We woke up in the rain on the 25th, but at least we didn’t have to pack up. Mama was leaving us, sadly, as her vacation was at an end, but we were staying on another night at Golden Ears Provincial Park.

We skipped breakfast in favour of a quick getaway. We did take time to shower though. At Golden Ears Provincial Park (GEPP), the showers are free, but free in the men’s shower equals 4 seconds. Short Pants and I had to push the shower button every 4 seconds to restart it. It was warm, but maddening. In the women’s shower, free equals no time at all. Mama and Baby Girl had to hold the button down to get water. They tag-teamed.

Driving out of the mountains and into the city was enough to shake the rain. From the highway on the way in, we could see the grey sodden clouds hanging low over the mountains, Golden Ears park, and our stuff.

We got Mama to the airport, just in time. She and I were dreading the inevitably tearful goodbyes, but she was in such a hurry to make her flight when we dropped her off that it was like tearing a bandage off quick. In the rush, Those Johnston Kids don’t seem to realize immediately that Mama was on her way home. I also quickly changed the subject to breakfast, which appealed to their starving sensibilities.

We found our way to an IHOP close to the airport. As soon as we walked in we were greeted in a strangely friendly way, bordering on the intimate. I would have written it off as just a hostess thing, but our waiter was similarly obsequious. And the manager when he stopped to ask how our IHOP ‘experience’ was going. It was … unsettling. I suspect IHOP may be a Scientology sub-franchise. Nobody explicitly asked me about my happiness level, but it was coming.

Our massive bag of laundry demanded attention, so that was our next stop, as long as we were in town. We found a laundromat in a not-too-terrible neighbourhood and spent 2 hours washing, drying, and folding. Clean socks are the bomb.

With food in our bellies and clean clothes on our back, we went next to the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park. We parked the car in the Aquarium lot and were drawn by the musical sounds of some sort of festival or party going on in an adjacent grassy area. Those Johnston Kids wanted to check it out before going into the Aquarium – you always have to think in terms of bouncy castle potential – so went over to investigate. We were just about into the thick of it when I noticed all the rainbow flags and very tight t-shirts. “Oh well, not for us,” I dissembled, and steered the kids back up the hill. On our way, I had to explain ‘gay’, ‘pride’, and prejudice against someone’s orientation. Those Johnston Kids understood it all pretty well but didn’t get why someone would be prejudiced against gay people. Beats me.

The Vancouver Aquarium is pretty damn cool! It’s also much bigger than I remembered. Although it was a weekend, we weren’t bothered too much by crowds, perhaps because we went to the outdoor exhibits rather than the underground aquariums. We saw a false killer whale, a dolphin, many sea otters (holy cow, they’re big!), three belugas, and some porpoises. We spent so much time with the marine mammals that we didn’t even get to the eponymous aquariums before closing time, which was surprisingly early at 6 PM. Had I known it closed so early, I would have waited to bring us until the next day in order to do the whole place for reals. I should have checked the times.

With some time to kill before picking up, we wandered into Stanley Park. I find Vancouver unsavoury in parts, and crowded everywhere, but it nonetheless exists on the doorstep of beauty. Stanley Park is one of the beautiful places that Vancouver is blessed to enjoy. Not coincidentally, the area of Stanley Park was home to a several native villages that were eradicated by the coming of Europeans. There are signs about, unashamedly letting you know that you are walking on the places of the people that were here before you. There are also totem poles and a gift shop. Our use as native guides has waned, but we still serve proudly as tourist attractions. I may even try my hand at crafts.

We picked up our guest camper Alison at the airport around 8:30. She was joining us for a week long transit of the Rockies and was leaving from Calgary. We Johnstons were in the mood for dinner in a restaurant,  but Alison was beat. In deference to our guest we made the hour long drive back to GEPP instead. As we drove up into the wooded coastal mountains, the rain started again. So this is what they mean by rain forest. Yay.

Back at camp, I made pasta with tomato and artichoke sauce and we sacked out.