Today’s adventure (which I’ve popped into my Day Tripping category) started out with a goal in mind: head up Grouse Mountain and go ziplining. Waking up at 7:30am on this drizzly Sunday morning, we knew that might not happen. Still, we packed up, donned our Gor-tex, and headed for the bus up the mountain regardless of the downpour.
If you’re like us and you don’t own a car, you can easily get to the base of Grouse Mountain by transit. We took the Sea Bus from downtown and on the other side hopped on the 236 bus at Lonsdale Quay, which took us the rest of the way in only 20 minutes.
Parking lots are at the base and everyone needs to ride the Skyride gondola up to the lodge, where there is much more to do than just ski (especially in the summer).
The adventurous (and physical) types may want to walk up the 3 vertical kilometers to reach the lodge and there were quite a few people our on the soggy trails this morning. Of course this is not an option in the winter but during the spring/summer season it’s a bit of a trek (with quite the pay off).
John and I were guests of Grouse today so we picked up our passes and headed up the Skyride. Upon reaching the lodge we couldn’t see further than 200 meters down the mountain. It was the first time that I had ever been up this local hill and the only views we had were of the rainclouds that were unleashing their goods upon us in buckets.
However, the good thing about Grouse is that even on a rainy day in the summer there are still several forms of entertainment high above the city.
We got some Saltspring Coffee (the Grouse Mountain roast) and took in the free movies at Theatre in the Sky. The footage in the movie was slightly outdated (false creek was not bursting at the seams with glass structures) however I can see its merit for tourists as it highlights areas of interest along the Pacific coast. I was more interested in the history of the mountain, which the first part of the movie touched upon.
The scenic chairlift was closed today, as there wasn’t too much to see in the rain, and I’m pretty sure some of the otherdemonstrations were canceled.
We browsed the store and watched the screen that displayed a live log of Grouse Grind participants reaching their destination. Some people completing the vertical hike in 45 minutes, others in 1 hour 45 minutes – on a really crummy day in the rain it was nice to see everyone finish. (Note: If you do hike up, the only way down is the Skyride so you’ll have to purchase a one-way ticket to head back to the parking lot).
John’s highlight that, “made the whole day” for him, was seeing the grizzly bears, Grinder and Coola – who were orphaned and now live in a conservation area on Grouse.
We love walks in the rain and especially exploring our local parks and mountains. We weren’t too disappointed today, mostly since we’d both never been up we didn’t really know what we were missing – except for the sensational views I’ve seen in pictures.
Taking the transit bus back to downtown we were pretty soggy, jeans soaked up to the knees and my hair completely frizzed-out. Despite not being able to do the activity that lead us up the mountain, we still really enjoyed ourselves and are now planning our trip back up for the near future.
I know that Derek and Airdrie, DaveO, Kris, Tris, and Tanya are down at Gnomedex in Seattle this weekend but in case you are just tuning in, here are some more links and resources if you’d like to follow the mega-conference from your corner of the globe.
Gnomedex is an annual technical conference, coordinated by Lockergnome founder Chris Pirillo and his wife Ponzi Pirillo, that began in late 2001, and has so far been held seven times.
It has been traditionally held in Des Moines, Iowa, Pirillo’s home town, but due to its size, moved to Lake Tahoe in 2004 and then Seattle in 2005, 2006 and 2007, where the Pirillos make their home. [wiki]
Dave already has a great post up with the same type of link roundup and including notes about Kris’ talk this morning [Raincity]
If you are also in attendance, please leave a link to your blog or posts in the comment below.
On September 25th digital media producers and enthusiasts will get together for 24 hours of collaboration and celebration of the medium.
An annual day to raise the profile of the digital media industry and celebrate the dynamic work taking place in this sector. In Canada, a massive cross-country event that will include gatherings, lobbying, education and celebrations. In other countries, linked in celebrations and demo camps.
Locally there will be a PhotoCamp, a Mixer at Radical Entertainment, and BarCamp, which despite being two days later, will extend the celebration well into the weekend.
Jon Husband and I will be spearheading the national blogging effort. If you’re a blogger in another province, feel free to drop me a line to see how we can help get an initiative going in your neck of the woods. We’re going to try and come up with something really fun (and of course blog-related) for September 25th so stay tuned.
With the Olympics happening until Sunday, what better time to tell the story of the Miracle Mile which is commemorated on the corner of Hastings and Renfrew.
At the main entrance to the PNE grounds stands two figures mid-stride. The statue, unveiled in 1967, displays two men racing each other. One of them has his head turned, looking back, as the other powers straight ahead.
In 1954 Vancouver hosted the Empire Games (now known as the Commonwealth Games) were held in Vancouver at the new Empire Stadium sporting facility – the largest in Canada at the time.
The mile event came down to two racers who had both already made history for their record time: Roger Bannister of England and John Landy of Australia. The statue at the PNE commemorates Landy, who was in the lead for the first few laps, looking over his shoulder while Bannister passes him on the other side – winning by a hair.
The “Miracle Mile” was not only the first sporting event televised live to all of North America, it was also the first time two runners ran the mile in under 4 minutes. [Source: VancouverHistory, 1954]
As he left behind two young sons there have been ongoing fundraising efforts to help cover the cost of his funeral and everyday expenses the family has incurred. Also, since his celebration of life ceremony was held in Calgary, many of his friends back in Surrey were unable to attend and pay their respects. Tomorrow’s benefit concert will serve to raise funds for the family as well as give an opportunity for those who knew Randy to meet up with his loved ones in this time of remembrance. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
