The trip there was uneventful. Not really boring it started out with a trip from home to the Airport. Thanks to the partnership between PG Taxi, Airporter and because of an agreement discovered via a network of sources at Transport Canada concerning the connection between communities and departure venues such as Airports. I wrote about that in my last post, it went through without a hitch. The flight was good, the staff at the airport was extremly friendly and helpful, I really enjoy WestJet for these litlle adventures. We landed at YXS and Skytrain was there to take me downtown Vancouver. I got out from Waterfront Station on Cordover and asked Google to take me to Granville Island.
The 1st Adventure, Waterfront Stn on Cordovea St. to Aqua Ferry by West Hastings St.
Google Maps screen capture showing route between Waterfront Skytrain Stn and Granville Island Via the Ferry, and 2 land routes.
Simple right? Google has a cool feature, as long as my phone reached Wireless which I have discovered is very common throughout the city, particularly in West Van of navagaing a path it warns may be missing sidewalks and amid heavy traffic on Highway 99 could be worrying to the pedstrian's parental figures. I exited Waterfront. The route down the South east street was the farthest, it appered to use the Sky. I attempted that from my Hotel and got to one of several barrers I found on the Seawall, distence being one of them when I attempted the night before departing. I decided enroute from Waterfront that the Aqua Ferry would be wiser to arrive at the hotel and get settled. Very cool thing about visiting Vancouver, the frequent Wifi hotspots. For those of us who don't mind Google tracking our whearabouts that is and rolling pedestrians who canfocus both on the phone and the path ahead skillfully avoiding footed pedestrians amid stares and finger gesters from vehicales, getting wiser in navagaing those distracting turns deturing into allys to lightup through a medicianal tour of Vancouver. "Turn left here" screamming louder and louder, then recalulating then signal lost untill I turned around and came back along my path towards the ferry launch point at Hastings. It wasn't all that far and I found it looking for a hotspot with the second Joint which became a roach. That was the area of town I usually stayed in so far, familular ground as I used that part of the Seawall east quite a bit for viewing and toking towards the ocean winds. I boarded the Aqua Ferry and took a short hop across the bay to the artificial Island called Granville.
The reason for the trip
But what am I doing on a Patient Oriented Research group, to begin with? What is any patient doing in research other than being a test subject? What is it to begin with? Well, there are different nonintrusive ways for researchers to gather information. You can do it too, just become an activated patient with the British Columbia Patient Voices Network and wait for opportunities to arrive from SPOR and/or the BC SUPPORT Unit. We are a very valuable resorce for all Canadain patients to communicate with their medical support teams. When I was asked to introduce myself, I explaned that among other duties in my community I consider myself the Facilitator for Cannabis changes in Prince George and I could talk for hours on it. I also explaned all the knowlwedge I have is second hand other than how it has worked on me and my MS, it needs to be proven to sceptical pharmacy trained medical professionals. I see this as the biggest change in Canadain mediine for the coming year, if not decade and longer and perhaps a use for my voice
Going home
I checked out of Granville Island Hotel around 830am after enjoying a "Continental" breakfast of Yogurt, Muffin, Fruit and enough coffee to have a cup and fill my travel mug... The Dockside Restaurant had many pleasent views of West Vancouver. I got slightly lost heading to the Aquabus. All good, it was a straight line from the hotel at one end of Granville Island to anywhere "local". Got across the bay. Decided I had time to cruise back down the Seawall, take a picture of the distance as I had attempted to get there from Granvel Island over the Seawall and go to WaterFront Stn the night before. I got a few blocks down, encountered one spot on the Seawall not accessible and I tipped my scooter. Got back to Aquatic Centre Ferry Dock on Hastings and asked Google to point me in the direction of WaterFront. 2.5 Km (about 10+ blocks) later I found familiar territory on the other side of West Vancouver. Well, that would have been the case if I followed a straight line between Hastings and swing left a block on Cordova to 601. Through my actual moving and detouring between construction zones and areas of inaccessibility, aesthetic distractions and other turns and distractions (look- a butterfly in the city!) it took me the better part of 1.5 hrs, slightly down in battery power to arrive finally at the proper Skytrain Station which had a lift down to the trains. I got to the airport in time to munch a Carl's Jr burger and hop on the plane after rinsing it out of my mouth with a drink of water. Love all those shops past Security in Vancover's airport , aka YXS.
