We took a short trip to Vancouver for the Labor Day weekend. We were considering either a trip to Oregon wine country or a trip to Vancouver and decided that since it was a holiday weekend in the US, we would escape to Canada where it would be less busy. Did you know Canadians observe Labor Day too? We found out on Monday morning when many of the downtown restaurants were closed.
Day 1 - Queen Elizabeth Park
Day 1 - Fairmont Waterfront (Hotel) Pool.
The rooftop pool was a bit small, but the views of the city and harbor were fantastic. Ryan is still afraid of the water. I couldn't talk him into going beyond knee-deep.
Day 2 - We started our day with a nice breakfast on the waterfront, then drove up to Grouse Mountain. According to their website, a general admission ticket costs $39.99 CAD ($41 USD) and this includes a sky tram ride up the mountain, a live lumberjack show, a bird demonstration, and more. However, by talking to some locals, we found out that if you skip the tram ride and hike up the mountain, then all the other activities are free! Easy decision for us...hike up the mountain and save $82 USD.
It was a hard earned $82. Aptly named "The Grouse Grind", the trail gains 2800 feet in elevation in only 1.8 miles (29.5% grade). If it weren't for the fact that the trail is a one-way single-file path all the way up, I would have considered turning around.
One-way return tickets on the sky tram were $10, a reasonable price to pay for avoiding hiking down. We got an unfortunate middle spot in the crowded tram, so I couldn't get any decent video. From what I did capture, you can see the steepness of the mountain....
Day 3 - To spare you the unpleasant details, let's just say that Ryan must have caught some stomach bug. We had a quick picnic back at Queen Elizabeth Park, got some poutine for lunch, and headed home….
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