Day Seventeen Sep 15, 2000 Friday Vancouver Our full day in Vancouver was quite an unfortunate let down due to the loss of the backpacks. Of course, we had done everything we could, stopping the credit cards and heading directly to a bank to advance Canadian currency against our American Express. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express near the Vancouver airport, and drove around the area again this morning in the light of day. We drove east through various suburbs finding places visited by Dave and Jesse during the 1997 Vancouver trip. We drove by Burnaby's Swangard Stadium (where the USA beat Canada in 1997) and stopped at the nearby Eaton Centre Metrotown to replace some lost items and have a relaxed lunch before heading downtown and to the north side of the harbor. Once again, we drove across the steelworkers bridge ("that spans the second narrows and and connects up with the ridge") made famous to us by the Stompin Tom Conners song "Nineteen Scarlet Roses". We criss-crossed town a dozen times, driving by the harborfront, Chinatown, and adding Simon Frasier University to Dave's college photo collection. Unbelievable luck,  the totem poles in Stanley Park  were fenced off and being repaired. We stopped at a park snack area for some coffee and snacks before driving off to the northern suburbs and up to Horseshoe Bay. We drove up to Horseshoe Bay and saw the arrival of the Naniamo ferry. It was a cute little town with a cute little waterfront area, and we stopped to pick up some fish and chips "take away" and enjoyed them on the park benches facing the waterfront. We headed back to Vancouver, and circled the city one last time , and headed back to our hotel and to bed. This vacation had many difficulties, that we overcame. Click to read about the disappointments that dogged us, but never got us down.  Original Web Upload May 2001 Last Update: June 3, 2001