A Hullo Adventure to Vancouver!

Hullo!! Literally! Today I am going to Vancouver... but not on the regular ferry which has a long bus ride in Vancouver...

Nope... today we are taking the Hullo Ferry! It is new(ish) and only takes 70 minutes and docks right in downtown Vancouver, a mere block or two from the art deco Marine Building!

The Hullo Ferry is a passenger ferry only, and a catamaran style so it goes... fast! Like twice the speed of BC Ferries...

You get a reserved seat and you can choose that for an extra fee, or get randomly assigned. Some seats have tables!

There are two levels, this is the Comfort class (i.e. the cheapest!). You can't really do much other than sit in your seat. You can't go out on deck (you'd get blown away!) and while there is a little galley that sells snacks, there's no dining area.

And you can't really do laps like on BC ferries...

And the seat is kind of like an airplane seat... with a table tray. Still... it is fast!

And here we are! Downtown Vancouver. That's Canada Place over there...

So if the whole BC Ferries trip takes 5 hours (door to door), then this one takes 2.5 hours (including car rides and bus rides). Which means... more time for adventure!

And adventure is in store!!! This is Lexy... Rose's family's new dog. Well, not so new... they got her in the spring...

She is a labradoodle and thinks I am a dog toy... so I won't be playing with her much...

We are taking Lexy for a walk to a beary posh area of Vancouver... along the way, we crossed the new s

Skytrain line that is being constructed! 

Let's see if I can find an unmeshed area...

Here we go!! It is a DEEP trench and those beams are holding up the road off to the right. Crazy!

The route is partly cut and fill (this section) and partly tunneled with a boring machine. That circle on the left wall is where the boring machine is going to come out in a few months.

It will make it way easier to travel to the airport from Rose's place!

Righto... today we are visiting Shaughnessy... an uber spiffy area of Vancouver with many old mansions.

This one is now Canuck Place, the childrens hospice... so where families can stay during treatment at local hospitals.

In 1925, it was briefly the headquarters of the KKK in Vancouver. Interesting...

It is known for it's "eclectic" design and "exuberant aesthetic appeal"! It is certainly unique!

There are all sorts of signs saying not to enter the property... phooie... Oh, and it was called the Mae West house in the 1920s because of the... you know... twin turret roofs...

It was built in 1910 by retired lumber baron William Lamont Tait who dubbed the grand home Glen Brae and lined it with a wrought iron fence imported from Scotland.

Despite it's rather dark history, it is cool to visit!

There are also all sorts of other fancy houses up here...

This one is neat... it looks like a...

... what is it called again... craftsman style!

This one is... barn style?

The streets are lined with big trees which means you have to watch your step on the sidewalks!

Oooh... fancy!

Is that a craftsman style mansion?

Lots of the lots have fancy walls around the edge of their property...

But this one is made from... 

... styrofoam!!!! Good grief! It's apparently a new wall... but still...

Some places are heritage buildings too...

It is called Greencroft and is a mix of Tudor Revival and Gothic Revival detailing with Arts and Crafts elements... 

It does have a cute old gate at the other end... and yes, those are "real" granite blocks... not styrofoam!

Definitely real rocks...

And... while we were there... Rose game me some of her costume making supplies!!! 

Bits of 2 mm and 5 mm foam and some faux leather...

Cause I am already planning my Halloween costume!

And... on the way back on Hullo... we decided to go on the Premium (upper) deck...

Posher seats and you can choose your seat...

Plus we got free snacks! And... being up higher...

The windows aren't covered in sea spray and you get a better view!

A Winter Hike and a Campfire

Yep, it's winter up here... hard to tell, eh? But it is beary pretty (and that is a sun spot behind me on the ground... not some blue thing!).

It is beary wet though with lots of puddles to navigate.

But it's so nice when the sun is out...

I always love this bit, coming out of the trees and into an open area.

In the spring, this area has tonnes of wildflowers!

A bit further along, we get a great view of the Salish Sea.

There's a ferry out there!

It's fun to explore new trails and see where they go!

Which is what we did here... yes, there is a raging stream flowing...

And because bedroom is just below the surface...

We'll have to tiptoe our way across...

We followed the new trail and it tied in with an old logging road... not all that scenic, but at least we know where it goes.

It's so pretty!

Well, that's it for the hike but... given the sunny weather...

We are going to have a campfire in the backyard!!

And yes... there is food in my future....

Some roasted sausages! We have spares... in any stuffies want to join me...