Shifting Gears   Baby Boomer…Member Life 2.0…Wife, Mother, Grammie…Bicyclist…GoldWinger…Mensan…Girl Scout…Reader…Knitter…Rotarian

This post being brought to you by the U.S.A.  We’re back on our native soil in Bellingham, WA after 8 glorious days spent with our neighbors to the north.  We loved Canada and here are 10 things to share about that country:

• 10.  The Canadians we met were friendly, helpful and kind  – every single one of them.
• 9.  What’s not to like about a monetary system where you can immediately calculate a 13-14% discount?  Even if prices seem high to begin with.
• 8.  Canadian gas = $4.20 for 4 liters, Springfield = $2.11 a gallon.
• 7.  Metric system not a big deal if you like math – and we do!
• 6.  Canada has real glaciers – and they are HUGE!
• 5.  Bears too – we saw a black one on the way back from Hyder.  Also saw mountain sheep, goats, antelope and a single moose (he was dead on the side of the road) 
• 4.  Great names for highways – Sea to Sky, Yellowhead, Cassiar – much more fun than I-44.
• 3.  At Rotary we got to toast the queen at the start and the end of the meeting.
• 2.  Canadian Rocky Mountains are even more impressive than ours.
• 1.  What’s not to like, eh?

Our route today was short on miles but long on time and impressive scenery.  We met a guy at our hotel this morning we assured us that we’d have no delays or unpaved roads on the Sea to Sky Highway.  What we did get were twists, turns, steep grades and reduced speeds.  Most of the morning we were driving at 60km/h or less but Burl said it was a fun route to drive.

The main attraction today was Whistler where part of the 2010 Winter Olympics will be held. 

Entrance to Whistler Village

The Alpine and Nordic ski events will be in the mountains of Whistler/Blackcombe and Burl can’t wait to watch them on TV and say “I’ve been there.”  Especially since he’s been to Squaw Valley, Lake Placid and Park City which were also winter olympic sites.

We opted to take the Peak2Peak tram which took us up Whistler and then over the world’s largest single span (almost 2 miles) to Blackcombe. 

View from the gondola going up Whistler Mountain

We enjoyed a drink at the top of Blackcombe and I offered to let Burl return from Blackcombe on the regular ski lift but NO way was I going to get on it.  I’m a natural chicken about heights and could only make the trip today since I was safely enclosed in the gondola.

We briefly considered staying overnight at Whistler but in the end opted to continue south knowing we still have 4-5 hours ahead of us but it would get us through customs and out of Vancouver traffic on a Monday morning. 

Ferry boat from Victoria to Vancouver near Horseshoe Bay

We were treated to more spectacular scenery including this shot of a ferry boat coming across the bay. 

Thanks to a tip from someone on the gondola, we skirted Vancouver across the northern part and came south on Highway 13 to clear customs.  We must have looked pretty tame because they took a cursory look at our passports and waved us through – didn’t even ask if we had any fruits, etc. or the value of all we purchased (<$60!)

We’re staying right off I-5 tonight and in the morning will go south to see Mt. St. Helena before turning west to meet the 101 (Pacific Coast Highway) and ride it through the southern part of Washington and into Oregon.

It’s good to be back South of the Canadian Border where we don’t have to pay international phone rates!