Crystal's Epic Adventures

I still have quite a few days off saved up from when Ava was born that I have not used up yet, so I decided to book myself an extra day off each month for the rest of the year so I can do something fun for myself.  For April I made the Easter weekend extra long by taking Tuesday off to spend it on a day out with my favourite daughter, Summer Dawn.  I had to make a reservation over a month ago so we could have lunch in one of these adorable domes at the Secret Garden of the Westin Bayshore downtown Vancouver.  Boy was it ever well worth the wait!  The atmosphere was fantastic, food was tasty, and the time spent chatting with Summer was the best of all.  Fruit & Cheese Platter Our view for the afternoon 💗💗💗 Lobster Roll & Chips Amazing view of the city Strathcona Love Buzz Guava Grapefruit Sour for Summer and Domaine Pinchinat '20 R osé for me Truffle Fries in the background and Seared Jumbo Scallop Linguini Wow, the dessert platter! How adorable is th...

View of the Burrard Inlet with Deep Cove (right) and Vancouver in the distance The Belcarra Bluffs viewpoint overlooks the entrance to Indian Arm, peering across to the right towards Deep Cove in North Vancouver, to the left towards Capital Hill in Burnaby, and downtown Vancouver in the distance.  This hike begins from təmtəmíxʷtən/Belcarra Regional Park, which was recently renamed in October 2021 to reflect the area's true name and history. təmtəmíxʷtən ( pronounced “tum-tum-ee-hw-tun.”) translates to "the biggest place for all the people" in the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language and the site is the largest of Tsleil-Waututh's ancestral villages, primarily occupied as a winter village. Tsleil-Waututh had occupied təmtəmixʷtən since time out of mind until colonization and still has strong, ongoing cultural ties to this place. We did the 6km hike as a loop, returning via the Admiralty Point Trail back to the parking lot. Although the trails to Belcarra Bluffs are well defined, ...