Vacation Wednesday: Outdoors I
Wednesday I bought myself entry to the UBC Botanical Garden and Greenwalk. My time was the morning slot, 10-1. That means I needed to leave my house about 9:25, 9:20 to be on the safe side. I went to the gym, then home for normal morning stuff, and I took off into a lovely day.
All was well, until I got to my destination. That is, until I got to where Google Maps said I had reached my destination. They led me to Pacific Spirit Park, which is a very woodsy green space overlooking the water. This was definitely not the right spot. I got back on the road, took the next right into what I figured was UBC land, and got myself to a good spot to pull over and call someone. I tried looking again on the map, but that didn't show me anything different than the first time I tried. I called the gift shop; they said "keep going and you'll see the sign on the left." I got back on the main road and they were right - very clearly marked the next stoplight past what the map indicated. *sigh* When I went to get my entrance to their park, I said "You know Google has it wrong, right?" (sheesh.) "Yes, but so many people tagged that spot with our name, we can't get it changed." Wow. That's truly unfortunate, and you'd think Google HQ would perhaps be swayed by the University of British Columbia to get part of their location correctly identified. Guess not.
The botanical gardens are divided into two main parts: the Asian garden, featuring over 500 species of rhododendron and maple trees as well as other plants found in areas such as China, Korea, Japan and the Himalayas, and through a little tunnel you'll find a number of smaller gardens that are more cultivated, less wild and windy. The entrance information guy said that it was a ten minute walk to the other end where the Greenheart Treewalk was; I took this as hooey and let myself wander slowly, take pictures, look at all the variety, and people-watch. As it was a Wednesday, it wasn't remotely over-run. There were a scattering of families or duos, one researcher, and maybe one group walking around. I enjoyed watching the little kids, of course, as they wandered around poking at things, "climbing" up the first few branches or going under some tall roots (probably where a fallen log had rotted away while the tree grew above it).
I had also bought myself a ticket for the treewalk. One of my friends wanted to share with me his impression of it, but said "How do you feel about heights? Maybe I'll tell you after you do it." Ooookay. This was my first suspension bridge walk: I was a bit nervous about it because I can get a bit of vertigo from looking over cliffs and the like, but I felt like that was something I could overcome. Challenge accepted! I have to say, doing it was its own reward. I didn't find the views particularly riveting, being in the middle of a smallish forest, but it was interesting. The suspension parts themselves were nerve-wracking, but I kept my breathing and heartrate calm, did all the good self-talk, and walked steadily. The netting went up to my shoulders; I kept my hands on the top ropes, my eyes on the path ahead of me, and my knees steady. I chanced looking around horizontally a few times, but didn't do anything crazy like face sideways, having both hands on one side. *grin* Again, my brain knew that this thing wasn't going to tip me over, but it wasn't the wordy part of my brain that was uncomfortable.
The most rewarding part of that was the family that came up at the same time I did. Mom, Dad, and little Leo, who was maybe 3-4, and a little ~6 month old on the mom's back, walked in behind me. I let them pass me mid-way because Leo was having a great time walking completely nonchalantly along the bridge from tree to tree. Why not; his center of gravity was maybe a foot above the floor! As we were maybe two platforms from the end, I heard him fall and start crying. The floors were made out of aluminum, I think: very strong, very light, and punched through with holes so the rain fell through. Of course, this leaves a rough surface, for grip, but it took a gash out of his leg. I could see it bleeding from my platform. I'd been chatting with them a little, so I called out "I have Band-Aids in my bag!" I got a nod and "thanks!" from the dad, who picked Leo up and headed down to ground where the grandma and mom were waiting. I came down and sat on the ground to get them out, and discovered I also had the little tube of Children's Polysporin creme! I said "I have a son." They cleaned off his leg, I applied the first aid, and I gave them extra bandages. I was glad I could help them out, glad my supplies were useful, and glad that I had something else to focus on for the last bit of the walk.
I had a bit less than an hour left on my parking, so I went over to the other side of the gardens. Of course, I spent about 10 minutes talking with a gardener who was digging up one of the food garden beds: she had cut down a bunch of dead/dying bean stalks of some sort, and was harvesting potatoes. I asked about the beans, and she said they were fava beans! I found a few green ones and plucked them, took the seeds; she said "Take more!" She was glad to know that I actually enjoyed fava beans and knew how to use them; some of the food pantries that they donate food to had no idea what to do with them. People who came by the garden would ask her "Do people actually eat these?" Yes, they're actually a main staple in Egypt! I'm psyched to plant these in the little garden space along the back of the house and see what comes up. I wandered slowly through their Food Garden, checking out all the varieties of kale, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, and the like, then went over to check out the Physic Gardens: medicinal plants and herbs. At that point I was losing focus, thinking about lunch, and also talking to my parents and sharing the joy of plants, which led to talking about cooking with Mom, of course. We had a nice visit while I checked out the small greenhouse with succulents, then I headed out.
Lunch was from Virtuous Pie, a little vegan pizza joint with really fascinating options. To avoid all my allergens, I got a pesto, mushroom, and caramelized onion pizza (with cashew cheese), and it was delicious. I passed on their coffee and (vegan) ice cream options because a friend had recommended Rain or Shine ice-cream, so I hopped on over there and took a chance on a scoop of a seasonal flavor, mango. Alas, when it got to me it turns out it was sherbert, which was not at all what I wanted. I actually spoke up and told them that, so they let me toss it and re-order: coffee toffee, kids' scoop! It was tasty, but I don't think it was worth the price. Eh, it was enjoyable and a fun indulgence.
Homeward, and I was watching an Amazon Prime movie by 3:30 (Sea of Trees, 2015, that I figured would not interest Rick. I am sure I chose well based on that criterion.) I liked it; it was beautiful and haunting and ended well. It was a very different role for Matthew McConaughey, and even though it was filmed in 2015, it was sparsely populated and made me feel COVID-safe, mostly. There was one scene with crowds, one or two shots in an airport (though with few people), but otherwise, only 2-4 people on screen at a time. Isn't it funny what we pay attention to?
Evening: unremarkable. Dinner, probably featuring zucchini (have I mentioned my garden lately?), Benito's bedtime routine, and we finally watched the closing ceremonies of the Olympics. (Heck, I think the Paralympics starts either tonight or two nights ago?)
This entry was originally posted at https://avivasedai.dreamwidth.org/749581.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
All was well, until I got to my destination. That is, until I got to where Google Maps said I had reached my destination. They led me to Pacific Spirit Park, which is a very woodsy green space overlooking the water. This was definitely not the right spot. I got back on the road, took the next right into what I figured was UBC land, and got myself to a good spot to pull over and call someone. I tried looking again on the map, but that didn't show me anything different than the first time I tried. I called the gift shop; they said "keep going and you'll see the sign on the left." I got back on the main road and they were right - very clearly marked the next stoplight past what the map indicated. *sigh* When I went to get my entrance to their park, I said "You know Google has it wrong, right?" (sheesh.) "Yes, but so many people tagged that spot with our name, we can't get it changed." Wow. That's truly unfortunate, and you'd think Google HQ would perhaps be swayed by the University of British Columbia to get part of their location correctly identified. Guess not.
The botanical gardens are divided into two main parts: the Asian garden, featuring over 500 species of rhododendron and maple trees as well as other plants found in areas such as China, Korea, Japan and the Himalayas, and through a little tunnel you'll find a number of smaller gardens that are more cultivated, less wild and windy. The entrance information guy said that it was a ten minute walk to the other end where the Greenheart Treewalk was; I took this as hooey and let myself wander slowly, take pictures, look at all the variety, and people-watch. As it was a Wednesday, it wasn't remotely over-run. There were a scattering of families or duos, one researcher, and maybe one group walking around. I enjoyed watching the little kids, of course, as they wandered around poking at things, "climbing" up the first few branches or going under some tall roots (probably where a fallen log had rotted away while the tree grew above it).
I had also bought myself a ticket for the treewalk. One of my friends wanted to share with me his impression of it, but said "How do you feel about heights? Maybe I'll tell you after you do it." Ooookay. This was my first suspension bridge walk: I was a bit nervous about it because I can get a bit of vertigo from looking over cliffs and the like, but I felt like that was something I could overcome. Challenge accepted! I have to say, doing it was its own reward. I didn't find the views particularly riveting, being in the middle of a smallish forest, but it was interesting. The suspension parts themselves were nerve-wracking, but I kept my breathing and heartrate calm, did all the good self-talk, and walked steadily. The netting went up to my shoulders; I kept my hands on the top ropes, my eyes on the path ahead of me, and my knees steady. I chanced looking around horizontally a few times, but didn't do anything crazy like face sideways, having both hands on one side. *grin* Again, my brain knew that this thing wasn't going to tip me over, but it wasn't the wordy part of my brain that was uncomfortable.
The most rewarding part of that was the family that came up at the same time I did. Mom, Dad, and little Leo, who was maybe 3-4, and a little ~6 month old on the mom's back, walked in behind me. I let them pass me mid-way because Leo was having a great time walking completely nonchalantly along the bridge from tree to tree. Why not; his center of gravity was maybe a foot above the floor! As we were maybe two platforms from the end, I heard him fall and start crying. The floors were made out of aluminum, I think: very strong, very light, and punched through with holes so the rain fell through. Of course, this leaves a rough surface, for grip, but it took a gash out of his leg. I could see it bleeding from my platform. I'd been chatting with them a little, so I called out "I have Band-Aids in my bag!" I got a nod and "thanks!" from the dad, who picked Leo up and headed down to ground where the grandma and mom were waiting. I came down and sat on the ground to get them out, and discovered I also had the little tube of Children's Polysporin creme! I said "I have a son." They cleaned off his leg, I applied the first aid, and I gave them extra bandages. I was glad I could help them out, glad my supplies were useful, and glad that I had something else to focus on for the last bit of the walk.
I had a bit less than an hour left on my parking, so I went over to the other side of the gardens. Of course, I spent about 10 minutes talking with a gardener who was digging up one of the food garden beds: she had cut down a bunch of dead/dying bean stalks of some sort, and was harvesting potatoes. I asked about the beans, and she said they were fava beans! I found a few green ones and plucked them, took the seeds; she said "Take more!" She was glad to know that I actually enjoyed fava beans and knew how to use them; some of the food pantries that they donate food to had no idea what to do with them. People who came by the garden would ask her "Do people actually eat these?" Yes, they're actually a main staple in Egypt! I'm psyched to plant these in the little garden space along the back of the house and see what comes up. I wandered slowly through their Food Garden, checking out all the varieties of kale, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, and the like, then went over to check out the Physic Gardens: medicinal plants and herbs. At that point I was losing focus, thinking about lunch, and also talking to my parents and sharing the joy of plants, which led to talking about cooking with Mom, of course. We had a nice visit while I checked out the small greenhouse with succulents, then I headed out.
Lunch was from Virtuous Pie, a little vegan pizza joint with really fascinating options. To avoid all my allergens, I got a pesto, mushroom, and caramelized onion pizza (with cashew cheese), and it was delicious. I passed on their coffee and (vegan) ice cream options because a friend had recommended Rain or Shine ice-cream, so I hopped on over there and took a chance on a scoop of a seasonal flavor, mango. Alas, when it got to me it turns out it was sherbert, which was not at all what I wanted. I actually spoke up and told them that, so they let me toss it and re-order: coffee toffee, kids' scoop! It was tasty, but I don't think it was worth the price. Eh, it was enjoyable and a fun indulgence.
Homeward, and I was watching an Amazon Prime movie by 3:30 (Sea of Trees, 2015, that I figured would not interest Rick. I am sure I chose well based on that criterion.) I liked it; it was beautiful and haunting and ended well. It was a very different role for Matthew McConaughey, and even though it was filmed in 2015, it was sparsely populated and made me feel COVID-safe, mostly. There was one scene with crowds, one or two shots in an airport (though with few people), but otherwise, only 2-4 people on screen at a time. Isn't it funny what we pay attention to?
Evening: unremarkable. Dinner, probably featuring zucchini (have I mentioned my garden lately?), Benito's bedtime routine, and we finally watched the closing ceremonies of the Olympics. (Heck, I think the Paralympics starts either tonight or two nights ago?)
This entry was originally posted at https://avivasedai.dreamwidth.org/749581.html. Please comment there using OpenID.