High Cup Nick 25th June 2015

This has been on the list for a while. It’s dramatic from a distance and close up. I parked on the Pennine Way (sounds bad but this was a road section) in Dufton.

It took an hour and 3/4 to reach the head of the nick where I had my lunch. Very windy and cold. The wind went straight up the fell. I practised some micro nav as I went along. The map I used (1:25K) had a GP abbreviation near the head of the nick. This means either a Gas Plug or a Guide Post. I didn’t check it out but reckon it’s probably the latter.

Tremendous views. The nick is the result of lots of volcanic and glacial action and more latterly, mining. See the village web site.

Back down in 1 hour and 1/4. Reversed the route because I didn’t fancy a long scree section to go back along the valley.

From about 8 miles away
Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map and use a compass with me and my navigation partner, Cath.

MAPandCOMPASS

Home again

8th and 9th June

There was a Bill Reid exhibit in the airport, lovely airport with water and greenery. Bill Reid was a noted Haida artist.

Travelling home was straightforward. Everything went as expected except I had to sit next to an obnoxious git. His opener was “I am big, and I have to sit in your seat.” I told him that I’d selected my seat online and basically my answer was “no”. He grumbled on a bit, showing me his massive muscles and it’s quite true he was big but I wasn’t going to give in. He then had some fuss about where his bag was to be stowed and he gave in on that too. Basically he was all mouth, no trousers! At least he was wearing some! He then seemed to want to help me to use my multimedia controls. I probably can’t tell you how irritating this was. Only that morning I’d fixed Klaus’s computer, and I’d shown Bonnie how to do various techy things on her tablet, business as usual. After a bit we just ignored each other. It was very cold on the plane, I wore all the clothes I had plus 2 blankets. I watched the film Jackie about Mrs JFK, not very good. Slept a tiny bit with a blanket over my head. Got the evening meal early because special, not great. Had a free lager and a malt whisky to help me sleep.

I still can’t figure out the time stuff and maybe I lost half a day or maybe I lived it twice. I got home about 8.30 in the evening and it was lovely to be back. I’ve slept well since returning and don’t appear to be jet lagged, am a bit tired and glad to be sleeping a bit better. Bonnie and Klaus’s condo didn’t exactly relax me with them in the room next door with their door wide open.

I had thought that this trip would be a form of punctuation in my bereavement but really it hasn’t changed a thing except maybe brought it all into closer focus. There were things I saw and did that resonated very strongly for me in terms of my relationship with Chris. At times the intensity of feeling almost had me in pieces.

At least the trip removed me from worrying about my job situation and one thing that’s very positive is that I feel confident I can deal with the outcome whatever it is. I will be angry if I am made redundant or messed around more than I have been already, but there’s a lot more to life than Bradford uni.

And did I say? Everything in Canada is very big!!

Some things I noticed:

  • There are an awful lot of cedar hedges around private homes in Vancouver.
  • House construction consists of a wooden internal frame where we would have breeze blocks.
  • I saw a lot of female public gardeners and a lot of gardeners generally.
  • Also a lot of female road construction stop/go sign twirlers.

 

Delta bird sanctuary 

8th June

Raining a lot, first time since the blizzard.

Karin picked me up and we went for coffee in Ladner. She had a coffee concoction with turmeric and spices, I stuck to espresso!

Then we went to the George C Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary crossing an old wooden bridge to get there over the Fraser river. There were floating houses on the river, some of them big. We didn’t meet anyone walking around and saw geese, ducks, coots, a chickadee, blackbird with red bits, heron and others but not the scary aggressive crane.

Back to the condo where I dried off my gear and finished packing. Karin picked me up again so I said farewell to Klaus and off we went to Ladner exchange. Then goodbye to my friend.

Bus to Bridgeport, driver very interested in the election. Skytrain to wrong station but fortunately easily rectified. Finally to airport, very quiet and calm with comfy seats and lots of plants and water.

Canada goose (and Karin!)
Gosling
Fraser River

Grouse Mountain 

7th June

Got up relatively early and took the 601 bus, the Skytrain (2 mins of sky), the seabus, the 236 bus and arrived at the bottom of the mountain about 11. Then to my horror I couldn’t find Bonnie’s travel card which she had so kindly lent me. It would have been annoying if it had been my own card but absolutely mortifying because it was someone else’s. I turned out my pockets, checked the loo I’d been to…

It took ages to get a ticket for the gondola but once on the very squashed car, we whizzed up the mountain to about 1100m. I got a coffee and headed off to see the end of the grizzly bear “talk”. There was a woman talking electronically loudly for the assembled crowd. Then they all went away and I watched the bears for a bit, one of them was hot and cooling himself against the snow.

Next I moved a few yards across to the birds of prey demo. Rock music blasting away whist we waited, I’m not sure either bears or birds would like that. Quite a good demo, eagle, owl, falcon all flying about, not together, all well controlled.

I walked to the top of the mountain at 1200m, saw a man wearing my t shirt from Bruce in Manchester last May and a grouse who chattered and walked with me for a bit of a way.

After a few minutes I decided to skip the lumberjack demo! It was very crap.
Sandwich not very nice but at least the view was good. 10 minutes of movie about bears.

Back down on the gondola. Met a couple from Birmingham, Pete and Sharon who were on their adventures. We travelled together until I left for the Skytrain and had a pleasant interlude together. They had done a small cruise of 80 passengers in Alaska and had seen lots of wildlife with Uncruise.

It took a while to get back, quick in and out. Fred picked me up. Spent a lovely evening with him and Karen, seeing their beautiful home and garden, eating and drinking spicy chicken sausages, BBQ aubergine and courgette and salad. We walked to the ocean and I stood in the USA so I have entered and exited all within a few seconds. They have been so good to me and taken me to places I just wouldn’t have found on my own.

Night falls on Tsawwassen
Fred and Karin
I’m in the USA
And now I’m not in the USA
Two Lions
It’s off to work we go
Birds of prey demo
Owl
Bald headed eagle
Grizzly

Crescent Beach

6th June

Nice easy day. Karin picked me up and we went to the sea at Crescent Beach. Good lunch in little resto with windows wide open to the street. I had crab cakes with salad. These tasted more of crab.

We walked about and saw a heron and a rabbit. Coastal and slightly marshy land.

Then to White Rock with a good view to Mount Baker which is over 3200m. A nice clean seaside town, a bit hippy, reminded me a little of Borth but with sun and warmth.

Saw eagles just hanging about. One has built a nest on an electricity pylon.

We went in the new mall at Tsawwassen. It is huge with huge shops, well Outdoor World was huge and had lots of hunting and fishing equipment including I think an enormous array of guns. We looked at coolers that can keep your food cool for days, Yetis but not cars! Some things very good value and others much the same. I can see why those who live close to the border do their grocery and fuel shopping in the US.

Things I like include excellent plumbing, sensible one knob shower taps, strong sucky loos! Receiving directions for walking that are by compass points and an expectation they will be understood. Portion sizes seem to be mostly big. Salads are amazing.

I still haven’t quite worked out how the driving at intersections goes so probably won’t use a bike, will see if I can make sense of it first.

Poor stuffed bear at Outdoor World
Mount Baker
Heron
Beach house
Crescent Beach
Old church
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