Mature Life Features

Find out what’s good for you

at the “Taking Care of Yourself Nutritionally”

presentation in the theater at 2 o’clock.

Then enjoy yourself an hour later during Thirsty Thursday in the bistro.

= = = = =

Evergreen Triangle Links U.S.-Canada

By Sandy Katz, Mature Life Features

You can sample two national cultures with plenty of time for sightseeing, dining, entertainment and outdoor recreation while traveling the “Evergreen Triangle,” formed by the three cities in the Northwest — Seattle in the state of Washington and Victoria and Vancouver in Canada’s province pf British Columbia.

I launched my trip aboard the Victoria Clipper, a high-speed ferry that connects Seattle to Victoria’s Inner Harbor. From there, I took a leisurely stroll along the winding pathways of the city’s celebrated Butchart Gardens — the century-old 50-acre plot of formal plantings that are always in bloom in this provincial capital.

By late afternoon, I was enjoying high tea in tje majestic Empress while planning my trip to Vancouver the next day.

On the BC Ferries craft that morning,  I noticed a brochure describing a helicopter ride from atop Grouse Mountain, the peak I got to by bus and tram rides before stepping over a blanket of snow to board an open sleigh for a high-speed ride on the mountain to catch a helicopter at the peak for birds-eye swing over the countryside.

The day’s excitement still was not over. On the bus ride back to the city, I got off at Capilano Park to walk the Capilano Suspension Bridge, the 450-foot-long plank-and-hemp-rope span said to be the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge that swings and sways with pedestrians 25 stories above the Capilano River.

The third leg of the Evergreen Triangle took me back to Seattle. My first objective was the Space Needle, the city’s enduring symbol from the 1962 World’s Fair. The 518-foot elevator ride takes you to the observation deck for a panoramic view of the city, Puget Sound and the Cascade and Olympic Mountains. At the base of the needle is the 74-acre Seattle Center housing civic and cultural attractions in a garden setting with plazas and fountains.

The Monorail is the best mode of transportation between the Space Center and downtown, where you can watch fish fly. Just head the Pike Place Fish Market, fishmongers pluck seafood orders and hurls them down the counter to another worker, who catches it with a flourish, wraps it for the customer, and collects the money.