Canada

From the Sea to the Sky in British Columbia | Picture Blog

6:49 PM


  Highway 99 in Canada is known as the Sea to Sky Highway. We took this from Vancouver to Whistler, and I kid you not, the view was absolutely breathtaking. It seemed like after each turn there was a waterfall or a viewing point to stop at.



  We didn't have much time on our hands to make it to every stop, so we chose two different points on the highway. Our first stop was Britannia Beach, which is located next to a mining museum. If time permitted, I would've asked my husband to go inside because it looked very interesting. In the 1800s, they discovered copper here, which led to the development of the Britannia Mining Company.  We parked our car in front of the museum store and then walked across the highway to an old railroad track that leads to the beach. My husband was able to fly our Mavic over the lake to capture the view, vlog to be completed soon. Just being by the water was a nice feeling, even if it wasn't for swimming.



  Our second stop was about a 10-minute drive north, to Shannon Falls. Shannon Falls is a 335-meter waterfall, ranking it the 3rd largest waterfall in Squamish, BC. This area is perfect for picnicking on your way up to Whistler because it has a large picnic area with tables and a restroom. The waterfall is very well maintained. There is a walking trail that goes up to the falls.


  On our way back down from Whistler, we stopped at Nairn Falls. This was when we were driving from Mount Currie to Whistler, so it's a bit more north. This was a 1.5-kilometer hike on a hiking trail alongside the Green River. To view the falls, there is a fenced platform that has a combination of rock and wood, which is extremely slippery, so approach it with caution. There's an area where you can view the river, and then a higher area to view the falls. Michael was able to fly the drone here, but we did it with caution because the wind was very strong where the falls were coming down.



  The drive to Whistler was about two hours. The weather was on our side that day because it was clear blue skies and minimum wind chill. I would recommend this drive, and I hope to go back and stop at more of the locations along it. I can't wait to see what my husband puts together for the Canada Vlog!



Canada

All Hail the Capilano Suspension Bridge

6:33 PM


My husband is deathly afraid of heights, yet he has enough courage to jump out of airplanes and helicopters. I can't quite grasp that logic, but I have all of my life to figure it out. Anyways, when we were in Canada, he took me to the Capilano Suspension Bridge just north of Vancouver. The bridge sits 70 meters above the Capilano River and is 140 meters long. It was a challenge for both of us with the height of the bridge, and walking on it on a windy, hailing day was not any help.


  This bridge originates with the First Nations that inhabited the Squamish Nation, originally spelling it "Kia'palano". Kia'palano means "beautiful river" and was the name of the chief that lived in the area during the 1800s. The original bridge was made by George Grant Mackay, who had purchased 6,000 acres of the forest on both sides of the Capilano River. His original design was made of hemp rope and cedar planks.


  Now the park has much more than just the suspension bridge. It includes a cliff walk, treetop adventures, a story center where you can learn about the park's history, and a "living forest" where you can enjoy nature at it's finest.


  Unfortunately, we were unable to do a lot of the activities in the area because for one, we got there an hour before their closing time, and two, it started to hail on us. Personally, it was probably my fault that we had gone so late. Around this time last year, I went to the Geierlay Suspension Bridge in Germany where it was an open park without admission. The admission rate is about $43 but is $10 off when you come an hour before closing.

  We were able to do the very beginning of the cliff walk, which was probably my husband's least favorite part of it, but the view of the river was amazing even with cloud cover. As soon as it started to rain, we made our way to the suspension bridge just to get a few photos. That's when all hail let loose (heh, get it?) and started to hit us pretty hard.

  It was a quick trip, nothing too crazy. I do wish that we had more time and that the weather permitted, but we got some fun photos out of it. I would definitely recommend this attraction on a good day, early in the morning.

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