West Coast

We have spent a few months back in Alberta visiting with friends and family, some of whom had deaths over the last six months while we were away, also attending a funeral of a work colleague of Stewart’s. All of these deaths were associated with Cancer.
We are in that age demographic were our bodies are now over our peak health, that is not to say we are not heathy. We had both managed to have our annual medicals, we both had a scare but these items turned out to be non issues. After a little discussion we thought it was time to head to the West Coast to visit Catherine’s best friend Gini and her husband Paul, both also having health challengers.

We set off from Calgary on a nice sunny day along highway #1 west towards Banff.

The Rocky Mountains were at their finest on this clear day.

First stop was to visit our friends Kim & Larry in Kamloops whom we  met in Puerto Morales, Mexico for a couple of days. Then onto the Lower Mainland for a week. We stayed in Cloverdale, while there we visited White Rock for brunch and toured the water front. While there the local Chinese were celebrating the Moon festival.

View of the water from our chosen lunch spot.
Moon Festival Celebration.

The White Rock in White Rock.

On another day we went into Greater Vancouver to Chinatown to find a piece we are missing from our Chinese teapot (Green Tea).

The bridge into New Westminster from Surrey.

Murals depicting the Early Chinese Migrants that helped build Canada.

We spent another day visiting Steveston which is an area of Richmond. This town was established as part of the fish cannery industry.

We found a local establishment for a libation.

From the lower mainland we caught the ferry to Vancouver Island to visit Gini, Catherine’s best friend. While in Parksville/Nanoose Bay area we had booked accommodation at the Ocean Sands Resort.
The following are some of the sunrises over the Coastal Mountains on the mainland we lucky enough to have had the pleasure of witnessing as we rolled out of bed in our suite.

One morning on our beach walk the he Fog had rolled in overnight but cleared as we strolled along.

Catherine had a birthday while we were on the Island, Paul & Gini graciously made Catherine on of her favourite meals if Standing Rib Roast with all the trimmings.
Catherine and Gini with the birthday cake.

This was a great evening, alas this visit would be our last with Gini as she passed a couple of weeks ago, succumbing to Brain Cancer she had been valiantly fighting for the last three and half years.

NEXT: Seattle and back to Alberta

2 thoughts on “West Coast”

  1. Hello Stew and Cat,

    I just found your blog and signed up for new posts. I got your name from a friend on FB in Panama. I am in NS.

    I am hoping to email you Directly about your experiences traveling from Canada-USA-Mexico-Honduras-San Salvador- Nicaragua-Costa Rica-Panamá. We would like to do the same trip at the end of 2020 and getting advice and ideas would be much appreciated. I have no idea how long it should take etc. Etc.

    Please pm me if you are willing to talk this through :). Thanks.

    Thanks.

    1. Hi Jeff,

      Just resending this from my gonetripn email.

      Received you email on our blog, we are travelling for the next couple of days. I am not sure how soon you want to talk of if you just want to use email.
      This email address is easier to communicate as my phone will not let me reply to Gonetripn emails 🙁

      We are hoping to be able to return to Canada at the end of the month but will see how that goes 😊

      Stewart

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