Day 21: Finally, we set off for another country! Our main goal, the farthest point of our journey, was always Vancouver. Kansas Dad had always wanted to visit it and we thought it would be exciting for the children to visit another country. Kansas is just about as far from the borders of the United States as you can get.
On our way from the Washington state park to Canada, we took a ferry, driving the van right onto it. Of course the children had never done such a thing before and were thrilled with our little ride. We hopped out of the van and ate our lunch on board.
A quick picture on the deck before heading back to the van.
We still had a few hours' drive after the ferry to get to Vancouver, but arrived in time to unpack in our apartment (so much better than a traditional hotel!) and visit a grocery store to buy supplies for the next few days.
Total driving for day 21 - 232 miles (not including the ferry ride).
Day 22: On our first full day, we went to the Vancouver Aquarium (tickets provided by the ever-fabulous Grammy) and spent the entire day there. We packed a lunch and wandered around, visiting the favorite sites multiple times. I think Second Daughter spent over an hour with her hand in the ray pool.
The mammal on the left is a false killer whale, which is so unusual, the keeper had to Google it when they rescued him. First Daughter particularly liked this show and watched it two or three times during the day.
First Daughter took this amazing picture of the jellyfish tank.
She also made a video of the electric eel. It's difficult to see the eel, but you can certainly see the lights he's powering.
We finished our day with our only meal out in Vancouver - Legendary Noodles. The food was terrific. The server was gracious and kind to our whole family. The kids were entranced with the woman right behind us who made all the noodles right in front of their eyes.
Total driving for day 22 - 0 miles!!
Day 23: On the second full day, we visited a local Chinese Garden. It was a lovely oasis in the midst of the city and they had wonderful tea available for guests.
We were there when they fed the fish. One of the employees (or perhaps volunteers), rang a gong under the water to call them to the meal.
Then we visited the Science museum, because it was close by and free with our local science museum membership. The kids enjoyed it tremendously.
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| a view of the harbor |
Total driving for day 23 - about 5 miles. (Don't worry; we more than make up for the lack on the next day.)
