A SHORT TRIP TO VANCOUVER OUT OF SEATTLE SHOWS US A STUNNING ARRAY OF BEAUTY FROM CITY SCENES TO WILDLIFE AT ONE OF THE LARGEST URBAN PARKS IN ALL OF NORTH AMERICA

We stayed at the Riviera Hotel, where we visited 15 years ago. This time, we had a spectacular view and a rather large room hugging the downtown area within walking distance to Stanley Park. The 
natural gem was dedicated as green space before anyone ever thought of that name, opening in 1888. It's laced with hiking trails, thousands of trees from spruce to cedar. It can take more than a week just checking out its hiking trails and historic beauty. This spot, is like a giant arm off the city of Vancouver.

A baby river otter crawls out on a rock along Stanley Park to eat a clam. His mother is teaching him to fish.. He was born in the woods and ventured out into the Burrard Inlet for the learning sessions, park naturalists told us. Below is the other baby eating a freshly caught fish.

 

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Ryan walks along the shoreline at Stanley Park. The Canadian Geese have arrived and claimed the beach in this section of this urban wilderness. A seawall skirts the entire park for 5.5 miles taking in spectacular views all along the way.

A carved dragon overlooks the inlet at the park.

Vancouver's forefathers saw the gem they had in the woods and created the park forevermore for the citizens of the city to enjoy to this day. About eight million visitors attend a year. The park still has wild animals, including racoons, coyotes, mink, bald eagles and many other animals.

A bald eagle takes flight at the Vancouver Aquarium, a way to show that the once nearly deceased birds due to pesticides are at last making a comeback. This bird was a rescue and will remain at the aquarium for the rest of its life.

One of four Beluga Whales at the Vancouver Aquarium teach visitors about the safety these whales need to survive. A baby was born there recently and unlike the older whales, is gray. They turn white with age. The song Baby Beluga came from one of the whales at the aquarium, according to sources.

Ryan gets ready for a cruise to see the orcas (or killer whales) that are local residents off the Canadian San Juana Islands. Unlike transient killer whales, who eat mammals such as sea lions and whales and will kill in a pack, local orcas are happy to subsist only on fish, primarily salmon.

Spotting a pod of orcas off the coast in the Georgia Straight., we watched them
  breach, slap their flukes and fins, and show off their calves. Calves breached playfully many times o as we watched from a Vancouver  whale watch boat.