Vancouver is influenced by the surrounding ocean currents and mountains, belonging to a temperate maritime climate. As we enter the month of the Earth Dog, Vancouver's rainy season officially returns. According to the weather forecast, there will be several consecutive sunny days around the day of the Metal Rooster. Rooster, meaning showy, signifies that everything is flourishing. Gazing at the clearly visible North Shore Mountains under the autumn sun, looking down at the ground covered with maple leaves, vibrant like a brocade carpet, the sound of Xu Wei's "Free as the Wind" echoes in my ears. On such a picturesque afternoon, if I don't embark on a spontaneous trip, it feels like a disservice to this song and to my free-spirited nature.

Checking the lunar calendar again, the day of the Metal Rooster is an auspicious day, favorable for travel. On this day, I also received an invitation from my literary friend Qinghuan, and I prepared to visit the Indigenous community in downtown Vancouver with her.

I often say: where to go is not important, what matters is who you go with. Therefore, many times when I take spontaneous trips, I drive out alone. In Vancouver, wherever I drive, there are beautiful sights, especially in spring and autumn. Whenever I feel good and the weather is nice, I won't stay at home scrolling through my phone. Instead, I personally step into nature, feel the flow of time, bathe in the fresh air, and listen to the whispers of the forest and the songs of the sea breeze. Sometimes, I take my golden retriever MISO with me. Although MISO doesn't understand the lyrics of "Free as the Wind," it loves to go for a ride. Sitting in the back seat, it always sticks its head out the window, thoroughly enjoying the refreshing feeling. Even when I drive fast and the wind distorts its face, it refuses to pull its head back in. Seeing MISO like this in the rearview mirror almost melts my heart.

One can travel with a dog, but if traveling with several friends, bringing a dog becomes inconvenient. Although many places in Vancouver are pet-friendly and allow pets to come and go freely, I don't want to trouble everyone when traveling in a group, so this time I left MISO at home.

I know that Indigenous people are also very friendly towards dogs, considering them family members. Dogs also take on many household tasks, such as hunting and transportation; they are the sturdy laborers. For Indigenous people living in the extremely cold regions of Canada, the thick-furred huskies are indispensable companions. In films and television, there are often scenes of Indigenous people driving huskies, pulling sleds to hunt seals and salmon near the Arctic Circle. When they process their catch, they always generously feed some of the rich meat to the dogs as a sign of gratitude and reward. These scenes of humans and animals cooperating and coexisting harmoniously exude the warmth of the most primitive natural grace, like a spring breeze that comforts the heart.

I am very curious whether the Indigenous families living in downtown Vancouver still retain their most primitive customs. Do they still raise working dogs like huskies as they did in the past? Will their "two-husky" play with my MISO, the golden retriever known as the 'big warm man' in the dog world? Can they become good playmates? With these questions in mind, I arrived at Qinghuan's house at the agreed time to meet Mr. Shen, who taught classical poetry at a university before retirement, and we set off together to visit the Indigenous community to address these questions as "poop scoopers."

There were four of us in one car, driven by Qinghuan's husband Jianms. Along the way, everyone was in a good mood, chatting happily, with maple leaves fluttering and the car speeding along, the scenery outside resembling the poetic essence of classical poetry, making one forget worries and feel intoxicated...

Soon, we passed Vancouver's landmark bridge—the Lions Gate Bridge. Like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and Angel Island, the Lions Gate Bridge complements Stanley Island, spanning between Burrard Inlet and downtown Vancouver. For new immigrants visiting Vancouver for the first time, West Vancouver and West End may be easily confused, but in fact, they are easy to distinguish. After crossing the Lions Gate Bridge, we entered West Vancouver. West Vancouver not only has lush trees like the West End but also boasts spectacular ocean views. Beneath the Lions Gate Bridge is the mouth of the Capilano River, and the Indigenous community along the riverbank is our destination for today's "half-day tour." It is said to be the only Indigenous community located within downtown Vancouver. Due to its convenient transportation, many visitors interested in Canadian Indigenous heritage and culture often come here to visit.

When Jianms parked the car in the Indigenous community parking lot, I got out of the car, and the sight before me amazed me: hundreds and thousands of seagulls gathered on the riverbank, leisurely pecking at food, a grand and stunning scene, surreal and dreamlike, as if everything was empty. The occasional sharp cries of the seagulls pulled me back to the real world.

In the parking lot, a plump elderly woman who appeared to be Indigenous was intently cleaning her beloved vehicle. One hand held a towel, and the other held a cleaner, spraying and wiping, then wiping and spraying again, panting and huffing, clearly having been busy for quite a while. Jianms, the only one among us fluent in English, stepped forward to chat with the elderly woman and kindly helped her clean the bird droppings off her windshield.

The elderly woman was very talkative, embodying the warmth of the legendary simple-hearted Indigenous people. She occasionally pointed to the sky, shaking her shawl like wings, and sometimes pointed at the vehicle, making exaggerated gestures as if sweating profusely. Her beloved car was often dirtied by seagull droppings, not just the glass but also the hood and roof. She had to clean it constantly every day, which she deeply resented. But from her joyful expression, I could clearly hear a hint of "Versailles" in her tone; she was very happy to see hundreds and thousands of birds playing in front of her house and flying on her roof every day. Such a magnificent scene, like in the movie "Avatar," could only be appreciated up close here in downtown Vancouver, and she took pride in it.

I followed her words and said, "You must be very wealthy to own this land." She replied, "This house is rented; the real wealthy ones are the Squamish First Nation."

Squamish is a very quiet little town on the way to the famous ski resort Whistler. I previously only knew it as a paradise for rock climbers, but unexpectedly, through my conversation with this Indigenous woman, I learned that there is also a First Nation community there. Next time I pass by, I must visit the wealthiest Indigenous people in the area.

（To be continued）