and Costco with Mom (oh my gosh – how awesome are all the free samples there)!! Then we left at 3 to make our way to Grandma & Grandpa’s house. We had a great meal at their house (along with my aunt Jani and cousin Jolie – so fab to see them) and then we headed out to see my cousin Colin’s football game. Grandpa & Grandma at the game with the support sign Joni made for Colin Me and my aunt Leticia From left – my brother Marcus, uncle Jay and my Dad (who can never take a nice normal photo – thus the finger up the nose) The ladies – Grandma, Joni, Mom, Me & Lolly Me & my bro Mom, Me, Marcus & Dad (smiling!!) Our family in support of our family football star Colin! It was great fun to go to Colin’s game!

Afterward we went to Jay and Lolly’s house for a piece of cheesecake – it was really nice to catch up. That night I spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa’s house along with Joni.

Day 320 – September 13

Joni and I were up early, had a nice cup of coffee with Grandma and then gave Grandpa a kiss goodbye. We had to get back to my parent’s house to attend a very sad funeral with my parents that morning. Afterwards though, we had a very nice visit to my sister Megan and her fiancé Mike’s house. There I got to meet their new puppy Milky Way! He was trying to wiggle out of Mom's arm in this photo!! He is SO cute and SO SO SO hyper! I also got to check out my sister Mandie’s new apartment – really cute!

That evening we had a fantastic meal at Grandma Sis’s house (we even had some of that Alaskan salmon and black cod – fantastic)! We also had some wonderful fresh salsa that Grandma had JUST finished making! Afterwards the girls went to a movie (which unfortunately was terrible) and I spent a lot of the rest of the night on the net searching for jobs in Sydney (sad I know – but the jobs listed put me in a good mood)!

Day 321 – September 14

This morning my aunt Denise and cousin Jenny came by to say hello – it was so so nice to see them and catch up a bit. I took one last photo of my baby Minnie and gave her lots and lots of hugs before we headed off to brunch.

We had a great brunch with Grandma and Grandpa and it was nice to chat some more before I had to fly out. Then Dad brought me to the airport and I took my three hour flight and four hour bus trip back to Vancouver. Murray picked me up at 11:20pm. After a quick chat with Emma and Murray it was time for some sleep!! While I was gone – Murray went to the place we had been dreaming about for the last year – Nandos (the Portuguese chicken place we went to ALL the time in London) Murray had trouble deciding on which spicy sauce to use However he was VERY VERY disappointed when the ‘whole chicken’ he ordered came out like this. When you order a whole chicken in London you actually get a WHOLE chicken – not bits and pieces like this – ewwww Emma at Nandos Murray also caught up with his friend Tania whilst hiking in North Van on the Capilano Pacific trail (can you spot her little dog on the bridge?) And he caught up with his friend Karen, who lives in Sydney, but luckily happened to be in Vancouver while we were there! (that’s her on the left hand side) He also had a beach day – pretty nice for September! Emma, her friends & Murray This pool looks amazing with the Vancouver skyline in the background So nice to be by the water! We had SUCH a fantastic time in Vancouver. It was wonderful to see Emma, and she was so nice to let us hang around for so long.

Next up – Washington State!