An Abridged Version.

Suspension of Disbelief.

Vancouver, BC – Even with a translucent mist brushed over the hills, Lions Gate Bridge opens her maw to a majestic view of the ocean as we emerge from Stanley Park. The weather offers a simple reminder we are entering a rainforest.


The driver of our free shuttle to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park maintains a steady patter, punctuated by oddball humour that keeps us giddy. It may just be the lack of sleep.


Making fun of unaware pedestrians, he exhorts us to stay off our phones, and to obey bike lanes, which are plentiful throughout the city: “I saw this crash with a cyclist, and it wasn’t funny. Well, it was funny to see the pedestrian’s arm all caught up in the spokes.” We shouldn’t laugh.


But.



Natural Light.

Capilano feels like an overpriced theme park ($45), despite its natural beauty, famous suspension bridge and cliff walk. Connected bridges throughout the canopy make me feel like an Ewok. Mammoth, 200-foot Douglas firs, meanwhile, loom like dinosaur femurs, bark bleached and topped by a fistful of branches.


From below, the bridge resembles a spine that connects both shores shouldering the Capilano River. Tourists sway across it.


Back in the city, sailboats stand sentry before mountains smoked in by dusk as we amble toward dinner at Lift with a couple colleagues. My mind, craving sleep, has come to resemble the rattle of crisp, fall leaves overhead.


Having awoken at 3 a.m., the three-hour change in time zones has by now rolled in with the tide.