July 17, 2016 Rest Day in Port Coquitlam

Wow - what a wonderful day! It all started around 6:30 am with a cup of coffee as we gathered in front of the television to watch the final round of the British Open. One of the best finales to a major I have ever seen. Both Michelson and Stinson played brilliantly. However, Stinson prevailed, which made the resident Swede in this household very happy. I believe Stinson is the first Swede to win a major, and Carin told me he had overcome a series of challenges in recent years.

While watching the British Open, Pam once again worked her culinary magic, whipping up her infamous "Pamcakes", which combines the finest features of the best crepes and traditional pancakes. I am now a newly indoctrinated fan. It didn't hurt to have more of those fresh blueberries as an enhancement.

After the British Open, Carin took me for hike on one of her favorite trails - Minnekhada. The weather was perfect, and the trail ran alongside the marsh with its geese, ducks, herons and other animals. I saw what I think Carin confirmed was a bald eagle soaring overhead. We continued to follow the trail into the "rain forest". Some of the trees were huge. Carin told me that she loves to hike Minnekhada early in the morning. In difficult times, it gives her a real peace and calm. Sounds a lot like what my contemplative prayer practice does for me. As we hiked along, we continued sharing stories about our life experiences and what they have taught us. 

We caught up with Pam and went to a local restaurant for a light lunch of lettuce wraps and sweet potato fries. Just the trick to tie us over until dinner before heading out to the marina to go boating on the Pitt River. The weather was absolutely perfect for boating, and I got a whole other view from the boat of the Pitt River with its dykes and Minnekhada. Saw Ospreys nesting on the top of a pole in the water. We took the Pitt River all the way to the entrance to Pitt Lake, before returning to the marina. 

For dinner, Pam made neopolitan pizzas baked on the grill with homemade dough and fresh ingredients. Another Pam specialty, and one of the best pizzas I have tasted. Since she had some pizza dough left over, she decided to experiment with a spur of the moment creation of a grilled blueberry dessert concoction. Hard to go wrong with blueberries, and I think Pam can safely add another culinary creation to her repertoire. 

After dinner, I got to introduce Pam and Carin to my Mom by skype. That was fun. Mom has definitely fully embraced skyping, and I am so impressed with her progress.

At this point, I think we were all pretty exhausted from another exhilarating day, and retired early. Tomorrow, I plan to do more detailed route planning and perform basic bike cleaning and maintenance. 

Attached are a few bonus Max pictures.