Capilano Suspension Bridge, Vancouver Aquarium
October 4, 2017
Riding our bikes north along Capilano Road, we came to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park where the Capilano River cuts through a gorge. Huge cliffs stand on the east side of the gorge. A cruise ship must have just come into Vancouver, as it was crowded with people speaking Japanese. I’m sure this swinging bridge will support all the people you could cram onto it, but it is also a long way to fall if something goes wrong. Of course there is always someone who wants to make it swing more. Others stop to take pictures of themselves or their families. Once on the other side there are wooden walkway trails and canopy walks. Except for the masses of humanity, it is all very pretty amongst beautiful, big trees. Back on the starting side, is a cliff walk that is cool. At least it doesn’t move. It’s $40 to get in, but they have done a fabulous job of building it, while minimizing the impact.
We rode back to camp, which was all downhill. I don’t know which is more frightening, the swinging bridge or biking in the city. After lunch, we took the more frightening route across Lion’s Gate Bridge. Traffic is always busy across the bridge that goes into Vancouver, but the bike/walk trail is protected by cables. The scary part comes when other bikers want to pass, and you have to move over toward the right where there is a slot big enough for your tire to go through. You wouldn’t go through, but it would cause a fall, which could knock the other rider into traffic. Thinking of all that makes it difficult to hold the bike steady while someone passes.
Vancouver Aquarium gets an A+. It is a great aquarium with the usual porpoises, sea lions and fish in tanks, but they do some cool things. They have a 4-D movie about the great sardine migration and all the animals who depend on them for food, complete with water splashing in your face and whooshing wind at your back. They also have lots of very cool jelly fish displays. There is a room where they have pictures of different places in British Columbia with a tank below showing what lives in the water. There was a good video on sustainable fisheries. I know wild-caught is the rage and probably better for you, but it is not sustainable. How there are enough fish to feed the masses of humanity, I just don’t know. Then there are all the other animals that need to eat.
Getting back on the bikes and riding through beautiful Stanley Park, we agreed we could have spent a month just exploring this great park. I am getting excited about leaving tomorrow for Vancouver Island.
