Sunday, December 11, 2016

September 9, 2016 - White Rock, Delta, Vancouver, Burnaby & Surrey, BC, Canada

The morning was so beautiful, perfect for our day's outing with Wayne.  
Wayne fixed breakfast for us all.  Little after 10 am we left Wayne's residence to go to currency exchange center in White Rock, BC because Edith preferred to use Canadian currency while traveling in Canada. Today's rate was $129 Canadian Dollars for every $100 US exchanged.
From White Rock we went on Highway 99 North after Wayne finished his errands. Driving through the town of Delta there were several hothouses that grow vegetables all year round. 

Wayne took Highway 17 South to Highway 10 (Ladner Trunk Road), got in 47 A Ave. There were lots of floating homes along River Road. 


We stopped at Wellington Point Park, got off to look around for a short time.  Then we turned right to go to Reifel Migratory Island Sanctuary in Delta, BC.  Along the way we crossed Westham Island Bridge and again, there were more floating homes on one of the arms of Fraser River.

We were now on Westham Island Road and there are farmlands that are very fertile.  Beautiful scenery as we went by them.
Westham Island Bridge
To visit and explore at Reifel Migratory Sanctuary Entered Reufel the admission fee for seniors 60+ was 3 Canadian dollars. We also bought a bag of bird foods, so we can feed birds while walking through the forest. We spotted Canadian geese, mallards, female wood ducks, chickadees, red eyed towhee, red winged blackbirds,   canadian geese, mallards, female wood ducks, chickadees, red eyed towhee, red winged blackbirds.  
This is the apartment for birds. There were several of
them throughout the sanctuary 
This duck had no interest in handouts!
We tried to coax chickadees to come get foods from palms of our hands.  A couple, not too far off from us, had lots of birds coming to feed on their hands. It turned out that they were feeding sunflower seeds, not the cheap kind that the gift shop had.  They gave some to us.  It worked like a miracle because the birds started coming nonstop to feed on sunflower seeds. It was fun feeding some species of birds.  Wayne got a thrill having birds come to his hand.  There are several trails to choose. We had a pleasant time there. This sanctuary is perfect for bird watchers, like us, and is an important location for migratory birds. 
"What? You didn't like the foods?"
Another apartment for the birds
What is this creature that landed in my hand??
Black Squirrel


We finally left Reifel Migratory Sancutary at 2 pm, went back to River Road. Edith was excited to see Mt. Baker in the distance. Along the way we spotted an old Dodge motorhome sitting in front of a house.  Also, there was an old sea boat not too far from the motorhome.
Wayne wanted to show us the unusual McDonald Hamburger building at Ladner Trunk Road and Harvest Drive.  Very interesting!
We got back on Highway 17 then to Highway 99 North. We went in the tunnel that is under Fraser River.  
We drove through the city of Richmond, BC. It is the fourth-most populous city in the province. It has an immigrant population of 60%, the highest in Canada. According to recent survey, the population is 200,000, and most condos go for a million dollars!!! 

Granville Island was the next stop.  It is a shopping district and has a large public market. It is alongside the river of False Creek.  It is at the south end of the Granville Island Bridge.  Wayne was lucky to find a parking spot that was good for up to 3 hours.  
Wayne suggested that we go to Granville Island Public Market for lunch, then explore the area. It is a fantastic place!  So interesting and so different.  We could easily spend a whole day or two to fully explore the whole area.  We left Granville Island at 5 pm.
Inside the Public Market 
Edith's lunch - Mushroom & Feta Cheese Crepe
Erwin's lunch 
This is the water machine that you can use
to fill up your water bottle. Cool!
We crossed the Granville Island Bridge, then drove through Davie Village on Davie St.  It is in the west end of Vancouver, BC.  It is the home of the gay community. The road is lined with lots of restaurants, hotels, shops, etc..
Wayne wanted us to see the 2010 Olympic Calderon (32.8 feet tall) at 1055 Canada Place, right next to the Convention Center. It is in Coal Harbor/downtown Vancouver. 
We then crossed the Lions Gate Bridge, got on Hwy 99 then to Hwy 1 East (Trans Canada Highway) to go visit Lynn Valley Park. 

Lynn Canyon Park is municipal park in the northern part of Vancouver.  It is a 617 acre park and was formally dedicated in 1991. The admission is free and there is a suspension bridge to walk across. It has many hiking trails; however, there were signs warning of bears' presence through the thick forest.  We had a pleasant hike for a short while.  Since it was getting close to the evening it was time for us to leave and go back to Surrey.
It was already way past suppertime and we were still on the road.  
Wayne took us to Metrotown Mall to have supper at the Eatery that is inside the mall.  The mall is in Burnaby.  It is a 4 story shopping complex and has over 500 stores! It is the largest mall in British Columbia, and is the third largest in Canada.  
Food Court

We did not get back to Wayne's residence until after 9 pm. It was a long day for our outing, but we enjoyed every minute of it with Wayne. 

Now, what is the plan for tomorrow, we wonder?

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