Happy Memorial Day. Hope yours was good or better than Mikes anyway as he has major toothache.

Mike: OUCH!!!!

Sad day today, had to take mam and dad to the airport as their trip has finally come to an end. Before we got going however, everyone but me saw Bennie the bear. He was just sauntering up the side of the house and through the garden while I was getting dressed in the trailer. Mike had left the ice chest outside and judging by the foot prints around it he had a really good look at it; good job there was no food inside. If I’d been five minutes faster in the shower I’d have had a close encounter of the bear kind. I was kind of gutted that I missed seeing him though, check out the bear prints.
Well got going to Vancouver International and on the way guess what, I saw my own bear. He was ambling up the side of the hill. Not quite so close but I saw one none the less. Then a little further out of Whistler and we all saw a momma bear with two brown bear cubs having breakfast on the side of the road. They are so cute, but wouldn’t want to get too close to them.
The drive to the airport was uneventful really, it rained a lot but not too much crying was done till we actually got there. It was quite weird getting to the airport as we had to drive right through the middle of Vancouver city center, but the airport was easy once we got there. Saying goodbye to Ma and Pa was hard as usual but we’ll be meeting up again in a few months time.
Headed straight back up to Whistler and took Tal-y for a run at Meadow Park ; she is definitely enjoying being retired. Later headed into the village for a bite to eat before heading back to Jaime and Lec’s to watch the basketball – Go Lakers!

Mike:Never seen a city where you had to drive on surface streets from one end to the other to get to the airport! Dumb! This is a very big city and we saw all of it.

Not a very exciting day today. We had to head back over the border to take care of some business so spent most of the day driving. Had a fairly easy ride though, very little traffic (thank god for Nell who took us around Vancouver and not though it), and no trouble crossing the border in either direction. Just one little hiccup when the US border agent asked Mike the truck license plate number and he didn’t have a clue, it was a good job I was with him or they might have kept him.
Took care of business, stocked up with groceries (read wine), gassed up and headed back to Canada . Back home before tea, not a bad day’s work.

Mike: Who memorizes their license plate number?

It’s been a very relaxing and leisurely couple of weeks and today wasn't much different. Mike and I went to village for breakfast; it’s really nice there in the mornings as there are very few people around. Had lovely crepes before meeting Ma, Pa, and Tal-y for a trip to Brandywine Falls . We checked with the little info lady about how far away it was and a good job we did as it’s closed until June 1. We took a drive to Alexandra Falls instead which was also closed but we checked it out anyway since we were there, it was beautiful.

Mike: Lots of water.

Did absolutely nothing exciting today, Jaime and Lec back to work and everyone else recovering from the trip to Vancouver Island . We did manage to get out for Tal-y to have a run but it rained most of the day so got caught up on some reading and just general hanging out, oh and eating.

Mike: eat!, rain!, eat!, rain!

Made it back home early this evening. The trip to Vancouver Island was excellent, I think everyone had a grand old time. Did a little shopping this morning in Victoria after checking out and then headed to Schwarz Bay to catch the ferry back to Tsawassen. We had to wait a while to get on the ferry but when they started loading we were the first on the boat. Unfortunately for all Lec’s efforts we only managed to be about fifth in the queue for food. Tal-y got to wait in the car again but she didn’t complain too much since we brought her sweet potato fries. The crossing was great, and we even saw a seal hanging around off the back of the boat. The drive home was a little longer than on the way there as we came ashore closer to Vancouver . The drive to Whistler was beautiful though, it’s just as breathtaking each time.

Mike: Great trip. This is a big world and a lot to see!

Slept like a log last night in the lovely big hotel bed. I know Mike and Tal-y were in it somewhere but felt like I was all alone it was so wide. We had a really superb time this morning, after having breakfast at Smitty’s we visited the Buchart Gardens which is a stunning place. The trees and flowers were beautiful and the whole gardens were very tranquil inspite of all the people visiting. We were very fortunate that the weather cooperated too and we had a delightful few hours wandering through an array of colours and aromas.
Jaime, assisted by Mike took us on a little drive through the backcountry lanes this pm where we saw some magnificent houses that none of us will ever be able to afford. We found the place where the ferries leave from; we were a day early but at least we know where we have to go tomorrow. We had some Mexican food in Sidney which wasn’t too bad. It seems like months since I last had a potato taco but I guess it’s only really been about 3 weeks – I miss having Mexican food available on every street corner.
Spent a little time wandering around Victoria this evening while everyone else was eating then they all descended on our room, since it was the biggest, and mam entertained us with her flexibility – I think she should have had more water with the cider.

Mike:First Mexican food since we left-6 different salsa's (all great) Drive was nice too!

Got up this morning ready to head off to Victoria . We had a bit of a drive, about four hours but the scenery was beautiful so it really didn’t seem so long. Arrived at the Fairmont Empress hotel around mid afternoon and had a wander around the harbour before checking in. We had a little issue with the check in as our room wasn’t ready but it got sorted out and they even had treats for Tal-y. We went out for dinner and found a nice little pub. It’s quite difficult staying at hotels with a dog since we couldn’t leave her in our room and couldn’t have her on the patio of any restaurant, so we tied her to the railing of the pub. She wasn’t really happy about it but she put up with it providing the chips kept coming, and she also dealt with all the people that stopped to take photos of her. Our dinner was served by a cool guy called Jackass and the food was great. We met up with Jaime and Lec later at the Bengal Lounge; they were pretty merry by the time we got there, both very smiley and happy.
Happy Victoria Day for tomorrow.

Mike: I love this city. I wanted to charge for Tal-y's pictures but Becc would't let me.

Slept on the sofa bed in the living room last night, and slept just fine. After breakfast we walked one of the Pacific Rim Trails which was beautiful. The first part was through the forest and then second part of the loop was along the Pacific both were beautiful in their own way. The forest was very thick and mysterious, almost prehistoric looking, while the Pacific Ocean was awesome as always. The views from the trail looking out over the ocean were amazing, yet also quite tragic since we looked over an area know as the Graveyard of the Pacific where a large number of ships have been lost due to the rocky coastline.
One the way back from breakfast we saw some deer along the side of the road having their own breakfast, and they were still hanging out when we got back from our walk like they didn’t have a care in the world.
Went for a drive this afternoon, originally to go to the beach but since it was in a national park we would have had to pay $48.00 for the privilege of walking on it so we drove on to Tofino to check out the town. It might have been a nice little place but it was too cold and too windy to walk around. We had thought about going bear watching but after seeing the boats going out and the way they were dancing on the choppy waves I am so glad we didn’t get to go; it would not have been a fun trip for those of us who suffer with seasickness.
Jaime, Lec, Mike and I all got in the hot tub tonight. It was fairly cold evening but toasty in the tub. It was nice just to sit and chat and watch the stellar jays hopping around the trees just beyond the balcony.

Mike: I wanted to see a bear, they're all wooses!

Everyone up early this morning and raring to go. We headed off on our little adventure early this morning after having picked up the rental car. We got a nice Suburban, much better than a minivan for the drive to Vancouver Island; I’m glad someone dinged the rental minivan yesterday. Jaime drove and we headed for Horseshoe Bay. We hadn’t been able to book the ferry over to the island so we hoped to get on the first one of the day at 10.30. We got there with about 30 minutes to spare and were all excited when the ferry started boarding and we were moving right along, unfortunately they stopped boarding when we were about 6 cars from the front of the line. No big deal, only 2 hours till the next ferry and Horseshoe Bay is a cute little town. We got to wander round for a while and have coffee and I made a new friend who was heading to Vancouver Island for his first meeting with a woman he'd met online - I hope it went well. Then we headed back to board the ferry for Nanaimo; the trip across was nice and calm and took just under 2 hours. We spent the time wandering the decks and checking out the views from the outside deck. Tal-y got to stay in the car; there was a pet area that we discovered later but she had more space in the back seat of the suburban.
We are staying in Ucluelet for these first two nights and the drive from Nanaimo took a few hours.
Once again it is beautiful country, lots of trees and lakes, very grand. We stopped along the way for lunch and when we walked in everyone stared at us, it was just one of those places. Turns out we'd gone in the bar not the restaurant, what a difference an entrance makes!
Made it to Ucluelet late this afternoon and Lec checked us in to the cottage we are staying in. It's very cute and very quiet, overlooking the water. The area doesn't seem very touristy which is great, although there are a number of places to stay here it seems to be fairly unreached by masses of visitors. We took a walk on the beach this evening, we had to climb down to it a little ways, and we were the only ones on it. Maybe its the time of the year and it will get busier but right now its peaceful and unspoilt and the views are fantastic.

Mike: I preferred the bar (more Bubbas's) It was another hike!

What a fiasco this morning ended up being. We were supposed to meet mam and dad at the hotel to go for breakfast and so started getting ready. Mike was in the trailer and I went to the apartment only to find the front door was locked. No big deal I figured that since nobody but us were home that Mike had locked it. I quickly discovered that wasn't the case and that in fact it was Tal-y who had managed to lock herself in the apartment and of course the keys were in there with her. I admit I had a little freak out moment, then decided to drive to get Jaime's key from him at work. Got back to the apartment to discover that the lock Tal-y had managed to turn was not the one that Jaime had a key for so we were still at square one. I had freak out moment two of the morning how was I going to explain to Tal-y that she had to open the door! The bedroom window was slightly open for the electric cable running to the trailer but they have winding windows here so took a little time to get it open. When we did Mike decided it would be best for me to go in. I think I am possibly the weakest person in the whole world so I needed a little lift to get over the window sill - Mike obliged and shoved me through head first. What with him helping from the outside and Tal-y doing her best to help from the inside, I'm just really glad no one was around with a camera as it wasn't a pretty sight.
By the time we got to the hotel of course ma and pa had checked out and walked back to the apartment and were waiting on the porch for us while Tal-y was throwing herself at the door from inside. All in all not a very productive morning.

Mike: Thats the most fun I've had so far!

Did nothing for the rest of today but hang out at the apartment with ma and pa getting ready for our trip tomorrow. It feels like I might be retired or something!

Mike: No, I'm retired, your unemployed.

Jaime spent most of the day with us today whilst Mike made use of the hotel internet connection to get some stuff done. Had a nice breakfast at the pub even though the waitress wouldn't hold the meat, and then walked a little of the Blueberry Trail which was very cool. A path through the woods overlooking Alta Lake, beautiful. Then off to Meadow Park to run Tal-y. She almost made it in the river, but not quite. The park is really great, very dog friendly; there are always lots of dogs retrieving from the River of Golden Dreams.
After retrieving Mike from the hotel we decided to go look for the giant cedars at Cougar Mountain. The man we asked directions from told us it was about 1km up a well kept road, I wonder now what he was smoking, omg! Poor Patricia, she was awesome since the road was awful and much further than 1 click. I admit I was a little scared and I'm very glad Patricia is a 4x4. We came across a couple of people whos car had gotten stuck in the snow, stupid people taking an acura up that mountain. We also failed to find the cedars since the hike was a good few kms and the snow proved quite an obstacle to those of us with inadequate footwear. We then tried to find the lake that was also 1km away, but after walking about 5k still no lake so we gave up and came home. Tal-y enjoyed the snow, it was her first time in it.

It rained today but we still managed a nice walk at Alta Lake. We were about the only ones there which was good for Tal-y since she got to run free. What wasn't so good for her was going out on the floating pier trying to follow Mike. It was very windy and she got a little scared, she's not the bravest welshie in the world, as evidenced by the look on her face.

Had to take a trip to walmart just outside Squamish today to stock up on supplies for while we are here. When we got back we decided to find the Lost Lake; it wasn't too difficult since it's actually on the map. It's a beautiful park, and probably more so in the summer when you can take a dip in the lake. Couldn't get Tal-y to actually go in the water, and I can't really blame her since it was very cold.

We all went to Nairn Falls today which was beautiful; it was a nice mile or so walk to the falls through the trees along the river. Then back to the start of the walk for a nice little picnic; it really is amazing to get to spend time with all my family together.

Mike:I don't call that a walk-that was genuine hiking. I feel like a trapper looking for beaver to skin.

Had a bit of a lie in this morning; it's nice not to have to get up and hit the road. Jaime and Lec were both riding their bikes this morning so got to catch up with mam and dad for a while before heading into Whistler village with Lec for lunch. The village is very cute and seems very compact. It seems quite small but is actually a good size once you start walking around it. It's full of little shops mainly geared towards the sporting crowds that flock here but there are also a number of gift shops for the tourists. Blackcomb Mountain is still open for skiing for another week although Whistler mountain is already closed for the season; I would love to try skiing but it's going to have to wait until our next visit here. It's quite a sight seeing people coming off the mountain all dressed for the snow while most people in the village are in shorts. Today was also the opening day of the bike park on Whistler Mountain so there were loads of people dressed for downhill mountain biking. Not something I ever want to try by the way, I think they all must be crazy.
We got to have a nice lunch at the Dubh Linn pub whilst people watching; this is one of those places where you can just sit and watch the world go by. Good food and great company this afternoon, and the same goes for the barbecue we just had tonight, although I don't think Jaime will be grilling veggie burgers on the barbie again any time soon.

Mike: I thought he was making meat balls, I'll have to teach him the finer art of grilling veggie burgers.

Today was hopefully the last day of driving for a few weeks as we finally made it to Whistler this afternoon. We left early this morning to cross the border into Canada. Turns out it was no big deal, they just asked a few questions and checked our passports and altogether only took about ten minutes. We hit a little delay whilst trying to bypass Vancouver but nothing like it would have been if we'd had to go through the city (thank you Nell). After leaving the vicinity of Vancouver the scenery changed and the drive upto Whistler along the Sea to Sky Highway was just magnificent. It's quite breathtaking and it all looks so majestic. Everything from the mountains and trees to the waterways are on such a grand scale and it all looks so regal. Driving past Howe Sound and then further north was beautiful as everything looks untouched and undiscovered. The drive took about 2 hours after leaving Vancouver along the winding highway and we were very fortunate as the weather was lovely and sunny if a little windy.
Arrived at Wedge Lane and got to see my family which is always good. Mam and Dad have been here about a week already and it was lovely to see them as Christmas was a few months ago, but it was really good to see Jaime as 2 1/2 years is a long time to only see someone on skype. Lec was working when we arrived but got to walk into the village to meet her from work later this afternoon. Both her and Jaime look great and so happy; maybe it's the mountain air.

Mike:I'm soo happy to be with my in-laws for the next couple of weeks. The area is
spectacular.

Another long drive today but we did cross the state line into Washington and the campsite at La Connor is beautiful. All the sites are very private and the park is right overlooking the water, Skaggit Sound. It's a pity we don't have more time to spend here but we are heading into Canada tomorrow; hopefully we'll get to return and spend some time here soon.

Mike:Tired of driving, short day tomorrow