Alaska, Canada and NYC Day 28

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Get up and head down towards the seaplane terminal for breakfast. Find an Italian place (Bellagio) that says they have real Italian coffee. Sit down and table is a bit wonky but ok once we move it a little. Order food and it arrives. Get up to get ketchup (like the slang). Put it on the table and sit down. Lean on the table to sit down and you guessed it - ketchup and water glass go smasho bango, catch OJ and plate of food. Embarrassment but none of the staff seems too flustered. Tell them what happened - thay ask if I am ok and then bring out a broom and pan to clean up. Like sweeping glue off the floor.

All done, paid and off we go to check in for our mail run. This is where the airline has people going or coming from islands around Vancouver Island and they offer seats to others for the trip. No time to get off or anything but sounds good fun. There are 3 Islands today. 7 mail run people. In we get, one of the locals gets the co-pilot seat for the 1st leg, then another mail run dude for the rest (should have asked).

Up and away after an iPad safety video. Wonder why there is a crew member sitting on the plane - find out soon enough. Up in the harbour past the big ships and away. Climb to about 9000 feet, over Stanley park and out towards Vancouver Island. Great sights of the water and how it changes colour where the fresh water mixes with the sea water. A ship was moving along and it carved a blue water line from its props where it went through this water. You could see the different lines of fresh, mixed and sea water - a real delineation of colours.

After about 20 minutes, we start to descend. The pilot points to a resort then effectively dive bombs into the little harbour area and comes into land on the water. Feels weird but that is the way that the float planes seem to do it. Really smooth landing and taxi into the jetty. The crew man opens the door and gets in the float to tie up (now we know what he is there for...).

Drop off 2 people and away we go. Pilot tells us we will be flying at low level now we are away from the international airport. Correct, only climb to about 200 or 300 feet. Skim the waters to our next island. Great views and some beautiful houses on the cliffs. In to the next island which looks a little like a fishing village. 2 tugs tied up here as well. Land and taxi again. Pilot says we can get out and stretch our legs - passengers bags are there but passenger no where to be seen. He is not worried, tells us they work in Island time so no rush. Finally she appears and we get underway again.

Around the bay of the next island and along the coast - feels even lower this time. Hugs the coastline and turns so the plane is dipped to the left big time. Great views again. We come around the point of this island and start to climb. Power lines in front of us - makes sense. Down again in dive bomb fashion this time to a very busy harbour. Lots of small and not so small craft here. Also lots of boat garages - huge sheds with big roller doors floating on the water. This is along taxi to the dock.

Finally get there. Next passenger on, no need for video, a local who just sits back and goes to sleep. Off we go. Coming up to the power lines, but very low. Hmmmm. Under the lines this time. Not too sure that is all legit but interesting angles. Back to Vancouver now. Into land and dive bomb again. Forgot to mention that there are 2 cruise ships in this morning (one of the holland America line that will be taking our APT friends from the mountaineer). Get an interesting view as we land - feel a little like the kamikaze pilots must have.......

Into the dock. Thank the pilot, get some pics and away. Decided to do the Grouse mountain tour. This has a gondola up to the top of a snow field just out of the city. Walk to the bus area (where they all tour for your business). Grouse mountain has a free shuttle bus. Do a bit of souvenir shop gazing, then see the shuttle arrive. Walk up and just get there as they are closing the doors. On we jump and away. Through Stanley park, over the Lyon bridge which looks like the golden gate bridge (same architect) and up to grouse mountain- about 15 minute trip. Nice houses on the way - tour dude says they average $600k in Vancouver and from $1m up in this area. Can see why. Very. Ice area.

Get to the gondola base and he explains that the last free shuttle stops at 1700 but there is public transport that runs for quite a while after that. On to the gondola and up the mountain. We have bought one with the lot. Gondola, then chair lift to the top, with an extra bit of going up the top of the wind generator on top of the mountain (which has a viewing platform - internal).

They have a raptor show which we get there just in time for. Beautiful birds - eagle, 2 hawks, an owl and a falcon that just flew away. Amazingly close, so close that if I had lifted the camera for the owl, I would have knocked it out. Over to the grizzly bears - they have 2 bears that were handed in injured or orphaned and have been deemed unsatisfactory to bee leased into the wild. Still very real bears though and bloody big. They let then not the main area and talk about them. Very close to us and get a good idea of how big they really are.

Up to the chair lift, the attendant is from Byron bay, then a walk to the wind generator. On the way there is a zip line. We stand and watch people flying down a huge drop in the zip line. Amazing. Then up the tower (in a lift thank goodness). They have a glass floor (very scratched glass floor) but you get the feeling of how high the tower is. The propellers are turning slowly coz there really isn't any wind, then all of a sudden, they crank the props up and everything is wobbling. Quite an eerie felling. These props are huge when you have them spinning past you just outside.

Eventually come down and back to the chair. More Aussies up here, 2 girls from Qld. Back down and into the lodge for a drink. Beers and chicken wings on the balcony. Very nice, but also quite hot and sunny. Shade is the go here. Eventually down the gondola and to a waiting public transit bus. Driver is good and explains the go for fares, etc. This bus goes to Lonsdale quay, then we are to transfer to the C bus (as I thought it was). Turns out to be a sea bus (ferry). All good, into the area where the cruise ships dock. Lateish so decide To get something to eat. Try one place - 30 minute wait - bugger that. End up back at Bellagio for pizza and Pasta. Nice. Back to the hotel, but wait, there is more - police everywhere, road blocked - hmm.

Turns out they are filming - walk down - this is actually just outside our hotel - and watch some crazy vehicle that is really high with the driver starting up high then coming down. We ask and are told it is an advertisement for something - the production guy says he just does what he is asked and doesn't get into too much detail. Into the hotel, ask for a cab for 0430 as we have an early flight tomorrow.

Up and re-pack the bags. Get some scales from the desk and weigh the bags - both very close to the 23kg limit. Off to sleep for a 0400 alarm - not looking forward to that one.

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