Voyage to Queen Elizabeth Park

It's another rainy day in Vancouver but that doesn't stop us from making the most out of the day. Our destination is Queen Elizabeth Park. One disadvantage is that it is all uphill. although I finished a hearty breakfast, I felt hungrier and hungrier as we ascended up the hill to the park. Maybe it's because the park has the highest lookout point in all of Vancouver. Luckily, I brought granola bars with me and with each breath I munched on them, regaining my energy for what I thought was a bit of a challenge. My sister was patient and stopped while I devoured my granola bars. I offered her some but she didn't seem as hungry.
As we got higher and higher, we saw more greenery. It is lush in Vancouver because of all the rain. The trees are over forty feet tall and they seemed to take in the dampness of the air as if it were for fuel for growth. What kind of people would want to cut these magnificent trees in this province? I am a tree person despite the fact that I took forestry in college. Cutting down trees didn't appeal to me. As on teacher pointed out, it was rape and pillaging the earth and I soon got tired of using the trees instead of conserving the trees.
Queen Elizabeth Park is actually an extinct volcano which is 153 metres above sea level. No wonder why I was tired. We wandered into the Bloedel Floral Conservatory growing 500 varieties of trees and plants; very well cared for. It was funny that my sister found little critters running throughout the conservatory while it was news for the floral guide. I just saw the plants move while these animals raced along the ground. When she reported that there were rats running around, the tour guide was astonished and felt it was nasty business since it was the first time she heard such a thing. I think we shocked her and perhaps she though it was another reason to shut down the conservatory. I didn't sign the comment book because of my hand tremor but I really was fascinated with the variety of plants and birds. It is a pity that they were going to close it down because it is such a nice environment. It was hard to keep it up I guess; to maintain it lush tropical feel. Birds flew every which way but the ones which stood out were the parrots. These big birds never cease to amaze me having a friendly feel to them. Their vocalization told us that they were content to live there and did not want the city to destroy their habitat.
As we went outdoors, it was still rainy but I could get a good view of the mountains from the lookout and so took some pictures. The clouds were lower than the normal. I wanted to get a clear view of the mountains but the weather wouldn't cooperated and I noticed that my sister was just about fed up with the rain. I've never been in a wetter climate. But I am reassured that there will be brighter days ahead.