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I and my friends Dan Singletary and Paul Teixeira spent four days traveling to Vancouver BC by small plane. It was only my second time flying internationally and a lot of preparation was required to be ready for crossing the borders and any weather that might happen. In the end, everything went smoothly. We departed San Jose at 9:30am on Friday, stopped in Eugene OR for food and fuel, then flew pretty much direct to Vancouver International. I picked up an IFR clearance around Olympia to simplify airspace issues and crossing the border.
Sheraton Wall Centre as seen from our hotel balcony We stayed at the Century-Plaza Hotel & Spa right on Burrard in downtown Vancouver. The room was just right and the location was excellent. Shortly after getting settled in, we headed out for dinner and then off to enjoy the nightlife! On Saturday, our first full day there, we took a ferry to Victoria Island and drove to the famous Butchart Gardens. The gardens were amazing, especially the Sunken Garden. And the ferry ride there and back was an unexpected pleasure. Between admiring the gorgeous natural beauty of the waters and islands between Vancouver and Victoria and the people watching, we enjoyed the trip.
Butchart Gardens on Victoria Island On Sunday we got a bit of a late start and had brunch at a nice creperie on Robson. We watched the parade for a bit and then drove to Grouse Mountain. Grouse Mountain is a small ski resort overlooking Vancouver. The base lodge is in north Vancouver, where you ride a gondola to the top of the mountain. Regrettably, we missed the world-famous lumberjack show, but we were able to enjoy a fine lunch overlooking the city below.
Mount Rainier The flight back was mostly uneventful. We decided to do an aerial tour of the volcanoes of the Cascade Mountains on the way back. After a quick 20-minute flight to Bellingham WA to clear US customs, we set off for Mount Rainier and points south. After Rainier, we flew around Mount St. Helens, Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Mount Washington, and the Three Sisters. We had intended to fly over Crater Lake before stopping for lunch, but some nasty thunderstorms blocked the way. We stopped in Medford OR for lunch and fuel, where a really nice woman at the FBO loaned us her personal car so we could go get lunch. After checking the weather and fueling, we were off towards San Jose via Mount Shasta. Last modified: 05/11/2012 |
