@>--}-- February the 14th

Previous post is a backdated entry from the first day of our Mid term trip to san francisco. Happens also to be February the 14th 2009. Flowers brighten the day.

Stanley Park Rose Garden on 10th January 2009. In harsh freezing cold.

Seattle Public Market on 17 January 2009. Packaged in nice little bouquets.
Capilano Bridge Giftshop on 31 January 2009. Being blue. (My current desktop wallpaper)



Civic Center Park on February 14th 2009. Accompanying lonely buildings and streetlamps.



Golden Gate Bridge on February 14th 2009.  Beginnings of spring? Maybe not quite yet.

Golden Gate Park on 14 February. Transient of a sakura.


Murphy's Windmill Golden Gate Park on February 14th 2009. Bringer of smiles.

San Fran and Golden Gate Bridge

The Best Western Hotel on 7th street was über modern. Newly renovated, the hotel definitely impressed. Walking distance away was United Nation Plaza. 

'Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts' - Rachel Carson, marine biologist and nature writer

In picture below, and a stone's throw from United Nation Plaza are the Civic Center Park and San Francisco City Hall.

Next stop on the F-line- Golden Gate Bridge. Yup the red structure on the side of the photograph below it is. Look very closely in the clouds because the subject of this photo is definitely neither me nor the bridge.

Didn't see it? Moving on along the sidewalk of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

And again. Do you see it now?

Across on the other side of the bridge, the gentle mountains. Inaccessible to reach there except maybe by helicopter. Oh i just found out from googlemaps, thats the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. So did you spot the special multicoloured bands in the sky?

Its colourful and clear in this next picture. Now, follow the rainbow and where it meets the water- thats Alcatraz. The appearance of the rainbow was a pleasant sign of beautiful things to come.

Next we went to Golden Gate Park. The Largest Artificial Park. The bunch of us learnt this the hard way as we walked down its paths. At first, in the light sunlight and then in the light rain. Eventually, arriving at the Murphy's windmill and slightly happy that the rain had subsided. From where I was, behing me was the beach. As i faced the pacific ocean and beyond that so very far away i believed i was facing home. 

Not the end of day 1 yet. But my camera battery was running low so no pics of our tour of downtown san francisco. Union Square, Yerba Buena Park, Martin Luther King Jr Memorial and not forgetting Frank Lloyd's Xanadu gallery.

Tumbling Down the Whistler

Greyhound bus early on Friday morning. So spacious. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of the trip back on Sunday evening. The only thing worth noting was that on the return trip, bus driver U-turn where he shouldn't be uturning. Below, upon arrival at whistler village.

Tried skiing on first day. I thought it would be manageable. Notice how the staff hooked me up w RED boots, Red skipoles and Red skiboards. 

I was wrong. Zooming down the Upper Fantastic was exhilirating to say the least. But enough of that so we went to the Peak. There is a cable car 'peak2peak' which brings us from whistler to blackcomb mountain.

Accomodation at cascade lodge was conveniently located at the Village Stroll. One traffic light away.

The gracious manager apologised and insisted i take dessert. Caramel pecan nut pie. delicious! oh yes the spaghetti too.

View from balcony of our room in the morning. 

Snowboarding adventures. Sitting down on the slopes to take a picture was a good excuse to rest my tired ankle and knees. Lower Olympic route.

Sunday morning, building a snowman as part of a long standing winter tradition. This snowman was the 2nd snowman I saw here.

Snow tubing at Blackcomb. Im not in the picture below.

Walk to Alta Lake.

Yup unknown to us we were walking on the right of it for some time. But here it is. 

Yes thats the lake. Its frozen. I would have been able to walk to the centre of the lake if i was not stopped by this dog. 

Back in UBC the next morning we woke up to catch the lunar eclipse at the Rose Garden at 6am in the morning. Needless to say, I found it hard especially hard to keep awake during my morning lectures. 

Its 1.12am and i'm in a rush to go to the airport!

photo credits to Mark, Paula.

i could share this sunset with you

I took a really long time to make an animated gif of the above but unfortunately fail cuz of technical difficulties. Still hope you like the slideshow above. 

Everyday the same sun sets, but different clouds come to witness.

Capilano

History spanning over a hundred years, the Capilano Suspension Bridge is lanky and outstretched overlooking the river below. George Grant Mackay built the Cliff House and the first suspension bridge at Capilano in 1889. 

Visiting the trees. Certain trees have names such as Grandma Capilano, The Big One. 

Treetop adventure. As we move among the trees I feel strangely part of nature again.

Ripples in the sky

Our shadows playing with the green leaves as we head back across the Capilano bridge

Just over this slope, I proclaim the most magnificent view of the Capilano River and mountains which I think is Grouse Mountain. In my opinion, no pictures do justice to how in awe i felt as its beauty revealed itself upon climbing this slope. 

Cleveland Dam. Fair yii taught me about how the superflows had to to be conducted to normal flows or something like that, so that river erosion is not acerbated.

The adventurous bunch of us decided to take this ICY trail down to Salmon Hatchery, despite a passer bys warning to take the trail on the left.

Not the right season for salmon hatching but here is a picture by the river. Spot the Snowfish.

Final trail we took before we headed back outta there. Big Fir and trees fashioning other green plants. Wonder if it was some parasitic relationship or other. 

 This weekend, Whistler!

photo credits to fairyii and mark. Thank you!!