And We Thought Northern California Was Green...

Crossing the U.S. border into Canada was a treat. Just before crossing the national line we were greeted by hundreds of bald eagles. The eagles stood at the edge of the ocean perched on rocks in the tide pools. I can't begin to explain what it was like to see so many bald eagles at once. Departing from the train station on our fully loaded bikes in a foreign city in the rain was a shocker. We were falling head first into this odyssey. After a long time spent gathering ourselves at the train station we hardly made it a block before we had to stop to adjust our bags, attempt at covering our gear with ponchos and fix our bikes-which were mangled from spending the train ride inside of a cardboard box. Our bikes were wobbly under the weight, our legs were wobbly from 30+ hours of sitting on a train, and Colin was wobbly from reading directions while cycling, but we clenched our teeth, cycled through downtown and within a few miles we were ecstatic and feeling awesome.  

We are still in awe at how lush and green it is here, Vancouver is a city in a rain forest. The bay backs the city up against the Olympic Mountains, which are snow capped and swallowed by immense clouds. It is alive with plants, covering every square inch. Ivey crawls up the buildings, huge trees line the streets, flowers are bursting from every plausible space. It is a beautiful city with rivers and bridges, warfs, ferries, water taxis, parks, massive swimming pools and trails hugging the water line. The food in Vancouver is delicious and the sushi... is off the charts. 

Sushi here is inexpensive, fish is abundant and fresh. Today we ate the best sushi either of us have ever tasted; we are forever spoiled. And for lunch, we ate fish and chips down by the wharf... they were the best fish and chips I've ever met! It would be easy to spend more time here. Tomorrow we are off to Vancouver Island to see Victoria and the Buchart gardens. Our serious mileage also begins tomorrow.  - Gillian