As the journey down the See to Sky Highway was coming to a close, we made one pit stop at the top of Cypress Mountain to catch a city view. I’d not seen the landscape from the north side of English Bay without some sort of fog or cloud cover – which is extremely common in these parts.

Water is an integral part of downtown, including various bridges, water taxis, and the Sea Bus. Walking around the West End and Stanley Park (shown below), you can’t help but see all the water surrounding the city.

As we were walking around the waterfront, the “I AM” instantly caught my eye. It is the rallying cry for the Invictus Games, coming to Vancouver and Whistler in February 2025. The Invictus Games are a multi-sport event for wounded, injured, and sick service personnel, both serving and veterans. Started by Prince Harry and others, the games celebrate the fighting spirit of service personnel, recognize their sacrifices, and inspire recovery. They also aim to shift attitudes towards disability and mental health.  That’s awesome.

Fall was also in the air as the foliage was decidedly starting to turn in these parts. In California it is still 90° and sunny. 

As a kid, I grew up landlocked. Water meant driving up to the lake and the beach was at least four hours away – if not six for the good beach. Moving to the Bay Area was the first time I lived near the ocean. As the years went by I came to fall in love with the ocean: the scenic coastline, the fantastic motorcycling, the profound effect on our climate… All provide rich benefits to me in the Bay Area for which I am thankful.

When I lived in Sydney I was surprised how busy the harbor was. Of course there was commercial traffic, much like the Bay Area. Additionally, there was a ton of recreational traffic. People would waterski, recreate on their boats, jet skis, windsurfers, and just about every other water toys I’d seen in the States and the few I hadn’t. And then it dawned on me – Sydney Harbor is warm. Recreators didn’t need the neoprene suit to step into the water!

I’ve been back and forth to Vancouver numerous times but somehow I missed one obvious usage of the harbor: air travel. While English Bay doesn’t have nearly as many recreational users as Sydney Harbor, that extra room is easily picked up by seaplanes. Because it’s difficult to travel to many of the outlying areas by vehicle, the harbor serves as the runway for seaplanes in and out of the lower mainland. Literally every few minutes a plane would take off and land right in the center of the harbor!