Holding Back the Water... The Cleveland Dam (Part 1)

 Hullo! Over the summer I went to Vancouver and we went on a little adventure to the Cleveland Dam! It's on the same road that goes past the Capilano Suspension Bridge and goes up to Grouse Mountain.

Why here you ask? Well.... we were going to go to Grouse Mountain and take the gondola up with Auntie Pam who has a Vancouver Tourism Pass (get in for freeeee!!) but it was only good from 5 pm to 9 pm and... it was 9 am. So... we were not paying $90/person (plus a bear!)...

Same with Capilano... so... we are here! Cause.... it's free!!!

You can see the gondola over there on the mountain.

Well, phooie on them... this little bear can have an exciting adventure anywhere!

And it could get super exciting if we ever hear a siren. There is a long (and sad) story behind this sign... will tell you later.

Sooo... note to self... if you hear something that sounds beary strange (0.50 mark)... run up slope fast!

Alright... enough safety talk!! Let's go!

This is Capilano Lake (or Reservoir). It is what is behind the dam and it is off limits to people (and little bears). It serves as one of the three reservoirs for Metro Vancouver. It's looking pretty full right now!

There's a tiny hole in the chainlink fence along the dam where you can get a good photo!

That's one of the sirens up there...

The Cleveland Dam was finished in 1954 and is named after engineer Ernest Albert Cleveland.

There's a gauge here on the dam... they measure distances, so here... between two blocks...

And down here, on the down slope side... oooohhhhh...

That is a lonnnngggg way down!!!!

The dam is 299 feet high... wow.

This is an impressive engineering feat!!!

That's the Capilano River down there... and this narrowing is called the Capilano Canyon...

In case we forget... these signs are everywhere...

We could hike for a long time here! But we are just going to do a small loop!

Are you ready!? Let's go!

Oh, and the 1:30 pm sticker on me... that's from my Britannia Mines adventure!

Oh look... this part of the trail is part of the Trans Canada Trail! Cool....

We are going down... and down... and down... which means later... we will need to go up... and up... and up... sigh...

To Be Continued

Our Next Conqueror Challenge...

 Hullo!!! I was going to try and wear all my Conqueror Medals but.. no...

Too many ribbons and... each medal weighs more than me!!

This all started during Covid when we wanted to do the virtual Camino... and then from there... well... it just kept going... Hadrian's Wall... The Jurassic Coast..... then the epic Pacific Crest Trail with Little Fox... and finally the Cabot Trail.

Anyhow... as most of you know... I finished the Cabot Trail last month... and dithered a bit about which challenge to do next... cause there was a discount after finishing... sooo... ready...

We are doing the West Coast Trail!!!

And after we bought that code... we got a discount to buy two more and get a third free... sigh... so we have *cough* three code vouchers waiting in the wings... We better get walking!

A Multi-faceted Adventure across the 49th Parallel...

 Hullo!! The town of Chemainus (world famous for its murals) had a street market a few months ago... so we decided to go. 

Seeee... murals!

They blocked off a huge stretch of Willows Street...

Well, that's cute... apparently the smallest luxury hotel... the Little Inn on Willow... it's cute...

Ah... here we go... stalls, stalls and more stalls!!

The street market had a bit of everything... crafters... flea market... food stalls...

I stopped to check out the old waterwheel... which is probably a replica... but still cool.

It's kind of neat... and a bit cooler under the trees. It is hot out there!

Alright... back into the fray!

People selling plants...

And wood work thingies...

And painted rocks coated with epoxy so they are UV proof!! I like the bear ones...

These two had the right idea... sitting in the shade.

A town with a bear is always a good place...

This is Hansel & Gretel's candy store...

Mama wouldn't let me in there. Hmph...

So... we didn't find much at the market but on the way back home, we stopped in Ladysmith and took a picture of this cute little house...

Do you know who lives here??? Do you..... think... Bay Watch...

You think about that... and put your guesses in the comments...

And one more stop in Ladysmith... which...

Has a marker for the 49th parallel!!! Yep... it crosses through town around here...

Am I straddling the 49th parallel??

Wait? I'm not???

Huh? How can it not be here? There's a sign post and everything!!???

Ah... well... technically... that sign is at 48 degrees 59'50"N... Phooie...

So where is the real 49 degrees??? Well, just a bit farther north in the middle of an intersection with the highway!!

A bit farther west, it crosses into this old private lot (it's a derelict building) but the city can't really put up a sign there... Oh well... at least we know where it is!

See... you learn something new everyday!!! You can also cross the 49th parallel again near Ucluelet on the west coast!

Sandy's Third Randomly-Scheduled Art Deco Architecture Contest

Hullo!! Sandy Bear here, and I came across a tragical tale the other day which has inspired me... Soooo...

This lovely building was the Georgia Medical and Dental Building (GMDB). It was built in 1927-1929 and was a stellar example of art deco architecture in Vancouver. It was the first art deco skyscraper in Vancouver! Pretty, isn't it?? It was designed by the same people who designed the Marine Building! And we all know how much I love the Marine Building...

It was across from the Hotel Vancouver - that's it in the background on the right...

The GMDB building had these 10 foot high terra cotta nurse statues on the outside of the 10th floor...

They were called the Rhea sisters and the three of them were nicknamed "Gono," "Pyor," and "Dia" (funny, eh?).

If you've been paying attention... you've probably noticed that I've been referring to the building in the past tense... sigh...

In 1989... the building was demolished with one of those controlled explosions. It created quite a stir and after that the City of Vancouver did more to protect historical heritage buildings. The reason for the demolition... it wasn't earthquake proof. Sigh.

Scandalous!!! Really. They did save the Rhea sisters... and one of them is on a building up at UBC!

They replaced the GMDB with a building now called Cathedral Place (cause it's next to the Anglican Cathedral. This new building has a fibreglass replica of a Rhea Sister. Hmph...

Anyhow... this story inspired me to hold the 3rd Randomly-Scheduled Art Deco Architecture Contest!! It's nothing like being an annual contest... although the last ones were in 2019 and then 2021... anyhoo...

3rd Randomly-Scheduled Art Deco Architecture Contest

The idea is... get a picture of yourself (the stuffie... not the human) in front of an Art Deco building where you live (or travel)... more details below... Building should be in focus... stuffies can be out of focus... as they usually are...

Contest Details:

Take a picture of you (the stuffie) in front of an Art Deco building where you live (or travel).

One entry per stuffie. If there is more than one stuffie in your household... well... then you can have one entry for each stuffie... Maximum of 3 (or 4 or 5) stuffies per household (looking at you Beanie Mouse & Co... and you Little Fox & Co!!!)

You can send the pic via email or post on your blog and send me the link... (littlecanadianbear {at} gmail {dot} com)

Winners chosen by random draw...

Prizes sent out by Canada Post (as long as it's not on strike (again)).

Deadline for submissions: November 30, 2025

More Info on the Tragic Georgia Medical and Dental Building

Vancouver's First Art Deco Skyscraper Crumbles Down -

Georgia Medical Dental Building demolition - YouTube

The Georgia Medical-Dental Building | Eve Lazarus

Finding the Rhea Sisters   | Eve Lazarus