Vancouver...mostly drive-by shootings and fun with photo editing!

First the border crossing:

It's a short drive from our casino location east of Anacortes to I-5 and north to the Canadian border's Peace Arch Park crossing near Blaine, WA.

It only took an hour or so at the border, detained inside the Custom's office sans any/all personal belongings, while our motorhome was searched....completely. At one point one of the very nice agents came in to request the combination to our safe. No problem, after all wouldn't you suspect anyone with a Texas drivers license of carrying weapons?  Moving on...

Destination North Vancouver:

We knew our two GPS units (Garmin and phone) wouldn't work once we crossed the border unless we paid for roaming data access, so I had Googled the map directions, not trusting our memories of former visits, and printed them out. But, as I know so well, the mapping programs don't consider what we're driving but the fastest route. So with Stephanie and Gary following we navigated through residential communities to connect the dots between Canada's route 99 at the border crossing and Trans-Canada 1 and our North Vancouver destination, trying at all cost to avoid driving through downtown and across the infamous Lion's Gate Bridge. Friends Gail and Earl took that route a few years ago on their way to Powell River, in their 38' MH towing a car, and almost had heart failure.

Our destination is the Capilano River RV Park in North/West Vancouver, pretty much the only option we've found over the years, and actually well-located for access to public transportation via the Sea Bus to downtown and the delights of West Vancouver with its ritzy urban amenities and nature's beauty. The Capilano Suspension Bridge is just up the road and Whistler Mountain is a mere 90 minute drive.

Once parked in rather close quarters and expensive to boot, about $55 US per night...our dollar is worth $1.09 Canadian... we headed to the Market at Lonsdale Quay.  Treasures jumped into our bags in the form of salmon pate and smoked salmon candies.  Sushi joints beckoned and dragons entertained. Good start to Vancouver, we thought.

Seeing the City:

So on a Saturday, we excitedly headed to the Lonsdale Quay, purchased our round-trip tickets and hopped on for the 12 minute ride across the Burrard Inlet to downtown Vancouver.  We know the drill, right?!  The hop-on hop-off trolley is both fun and efficient in seeing the city with a second day included in the price.  We oohed and aahed along Robson Street all the way to Stanley Park where we hopped off at the rose garden and grabbed a tasty lunch at the Stanley Park Bar and Grill.

Saturday is not a good day for sightseeing:

This is the normal trolley route.  We departed the Sea Bus and boarded the trolley at location 10 near Canada Place:

Things started going down hill.  Saturday was a poor choice of days, this being a pre-Labor Day weekend and the height of tourist season.  There were several major events going on in the City and we were soon confronted with traffic gridlock.  The trolleys and buses were caught in the middle and schedules flew out the window.  Several routes were blocked or cancelled.  We had a long wait before continuing on through Stanley Park.  Photos were snapped from trolley windows.  Apply some fun editing techniques and they turned out pretty good:

We had to get off at Granville Island to do some window shopping and see the marvelous Public Market we have so loved visiting on our two former visits.  We were joined by thousands of other like-minded folks. Howard braved the throngs to purchase a couple of racks of lamb for a family meal, while I fled outside for air.

This time the wait for a trolley was over an hour.  As crowds gathered in the late afternoon, it became obvious that several buses would be needed.  Even with stress levels building we chatted with a bunch of nice folks from all over the world.

So once again all I have are window shots as we drive through Chinatown and Gastown, back to our starting point, tired, hungry and anxious to get on the ferry back home.

Anza Borrego Desert...Adjustment phase!

We arrived a week ago, moved 3 times before finding our happy place, and are beginning to settle in.  I often refer to this Adjustment Phase as our decompression from holidays, but this year we have the added need to recuperate from a very full year of travel in 2013; body, mind, motorhome, bank account!

Our home..we even added solar lights after our neighbor got lost!

Our front yard view looking toward Clark Dry Lake & into Rockhouse Canyon, at dusk

We have a geocache!

And a turtle...

A previous occupant left us this colorful gourd!

So if you're in the neighborhood, stop by and say hello!

We have much to do and nothing to do, and lots of time to do them in.  Files and photos from 2013 need to be sent to an external disk, closets and storage bins cleaned out and sent to the thrift store in town, and jeep drives, hikes, and much practice and learning with new Nikon D7100.

We did our first hike up Coyote Mountain's lower hills, working up to more peak experiences. Howard has had several good 4-5 mile jogs and I've managed a few short hikes.  On our drive down to Orange Grove RV Park I had the mother of all back spasm attacks and bounced along in bed, lulled by the vibration of a big Cummins engine, and trying not to move.  I get these once or twice a year, and take it as a sign that more exercise needs to be added to the regime. Driving, or riding in my case, thousands of miles does not count!

First hike up the mountain!

Howard follows the rock cairns

And there's the snake!

And a little bit higher

Yep...way over down there!

In this drought-ridden, brown environment, we found signs of life on this Ocotillo

And going down!

We cleaned and polished the outside of the motorhome, except for that nasty front plexiglass bug snatcher, using one of our favorite products, Dri Wash 'N Guard.  We met the vendor years ago at the Quartzsite RV Show and now order online.  The name speaks for itself, no water needed; perfect for parking in the boonies and even RV parks where washing would be prohibited.  Now the old gal is looking spiffy indeed!

She hides her age well!

Friends Kathie and Bob drove down from La Quinta yesterday where they're staying at Lake Cahuilla. We enjoyed a good lunch in town at Carlee's Place, and returned for a camera lesson. Kathie is a great photographer and shared many helpful tips as she has used a Nikon for years.  And many thanks go out to Emily of Roads Less Traveled, for virtually sending me a ton of advice, both before and after purchasing the camera.  There are a lot of nice folks out there in blogland!

I know it looks like we're having fun, but this is really hard work!

Tomorrow is the Friday Farmer's Market at Christmas Circle.  We are so looking forward to it, and in need of fresh fruit and veggies.  It's always nice to meet up with our favorite vendors.  I hope the "meat guy" is there!  And goodies from Dudley's!

Here are some parting shots, until next time:

Shades of brown & blue

Our kind of roads

We have neighbors!

Sunrise....hanging out the window!

And sunset

We found the Promised Land...

We did, in fact, find the Promised Land, a state park in northeastern Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains, and it delivered just what we were looking for; peaceful seclusion in a beautiful fall setting.  I think we are feeling overloaded on sightseeing in crowded, high traffic, tourist destinations and ready for a few days of hibernation. So here, quietly, are a few photos of our surroundings:

The trees are shedding their golden leaves and there is a chill in the air.  Deep breaths!