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Coastal Karma

West Coast wanderings

By Carl Fisher

June 16^th, 2022

An excuse to get out

Even though I live so close to the coast, it seems like it can take a mighty effort to get there, at least much beyond Pacific Beach in San Francisco. So it usually takes a visit by someone from out of town to get me to venture farther afield. Fortunately, I recently had a visit from a friend who lives in a distant and exotic land (Paris), which forced me out of the house, my routine, and into the great not so well known. I have been up and down the coast numerous times within a few hours of SF, but a fresh trip is always welcome because I always see something from a slightly different view from last time and I regain an appreciation for its beauty. While parts of the visit was confined to indoor pursuits (of the retail variety) there were still opportunities to put miles on my car and take in coastal delights.

Big Surly and up

After making stops at Daiso and the Apple flagship store in Cupertino, we finally made it to the coast around Monterrey and slowly eased our way down to Big Sur. This was the virginal extended trip in my new EV, which made me very conscious of distances. Even though it says you have 200 miles left, do you really? Range anxiety was a steady presence. Unless I could find a DC fast charging station, at some point a multi hour wait would be required if I didn’t want to be stranded by the side of the road with no juice left. This was to be avoided if at all possible. Fortunately, I was able to top it up while in Cupertino, but it did make me cautious about going too far south into the heart of Big Sur since I would at some point have to turn around and come back. And I was not interested in being stuck somewhere dealing with a trickle charge. Despite this concern lurking at the outer reaches of my consciousness, we managed to get about as far south as we could while the light was still with us, turn around northward, and still have enough juice to get back to Monterrey. Another charge was needed, but just enough to ensure that there was no drama on the way back to Oakland. My co-pilot had no desire to get out and push.

VanCity

My out of town guest convinced me that a few days much farther up the coast would be a pleasant change, giving me a chance to re-establish my relationship with the homeland (I.e. Canada). I’m glad I listened. While I’m not a fan of the wet stuff unless it is in a glass, a few sprinkles were welcome being as I am now a resident of crispy California. It’s a major event if it rains in the Bay Area. All work stops and folks run outside with their arms raised to the heavens. Actually, that’s not what happens, but it probably should due to the scarcity of rain and the dire situation that puts us in.

As you can see from these pics, the scenery can be pretty breathtaking, so long as you are able to navigate around the countless condos that were all jockeying for the best view. Still, they possessed a pixel worthy attraction.

Angles over and under

With a little fortuitous tramping off the beaten path, some pretty interesting and contrasting architecture was discovered that contained many sharp edges with a some slight twists thrown in for good measure.

The chandelier also moves. It spins on the hour. I just missed its movement so had to settle for the runner.

Only in Canada will you see evidence of depraved consumption so clearly on display.

Granville Isle

Having at least one meal or nibble at Granville island is a must do for any trip to Vancouver and the ferry is the best way to get there. It was a short ride that left me wanting to spend more time bobbing on the waves (ripples). This visit was mostly about looking since it had been preceded by brunch. Still, lots of eye candy of the more nutritional variety.

Parking it

A few sprinkles did not dissuade us from hitting the paths of Stanley Park with the aid of the local velos. As expected, the views were spectacular and devoid of the obstructions created by the countless condos that continue to multiply along the shoreline of the city proper. I’m all for development, but it seems like a competition to see who can get the most amazing view, at least until the next complex is constructed just in front.

Ferry time

It’s always great to get out on a boat along the BC coast. The water taxi to Granville Island wasn’t quite enough so to Horseshoe Bay we went. Nanaimo was in reach but I wasn’t keen on sitting on a boat for over an hour each way. Much more manageable was the trip to Bowen island, which took all of 20 minutes. Enough to satisfy without becoming sick of the sea.

In case there was any doubt as to what country we were in.

Island vibes

Bowen Island was actually bigger than it looked on the map. To get across to the other side would have taken an hour by bus. There were likely a lot of stops, which is why it took so long, but I didn’t come all that way to look out the window. There were enough short hikes near the dock to give one a sampling of waterfalls, lakes and coastal cliffs. I’d say it was a pretty satisfying day trip and a good way to cap off the West Coast visit.