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Hello from Vancouver (3) - The Grouse Mountain Experience

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




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