And oh what heights we'll hit....on with the show, this is it.

It's been a weekend of facing my fears, moving outside my comfort zone, and scaring the bejeezers out of myself.  Why do we do these things to ourselves??  What is the purpose of it??  It's not like I'm competing in the Amazing Race and have to do these things for a million dollars.  (BTW my team won the Amazing Race last night....yeah Rachel and Dave!)  I just wanted to be able to say I did them....I guess.  My Saturday started with a trip up Grouse Mountain on the gondola.  Don't remember the exact figure, but somewhere in excess of 3000 meters.  I was just one of many sardines jammed into the gondola...only I was right by the window...and for some strange reason, all I could think about was the headlines in the paper should the gondola, or the sardines inside, fall to the ground.  Coming down seemed easier.

Wayyyy up....and I'll call Rusty!

View of Vancouver from the gondola

Once I got over that little excursion, we stopped at the Capilano Suspension Bridge.  Imagine how thrilled I was to learn that they've expanded beyond just the Suspension Bridge, and now have a Tree Top Walk and Cliff Walk.  I mean really....how difficult can it be....I've done a Suspension Bridge in Northern Ireland, and a Tree Top Walk in Australia...so how bad could it be....right??  Well, the bridge was tons longer than the one in N. Ireland...and much bouncier!  There had to have been 30 people on the bridge at one time!!!  It was verrrryyy scary.  But, applying the philosophy of mind over matter....I got across...and then back.  Again...I just kept imagining the headlines in the paper...

The return trip across...you may notice a "deer in the headlights" look.

Then there was the Tree Top Walk.  It wasn't as tall as the one in Australia...but I was reeling after having just moments before gotten across the bridge.

Luckily you can't see the white knuckles!

And if those two things weren't enough....we had to do the Cliff Walk...with the glass overhang.  Could it be any worse than what I'd just done??  Well, maybe not worse, but definitely equally as scary.

Maureen right out on the end of the overhang....I drew the line at that!

Maureen and I on the Cliff Walk

After I accomplished all these things, I had to go into the gift shop and get my completion certificate and a commemorative t-shirt.  I wasn't counting on the chest pains that came as my heart started to return to a normal rhythm!  But, alas, it was just what my mother would call a "stitch".

Needless to say, the observation deck that we went to when we got back into Vancouver was nothing after what I'd already been through!!

WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK:  I really don't like heights....so I think that dream of a hot air balloon ride...well, I'll defer that.  Not much sense paying big $$ for a balloon ride and then spending the entire time curled up in the fetal position on the floor of the basket!!!