People have been telling me if I can survive November I can survive the rainy and grey climate of Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest in general.  This November must be an anomaly because while there has been a lot of rain there have been some spectacularly sunny days.  Yesterday was one of them and it was perfect for hiking and to get out and explore an area I haven’t seen yet: West Vancouver.

 

Coming from the topographically challenged Midwest, scenes like this put a huge smile on my face every time I see them.  

 

It was a perfect day for hiking but if I had a boat I’d have joined two kayakers I met.

 

Most of the day was spent hiking at the aptly, if uncreatively named, Lighthouse Park on Point Atkinson.  This will definitely be the place I’ll bring visitors.  It is easy to get to and the trails are nice and wide for people of all athletic abilities and the views can’t be beat.

 

There is a major street in Vancouver named Arbutus.  While many of the North-South streets are named after trees I didn’t realize Arbutus was a tree.  Common to the Pacific Northwest I’d never seen or touched one before.  It is ideal for burning because it burns long and hot.  Unfortunately I don’t have a fireplace but I’ll file it away until I do because they keep telling me how cold it is going to get.

 

After thoroughly exploring Lighthouse Park we continued on to Horseshoe Bay where many of the ferries leave and on to Whytecliff Park to take in the sunset which was a great way to end a beautiful day.

November 24th, 2008 | outdoors, photography | 1 comment