Hello from Vancouver (3) - The Grouse Mountain Experience

No visit to Vancouver could be complete without agreat horned owl and peregrine falcon. The birds have
real mountain experience. So after covering thenames like Arwin, Frodo, Chinook and Rusty and they
Servas conference I left at 2 pm for downtown. Toperform various maneuvers, often sweeping closely
get to Grouse Mountain was quite an experience inover various audience members' heads. The show
itself, I got to take 2 buses downtown, then I boardedwas hosted by a young woman who also injected a
Vancouver's light rail rapid transit system, the Skytrain,dry sense of humour into her performance.The peak
which runs underground downtown, just like a subway.of Grouse Mountain, about 100 m up from the tram
Then I hopped on the Seabus, a regular ferry thatstation, still remained to be climbed. It's not a far
connects downtown with North Vancouver. Busesdistance, but it takes a solid 20 or so minutes to get up
were waiting for passengers right when the ferryto the top, which also features a chairlift station. The
docked and I jumped on the #236 which takes youview from the top is astounding, and the snow
right to Grouse Mountain, passing the famous Capilanocovered peak of Mount Baker, an inactive volcano in
Suspension Bridge. At the base of Grouse Mountain IWashington State, mesmerized me. I heard that it is
entered into another means of transportation: theabout 150 km or 90 miles away from Vancouver and
Skyride, a 6 minute gondola / tram ride to the mainwith its snow-covered peak it appeared like a mirage
complex at the top of the Mountain.Grouse Mountain isin the distance.Of course with all this mountain activity,
also called the "Peak of Vancouver", and it offershunger set in and I went to the self-serve cafe which
recreational possibilities all year long. The elevation athas a beautiful patio overlooking the city. I splurged on
the top is 4100 feet and in the winter Grouse offers 22of my favourite sinful indulgences: poutine, i.e. French
runs for skiers and snowboarders as well as 13 lit runsfries with gravy and cheese curds. I tampered down
for night-skiing. The top base of the gondola features amy nutritional guilt with a Mediterranean salad and
fine dining restaurant, contemporary dining, a morefigured that the nutrients and low caloric content of the
casual cafe as well as a gift shop and a store calledsalad might counterbalance the potato and fat-based
"Outfitters" that provides all sorts of outdoor gear. Thecalory bomb. Well, not great nutritional decision-making,
dining areas have sweeping views of the city all thebut I savoured it anyways.I ended up talking to a local
way down to Washington State.I decided to check outcouple on the terrace who said I should check out a
the mountain attractions and walked past a number oflittle neighbourhood called Ambleside, which is part of
huge wooden carved statues, finally arriving at theWest Vancouver. So off I went, down the mountain
Lumberjack Show. Two young strapping lads go at itwith the tram and back on the bus. At the bottom I
in a variety of woodsman's competitions, includinghad to connect onto another bus, and during the wait I
target throwing of a double-sided axe, aiming for theended up chatting with a local young man who
bull's eye, speed-sawing competitions involving aexplained all the different residential areas of
single-handled saw and later a speed-sawing contestVancouver to me and also shed some light on the real
with a double-handled saw that includes 2 femaleestate boom that has caused Vancouver's housing
audience participants.There is all sorts of humorousprices to sky-rocket over the last few years. The
competitive banter between the two guys, allescalation of prices is not surprising, since thousands of
coordinated by a female emcee that tries to keep thenew people every year seek out the relaxed West
(staged) competition under control. Then the 2 youngCoast lifestyle. With the Olympic Games coming to
lumberjacks climb 2 large poles where they have toVancouver / Whistler in 2010, the situation can only
ring a bell at the top and of course only one of thembecome tougher.While waiting for bus number 3 I
can be a winner. The show climaxes with one of thechatted to another local, asking him for directions to
lumberjacks being pushed into what appears like aAmbleside. He said that close by there was a local
deep well, water splashing out of the well as hearts and craft festival and if I wanted he could show
apparently hits the liquid. Then the other lumberjackme where it is. So with his guidance I arrived at the
tosses a stick of dynamite into the well, followed by aHarmony Arts Festival, held annually, which apparently
big bang and a huge splash of water that reaches thenow attracts over 60,000 visitors and showcases
front rows of the audience, usually accompanied bymore than 250 visual and performing artists. A band
some socks or a torn shirt as evidence of thewas performing Motown songs in a bandshell and
unfortunate lumberjack' s demise, all of the debrishundreds of people were camped out on their folding
landing in the startled and delighted audience.Tochairs and beach towels in front of the stage. I decided
everybody's relief, the second lumberjack climbs out ofto walk westwards along West Vancouver's Seawall,
the well, wet but intact, and the two guys embark ona much quieter version than that of Stanley Park. I sat
their final competition: the log-rolling. A round piece ofdown to soak in the sunset, watching the sun roll down
wood is located in the middle of a small pond and thebehind the mountain chain northwest of Vancouver.At
two guys each have a designated side forabout 9:15 I decided to head back to UBC and took a
themselves. Then they start to roll the log, spraying andbus back downtown across the famous Lions Gate
splashing each other, performing all sorts of acrobaticsBridge. The sky was pink and dark purple and a sliver
while turning the piece of wood. The final winner is theof a moon was hanging low in the western sky. And a
guy that pushes the other guy off the log into thebright star was located right next to the moon on the
water most often in 3 tries.I talked to the youngleft hand side. Somebody on the bus pointed it out and
fellows afterwards, 2 nice young men by the name ofanother person said that this was an extremely rare
Mason Bischoff, a BC native, and Darren Hudson, ofastronomic constellation, as a matter of fact this
Nova Scotia. Both guys come from families of realparticular constellation had never happened before. It
lumberjacks and they often compete in lumberjackwas almost as if magic had blessed this
competitions. Mason has only been doing the show forevening.Downtown I changed buses again and slowly
5 days, very surprising since he performed somade my way to the UBC Campus. I noticed how
professionally, and Darren has been at it for 5 years,different groups of people were getting off the bus,
working at Grouse in the summer, and doing someshouting out "Thank You" loudly to the bus driver. Now
lumberjack shows in Australia in the winter. It wasthat is something that I have never seen before:
evident that both of them are having an absolute blastpeople thanking the driver on a public bus. I checked
doing this job - performing a rather strenuous half-hourwith the bus driver as I got off and asked him if this
show 3 times daily, 7 days a week. I found the showhappens regularly. He said it doesn't happen all the time,
very entertaining, a great combination of physicalbut he appreciates it when people express their
strength, endurance, slapstick, and witty reparteegratitude. A magical evening indeed...Susanne Pacher is
between the lumberjacks and the emcee.Following thisthe publisher of a website called Travel and
I checked out the famous bear habitat, which hasTransitions( Travel and Transitions deals with
proven to be a refuge for 2 orphaned bears thatunconventional travel and is chock full of advice, tips,
found a permanent spacious 5 acre home on Grousereal life travel experiences, interviews with travellers
Mountain. Unfortunately the two animals, Koola andand travel experts, insights and reflections,
Grinder, were sleeping somewhere under the treescross-cultural issues, contests and many other
and I only caught a peek at one of them when hefeatures. You will also find stories about life and the
stretched and rolled over to continue sleeping. Righttransitions that we face as we go through our own
next to the bear habitat is an area for timber wolvespersonal life-long journeys.Submit your own travel
and I was a little luckier getting a peak at these whitestories in our first travel story contest( and have a
canines.Staying along the animal theme, I checked outchance to win an amazing adventure cruise on the
the "Birds in Motion" Show that features 4 differentAmazon River.
types of birds: two Harris hawks, a red-tailed hawk, a