Lighthouse Park

Lighthouse Park was the last place I visited during my recent trip to Lower Mainland. I knew there was a nice place in West Vancouver but never had the chance to go there in those years I lived there. West Vancouver is a nice neighbourhood or district itself. A city with multi-million dollar houses, nice gardens and beautiful shops. I haven't been to many places in West Vancouver but Park Royal, Ambelside Park and an East Indian restaurant which I didn't see it this time, called Handi. We dined there once with The Chef. 

Anyways we headed that way the day I was going to drive back to Alberta. I took Marine Drive and headed west but eventually after driving through narrow roads we ended up in Horseshoe Bay! We then turned back and this time I used the GPS and it appeared that we had missed the street which would go to the park. Lighthouse Park is a fairly big park and has several trails but due to lack of time we only took one and went to the end which although was steep, it was short. 

A few scenes from there reminded me of our Newfoundland trip but unlike over there it was a cloudy and gloomy day. We didn't spend much time there and didn't even go to the lighthouse itself. We decided to leave since I had to drive all the way back to Calgary. 

(Photo: Here I'm looking northwest from a viewpoint in Lighthouse Park. This is the end of the trail that is at your right side when you park in the main lot)

Hiking in Alice Lake Provincial Park

The Lady was in a very active mode that day and suggested to go for a few hikes. I had been to Alice Lake Provincial Park before but never hiked or did any activity in there. I only had ridden my bicycle from Squamish to there which is not a big deal. We arrived in the park which is located on Highway # 99 just a few minutes after you leave Squamish. Fortunately it was not a crowded day considering it was a weekday. We went to the other side of Alice Lake, the other beach and decided to follow the trails and go to the next lake or maybe lakes. There are a few other lakes in this park but the park is named after the major one. The trail is very easy and not steep but it is beautiful, going through forest of big long trees. I'm not sure what types of tree they are though. 

We followed the trail and after a short walk in the woods reached the first lake and decided to go to the next one, Not knowing exactly how far it was. We should have had a map of the area. I could have taken a photo of map on the sign or printed one from the Internet but since it had not been planned to go to this park, we didn't have it. 

We followed the trail and there was not anyone around. We were going and it was getting darker because the trees were covering the trail and basically we were walking in a dense forest. 

I had not seen this beautiful flowers until I was in Alice Lake Provincial Park. There were a few of them there in white and blue/purple colour. 

The Lady was concerned that we might not be able to make it back to the vehicle before it gets dark and it gets dangerous. I knew both Bears and Cougars frequent the area. We were discussing this when we saw a group of 4 cyclists riding towards us. I immediately learnt from their speaking that the riders, all girls, were French and I hoped they spoke English. I asked them whether we were on the right trail to the lake and one of them said it was only a short walk. We kept going probably for another kilometer or so but there was no sign of the lake. We noticed though that there were people in the distance and as well the trail, or the road, makes a U-Turn and goes down! The Lady suggested to go back because she was, as I said worried about the daylight and she was right. We would have made to the lake but we had to come up the road and continue all the way back to Alice Lake and it took at least 1.5 to 2 hours. 

We turned back and walked towards the parking lot. On the way back we saw the silly fucking French girl who had told us it was only a few minutes of walk! She probably had thought that we would walk as fast as she riding her bicycle! We reached the parking lot just on time, grabbed our vehicle and drove back down Highway # 99.

(Photo: A beautiful stream in Alice Lake Provincial Park near Squamish)

A Good Phone Interview

I had a telephone interview with two fellas down in the US just the morning after I returned to Alberta. I arrived home at 03:30 and then woke up at about 08:00 to get ready for the interview which was a second step to another phone interview I had with a lady in regards to a position in Alberta. The person introduced himself as someone who had been with the company for 16 years. The other one had a similar introduction but don't remember much about him. 

They asked good questions and I think I answered them mostly with good responses. They didn't ask anything about the technical features of the product they make such as how much do I know about that. They also never mentioned anything about the software that the HR lady had asked about in her initial e-mails. I have very limited knowledge about both but I had made myself somehow to give a satisfactory answer. 

The interview took around 50 min. and at the end they had someone on the line whom was waiting for his or her turn. I could her them talking and I even could stay on the line, not sure whether they would have noticed or not because it was a telephone conference but I hung up! So what are my chances here? I don't know but it will make a very good career. It's salary is OK. It's a well-known company and it's out of Calgary. Everything sounds pleasing but I have to wait. They said they would decide by the end of this week. 

Hike to Garibaldi Lake (and The Black Tusk)

I decided to have a hike in B. C. after the disappointing damn stupid examination that I wrote for the Federal Government job and they turned me down. So I set the clock for 06:30 while I was in Surrey with the aim to go to Squamish! I know it sounds lame but I was too tired to set it for an earlier time. So I woke up and by the time I checked out of the hotel and got out it was almost 07:05.

I headed east and drove towards Port Mann Bridge due to the closure of Patullo Bridge. As soon as I found myself on the bridge I saw an accident which at least 5 cars were involved in it! One of them were laying on its side and I'm not sure whether it was that or another one that its horn was honking. I continued because fortunately they had not blocked all of the lanes. It was obviously a fresh accident because I saw people running here and there.  I continued toward west and got on Highway # 99. By the time I reached Squamish Adventure Center it was 08:55! I wanted to double check my information with them about The Black Tusk. There was a guy there who said that I should not consider a hike in the area due to the amount of snow on the ground. I told him that I have equipment such as spikes and gaiter but to him there were not enough. I eventually decided to see how far up I would be able to go. So I got back on Highway # 99 and drove to the parking lot designated for Garibaldi Lake and The Black Tusk. It was almost 09:50 when I started a hike and there were a few other small groups who also started at the same time within a few minutes of difference. 

The trail is well-maintained and marked. There are even milestones every 1 Km or sometimes every 2 Km but the trail is mostly uphill. I caught up with a few small groups but I don't remember how long it took me to get to the lake, maybe around 2 hours. The lake was partially frozen and seeing many lakes in Canada that didn't impress me much. 

I decided to go higher to see how close I would get to The Black Tusk. So I headed up the trail after taking a few photos. 

The Black Tusk from the meadows after almost half an hour hike up Garibaldi Lake. This is almost where I stopped my hike

The trail after the lake was quite similar to the rest of the trail until I reached a meadows which was covered in snow. The snow was deep and in process of melting. I saw footsteps and followed them but I was not sure whether they were from days before or the same day. The snow was becoming softer and I was slipping and going through the melted snow. My hiking boot were socked because they are pieces of shit but I put the spikes on and they were very helpful. I guess I went up until it was around 13:30 or so. I basically was on the trail for 3 hours considering the breaks I had for photography or water. I got water from the stream around the trail. I then decided to go back down because I knew would get stuck in the snow further up and having socked socks and boots would not be very pleasant.

The hike back down to the parking lot was very easy. I encountered a few groups. Many people go to Garibaldi Park area for camping but I hate to sleep in tents and where people drink alcohol, smoke weed and laugh loudly until 02:00! My original guess was that I would reach back to the car by 16:00 but I guess it was even passed 16:30 when I reached there. I didn't even change my boots. I drove back to North Vancouver to check in the motel I had gotten the night before, Grouse Inn. I had read earlier that The Black Tusk should be done in July or after because of the amount of snow the area get but since I was there I wanted to get a little active and try the first hike in the area. I also knew that only the hard part, if there was no snow, would be the chimney or the summit block. I guess I would give it a try next time I'm in British Columbia. 

(Photo: Garibaldi Lake in Garibaldi Provincial Park near Squamish. I had been to this park in 2007 or 2008. I rode my bicycle from Squamish to the south side of the park but bicycles are not allowed on this trail)

An Opportunity with the Federal Government

I applied for a position with the Federal Government I received a massage from that department just a few days before a Sun., asking me to to write an examination in British Columbia! There was not much time left so what I did was I did a little search to find a hotel but I was not aware, at the beginning, that it was a US long weekend! Most of the hotels I looked at in major hotel website had a Sold Out note! I eventually found one and in order to prevent a screw-up by Internet, I called and booked for two nights. We went to Edmonton last night and while we had a reservation, when we arrived at the hotel we were told that there was no reservation under my name. I went to their computer and printed the confirmation they had sent me and they gave us a room. So this time I called to be sure that the same problem doesn't happen not knowing that they would screw it anyways. So I went to the building that they had sent its address to me in the morning and I arrived some 15 minutes earlier! The building's main entrance was locked but there were two security guards inside. I waved at them and one of them came out. I explained to him that I was there for an examination and he knew nothing about it! He even didn't let me in but after a 10 minutes or so conversation two guys appeared on the floor and they introduced themselves as examiners for that positions. They were very courteous and friendly and explained everything in detail and with patient. Two other guys, examinees, joined us and we started the test. It was a very easy and childish examination, mostly except the first part which has something regarding the things they would train us on, if we were hired. I did well on most parts but that specific one and I guess it took about an hour and a half and then they gave us a break for 15 min. 

The next half of examination was showing proficiency with Microsoft Office. We had two half an hours to answer two questions using two different MS Office softwares. This part was a piece of cake. So when I finally left the building I was sure that I would proceed to the next stage which would have been interview and they told me since I was from out of town, they would set up the interview for the next day. So with that in my mind and lots of confidence I went for a lunch in Downtown Vancouver and we sat in a Boston Pizza in Broadway! My joy didn't take long. We were waiting for our lunch to arrive that I received a telephone call. It was the examiner and he told me that although I had passed most of the section,because I didn't get a minimum in the first section, I would not be considered a candidate and he wished me luck with the other applications! It was unbelievable but there was no room for argument. 

Another factor was that they explained before the examination that it was a temporary position to cover for someone who had recently left for maternity leave! Unbelievable! The bastards had not indicated that in the job posting! Had I known that it was a shity temporary position, I would have not most likely even considered that. Anyways it was too late to complain. Beside what can you do to the Government. The majority of these guys have well-paid jobs with all the benefits, nice and comfortable office and good pension. They have easy jobs which becomes easier every year because there's barely any change to them. They all retire the same job and spend the rest of their life travelling and spending the money the have accumulated. 

A Long Drive to Lower Mainland

I was given this opportunity to write a test in Lower Mainland for a position that I had applied last week. I will write about the job separately but I decided to drive all the way there because there were stuff that I had to take with me. I woke up early and drove to Highway # 1 but before leaving the city, I stopped at the last McDonald's to get a cup of coffee. It was a little bit cold and foggy as well. I got the coffee and filled up the tank and then hit the road. Shortly after the start of the drive almost near Morely, which is a small Native community and part of Stony Reserve, there's a downhill and from there you could see that the whole valley was covered in fog. The first few hours of the drive was similar to the last trips I had earlier last month. Then I got to Sicomous and instead of taking Highway # 97 and heading south, I continued to east, parallel to Shuswap Lake until I reached Salmon Arms. Then a little north and again east to Kamloops where we had been earlier a few years ago.

Kamloops Lake and Highway No. 1 in the rainy day of my drive

That was where the damn GPS got confused. I tried to update before the trip it but it failed and there upon leaving Kamloops it directed me to Highway # 5, heading south to Merit while I wanted to continue to Highway # 1. I eventually listened to the damn machine but after a few kilometers, maybe 3 or so, I regretted that and turned back, got myself on Number 1 again! Then the rain started and by the time I reached the end of Kamloops Lake, it was heavily pouring down. From there I drove to Cache Creek and then Spenses Bridge. When I saw Hope I realized that I could still be hopeful to make it to Surrey before it's too late and dark. The rain was heavy and the road was busy being weekend and all but the traffic was continuously moving. Having an eye on the road and another one on the GPS, I noticed Toll Bridge on a number of big giant signs on the highway! That was when I realized that the bastards had turned all of the bridges in Lower Mainland area to toll bridge. I reached my destination without much difficulty though because I had a reservation in Days Inn in Surrey. I didn't have to cross Fraser River at the time. 

I then contacted The Lady as she was supposed to meet with me there. She got on the Skytrain somewhere in Vancouver but because it had been a long time since she had ridden the damn train, she got on the wrong one and headed to Coquitlam instead of Surrey! I had to wait a little longer in a nearby station for her to arrive. From there I we had to go back to Vancouver and that was when I realized Patullo Bridge, the old bridge which connects Surrey to Coquitlam was closed! We instead had to cross over Port Mann Bridge which is a Toll Bridge now but the hotel receptionist told us that a non-provincial plate wouldn't be charged! We'll see about that. So that basically was it. The hotel was not bad but my room was just in front of the Skytrain elevated railroad! The good thing was the train only operates until 01:00 AM or so and I was able to sleep after that. 

(Photo, top: Just a minute or so after I left the city, I entered a foggy road with limited visibility. This later was gone)