Berkinhead and Back

I have learned a few more things about effective blogging on the internet since my last entry from a grumply old man who has always kept me in stitches: Wes Wesling! He is a very insightful and avant-garde kind of guy, who makes it his business to know everything. We had a long conversation about how to write, and not to write blogs, including key words as well as interesting ways of making money with the internet - a whole whack of it too, check out http://milliondollarhomepage.com/.
Wes was so inspired by my blog that he has started his own - I am just proud that I was the motivation that inspired him to start sharing his thoughs - some people are inspired by greatness others by mediocrity! Whichever it is, I can't wait to read the blogs...look for his instructions on the best ways to eat a banana.

Early Sunday morning (and I mean early! not quite the grace matinale that your humble narrator is used to on the eight day of the week) my good friend and confidente Carolina and her pack (that's her mom Judith in the pic) went to visit Berkinhead by Squamish to watch the Bald Eagles. Many tourist flock to the region to count the majestic birds feeding their young. In september, there are so many spawning Salmon in there that the river turns red! Sometimes hundreds of Eagles nest on the trees along the shores feasting on the salmon. We saw a few baby eagles that had perched on the branches... See how small their tail feathers are - cool huh?

It was a beautiful ride with many photo opportunities - just wish I had mastered the digital cameras I was borrowing. It's a great getaway from the city and a wonderful way to commune with nature. Just a few words of advice:

1. Go early! The birds do much of their feeding right at dawn before the place is filled with hikers and rafters. So leave Vancouver around 6 AM to make it there by 7 ish.
2. Make sure you have good directions on how to get there cause there are no clear directional signs in sight. http://www.straight.com/content.cfm?id=12749 The entrance to the park is righ through a half-descent residential area that looks only semi-friendly... so don't be stubborn, ask for directions before you get there - don't be stubborn now!
3. Bring something to eat, cause you will be getting back to civilization at the same time that most civilized people are thinking about brunch. Which means you will have to drive around a few places before you can find one spot without a huge lineup.
4. Don't ride backward on the Sea to Sky highway or West Vancouver, specially when you haven't had any food for 6 hours- even if the conversation in the backseats is enthralling. Nausea can really be a conversation killer.

That was my Sunday folks - oh and I swam 2.2KM in one hour.