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