Sea to Sky

I talked Rick and Luis into taking a drive up the Sea to Sky Hwy on Sunday afternoon. They had never been far along it and I hadn't been either, since early last summer. I was anxious to see how the widening was coming along in preparation for the Winter Olympics in less than 11 months from now. It was a glorious sunny day, the kind we had been waiting for, and the recent precipitation had covered the mountains with a fresh layer of snow.

The highway runs north from Horseshoe Bay and the NW cover of metropolitan Vancouver, up to Squamish at the north end of Howe Sound, and then inland climbing to Whistler (where part of the Olympics will be held). It continues far beyond that, but we only had time to reach Pemberton, 30 km beyond Whistler as Rich and Luis could not get away before 2 pm.

Howe Sound was scenic as usual. Before we reached Squamish we stopped at Britannia Beach and Shannon Falls. We took a quick spin through Squamish, where the highway is at its ugliest, and then continued up to Whistler. There was a blanket of snow still covering the ground around Whistler, over 40 cm in some points. We didn't stop for long there but we looked for dinner in Pemberton. The only open restaurants charged exorbitant rates for their dishes (like $15 for a calzone) so we ended up at McDonald's. It was worth the trip in spite of dinner as the views of snow-covered Mt Currie, which hangs over Pemberton Valley, were mesmerizing. We drove home in the dark.

PHOTO #1 - Rich & Luis with block of jade at Britannia Beach
PHOTO #2 - Mountains at north end of Howe Sound
PHOTO #3 - the Squamish Chief
PHOTO #4 - Mt Garibaldi from Squamish
PHOTO #5 - Luis & Rich at Nairn Gorge lookout
PHOTO #6 - Mt. Currie from Pemberton
.