Bridal Veil Falls, British Columbia

We're not in great shape (we're working on that), so several times during the steep ascent to this waterfall we thought we'd just quit and go down, but then pushed ourselves a bit more instead. We were rewarded with this gorgeous scene that was worth the effort and then some.









Trans-Canada Highway 1

Abbotsford, British Columbia

11:22 AM

Vancouver, British Columbia - Stanley Park

Next it was off to sink our toes in the sand at Stanley Park, a huge Vancouver park surrounded on 3 sides by the Pacific Ocean, with biking and hiking trails all along the beach and through the forest. Just beautiful!

Surrey, British Columbia - Welcome to Canada, Nickie!

Getting through U.S. Customs was a bit of an ordeal because there was a ton of construction just before you get there, and few signs to show you where to go. It was really confusing. We ended up at Canadian Customs and had to turn around to go back through U.S. Customs into the U.S. (through a ridiculously long and slow-moving line) so we could turn around again and go back through U.S. Customs again from the right direction.

While we waited in line, jokes abounded between us. Nickie said I obviously changed my mind about bringing her to Canada. I said it was so obvious she already missed the U.S. that I decided to have pity and bring her back. Once we got where we needed to be, the export took a few minutes.

After an uneventful landing procedure on the Canadian side in Surrey, British Columbia, we tearfully hugged each other and I welcomed Nickie to Canada. It was such a joyful moment we were at a loss for words.

I promptly took her to Tim Horton's for some Timbits (that's "donut holes" to you in the U.S.), which Canadians will no doubt find hilarious, because Tim Horton's is as Canadian as apple pie is American. It's like a cross between Winchell's, Denny's, and Starbucks I guess. Anyway, it simply needed to be done. Naturally, it was also necessary to snap a pic of her with Tim Horton's and the Canadian flag in the background.

Welcome to Canada, lovey. I love you.

British Columbia

Much of the mainland region was originally known as New Caledonia; however, this name (duplicated in the South Pacific) was discarded by Queen Victoria in favour of British Columbia, in 1858. Columbia (after the Columbia River which was named by the American Captain Robert Gray for his ship Columbia ) had previously been loosely applied to the southern portion of the colony.

Canada

The origin of the name "Canada" comes from the expedition of explorer Jacques Cartier up the St. Lawrence River in 1535. The Iroquois, pointing out the route to the village of Stadacona (future site of Quebec City) used the word "kanata," the Huron-Iroquois word for village. Jacques Cartier used the word Canada to refer to both the settlement of Stadacona and the land surrounding it subject to Chief Donnacona. By 1547, maps were showing the name Canada applied to everything north of the St. Lawrence River, and as the New France colonies grew, the name stuck.