Last weekend we headed up to Whistler resort in Canada...
We had heard so many great things about it and decided to check it out for ourselves...
And Whistler did not disappoint...
It was exactly how people had described it....
Gorgeous, absolutely beautiful.
We were right about Whistler being a great destination,
but wrong about a few other things.....
We started our trip on Saturday morning and headed North up interstate 5 to Bellingham, Washington where we took 539 to the Canada border.
This whole trip hinged on Brian being able to find his passport
(which I might add he has lost and then re-found no less than three times in the past six months)
Just in the nick of time he found it and we made our reservation...
The musical stylings of the great Michael Jackson accompanied us as we crossed the border and
went through North Vancover on our way to highway 1....
This whole trip hinged on Brian being able to find his passport
(which I might add he has lost and then re-found no less than three times in the past six months)
Just in the nick of time he found it and we made our reservation...
The musical stylings of the great Michael Jackson accompanied us as we crossed the border and
went through North Vancover on our way to highway 1....
Then we got on Highway 99, the Sea to Sky highway, and headed North along the coast.
The views were beautiful...
The views were beautiful...
And then about 15 miles from Whistler
the arrow on my trusty GPS was suddenly off the map....
We laughed nervously....
And then this......
the arrow on my trusty GPS was suddenly off the map....
We laughed nervously....
And then this......
Which leads me to incorrect Sundberg assumption #1: my GPS works throughout ye ole' Canada
We continued on Highway 99 hoping for the best and were ecstatic to see this sign...
We continued on Highway 99 hoping for the best and were ecstatic to see this sign...
Our hotel was in the upper village and we were headed to an Italian restaurant in the lower village for dinner so we hopped on the free bus....
It sounded like an excellent idea at the time...
Take the free bus to the lower village,
no worries about parking,
we can eat, drink, be merry and then stumble back to the bus stop.
It sounded like an excellent idea at the time...
Take the free bus to the lower village,
no worries about parking,
we can eat, drink, be merry and then stumble back to the bus stop.
There were so many sites to see...
They had turned the ski slopes into a mountain biking mecca...
The village was an adorable collection of restaurants, stores and hotels....
We enjoyed a great bottle of wine at dinner....
Which leads me to incorrect Sundberg assumption #2: the bus runs until 2AM (which is what the front desk guy had told us).
Turns out the bus service stops at 10:07 pm.
So we hiked it back to our hotel...
which led to some drunken moonlight map reading...
Turns out the bus service stops at 10:07 pm.
So we hiked it back to our hotel...
which led to some drunken moonlight map reading...
The next day, we awoke to the beautiful Whistler scenery and cool mountain air...
Incorrect Sundberg assumption #3: the weather will be nice.....
the forecast for the weekend was low to mid 70s, partly cloudly on Sunday.
We woke up Sunday morning to temperatures in the low 60s and rain....
Our first purchases of the day were jackets (waterproof!).....
Can you believe that we now live in Seattle and don't even own rain jackets??
Incorrect Sundberg assumption #3: the weather will be nice.....
the forecast for the weekend was low to mid 70s, partly cloudly on Sunday.
We woke up Sunday morning to temperatures in the low 60s and rain....
Our first purchases of the day were jackets (waterproof!).....
Can you believe that we now live in Seattle and don't even own rain jackets??
In the afternoon Brian played golf at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler golf course....
It was gorgeous...
While he played I entertained myself taking pictures and soaking up the gorgeous views....
It was gorgeous...
While he played I entertained myself taking pictures and soaking up the gorgeous views....
I tried to be a good caddie....I drove the cart, kept his score, held the flag....
On Hole #13 Brian fired up a Cuban cigar....
The weather started off cold and rainy but about halfway through it warmed up as the clouds gave way to gorgeous blue skies...
And then this guy tried to kill me!
He was this New Zealander that joined up with Brian on Hole #16 and played the last few holes with us....
After the first hole Brian declared him "a good golfer"...
So I was sitting in the cart minding my own business when I looked over and this guy's tee shot was headed straight for my head!
It ended up bouncing off the roof of the golf cart but it was a close call...
I moved out of the way and his next shot also hit our golf cart....
Brian then changed his opinion to "sorry about that...he's not that good."
After the first hole Brian declared him "a good golfer"...
So I was sitting in the cart minding my own business when I looked over and this guy's tee shot was headed straight for my head!
It ended up bouncing off the roof of the golf cart but it was a close call...
I moved out of the way and his next shot also hit our golf cart....
Brian then changed his opinion to "sorry about that...he's not that good."
So far the weather had been a little dicey but we lucked out on Monday with an absolutely gorgeous clear day...
When I booked the trip, the lady had asked if we wanted a kayak or canoe...
She said they called the canoe the "divorce boat" because well, if you weren't fighting when you started you would be by the end.
So that choice was easy...
She said they called the canoe the "divorce boat" because well, if you weren't fighting when you started you would be by the end.
So that choice was easy...
Sign us up for the kayak!!
Here we are before we started out....all smiles....
This was our great guide, he was from New Zealand and had the coolest accent....
He was so laid back, and when we had troubles he just laughed and said, "no worries man!"
He was so laid back, and when we had troubles he just laughed and said, "no worries man!"
Which leads me to incorrect Sundberg assumption #4: kayaking is easy.
If the canoe is the divorce boat then the kayak is the marriage counselor....
Paddling a kayak is definetely easier than a canoe but it still necessitates good communication between the two people...
Most of our "heated conversations" stemmed from miscommunication....
in other words Brian saying, "Do this.......no, not like that!" Or "I meant the other side!"
Disclaimer: I'm sure Brian has his own explanation of the events, but I write this blog so you only get to hear my side. Please contact Brian directly if you would like his side of the story.
We had our rough spots...
a brief stent of going backwards down the river,
crashing into the guide's kayak...
But overall we felt like we did well for our first time
and it was a lot of fun.
If the canoe is the divorce boat then the kayak is the marriage counselor....
Paddling a kayak is definetely easier than a canoe but it still necessitates good communication between the two people...
Most of our "heated conversations" stemmed from miscommunication....
in other words Brian saying, "Do this.......no, not like that!" Or "I meant the other side!"
Disclaimer: I'm sure Brian has his own explanation of the events, but I write this blog so you only get to hear my side. Please contact Brian directly if you would like his side of the story.
We had our rough spots...
a brief stent of going backwards down the river,
crashing into the guide's kayak...
But overall we felt like we did well for our first time
and it was a lot of fun.
The views were spectacular...
And then, sadly, it was time to go home....
As soon as we were moving, I was asleep.
I woke up an hour later to find that...
we had made it an awesome 10 miles....
Which leads me to incorrect Sundberg assumption #5: traffic.
You see, there was this "little" music festival going on just north of Whistler....
We knew about it ahead of time but had no idea the magnitude of it....
The Pemberton Music Festival
drew a crowd of 40,000 people....
And they all headed home Monday afternoon.....
So it took us three hours to crawl the 30 miles from Whistler to North Vancouver
and a total of 7 and a half hours to make the 210 mile trip home....
But we did finally make it home, exhausted....but happy.
We knew about it ahead of time but had no idea the magnitude of it....
The Pemberton Music Festival
drew a crowd of 40,000 people....
And they all headed home Monday afternoon.....
So it took us three hours to crawl the 30 miles from Whistler to North Vancouver
and a total of 7 and a half hours to make the 210 mile trip home....
But we did finally make it home, exhausted....but happy.
3 comments:
Wow - beautiful! And it wouldn't be nearly as memorable if it weren't for all the "adventures" along the way - right?!?
p.s. Avery is sitting here looking at the blog w/ me & I pulled up a pic and said, "Look, there's your friends Brian & Erin!" and she said "hi" w/ a big grin. She loves y'all.
I love it! It sounds like so much fun. We have had the paddling related adventure as well. We went white water rafting with another couple. The fact that I was so terrified for my life made me quite compliant!
The blog link is all yours.
Great post. Alison and I definitely want to check out Whistler some time. I'm dying to ski or snowboard there. Btw, your Nav might have worked if you changed your map region.
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