Away from it all
We managed to arrange for in home car for my mom, and off we went to Squamish, B.C., "The Mother of the Winds", for a long weekend. Unbeknownst to us, it was also a long weekend for the British Columbians, Monday being "B.C. Day", commemorating the start of their province. Even though we left late morning on Thursday, this translated into clusterfucking traffic from hell at random times and places. We were able to meet up with our son and his friend who had gone up there earlier to climb, and treat them to a couple of good meals at the Howe Sound Inn and Brewpub. We also went bouldering with them, but his friend and I gave a few tries on the Chief boulders, and ended up watching the son get up several problems, including a terrifying-looking route which hung over ledges, under the arch of a huge piece of white granite.
Some of my climbing buddies had suggested we come up and stay at their recently acquired second home up there, which was most gracious of them. We did a bit of hiking, bouldering, climbing, and beloved spouse got in a kayak paddle. We did what turned out to be an exploratory seven plus mile hike with our hosts, up in Garibaldi Provincial Park. We made it up to a gorgeous alpine meadow, full of red heather, blueberry and huckleberry bushes - no berries yet - with a panoramic view of mountains, including those around Whistler. We never made it to the Elfin Lakes, which had been our intent, but they lay tantalizingly around the next bend or three.
Some of my climbing buddies had suggested we come up and stay at their recently acquired second home up there, which was most gracious of them. We did a bit of hiking, bouldering, climbing, and beloved spouse got in a kayak paddle. We did what turned out to be an exploratory seven plus mile hike with our hosts, up in Garibaldi Provincial Park. We made it up to a gorgeous alpine meadow, full of red heather, blueberry and huckleberry bushes - no berries yet - with a panoramic view of mountains, including those around Whistler. We never made it to the Elfin Lakes, which had been our intent, but they lay tantalizingly around the next bend or three.
posted by isabelita at 11:14 PM
6 Comments:
I envy you and your beloved spouse having such wonderful places so close by...would that Dallas were equally as attractive. Ah, but where you have spectacular scenery, wonderful climate (mostly), and intelligent neighbors, we have samples of hell on earth and can genuinely say, "This is how the world will be with Bush at the helm." I am available for adoption.
Well, as I mentioned, the traffic was as awful as just about any where I've seen, except perhaps for Los Angeles-style gridlock.
Bush will pass. He's but a revolting,hilarious and visible target for frustration. It's the endless ranks of big business minions and spawns and hordes that will be hard as hell to remove from every level of government and commerce. Eastern Washington is about as bad as Texas, and I'm concerned it will tilt the political and social scene out here. But not without a fight! Do you have a branch of Drinking Liberally nearby? A place to meet kindred souls?
Well, hope you guys get some cooler air soon.
Sounds like a fantasy to someone like me who has lived in Florida most of my life. Not too many boulders in these parts. We have sandcastles instead :)
Isa,
You say "bush will pass" much like a giant kidney stone. It's still going to be painful, and the recovery long.
Your trek has me imagining your family with forearms they size of Popeye's. At least your son, getting up and over problems like curious george on a good day, seems like a splendid climber.
Blog and climb on Isa. Belay on!
I never imagine BC with traffic. Of course, it must have it, Vancouver is a large city. Squamish looks beautiful. I found a website with wonderful photos. A place we should definitely explore. Only problem is we hardly ever leave our own backyard. I mean that literally!
PoP, If you ever need to leave Florida, come to the pacific Northwest and help us outnumber the growing hordes of rednecks!
Heh. Yeah,'spike, right on about the Bushilite kidney stone in our body politic.
Did you see my husband's posts about our Squamish trip? He also has photos of our son, who indeed is a muscley young man.
We saw lots of kite surfers and windsurfers out in the water, too.
Robin Andrea, The traffic's worsening up there, and now Squamish has a Walmart and Home Depot going up. As our host observed,"There's no going back now", regarding development up in that area. And Whistler, just an hour up the road from Squamish, is hosting the 2008 Winter Olympics.
The condofornication is unbeliavable around Whistler.
Though we didn't know it, there was a big diesel fuel spill in Squamish last Friday. So, go see the landscape, enjoy the waters, while it's still there.
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