I can see Canada from my house

It’s true…

(Although I’m pretty sure it doesn’t give me much international cred in the political realm…just sayin’)

I digress…

Since Kyle’s parents live (more or less) on the US/Canada border, we decided to take a day trip up to visit our friends from the North.

This beauty, known as Grouse Mountain, is just 15 minutes north of Vancouver, and is open year-round, with Skyrides (seen above) to bring you up the steep 2 mile mountainside overlooking some of the most drop-dead gorgeous views of Vancouver, Washington, and beyond…

Seriously, the pictures don’t even do it justice.  It was incredible.  Even though we waited until later in the morning to go (and got a tad lost on the way took the scenic route through Langley, BC), there was still quite a bit of fog at the top.  By the afternoon, though, it was clear and you could see for miles and miles.

Trees!

Still climbing!

 

Almost as the top!

Of course, you don’t have to be lazy Americans and take the gondola up…

The Grouse Grind is a pretty popular (albeit notoriously grueling) workout.  Known as “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster,” it boasts the following stats:

Length:
2.9 kilometers (1.8 miles)

Elevation Gain:
853 meters (2,800 feet)
        – Base: 274 meters above sea level (900 feet)
        – Summit: 1,127 meters (3,700 feet)
        – Total Stairs: 2,830

Statistics:
Annually, over 100,000 people hike the Grind.

Average Time:
On average it takes up to an hour and a half to complete the hike.
For novice hikers, up to two hours is recommended.

For women, the course record is 31:04, set in 2007 by Leanne Johnston.  Stud!

I had every intention of giving it a go until I realized it wasn’t, in fact, after the gondola, but instead of the Skyride.  In the end, I’m pretty glad my ignorance won, though, because it was pretty damn freezing and the few runners I did see at the end looked more miserable than accomplished.  I still posed like a pro though, don’t you think?

I mean really…did you SEE how high that was? [And this is only half-way!]

After the Skyride dropped us off at the Chalet (read: fancy word for base camp), we began exploring…

We hiked up to watch the “world famous lumberjack show,” complete with a 60 foot tree climb and log rolling contest before returning to the lodge for some grub.

Kidding!  That’s Kyle’s lunch.  I packed my own goodies before we left in the AM.

Meal sponsored by Costco.  Holler!

After I took 400 more pictures of the view, we went back out for another hike. 

Of sorts.

Wait what!?

We actually found the above sign at the top of the trail (after we had already risked our lives to reach the next highest elevation)…sooo, yeah…oops!

I was kinda wondering why the path was so deserted!?  Then we discovered there’s actually a chair lift for that stretch…which we happily returned on.

Faster AND safer.  But not entirely bear-free.

If this makes you nervous, you should have seen the insanely small wire fence separating them from us.  I’m fairly certain it was electric, but still…

We were able to get pretty close!

We watched one bear play for a while, throwing his stick around (that’s what she said), before he joined the other bear.

And then they played let’s-show-off-our-teeth-to-the-dumb-ass-humans.

Even though enclosed animals tend to make me a little sad, I was happy to know that these were being protected (not captured) for a reason.

Grinder and Coola are the names of the two grizzly bears above who were each rescued after they were found abandoned and starving.  Grinder was found on the side of the road in Invermere, BC, weak and dehydrated.  Coola on the other hand, was orphaned when his mom was hit by a car near Bella Coola (hence his name), and he was the only one of his three siblings to survive.  Thanks to the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Wildlife, these endangered grizzlies (along with many other animals) have been nursed back to health and continue to be cared for by the rangers.  Plus they’re cute.  You can read all about the other animals they rescued and why here. 

I’m all about the happy endings 😉

Oh, did I mention there was a Starbucks at the bottom of the Mountain.  Happy hippie. 

I brought some treats home for the dogs too…because I simply could not pass up the opportunity to get pet food that contained kale and pumpkin (!!).  Crazy right?  Apparently if you have pets that are highly allergic, Kali Wags are "the” treats.  They have carrots, oats, pumpkin, wheat germ, apples, flax seed, oat bran and kale – sounds pretty good right?  I swear if they didn’t also have organic lean beef, liver, and whole eggs, they would be Elise treats, not doggie treats.

It was a really fun day trip, so if anyone is in the area, be sure to check it out.

Anyways, we got a bit lost on our way home (again), and found ourselves in Stanley Park (shout to all the Vancouver peeps). 

At least we got some good pics, though…Canada is very photogenic.

By the time we got home I was starving, so I made myself dinner…starring the new Green Earth Baking’s Crazy Grains bread.  It’s sustainable, seedy, and utterly carb-a-licious, and thus wins me thrice over. 

I made a falafel sando with half BBQ sauce, half hummus, and balls mashed between.

And my latest obsesh, baby bell peppers, on the side.

It was so friggin’ tasty, I had another one exactly identical to it right after!

I even managed to capture my dessert on film too.  Pink Lady!

The rest of the night went by in a flash, and before I knew it, I was yawning my eyes out…already bed time? 

I’m not one to fight it.