British Columbia

I have a lot to catch up on but I'm starting with where we are now. I'll have several entries about British Columbia. Also, my trip to see the kids in Montana. Portia and I have been in BC for a month now. We entered Canada through Washington right above Blaine, WA, and then drove north to the city of Vancouver. Entering Canada was very simple and quick, just a passport a few questions and that's it. We stayed in Vancouver for a week, then took 3 ferries to Vancouver Island and ultimately Hornby Island then back to Victoria then on to Tofino. I'll have more on that portion of the trip.

It's hard to believe but we've been on the road for over 6 months now!

We made our way from Vancouver Island via ferry to Vancouver then drove to Squamish which is a climber's paradise where one of the largest granite monoliths exists, The Chief has the "Grand Wall" where the world's elite climbers come to try and scale this rock. Our campsite had a great view of The Chief and Shannon Falls.

Today July 6, we left Squamish and drove north to Whistler. The home of world-class skiing and abundant outdoor activities this time of year and the alpine events of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

As we are all aware, wildfires in Alberta, Canada have sent smoke nationwide in the US and BC. We have had our fair share of smoke. The coast of Vancouver Island wasn't so bad but on the mainland of Vancouver in the city and north, we've seen quite a bit of smoke. It varies from day to day. Today for example was pretty smoky, yesterday was mild and the day before was very bad.

British Columbia is so beautiful! And they take sustainability seriously. Their recycling program makes US recycling look like a joke. We pretend to recycle while they sort through everything and hold people accountable. At a campground, when you go to take your garbage, there are bins for glass, cans, plastics, paper, cardboard, corrugated cardboard newsprint, cans, and bottles that have deposits. And then compost, which is food waste without anything else, no plastic, paper, nothing. And then everything else goes in the garbage, which isn't much. Your first thought when encountering all the bins and rules is - "what a pain." I suppose there may be technology available where a machine can do the sorting but Canada decided to put the responsibility on the citizen.

And people in Canada are so civil to each other. Everyone is very friendly and even when there is a potential for confrontation it doesn't materialize. Including how they talk to their kids, spouses, and neighbors. I know that we in the US for the most part are nice to each other, except when not face to face, but this again appears to be on another level. I love my country and our life but I think we could learn a few things from our neighbors to the north. The other thing is no litter. Everything is so clean. The roads, side of the roads, trails, parking lots, empty lots everything. This maybe unique to the province of BC but its pretty impressive.