Shannon Falls and Sqaumish

Turns out the "day after" skiing wasn't near as bad as Mike thought it would be. Maybe having a steam room and hot tub, plus a naproxen was a good idea.

Also turns out that the last run wasn't on 7th Heaven, but on Whiskey Jack and Olympic Run; on the Whistler side of the mountain. Mike's still smiling; and I'm sure he will be for a while yet.

Wednesday we ended up taking a drive to Shannon Falls. This little gem of a place is just south of Squamish; and was worth the drive over. The roar of the water rushing down the mountain side is deafening; and the views and sights around are breathtaking.

Thursday, we drove back north of Squamish and took a rough gravel road towards the Tantalus Mountains. Lots of pot holes to dodge on this road; but Al, we didn't lose any fillings - not a one!!!

Last night, we had a campfire as it was also our last night in Squamish. The 9 nights there flew by; and the weather turned out to be way nicer than was predicted.

Today, we travelled to Chilliwack. There was lots of construction along the way, but the traffic moved along pretty good. We were here and set up just after 2:30 this afternoon. The park is right beside the Trans Canada and the sites are pretty small. But, there are mountains surrounding us, in any direction you look - pretty nice. We're only here for the weekend; and isn't too far for Rob to come for a visit.

We've been getting lots of comments on the blog plus lots of emails with lots of really nice comments about our travels. It puts a smile on our faces knowing that so many of you are enjoying our travels and blog. We'll be doing lots of travelling in the next while, so there will be lots to see, do and share. Hope that you enjoy it was much are we are!

Take a look at the pictures

A Long Time Dream Comes True

From the time Mike was 18 right through until his late 30's he loved skiing. Many of his holidays from Ford were to places such as Mount Tremblant; Smuggler's Notch; Madonna Mountain; Stowe and Killington just to name a few. His dream however was always to ski Whistler. And even though he lived in BC for a year; and came out on many visits, it just never seemed to happen.

When we went up the Peak 2 Peak on Saturday, I was quite content just to look around; and take in the views, watch the skiers, etc. I thought that Mike was too, but once up there, he was itchin to have a pair of skis on.

On Tuesday, his dream finally came true!!! We headed up to Whistler on Tuesday morning; and arrived there with lots of time to get outfitted with boots, skis, and poles and get his half day ticket. Since he hadn't skied in over 20 years, I suggested that maybe a half day would be plenty.

Back to the truck we went, so he could get dressed and then off to the lifts. The beam on his face as he came down the first time back to me was the biggest I've ever seen on Mike's face! Reminded me of the Visa commercials...$38.84 for half day ski equipment rental, $64.45 for half day lift ticket, the smile on his face PLUS fulfilling a long time dream... priceless. It was a great day for Mike, and I'm glad to have shared it with him.

I decided to pass on the skiing, as I haven't skied since the winter of 1985, and with my bad knees, I was quite content to wander around the stroll, people watch and souvenir shop.

When I met Mike back at the base shortly after 4; he looked tired, but happy. When I asked him how it was, the answer was "I'm pooped, but WOW, it was totally worth it!" Best skiing he's ever done, and his last run down started at the top of 7th Heaven and non-stop to the bottom. He managed to get 8 or 9 runs in and also got to take the Peak 2 Peak again. And trust me, the half day ticket was more than enough! :))

Figured he would be a little sore the next day, so off to the recreation centre for a steam room and hot tub we went; for "just in case". And it felt wonderful - and I wasn't even skiing!

Take a look at Mike in "action"

A visit to Vancouver

On Monday we were up and out the door shortly after 9 and headed down the Sea to Sky highway to Vancouver. Beautiful views the whole way.

Mike's brother Rob, drives for a transit company; and we met him on his lunch break. We ended up sitting in a park near Commercial and Grant; and spent a good half hour catching up. Rob's break came to an end; and back to work he went.

We however, had another stop to make. Our good friend Sally's daughter lives in this neighbourhood; and just had a baby girl back in November. So after stopping to buy a yellow stuffed elephant for baby Jubilee; we met Leslie and then stopped and shared a pizza.

Next, we took a self-guided tour of downtown Vancouver. We drove past the Pan Pacific hotel; drove through Gas Town; along west Hastings for a bit; and then eventually over to Stanley Park. We drove the perimeter of the park and took lots of loops along the way; plus when there was something nice to look at, we got out and looked around, took some pictures; and then moved on.

Once we left the park; we drove over the Lions Gate Bridge. Beautiful sites all around; and the sun glistening off the mountains, made things really pretty. We drove over to the Capilano Suspension bridge, but it was pretty pricey to walk across.

We only get one station, the CBC, at our park. And of course the NHL playoffs are happening right now. So, I'm pretty sure we watched a hockey game after supper and before heading off to bed.

Another perfect day on the West Coast. Take a look at our pictures.

Peak 2 Peak in Whistler

Today turned out to be a beautiful day for the Peak 2 Peak Gondola ride in Whistler. We left our park around noon; and headed on up. There was very little traffic; and no road construction going on today. On our way up on Thursday, the crews were out working in full, preparing for the upcoming Olympics.

We took the first part of the gondola ride up; and were in our own car. The views all around were breathtaking, and both the upper and lower villages of Whistler were right below us as we climbed up. The first ride up was roughly 25 minutes and no matter what direction you looked; there were snow covered mountains, skiers/boarders and breathtaking beauty.

Once at the top, you have a chance to walk around for a bit; watch the skiers/snowboarders; have a bite to eat; shop for souvenirs; or just enjoy the views around. Then you continue on in the Peak 2 Peak gondola; which takes you from Whistler Mountain over to Blackcomb. This ride is roughly 11 minutes; the cars are much bigger - holding roughly 12 people; and again breathtaking views no matter where you look.

When we reached the end; we again got out and walked around for a bit. Even with sun glasses on, the glare from the snow was hard on my eyes. We walked into a few of the buildings; watched some more skiing/boarding action for a while; and then took the cable ride back over to Whistler. Took a few more pictures; and finally took the cable car back to the bottom.

The Peak 2 Peak Gondola is the longest and highest continuous lift system in the world. The highest part is 1472 feet above Fitzsimmons Creek.

Mike couldn't believe that he was actually spending the day at Whistler and wasn't going to be skiing! He did a lot of skiing in his past; but it's been a long time and with no equipment, etc.; he was content to just be up there.

The sun was shining the whole time; and there was no wind. Just an absolute perfect day to spend at the top of Whistler.

There was a big music festival happening on The Stroll, so we stopped and got a burger and poutine and listed to the music while watching thousands of people walking to and from the slopes.

Take a look at our pictures

On the Road Again

Well, after a day's delay, we pulled out of the Living Forest RV park on Wednesday morning. We had said our goodbyes to a lot of people on Monday, but Bob and Alvisia came over to wish us safe travels and to see us off. After a quick stop at the office, we were on our way to Departure Bay ferry terminal. We had less than an hour wait; and the sailing went by smoothly. And this time, Molly's face didn't swell - yay!!!

We had beautiful snow capped mountains to watch on the 1 1/2 hour crossing; and as you approached the mainland, you could see Vancouver's skyline in the distance.

We got turned around a little bit getting off the ferry due to a detour; and ended up driving through a pretty swanky neighborhood in West Vancouver - pretty nice.

We are now settled in our new park in Squamish; and are completely surrounded by mountains. It's beautiful here. The park is quite new and the owners are busy making new sites, etc. But we are at the far end of the park; no neighbors; and our patio faces a wooded area.

Yesterday, we drove up to Whistler, which is under an hour; and spent a couple of hours driving from the upper village to the lower village and driving through some really nice neighborhoods. In fact, I don't recall seeing one single place in need of repair. And it's quite apparent, that you need some moola to live here. We finally made our way to the downtown shops. This area is called "The Stroll" and is pedestrians only; roughly 800 meters from start to finish and stores and restaurants on both sides. Some of the shops were pretty expensive; even the sales racks were a little steep for me!

The "stroll" eventually ends at the gondola and there were tons of people with ski attire on and carrying their skis or snowboards. Lots of restaurants down at this end of the mall to treat yourself after a long day on the slopes. We were planning on heading back today, to take the Peak to Peak gondola ride; but it's really overcast and drizzly. Guess we'll have to try another day.

Take a look at our pictures

Getting Ready to Roll

Well, this past month has been spent mostly doing what we normally do - going for daily walks; playing cards with friends; enjoying the steam room/hot tub at the aquatic centre and just enjoying spring on the island.

We also had some friends come for a quick visit. We picked Sally and Latisha up at the ferry at noon and dropped them off the next afternoon around 4. During their short 28 hour visit; we spent the first afternoon touring around Victoria. Latisha had never been to BC before, so it was nice to be able to show her the capital. Plus Victoria is a really pretty city and any excuse to go is good enough for us. We also found a really nice place to have a chinese dinner right in China town.

The next day, we were up and out the door fairly early and off to Cathedral Grove we went. We have now been to Cathedral Grove in all 4 seasons, and regardless of the season, it's a beautiful place to spend an hour or so walking amongst the giant cedars and douglas firs. We also stopped at Qualicum falls and Coombs - still no goats on the roofs!

After they left; we go serious about getting ready to roll. Every drawer, cupboard, closet and bin has been emptied out and reorganized. I figure we tossed out roughly 50 pounds worth of stuff that we had no use for, or was broken. That's a job that you really need to keep up with, when you're living in a small space.

We also spent the better part of a day washing our rig from the roof on down. What a job that was! Both of us had sore shoulders the next day. But it looks good! Mike and Bob also checked a couple of our axles/bearings on the rig; and everything looked fine.

We also brought the truck in for a tune-up and oil change; and everything is working well. We also put a new set of tires on the truck. First time in 13 years and 4 vehicles that we've had to replace a full set at once.

Yesterday, our friends Barb and Marjorie came up from Victoria; and shared our Easter dinner with us. And it was delicious - turkey and all the trimmings... mmm mmm good!

We leave the island tomorrow; and our destination is Squamish. We've been across from the Sqamish/Whistler area for the winter; and are looking foward to being in the mountains, instead of just looking at them. Hopefully our sailing will go smoothly; and we should be there by late afternoon. I'll do a blog once we get set up.

Take a look at our pictures