Saturday 12 January 2008

Whistler in the snow








On Thursday we drove to Whistler with Nathan's mum, dad and two sisters. It was a rainy day, not that nice really but realistically Vancouver. It was snowing a lot when we got closer to Whistler, and Nathan had to take it easy when driving. We made it in time for their 1pm Dog-sledding, which they said was fantastic. Carolyn and Ellen got to 'mush' their own dog team! Nathan and I went snow-shoeing and it was absolutely beautiful. We were in a small group of 5, and our guide took us up the mountain and I can see where they get the name Winter Wonderland. Despite being metres from the ski-slope, it was perfectly quiet. We trudged through knee-deep powdery snow, slid down a snow slide on our bottoms, and saw lots of 'mushrooms' on tree-tops. The humidity means the snow is sticky and stays on the trees longer, sometimes forming a big ball on the tree-top - we needed to watch for when it fell off the tree though! We went to the UBC ski lodge to check in and unfortunately got stuck in the snow when we were leaving for dinner. It had still been snowing, and as Nathan finally got out of the snowy driveway, a snow-plough almost took out our rented minivan, and Nathan accidentally reversed towards a snow-bank trying to get out of the way. Some friendly locals helped us out. That night we went on a horse-drawn sleigh ride at a the Nicklaus North Golf Club (a good use for the fairway during winter!), followed by a 4 course fondue dinner. A bit extravagant, but it was like our Christmas dinner. The next morning we slept in, and then tried to shovel the car out of the snow - it had snowed all night. A snow plow came in clear the driveway and that helped a lot. We had brunch in Whistler, looked in at the 2010 Winter Olympics information booth and grabbed some souvenirs before heading back to Vancouver. This time the weather was clear, and we could look past the construction to see the beautiful views of the islands and mountains as we drove home.
Lyn had her handbag stolen at Granville Island Markets on Tuesday, including all their travel documents which had put a definite damper on their holiday, however when we returned home we had a phone message from Canada Post saying their travel document wallet had turned up - maybe the thief put it in a mail box? So we made use of the rental car to drive 30 mins south to pick that up. It was such a huge relief, despite all the other things that will remain missing. Although the Australian High Commission has already issued them Emergency Passports, it's good to know they are not being impersonated. Also, having all their accommodation and tour vouchers will make the rest of their trip a bit easier.
Saturday morning we had a walk to the beach, and a tour of Regent. Currently Nathan's family are shopping back in Downtown Vancouver. Tomorrow we hope to take them out for some local Cinnamon Rolls before they head out to San Francisco.

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