Saturday started out on a quiet note, but civic duty soon set the pace for a partial day of wanderings with May and Joel. Jay and I got our ballots cast bright and early in the advanced voting for the municipal elections, which felt great to cross off the list. From there, we drove over to the BCRV on Cariboo Road around ten-thirty to rendezvous with our visitors and plan out the morning. We walked the dogs near the RV park.
Next, we originally pointed Kimchi toward home, yet somehow we never made it back to the apartment. Spontaneous curiosity drew us toward New Westminster's təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic Centre, and before we knew it, we rolled into the uptown shopping center and parked right up on the roof. The short stroll over to Sixth and Sixth brought us right into the bustling heart of our hometown, providing a perfect spot for snapping a few pictures at the crossroads of our local world.
With the clock nudging toward one in the afternoon, appetites kicked in and we began scanning the neighborhood for a solid meal. We browsed a few storefronts along the street, but Jay and I knew exactly where we needed to take them and steered the group straight toward the Han Lin Noodle House. It has been a beloved local landmark for decades, dating all the way back to when it was known as Hon's. A new rebranding sign hangs out front today, yet the comforting food, the vintage 1980s atmosphere, and even several veteran staff members remain completely unchanged. The meal was an absolute home run from the first bite to the last. We enjoyed the whole experience so much that we swore we need to start treating ourselves to restaurant meals more often, even if Jay's brilliant culinary skills in our own kitchen make dining out a genuine rarity.
Making our way back to the car on the roof turned out to involve some quick shopping. We cut inside the mall through Walmart, walked upstairs, and Joel found what he needed in the clothing racks. He bought three pairs of Wrangler cargo pants because he needed extra pocket space at a reasonable price. With the purchase bagged, we headed out to the rooftop stalls and loaded everything into the car.
Before heading back to the campsite, we squeezed in a stop at the original Canadian Costco location on Government Road in Burnaby because May specifically wanted to visit. She genuinely enjoys the thrill of the retail hunt, making the stop well worth the detour despite the inevitable challenges of the venue. The building is noticeably on the small side compared to modern warehouses, leaving the aisles perpetually overfilled with merchandise. Today brought an extra layer of congestion because it was the opening Saturday of the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend, filling the floor with heavy holiday crowds. We navigated the tight spaces and busy checkout lanes, taking care of business before finally making our way out of the retail crush.
The rest of the evening belonged to rest and canine duties back at the campsite. The two dogs in the RV needed their long evening walk, so May and Joel decided to make dinner inside their rig and hit the hay early instead of coming over to our apartment. They have a massive adventure on tap for Sunday morning with North Vancouver's Grouse Grind, an infamous two-point-nine-kilometer trail that climbs over eight hundred vertical meters straight up the mountain face on thousands of rough timber steps. Tackling Mother Nature's StairMaster requires fully rested legs and plenty of stamina, but the sunny, panoramic views waiting at the peak will make all that hard climbing completely worthwhile before they pack up and point the rig toward Alberta on Monday morning.