“The only impossible journey is the one you never begin”
I woke up Sunday morning and decided I’d take a drive. I love the freedom of driving without a real destination. I used to do this almost every week, years ago when I was living alone.
I set out with a packed grilled ham & cheese and Enya’s The Celts CD to listen to while I drove.
If you live in Vancouver you can take this drive which is especially beautiful when the Fall foliage is at it’s prime. I caught a tiny glimpse of a couple of trees turning colour but mostly it’s still pretty green up here.
Leaving my home I drove up the steep hill at Oak Stree, heading south to 16th avenue. , I followed 16th as it winds west toward Granville Street, passing the ivy covered stone walls that surround the historic Hycroft Manor.
The Sun in The Stream was playing as I approached Arbutus Stree and I continued west toward the endowment lands and Pacific Spirit Park. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend stopping at one of the parks many entrances and taking a walk in the forest.
The traffic got surprisingly heavier as I got closer to the University of British Columbia. The women’s open was happening but once I got across the first roundabout it was just me. I headed down the hill toward the Botanical Gardens.
Turn right on NW Marine Drive and the speed limit slows to 40 km/h which is perfect to take in the view. Big trees line the University campus and stunning look out points high above the cliffs with the blue pacific ocean and the North Shore mountains and Gulf islands on the horizon.
I pulled into the first parking lot at the bottom of the hill and walked down the stairs to the beach. The tide was low and the warm breeze carried the thick scent of ocean air. I spent some time beach combing, finding tumbled sea glass and mussel shells cracked from crows who carry them into the air and releasing them on the rocks below exposing their delicacy.
It was a beautiful warm sunny morning and the parking lots along Spanish Banks were filling quickly with families packing picnics and games as I drove past.
I continued due east and back toward the Kitsilano neighbourhood where I stopped at Halsa Spa to pick up some goodies with a gift certificate I had from last Christmas. I settled on a yummy Aromatherapy oil and a Valerian tincture which I’ll take tonight before bed.
I’m going to wait for Autumn to do another drive because UBC and the forests all around the area are stunning during that time. For now, it still feels like Summer and I’m not mad at all.
