Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Mt. Rainier and the Packwood mystery. Monday July 8, 2013
We had a lot of ground to cover today. We left Seattle this morning with a destination of Mt. Rainier in mind. Before we reached the park entrance Melanie suggested that we stop to get a lunch that we could pack in our cool because the dining options at limited in the park. We stopped a grocery store and stocked up on picnic supplies.
After our mission of lunch provisions was taken care of we hit the entrance to the park where Tom paid $10.00 for his lifetime pass that he can use in any park in the federal system. Woo hoo! Finally a perk to being his age ;-)
We were a bit concerned when we left the hotel this morning that our good weather luck had run its course. The sky was overcast and while not cool, it certainly wasn't warm either. On our way to the park it began to break up and by the time we entered the park we had blue skies overhead.
We drove into the park and after stopping at a waterfall and several viewpoints we were ready for lunch. For the second time this holiday, we have eaten lunch in July, in the snow. We had a great view of Mt. Rainier as a back drop as we picnicked. We sat in our shirtsleeves and felt warm as kids played in the snow behind us.
Back on the road, we headed a short distance up the road to Paradise. Paradise is the name of the stop where the visitor's center is located. We hiked uphill and through the snow to a waterfall and another different view of the mountain and its glaciers. It was putty humorous to see so many people dressed so differently for the experience. There were serious hikers in boots with hiking poles and there we people in flip flops, and everything in between. Tank tops, down jackets... You get the picture.
After we hiked back down to the visitor's center we headed toward the park exit. We made a few more stops at some gorgeous gorges, bridges and reflective lakes, and walked a few more of the shorter trails before we exited the park.
On the way back to Melanie and Steve's house Melanie promised us a town named Packwood would be filled with elk for us to see. She said their would be elk in front yards, elk in pastures, elk in parking lots.... Ya, and they promised us bears in Whistler too... But look how that turned out in the end... We saw our bear, so off to Packwood we went. We approached the town and Melanie said "there's the Welcome to Packwood sign" and suddenly 5 feet ahead there was an elk in someone's front yard. Oh! There's 3 in that field! Look! One standing next to the hotel!!! We stopped for some pictures and Melanie's promise fulfilled, we headed out of town. I can't begin to explain it but we saw one or two elk just past the edge of town, but why they chose this town, and how they know where the city limits are escapes me!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Anacortes againSunday July 7, 2013
After breakfast at our hotel we headed back to Anacortes. We peeked in the window of a few antique stores the night before and decided to return when they were open for a better look. We each picked up a few small things that caught our eyes but all the things I fell in love with were not airplane approved
(You know, 10 gallon ceramic crock, glass mason jar, gallon milk bottle sort of stuff).
After the morning of antique shopping we did a little touring around the town. We found a couple of scenic viewpoints over the city and marveled at the view of the surrounding islands and the yacht that was easily 4 times the size of any other boat in the marina.
We followed that up with a walk through a nature reserve and then along a beach adjacent to the ferry terminal. We enjoyed a late lunch in town and then jumped back in to the car for the 2 hour return trip to Seattle.
We had reservations at a hotel near the airport because Steve had a 4 am shuttle to the airport for his business trip out of town. It was a brief visit with him but we packed a whole lot of fun into that short time.
Tomorrow Melanie, Tom and I will head out on another adventure but one made just for three.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
We saw a bear!!!! Saturday July 6, 2013
We saw a bear!!!!
Honest to goodness, we went out on special bear hunts, constantly searched the side of the road, below the ski lifts... Any place we thought a bear would linger and we never saw one... Until this morning when a young adolescent bear almost became our hood ornament!! He was so close we could read the numbers on his yellow ear tag! Literally as we were driving out of town this bear ran across the road right in front of our car. Tom was on the brakes so hard we were both almost through the windshield.
"Are you kidding me??? Did that just happen??? AND WE HAVE NO PICTURES!!!!!"
(We really DID see a bear Sue and Roger...)
We suffered through a 1.5+ hour border crossing back in to the US. They let us in without a problem though... Even wished us "Welcome home".
Due to the long wait at the border we were 30 minutes later than intended to the airport to pick up Melanie and Steve. They were waiting curbside and the four of us packed and repacked the rental trying to make their 4+ bags fit. Comfortably snug in the back seat, we set off the direction we just came from in search of dinner and our hotel. After dinner we unloaded our bags, did a quick change and hit the road again for the H2O Bar in Anacortes.
Steve has a lifelong friend Randy who has his own blues band and they were appearing onstage at the H2O. We arrived in time for Steve to chat with Randy and he brought him by to meet Melanie (his new fiancée!), and Tom and I. It turns out that Randy and his band (Randy Oxford Band) have won some awards and are really good! Steve's son Derek also joined us for the evening. We did some dancing and had a great time.
Final day in Whistler Friday July 5th, 2013
After sleeping in a little Tom and I went in search of something to spend our remaining Loonies and Toonies on. (Loonies are $1 coins, Toonies are... $2 coins of course!)
One more trip through the upper and lower village in search of a Tshirt or something worthwhile proved fruitless so we decided brunch back in Horseshoe Bay on our way out of Canada tomorrow was appropriate.
We watched a bit of a "longboard" (skateboard) competition this afternoon sponsored by Polaroid. This is a great city for free community events and entertainment.
After laundry and some packing this evening, we are currently sitting listening to a Reggae concert in Whistler Olympic Plaza. Following the Reggae band is a band Tom knows from the 80's named THE ENGLISH BEAT. The evening is part of a free summer concert series.
Sad as we will be to leave this great little town, tomorrow we are off to Seattle to pick up my sister Melanie and her fiancée Steve at SeaTac. After we get them the four of us are headed for a Blues concert in Annacortes, Washington. Steve has a friend in a band. Lots more fun to come!!!
Saturday, July 6, 2013
A visit to Vancouver Thursday July 4, 2013
With a quick stop at Starbucks halfway to Vancouver, we arrived mid morning at Stanley Park. We drove through the park until we found parking near the Totem Pole village. We walked the seawall until we reached the area where we could see about 10 totem poles created by Native American artists. Some were created to replace originals now moved to a local museum, others to honor Native American culture and the people/animals important to their culture. They all tell interesting stories. We walked back along another part of the wall, taking in the sprawling Vancouver skyline.
Our next goal was to find parking in downtown Vancouver so we could see the city. We parked in Gastown and went in search of the famous Steam Clock. We approached just as the clock struck noon. The clock blew steam and played a tune and we took pictures of course!
Back at the information booth we acquired suggestions for lunch and directions to Granville Island. The trip involved a bus ride with a very helpful and entertaining bus driver who told us to sit back and relax and he promised to let us know exactly when to get off, then he informed the "people who like to be in control" the exact number of stops until our destination. This got Roger counting because "why waste such good information"???
Granville Market was bustling with shoppers and overflowing with fresh Rainer cherries, blackberries and other yummy looking fruits. Overall however it was quite small. We found the food court and a table inside, safe from the marauding seagulls swiping people's food outdoors. We each found a meal that suited us and then we explored the market and surrounding shops before boarding the bus back to the mainland.
We had just enough time to buzz through Chinatown which took us through a very seedy part of town. Back at the car and then off to the train station, we said our good byes to Roger and Sue. We shared best wishes for a safe and fun remainder of our separate adventures and Tom and I took off to fight the afternoon traffic out of Vancouver.
On the way home we decided to stop at a lake that we had driven past several times when Sue and Roger were with us. We were disappointed that we hadn't stopped sooner as it was a beautiful provincial park with the lake, hiking trails, rock climbing and loads of beautiful photo opportunities off of every path we explored. A lot of diversity in this one small park.
On our way back to Whistler, with sunset near and a cooler evening we decided it would be a good evening for a bear hunt. We drove down a road we had been on earlier in the day. We had been told by a local that he had seen a cub laying on his back on the roadside, eating grass. Worth a try, right? No such luck :(
Back at the condo we spent a quiet and leisurely evening together. We thought about Skyping the grand kids but realized it was July 4th and they were probably all out in search of fireworks!!!
Friday, July 5, 2013
Looking for bears and Sampling the spirits Wednesday July 3 , 2013
On our way up to Whistler we passed multiple view points and pull outs on the opposite side of the road. Today we decided to back track and see some of the views. We first stopped at the Whistler Olympic Park where the ski jumping and Nordic events were held. After marveling at the height of the ski jump we watched as some other tourists shot the guns at the shooting range, part of the bi athahlon event.
Back on the road, we searched between the woods and the roadside, constantly on the look out for bears. The Whistler area is home to 60 black bears and everyone we meet has seen one or more bears except us!
We stopped at the pull offs along the Sea to Sky Highway and enjoyed some magnificent views of the wild raging river and the surrounding mountains from a different perspective than the day prior. Sue has been learning to use her dSLR on manual mode, and what a photographers wonderland to learn in!
When we headed back north we had a plan to visit a small local distillery, something impossible to do in the US. We stopped by to be sure we could get a tour after we had lunch and Tyler, the owner gave us directions to a local eatery that he recommended. After another great choice in lunch spots we headed back to Pemberton Distillery for a look at how they operate.
Tyler usually gives full tours on Saturdays but we can't imagine getting a more full and informative tour than we received today.... Private too! He took the four of us into the back of the warehouse building and explained all of the equipment and its purpose to us. We asked any and all of the questions we had and he gave us free reign to take any photos that we desired. After that part of his tour he took us to the front and we sampled his vodka (delicious!), gin (amazingly herby and flavorful and perfect for sipping) and we finished with his gorgeous chartreuse absinthe. I almost passed on that one because I was sure I wasn't going to care for it. Boy, was I wrong! It was so tasty and not heavy or cloyingly licorice flavored. Really a great flavor experience. We all bought a few things they had to offer and thanked Tyler for his time and sharing of his knowledge about vodka, whiskey and general distilling of spirits with us. Being a couple of light weights and after generous samples of high proof liquors, Sue and I giggled our way out the door as Roger smiled at his purchases and Tom (our DD) worried about the ride home trapped in the car with the three of us!
We left the distillery and headed to the town of Pemberton to check out their farmers market. It was small but enjoyable. Tom and I indulged in a shave ice as we wandered the market and Roger sat and listened to the one man band entertain the market goers.
Back at the condo after the evening's cigars, Sue and Roger started laundry and packing. We have an early start to a day inVancouver planned. The day will end with us dropping Sue and Roger off at the Vancouver train station for their trip down to Seattle and their meeting with their son and daughter in law.
Peak2Peak... Lunch with mountain top views Tuesday July 2, 2013
Today we laid down $50.00 a person for the Peak 2 Peak Experience in Whistler. It seemed pretty pricey but it turned out we all agreed it was a very worthwhile investment for our day.
The Peak 2 Peak Experience involved a 30 minute gondola trip (in a 4person gondola) to the top of a Whistler Mountain followed by a 10 minute trip by the Peak2Peak 30ish person gondola across the divide to Blackcomb Mountain. Once we arrived at Blackcomb we hopped a bus that took us to the chairlift that would whisk us to the peak of the mountain. The air temperature was significantly cooler at the top and we were all grateful for our jackets. After watching skiers and snowboarders enjoying the glacier, we decided to enjoy our picnic lunch at an outdoor table with a view. Oh, what a view too! We were surrounded on all sides by gorgeous mountain views and the crisp mountain air made the sandwiches taste so special!
After exploring more of the mountain we headed back on the bus to take the gondola back to Whistler. The bus driver stopped the bus to point out a marmot along the return trip. The marmot makes a whistling sound and supposedly that is where Whistler got its name. Unfortunately that marmot is the only wildlife we have seen since our arrival.
Upon arrival back at Whistler we hiked down a hill and out to a great vantage point to take in the breathtaking views from the edge of a mountain. We took some pictures in the snow before heading back across to Blackcomb. We saw the sights in the order that we did because of timing of buses and because we wanted to enjoy the views acending one mountain in the gondola and descending the other mountain on the chairlift. We all enjoyed the open air of the chairlift so much we wished we had taken it both directions. It was very enjoyable to have the sun on our faces and the cool wind in our hair (well, not Tom ;-) )
We returned to the unseasonably warm climate in the village. After a walk through the village back to our condo, the guys enjoyed their evening cigar and the ladies enjoyed some down time with a cocktail handmade by Roger.
Dinner is in again tonight.The four of us make a great team in the kitchen. We have enjoyed some terrific meals made in the kitchen of our condo, including the awesome picnic we enjoyed on the mountain today. Everything from pasta to steaks and salmon on the BBQ.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Happy Canada Day!!! Monday July 1, 2013
I am sitting in a turquoise blue adirondack chair overlooking a grassy concert venue, listening to a free reggae concert in the sunshine as I type this on my iPad. What a great way to spend a day.
It is the 146th anniversary of Canada's independence and they know how to celebrate here. A parade (which we planned our day around only to discover the paper had printed the incorrect time and we missed it!), free concerts all day, a talented 12 year old girl singing the national anthem, a cake cutting ceremony with free cake for all, and fireworks to end the evening.
The rest of the group went on a walk/ hike this morning and had a great time. I opted out due to some back/ hip issues I am having. It freed up some time for me to call and Facetime with the family back home and across the country. I found a store with pants with long legs ( if you know me at all you'll know this is a constant quest for me) where I managed to do some damage to my credit card.
The rest of the group is back at the condo enjoying the air conditioning or a cigar while I sit here in the park. Time to go rejoin them for dinner before the big show tonight... I can hardly wait to see how Canada does fireworks!
Beautiful Whistler Sunday June 30, 2013
Today was a day of leisure exploration. The four of us had one goal for the day which was to see what the town of whistler is all about. We visited the weekly Sunday farmers market, did some shopping and cigar searching and finished the day with a rock concert in Whistler Olympic Plaza.
The village consists of a meandering pathway through cute shops, Olympic memorabilia, glorious mountain views, and every sunshine loving person and dog in this outdoor loving town. The community takes pride in its town and it is so unbelievably clean and friendly and family oriented. (And did I mention pricey???) Everything is done in a "green" way and 90% of every food you encounter is organic. And they have rhubarb! I could live here...
(Of course it's 90' and not 90 inches of snow....)
The previously mentioned rock concert actually involved two bands, WiL, an alternative band that I enjoyed and 54-40, a famous Canadian Rolling Stones type rock band with followers from age 16-60. It was fun to lie on the soft grass with Tom and enjoy a warm summer evening and some great FREE music! (Sue and Roger opted for bench seating and they enjoyed the entertainment also!)
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