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Rather than celebrating the Fourth of July with barbeque and fireworks this
year, I decided to take the long weekend to drive across the border on Canada
Day and see what's on the other side. We just missed their big celebration
by an hour. The good news: there's no line at customs at 1 AM.
 Day 1 - Vancouver:
The first stop was Vancouver, British Columbia--just across the border, about
two hours from Seattle. A very clean, modern city--a bit touristy though,
since it's a popular spot for Alaskan-bound cruise ships.
 We started with the "must see" (a.k.a. most touristy) attraction of
Vancouver: the Capilano Suspension Bridge. An "old-fashioned",
wooden suspension bridge, crossing a deep gorge hundreds of feet below.
It was a cool idea, but this place really seemed to have the aura of an
exhibit at Disney World. Maybe it was the the shoulder-height child-proof
railings everywhere, or the abundance of Japanese tourists. But if you could
squeeze your way past the crowds, there really was a pretty spectacular view.
 Next was Grouse Mountain, a tall peak with a spectacular view of Vancouver.
We arrived to find yet another tourist trap: a $30 cable car ride to the
summit. But, there was another option: the Grouse Grind--a hiking trail to
the top. Gaining 2,800 feet in elevation, the elevation was less than many
of the trails here in the Portland area. Undeterred by
the giant warning at the base of the trail--and forgetting that we were no
longer in the lawsuit-crazy United States where everything contains
such warning labels--we started the trail. As we quickly realize, the
"trail" is nothing more than a two-mile long stairway. Around the
halfway point, we're already getting pretty tired, but with frequent breaks,
we finally reach the top after nearly an hour and a half.
 The view at the
top was spectacular--we were luckily, and had a clear day, with a great view
of downtown. And once at the top, the price of the cable car ticket drops to
$5. Exhausted from the climb up, we chose the cable car option.
That evening, I finally had a chance to test out the low-light capabilities
of my new Rebel XT. With its decent 1600 ISO and a cheap 50mm prime lens,
the night shots of Vancouver were pretty decent, even without a tripod.
More photos from Day 1
 Day 2 - Vancouver (cont'd):
For our second day in Vancouver, we wandered around the downtown area--checking
out the shopping areas, going up to the observation deck of the Harbour Centre,
and renting bicycles to ride around Stanley Park. The park has to be one of
the best parts of Vancouver--located on a peninsula, right next to downtown,
a ride around the park has great views of downtown, the harbor, beaches, and
the bay.
More photos from Day 2
 Day 3 - Victoria:
For the final day of the trip, we took a ferry over to Victoria. In contrast
to the modern Vancouver, Victoria's tourist attractions consists mostly of
old castles and gardens.
 There was some excellent seafood on the island, but
for four guys, one day was enough to see all the gardens and old buildings we
wanted to see.
We caught the very last ferry back to the mainland for the night, as someone
misread the ferry schedule. Although it did give us quite a spectacular
sunset leaving Victoria.
More photos from Day 3
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