O Canada (Part Deux)

A synopsis of my latest road trip in four parts:
Day 2: Crossed the border into Canada (officially), visited Vancouver's historic Gastown and Chinatown, drove up the Sea to Sky highway to Whistler, set up camp, slept outside.
Impressions:
#1 - Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen - from a distance. Again, the setting is breathtaking, literally surrounded by mountains and water. All the highrises in the downtown area use copious amounts of reflective glass (usually a greenish tint giving the feel of 1960's - 1970's "international" style), the result of which is the city shines if the sun hits it just right.
#2 - Vancouver seems to have a lot in common with San Francisco. They both are known for multiethnic and multicultural populaces. They both are fairly high brow with lots of arts resources, fine restaurants, and expensive homes. They both extol the "virtues" of liberal secularism and take that paradigm further than most other communities in North America. A read through the local paper, the letters to the editor, anti-USA bumper stickers, and posters referring to the "theocracy" of the Bush administration, etc. It goes on and on. I guess this is the world view of most in the "bluer" regions. As all the media punditry tried after the last presidential election in regards to the "red states", I guess I also just have to try harder to understand the thinking of people from these blue regions. I'll have to try not to belittle their ignorant and hypocritical ideas. I'll have to try not to stereotype them all as having wasted grey matter in the 60's and 70's due to experimentation. I'll have to try not to denigrate the prevailing "religion" of tolerance for everything (as long as it does not restrict one's personal self-indulgence). Afterall, there might be other factors forming that worldview than just a single hate issue (Theophobia). I think I need to try harder.
#3 - Anarchists seem to be fairly abundant in Vancouver. I was warned at the border by the tourist info as to where to most safely park my car. Then I recalled riots and looting that occurred during some world economic meeting held here a few years ago as I parked my car in the preferred parking garage and noted several alarming signs such as "Bait cars are everywhere. Steal one and you will go to jail (or be rehabilitated at taxpayer expense)" and "garage not liable for stolen items or vehicles". One car had a sign in its window stating simply "there is nothing left to steal".
#4 - Drugs seem to be fairly abundant in Vancouver. Example 1 - The local paper in Vancouver had an article about the "success" of the recently inacted free needle exchange program stating that about 5,000 people had utilized the service over the last 3 months with only 300 overdoses, none of them fatal thanks to medical staff on hand at the centers. Example 2 - I personally witnessed at least 3 separate drug deals while walking through the tourist section of downtown, in the afternoon. Example 3 - I was offered drugs twice. (I walked more quickly after that with wallet in front pocket.)
#5 - Vancouver needs a Giuliani type mayor to clean up its tourist area. I've been to NYC, Chicago, Miami, and many other big cities and have never really felt scared or uncomfortable. Walking around Vancouver was an entirely different feeling (besides the fact I couldn't keep from worrying about my car), and I was in the tourist area. I saw at least half a dozen people in florid psychosis talking animatedly to who knows what. I saw more than that in various stages of drug induced stupors laying around on the sidewalk or in alleys, and then there were the emaciated sex workers with track marks visible on their arms standing on street corners offering to give who knows what STDs to whoever was willing to pay.
#6 - I did find a good gelato in the Gastown historical district.
#7 - The Sea to Sky highway is worth making an effort to experience at least once in a lifetime. It clings to the side of the most southerly fjord in North America offering multiple vistas of emerald islands set like jewels upon the cobalt blue of Howe Sound nestled between the steeply forested cleavage of snowcapped mountains. All sorts of adventure seekers converge here to participate in scuba, windsurfing, and rock climbing. Multiple waterfalls plunged over sheer cliffs all along the fjord with magnificent horsetails creating rainbows in the mist. Shannon Falls at 1,099 feet tall was particularly impressive. Though eventually the road turned inland, the views kept getting more spectacular as the sun began to set over the Tantalus range to the northwest. Even though the sun was setting, I still had an hour and a half of daylight to set up camp in Whistler (again thanks to the prolonged magical evenings of the North country). As I pondered the joy of sleeping outside, the wind whispered through humongous old growth evergreens, and the aspen leaves harmonized with the creek swollen with snowmelt rushing beside my tent to sing me to sleep.