On Sunday this week, it was Earth Day. So, on the Saturday, the Girl and I sallied forth to spend the day outdoors. Specifically, we decided that it might be fun to take the SkyTrain down to Stanley Park, leaving the car at home and seeing what we could see.
Taking public transit used to be a matter of course for us. Since I bought my car last year, our adventures on the SkyTrain have been fewer than they used to be, I must admit. But, what better time than Earth Day weekend than to go green, not just in leaving the car at home, but by reconnecting with nature?
Stanley Park is a good place to do that, with a natural temperate rainforest just a single bus ride away from downtown Vancouver. So, we hit Royal City Center Mall, stocked up on fruit, and a bag of mixed nuts for the road, bought the Girl a transit pass, and set off on our transit adventure, hoping on the 155 bus.
We took the SkyTrain downtown, and after lunch at Tim Horton’s on West Pender, and upon stepping off the 19 bus, I used my questionable directional skills to get us to Lost Lagoon. One of the missions of the day was to see a swan, you see. Since my directional skills really are questionable, it took a while before we got to Lost Lagoon. Instead, we took a trek to the Rose Garden.
From here, we took to the trails, reading about the health of the forests, and the delicate balance of its ecosystem on signs along the way. We wound our way down the trail to Beaver Lake, where we saw wood ducks, red-wing blackbirds, sparrows, and (amazingly!) a heron.
After a snack (bringing snacks is key to these kinds of outings, people!), we took a stroll back to the Rose garden, just to hang out again. There were highlights here too once we stationed ourselves on a patch of grass in the sunshine, with several newlyweds, dressed in their finery, and in one case in a horse-drawn carriage being among the most notable.
But, the real highlight may have been the swans, since I eventually did find Lost Lagoon. Did I get a picture of them? Not one that turned out, I’m afraid. But, I do have an enduring memory of a great day out with the Girl, in which we had lots of laughs, lots of ed-juh-cay-shun about our natural world in time for Earth Day, and a positive verdict from the Girl:
The Girl: This was a great idea!
Me: What was? (thinking it would be something about the trip)
The Girl: Bringing snacks!
Me And the Girl, The Girl And Me 