WEEK 11

Sunday, July 11th

PLAN: more sailing or touring.

We continue to sail.

COMMENTS: Omelets onboard for breakfast. No need t rush, we take advantage of the quiet, calm, restfull location and just ease back.

During the night at least 2 other craft passed us. One with loud music and another with a large wake.

To lift anchor, Don has me going back and forth. I motor us ot of the passage and eventually we pickup the ferry route thru Action Pass. Huge ships (the car ferries) are coming and going and I'm in the middle. I have the right of way but they are huge next to us. I'm not going to even get us close to them. I take evasive action moving far away and then cutting back nose first into their wakes.

We haven't seen any whales yet. Ferries again on return voyages. Wind calms and we go back to motor power. Half an hour later we are back to sail and cliping along at a 30 degree tilt.. This is great...as long as Don is nearby.

We get back to the yacht club and Don brings up into the dock. There is quite a tight turn here. After securing the boat we go for dinner in Sydnewy. Another delicious meal. Dessert is at the Dairy Queen then it's back to Don's More chatting and eventually to bed.

Monday, July 12th

PLAN: touring about Victoria.

We do.

COMMENTS: Don has lots to do so today is our day to tour on our own. We head to Bictoria looking for a Walmart where I want to get images from the digital camera memory card transferred to disc. After getting the system charged with almost 400 images at the photo counter at Walmart a different clerk tells me that it will cost $10 per 40 images. I have almost 400 and I want a back up disc, too. That will cost over $200 with tax. Across the US it cost about $5 to $8US per disc for the whole card, whether there were 20 images or 400. The other clerk tells me that it would be cheaper at Black's. I get directions and away we go. Fortunately, Black's is in a mall which is towards downtown, our destination.

Black's will do the disc plus a back up for less than $20. I find Cindy back at Sears in the mall: she has picked up some sale items. I get a jig saw on sale.

We also have to find the FIDO outlet in Victoria. It is on Yates. Coins into the parking meter and into FIDO. Our cell phone would cut out on us sometimes or not even come up ohter times. we get a new "inards" in the old shell; no charge and the phone works now.

Into the heart of downtown. Around the Empress Hotel. More coins into the next parking meter. We go in and wander around. After lingering around the hotel and surrounding area, we drive thru Chinatown. Back to the mall to Black's to pick up the discs and memory cards. We pick up wine and dessert for tonight. By this time it is too late to take in the Butchart Gardens. Back at Don's he has lamb chops, thick steaks and chicken breasts to g on the BBQ. His "yacthing friends, Jim and Gretchen, are in Sydney, up from Sacramento, California. We enjoy a great meal with two new, wonderful friends.

Tuesday, July 13th, our 26th anniversary.

PLAN A: Ferry to the mainland and stay at cousin Sue Ann's in North Vancouver, BC. Travel north and clock-wise to Whistler, then end up in Princeton.

PLAN B: Ferry to the mainland and stay at cousin Steve's in Princeton, BC and travel counter-clockwise back to Vancouver area.

PLAN C: Ferry to the mainland and stay at cousin Matt's in North Vancouver, BC and adjust the route accordingly.

Months ago Sue Ann made plans for us to stay with her and her husband, Chris, and their two sons, Matt and Harry. Since then, another visitor from Great Britain arrives, Chris and Matt are in the middle of plans to go to Wales and Scottland for a soccor tournament for Matt, and the house is going up for sale and is in total turmoil, or so it seems. Cousin Steve and his wife were going to be on our route later as we pass thru British Columbia. They are a couple of hours inland at Princeton. Arrangements change: we'll go there first, then to Whistler, and then to Vancouver area. I get an e-mail from Matt suggesting that we stay with him, then continue our journey. A few rapid phone calls later and we will stay at Matt's a couple of nights, then up to Whistler for a night or two at Cindy's cousin's place (Lee) and then back to Matt's and then mayber on to Steve's. In the middle of this I also want to see an old junior high school buddy, another cousin, Ron, and another of Cindy's cousins, Jay, and my aunti Vi.

Things are getting confusing and all we want to do is travel around and see everyone and everything.

At the last minute, we opt for PLAN C.

COMMENTS: We are up early and on our way from Don's heading north to catch the ferry from Sydney to Tsawwassen, south of Vancouver. We get waved onto the 9:00am ferry. I had expected to be early for the one at 10:00, but this is just fine; no need to wait, now. On board we go up to the breakfast buffet and relax as the ferry takes us over to the mainland thru the passage where we had been sailing a couple of days before. Just before we exit the ferry, there is an announcement that a transport has been in an accident blocking our hiway route to Vancouver. We sit on Route 17 for an hour til it is possible to creep around. Then it is up to Route 99, thru Richmond, and into Vancouver.

We tour about from downtown out to UBC and back. Finally, I find the right access and over the Lion's Gate Bridge we go. Then, east to North Vancouver and up to cousin Matt's place above the TransCanada Hiway. Matt's out. We go to the library for a short wait and then back to Matt's.

His mom, my auti Vi, lives nearby and walks over to join us for a short visit and dinner. We then drop Vi off and go to cousin Sue Ann's (Matt's sister) also nearby. This is Tuesday, and Friday Chris and their son, Matt, (not my cousin Matt) fly out to Scottland for the soccer tournament.

Wednesday, July 14th

PLAN: nothing special, tour about.

We do.

COMMENTS: Matt, Vi, Cindy and I are motorboating to Matt's retreat north of Deep Cove up the Indian Arm. Relaxing afternoon with late lunch on the BBQ on the deck of Matt's retreat. It is unreachable by car. He usually canoes to get up here. He says that a bald eagle can often be seen perched atop one of the tall pines nearby. No such luck today. This is his mom's first trip here. She is terrified of the water, more than me. We all get through okay.

After the return ride we treat Matt to dinner.

Thursday, July 15th

PLAN: up to Whistler, the Edgewater Lodge and Cindy's cousin, Lee, and his wife, Christine.

We do.

COMMENTS: from Matt's it is a couple of miles down to the TransCanada Hiway and then west to Horse Shoe Bay, the end of the hiway. At the end one can go left and drive onto the ferry or to the right and one is then heading north on the Sea-to-Sky Hiway, #99. Scenic views are back. Also, lots of construction. The province is widening the hiway to help accomodate the expected traffic which will be along here for the 2010 Winter Olympics from Vancouver to Whistler. Whistler will host several of the ski related activities.

A side trip into Squamish gets us to the lovely, new home of Dora and Greg. They used to live in Pierrefonds. Dora used to work with Cindy at Fairview. A small world: they were neighbours to the parents of our daughter's husband several years ago.

Lots of scenic views all the way up the hiway. Further north and we get to Whistler, world famous sky resort. A summer mecca for mountain bikers. The sky lifts take people and their bikes up the mountains for the "race" coming down. Cindy's second cousin, Lee, manages the Edgewater Lodge on the north side of town, just past the village. We check in.

Time for a more detailed visit to the village. All 4 large parking lots are full. Lots of mountain bikers and all sorts of others here. We tour about in the car and then take a short drive north more inland scenic views. Back to town and then a most delicous, and relaxing dinner. The lodge does not have a restaurant, it has a dining room of noted repute. The meal was to die for. Cindy has a garlic alergy. The chef prepared a sauce that made the scallops and shrimp the tastiest. The wine, salad, main dish, dessert, ambience, etc. -- just great, A-1!! The dining room looks out on a lawn and garden next to Green Lake behind which are the ski hills on the rugged mountains peaked with ice and snow, even this late in the summer.

Friday, July 16th

PLAN: to take it easy. Maybe, tour about.

We, both.

COMMENTS: Lee and his wife, Christine, join us at breakfast. It is great to stay in touch. Then, we are off on a journey north again on #99. Past Pemberton and beyond but not as far as Lillooet -- maybe two-thirds of the way. Lots of scenic views but too often nowhere to stop to safely take photos. Nonetheless, on the way back I make lots of photo stops. We also get out the car and make a short hike to Joffre Lake. Calm, relaxing -- small lake surrounded by trees with mountains in background, most with some ice/snow atop. Eventually, back to the village; we pick up some items for dinner back in our room and crash early. Must have been all that fresh mountain air. Our room (and all of the other rooms) has the same majestic view as one has from the dining room.

Saturday, July 17th

PLAN: tour about Whistler and then back to Matt's in North Vancouver.

We do with another side trip to Greg and Dora's in Squamish.

COMMENTS: Breakfast in the lodge. Mmm. Into the village area. Gondolas up the mountain are not cheap. E decide to pass on them. We wonder around the town for and hour or two, into several shops/boutiques. We even get some RCMP souvenirs.

Back on the road again and we are going south with several photo stops. Visit with Greg and Dora. Then, more photo stops along the way. Side trips into a couple of coastal towns. We drive all around and through HorseShoe Bay with a relaxing stop in one of the parks that overlooks the islands in the straits. We pick up pizza for a late dinner back at Matt's.