Dancing Peak to Peak

It is just after 9 a.m. on Sunday morning and although I rose at 8:30 it was nothing compared to 5 a.m. yesterday. I couldn’t believe how lonely the streets felt at 7 a.m. when I left for the office.

Yesterday we made our staff trip to Whistler.

Although I came to BC in 1972 I had only made the attempt once before in a Volkswagen bug, I can’t even remember the year. I do remember I made it to Squamish and Shannon Falls before the car began to overheat and stall, causing me to abort the trip.

But yesterday I was vaulted out of my comfort zone here in town in a rented newer model Dodge minivan driven by my friend and co-worker Danny and in two groups in two vans our party made the trek to Whistler.

Although this year was one of the hottest on records and there had been no snow on the nearby mountaintops all summer, we were greeted by newly dusted white caps on the surrounding peaks.

There was no snow in the village but the Sales Manager of the new Coast Blackcomb Suites Brandi took us on a tour I won’t soon forget. After a brief tour of the hotel we hiked down the ski slope at the rear of the property into the village.

From there we took a gondola up the mountain side to a second lift where we could access the Peak 2 Peak Gondola ride the largest unsupported gondola ride in the world. At its highest point we were 4 ½ km above the valley floor and the cars were big enough to hold 20 people.

The ride goes from Whistler Mountain to Blackcomb Mountain which are two side by side peaks separated by a deep valley. The view from up there is stunning in its magnificence and if a person had any doubts that we live in one of the most beautiful spots in the world, this ride would cure them at a stroke.

The air up there is so pure that all the senses seem to open at once, making the colors more vibrant and the eyes more clear and the breathing easier. It was cold up there though, and I was glad I heeded the advice to dress warmly wearing my winter coat and a wool toque. A couple of staff members had not listened and suffered and shivered accordingly.

After a brief stop at The Rendezvous, a mountaintop restaurant and pit stop we took the trip back down which seemed to take forever, to the much milder climate of the village and then a shuttle bus back to the hotel where Brandi our tour manager had arranged and now personally prepared for us a hamburger barbeque. She cooked and served which after her tour duty with us was above and beyond the call. She was also an avid raconteur and regaled us with stories of her 5 years in Whistler and beyond.

On the homeward journey I felt I had been awake and traveling for 2 days although we were back in Vancouver by 5 p.m.

I had expected the usual hotel tour which although informative are rarely spectacular. Anyone who takes this tour is sure to tell all their friends and to return to visit this amazing place.

The Big 16

This month Kadir will turn 16 and yesterday I gave him his gift.

At just about 4 p.m. sharp yesterday my door buzzer rang. It was Kadir arriving early from school…apparently his social worker had canceled due to being sick.

We talked for a few minutes and he downed a glass of juice. He bought up the subject of a phone…I guess Karen had mentioned something to him about my decision to get him a cell phone. So we walked over to Rogers, as it was pretty clear he preferred that over FIDO.

We looked at a few phones briefly and then waited in line to speak to an agent…there were only two agents and both were busy. While waiting in line I noticed Kadir eyeing the iPhone display and there and then I decided I was going to spring for the extra $100+ to get him one.

Once the agent demonstrated the power of this phone, I knew I had made the right choice. I could almost hear Kadir humming with happiness. Now he has what many of his school mates already have, and it is the power of new technology at his fingertips. It’s a phone that doubles as an mp3 player, a camera, and a computer enabling him to browse the internet. It has the virtual touch screen so there are no sliding keyboard appendages making it hard to manage.

The monthly fee will be around $65 dollars with the extras package but with his allowance that should be do-able. And he will now be able to shop for a job after school. He was supposed to meet with the person he will be moving in with last night but it sounded like this might be delayed due to the other person being too busy.

I guess I will know more in a few days. At least I know I can call Kadir now, and he can call me at no extra charge any time of day or night on the My5(+ 5) Plan.

The agent who signed us up was very helpful and convinced us that we had the best deal…he said there would be new packages available next month but none as rich as the one we got.

We walked down to Vera’s Burger Shack and I bought him a huge burger which he demolished with joy and then walked him to the MacDonald Bus. He kissed me on the lips again before leaving…that shy butterfly “I love you dad” kiss that means the world to me.

When the bus pulled away he was talking on his phone and smiling at me, giving me a big thumbs up.