Remoteness

We're still getting to know our surroundings, the nearby towns and attractions. I recently read about the city of Gibsons, which, in terms of distance, is only about 40 kilometers away. Granted, it is across a body of water, but it's still on the mainland. I was reading that the way to get there is by ferry. But if it's so close, I thought, couldn't one just drive there?

The short answer is, no. It would take too long to be practical.

The body of water between us and Gibsons goes pretty far inland, to the north, and everything to the north of us is mountainous, so the shorelines are steep. As a result, there's little or no road access to much of this area.

Similarly, North Vancouver and West Vancouver are separated from the rest of the Lower Mainland by the Burrard Inlet. It's not far across; if you've ever been downtown, you've probably looked right across at the towers in the foothills of the mountains. You can drive across in minutes, and the SeaBus makes the trip in fifteen. It's nothing at all to pop over for a pizza. But I just realised that we're only connected by two bridges. And if it weren't for those two bridges, it probably would take the better part of a day to drive all the way north around the inlet to get there.

This amazes me. Maybe I've been living in flatter areas for too long, but it just blows me away that you can see some place but not be able to drive to it. It's impressive and humbling to think that, of these mountains I see every day, their backsides and most of what is north of them for hundreds of kilometers, is mostly inaccessible.