Mom and Dad come to visit!

Mom and Dad leave tomorrow in the very early morning, bound for Ontario. It will be a disappointing change, after visiting Whistler for six days. I got a few days off while they were here, and was able to go up the mountain with dad for three days.

Mom decided not to ski, so she rented movies and napped. And made great suppers! I haven't eaten that well in a long time. We also gamed, playing Settlers and Train Game Europe every night I wasn't driving.

Today was the last full day that Mom and Dad were here, and I finally remembered to bring my camera up the hill. In the afternoon, Mom bought a sight-seeing ticket and we took the Village Gondola up with her, then the new Peak to Peak from Whistler over to Blackcomb.

Here are some pictures from today.



Mom and Dad enjoy the scenery on Blackcomb. The Glacier Express chair might be visible in the background.



Mom and I ride the Peak to Peak Gondola. It's a pretty large-scale lift. When I left Whistler in October 2006, they were still talking about it in theoretical terms. When I arrived back in October 2008, it was pretty much finished. It opened to the public in December. To me, it appeared out of nowhere since there wasn't a trace of it the last time I was up on the mountain.





The cabins are quite large, and fit about twenty people. I think. I never counted, but there are hand holds dangling from the ceiling like on public transportation so I guess they can really pack you in there if they want!

There are 28 cabins (if I remember correctly) and two of them are silver. The silver ones have a section of glass floor, as well as real glass windows instead of plexiglass like the red cabins. Some people will wait so they can ride in one of the special silver cabins.





Dad looking over the Burnt Stew basin. Lots of terrain to sample! We had sunny days the whole visit, but no new snow. Since Dad and I both honed our craft in Quebec and Ontario, we could handle the conditions, and actually found them to be quite ideal.





Dad and I are on Whistler Peak. You can see an the inuksuk that they built in preparation for the Olympics. Did you know that the plural of inuksuk is inuksuit? Now you do!



Here's Dad at the top of The Saddle, the run that injured his arm back in 2005. It was fast today, and I could feel the wind billowing into my cheeks and I rode down. Blbblubblubblablub!

It was a great visit, and especially nice since I didn't get back home for Christmas. I also put my first three snowboarding days in, and ate really well. Dad loved the skiing, and was really enjoying runs that were more than 13 seconds long (the Ontario norm.) Mom enjoyed relaxing and gaming, and finding her way around on Whistler's transit system.

Good times all around!

Phoggy Wheather

It's been really foggy in Vancouver lately, and I've tried to take some nice pictures, but have failed.

The weather has been really sunny in Whistler for the past week, but very foggy in certain parts of The City. (We're like Ontario in a way...The City is taken to mean Vancouver.) It will be a nice sunny drive until we start getting close to downtown.

Yesterday I was driving north back to Whistler with no guests. I was in West Vancouver, and figured I might as well take advantage of the upcoming sunset and foggy weather, so I drove up Cypress Mountain on the North Shore. Everyone else had the same idea as I did, because the first pullout was full, and I saw almost everyone leaning over some sort of high-zoot camera, or posing in front of point-and-shoots.

I continued up the mountain, and stopped at the next pull-out, and tracked across the snow to get a good view of Vancouver. I was a bit higher up and a bit further from the action, but it was a good view anyway.

I had forgotten my camera at home, but had my new computer with me. My machine has a built in webcam that can be used to take still photos. I got out my computer, and alongside the photographers with hardcases filled with lenses, I held out my laptop, trying to aim it at the scenery. It was pretty tough since there's no viewfinder!

The embedded camera in my computer is great for web chats, but not ideal for capturing colour and detail in a wide landscape shot. I'll post what I took anyway.





You can barely see it, but a portion of Vancouver's skyline is visible poking through the clouds.

Next are some better pictures taken by others. These are the kinds of pictures I wish I could take myself!







These shots were originally posted here.

I'll finish the post off with a couple of my own, but it's not really related to fog. I took these on my way back from Kamloops last week, along the Duffy Lake Road, a bit more than an hour north of Whistler. I love taking mountain scenery shots, because the majority of Canadians will never find themselves in such beautiful surroundings. I'm very fortunate to live in such a beautiful place.

Whistler Olympic Park

Today I had some drives to and from the Whistler Olympic Park, where the Olympic nordic skiing, ski jumping, and biathlon events will take place. Today was a World Cup nordic skiing event, and I drove some corporate spectators to and from the venue.

The Park is located about fifteen minutes south of Whistler. It's quite nice there. Here are some pictures. The sun was out and it was pretty bright. I was also taking these pictures in between drives, so I had to be fast.



This is Black Tusk in the background, a famous emblem of Whistler. It's visible form the Peak Chair, and elsewhere in the alpine. In the last ice age, a glacier encrusted this old volcano. The volcano blew, and the lava melted a chimney of sorts through the glacier. Then, the lava cooled and hardened, turning into aa. That created this stack. Very interesting!



Here are the ski jumps. Next week Mom and Dad will be here, and we hope to attend a World Cup ski jumping competition. I like how these have been built up against the trees and rocks, instead of in the middle of a plain, like Calgary's.



There's even a small day lodge. There were quite a few people at this event, and this small lodge wouldn't have been able to cater to them all. I'm pretty sure it's main function is to serve the public when there's not an event on. There are hundreds of kilometers of nordic ski trails for the public, and I believe this building is meant to service those using them.

Today was a good day since it was sunny, but I'm feeling bogged down by work related issues. I have been working every day for quite awhile, and have been dealing with work politics and some rent politics in that time. Woe is me!

Kamloops

Tonight I am in Kamloops. I've been getting some interesting drives lately, including this one.

I will pick people up tomorrow morning @ Sun Peaks, a mountain about an hour away from here. The people expect to be picked up at 9am, so I will leave here in plenty of time.

To get to Kamloops from Whistler, you must drive north towards Pemberton, then take the Duffy Lake Road to a small town called Lillooet. From there, it's on to Cache Creek, then Kamloops. The whole trip took me about five hours today.

The Duffy Lake Road is (in)famous for it's altitude and challenging driving conditions. It's very high up, so it gets a lot of snow. Along the road, there are signs that say "Avalanche Area: No Stopping".

When I got close to one of the salt sheds, I encountered this roadblock.



There were signs that said "Avalanche Control: Prepare to Stop." I did end up stopping, for about ten minutes. There was a helicopter dropping avalanche bombs onto the mountain, and the trucks were there to make sure nobody entered the danger zone and got covered in snow.

I heard the bombs, but nothing significant was moved, so the trucks let me through.

The Duffy is a very beautiful drive. There are beautiful mountains, lakes, and alpine rivers. It's a very natural road, with many drops, dips, and sharp corners. There are some old one-way wooden bridges as well, and those spice up the drive.





I'm happy with this drive because like the Seattle one, it mixes things up and allows me to visit places that I wouldn't otherwise see.

I have figured out how to use my Blackberry to play music and CBC radio programs I've downloaded, and I bought a cable to hook my device into the truck's stereo. I spent the whole trip listening to CBC Podcasts, including Definitely Not The Opera, Ideas, Q, and The Sunday Edition. There wasn't a new Vinyl Cafe to download, so I didn't spend any time with Stuart.

It was excellent programming, and I'm really happy to have my own computer and a device that allows me to play them in the car. I think that the Christmas season is over, I'll have more one-way trips that require me to go down to Vancouver or back up with no customers. This is called "Dead Heading", and I think I'll be doing a lot of it. My Blackberry and podcasts will make the drive a lot more interesting.

So, yea for Kamloops, Blackberries, podcasts, and audio cables to make them all work together.

Company post-Christmas party.

Last night was the company post-Christmas party, and it was good. George was there, the man I met who got me in contact with my current boss, Chris. They're business partners, and co-own the company. The party was held at a restaurant with a more casual room downstairs, and that's where we spent our time. There were pool tables and dart boards, and a table of food to eat.

On separate occasions, George and Chris talked to me about the drive I did on Christmas, saying that the people really liked me. My Christmas drive consisted of picking up six people at three different places in Vancouver, dropping them off at a restaurant, waiting until they were finished, then driving them all home. You can read about it here.

Chris said something like "Apparently Mr. So and So wants to adopt you! He really liked you and said you were so nice!" George also said something similar, so that was excellent.

At one point we were talking shop, and I mentioned that I haven't had any jerks in my truck, and that everyone's been really friendly. Chris said "That's because nobody wants to be a jerk to you! They say to themselves, "I can't be a jerk to this guy, he's too friendly!""

It's great to get positive feedback like that, and it's nice to know that the head office people and the owners know that I've been doing a good job.

So, a good, validating post-Christmas party. With free food. Excellent!

What I thought China was going to be like.

Before I moved to China, I thought all Asia would be like this.

I never experienced anything like this, thankfully. I think this is Tokyo.

Watch this short video.

And to think the bus drove by me at the stop today, because it was full. There's ALWAYS room for one more!

Moments

Life seems to be full of moments, and most of these we just pass by without a second thought. The moments where you check the mail, pull a pizza out of the oven, or catch the bus are forgettable. The moments when you win a championship, ace a test, or cash your first paycheque are probably more memorable. But what about moments that we shouldn't remember, but do?

I have a few moments that stick out to me, ones that have stayed with me in my mind. These moments don't represent achievements, victories, or monumental instances. I'm not sure what my memorable moments represent, but maybe I'll find out.

I'm sure I have many of these moments, but the only ones I remember distinctly have happened in the last year or so. Possibly this is because I have only begun trying to hang on to these moments instead of letting them pass by.

The first one I remember happened when I was driving from Erik and Minke's house in Waterloo to Mom and Dad's in Stratford. It was night, and I was driving along the Amulree Road towards 119, away from Waterloo.

It was February 2008, and Erik and Minke had been married a week or two previously. I was home for a few weeks to attend the wedding, a happy respite from my time as a kindergarten teacher in China. The Middle Kingdom had not been kind to me during the first half of my one-year contract, and I was not terribly excited to go back.

The moment happened as I was listening to English radio, (I don't remember what song) driving in the dark with no other cars, and being perfectly content. Right then, I was happy to be driving alone in the dark. I wasn't too excited about getting home, because that meant I was one step closer to China. I was happy to be alone in the car, surrounded by darkness, in Canada.

That moment sticks out to me as one where I was perfectly content in a singular time and place. I wasn't in a rush to go anywhere, I wasn't thinking about anything, I was just driving along in the dark. It was peaceful and I enjoyed it. I knew my life was going to get extremely complicated and stressful when I got off the plane in China, so I was happy to be calm, cool, and collected as I drove through the dark, quiet countryside.

My second memorable moment happened this summer while I was out for a run in the Old Grove. I was heading towards Dunn's Bridge, with the river on my left. I was about three-quarters of the way there, where the path is narrow, less maintained, and runs very close to the river. It was a good run, but when is started to rain it soon became amazing.

I wasn't prepared for the rain, but it came fast and hard regardless. I remember the dirt trail being half-coloured by the rain, while half of it was still try. I remember the atmosphere being really calm, and I couldn't hear anything but the rain falling on the leaves, into the river, and over the grass. I realized that I was really happy to be where I was, running. There was nobody else around, and the rain seemed to muffle everything else around me.

It was only me running on the trail, with wet leaves leaving blotches on my shirt as I ran. It turned into a downpour, and soon everything was soaked. But for a moment before that, I was in another place of extreme contentment. I remember ducking under a low, wet leaf, looking at the ground and thinking about how it looked, feeling energized and powerful. I stepped up my pace and continued on to Dunn's Bridge.

While that whole run was probably good, the moment I remember was just after it had started to pour. Nothing else seemed to exist; only the trail, the river, and myself. It was fantastic. I don't remember how long the moment lasted, but it was gone before I got to the bridge.

A third moment happened soon after I moved back to Whistler this fall. Again, it has to do with me being alone and content in my surroundings. I was walking home to Nordic from the Village, on the valley trail. It was dark outside, and the stars were out. It was a bit cold.

I came upon one section of trail that is bordered on both sides by steep out-croppings of rock, which had large evergreens growing on top. I remember coming to this section, and being surrounded by trees, rocks, and a starry night sky. There was nobody else around, and everything was quiet. I remember stopping on the trail, looking up, and seeing the stars blinking down at me, with the tops of the trees waving on the periphery.

As I was stopped on the trail, I lifted out my arms and closed my eyes, listening to the silence. It was fabulous. Soon, some people came around the corner talking, bringing my moment to an end.

When I read what I've written, and think about what I remember, I see that the moments I don't forget have to do with quiet solitude. Each time, I was alone and content in a quiet and still place. The common themes in my remembrances are silence and solitude.

This is good to reflect upon, as it shows me that my favourite places are quiet ones where I'm the only person. It would seem that I love this solitude and remember it in a different way than I remember other things. I think it'll be important for me to seek out similar situations, and that doing so may keep me from being too worried or caught up in the stresses everyday life.

I imagine that these moments aren't just about being alone somewhere quiet...I bet they happen in part as a result of the mental state I was in at the time. In all three instances, I can remember being stressed about the future. In the car driving away from Waterloo, I was worried about going back to China. Running beside the river in the rain, there's a good chance I was worried about the job interviews I had recently had. Finally, between the rocks and trees in Whistler, I was likely worried about employment, housing, and getting myself sorted in Canada.

I think it's time to start running again. When it's nice, I'll run outside. When it's not, I'll train at the gym on the treadmill. Hopefully I can find myself in one of these moments again soon, and keep everyday stresses at bay.

Seattle

I drove to Seattle and back today, which is pretty far.

I got the call last night, asking if I would do it. I said I would. I figured out my route, my exit numbers, and all the rest of it so I'd be prepared.

I was driving some people from Whistler to Seattle, and then coming back empty. The trip down was eventful.

When we got to the border, the two guests I had needed to get the proper permissions to enter the U.S. We all had to go into the Customs Office, where most everyone was on their lunch break. We waited about an hour, and then they filled in the necessary forms, got finger printed and photographed, and finally got the necessary stamps.

My route would take me straight down I-5, and my destination was only a few blocks away from it. It would be pretty easy.

Driving the winding Sea to Sky Highway every day is very different from driving the I-5. The road to Whistler is full of pot holes to avoid, turns to negotiate, drivers to keep track of, and traction to maintain. The I-5 is very different. With only a few exceptions, it's straight as an arrow and very fast. There's nothing to do but sit there and wait for your destination to appear on the horizon.

The speed limits on the I-5 are higher than I'm used to as well, at 70MPH. That's just under 120KPH I believe. So everyone's cooking along pretty fast. At one point I needed to negotiate around a stray plastic shelving unit. I thought it was an isolated object, but suddenly everyone in front of me was hitting the binders pretty hard. I did as well, so I wouldn't rear-end anyone.

I'm pretty sure I heard my tires squealing, as I brought my speed down very quickly. There was a kitchen table in the middle of the road, and a pickup truck full of other things on the shoulder. The owner of the table was about to run into traffic to get the table, which rightfully made everyone nervous.

At that time, I was feeling pretty tired and was yawning a lot. But once I had to stomp on the brakes and avoid the table and other vehicles, I was hit with a shot of adrenalin that kept me very much awake for the rest of the day.

I was happy when I dropped off my guests, and could have a relaxing drive back. It's so much easier when I don't have people to worry about. I battled Seattle's rush-hour traffic, as well as Bellingham's and Everett's, two towns between Seattle and the border. It was slow going.

I ended up working for 13 hours today, and driving for most of it. I wasn't driving when I was waiting in line in customs or waiting for my guests to finish their coffees, but other than that it was a very solid day of driving.

I was thinking when I was driving back that I have a pretty good job, for right now. I got to see Seattle, see the Space Needle, experience Washington's rush hours, and avoid tables in the middle of the road. I've been to Seattle now, and I wouldn't have been if I didn't have this job. I also like the independence aspect of this job, since I don't really have a supervisor or anyone staring over my shoulder.

I'm happy I have the day off tomorrow (so far, anyway.) It's amazing what a day off will do for you. I had yesterday off, and felt ready to drive again today and was happy to do it. It was a very different feeling than when I was working my twelfth day in a row, feeling tired and unmotivated.

I hope that someday soon I'll have a job that's more predictable hours-wise, and maybe have scheduled days off. But for now, I'm happy to slave away behind the wheel, and work while there's work. This pace isn't sustainable though. I think that things are winding down after Christmas, but who knows because things haven't showed any signs of letting up. Other than me getting a day off, I guess!

I'll work when there's work, and try to stay positive. I'll make good use of my days off by catching up on my sleep, and eating oven pizzas. I'll also keep looking for other employment options that will give me scheduled days off, and a work schedule that looks more than twenty-four hours ahead.

But I'm happy to deal with the nuances this job brings, for the time being. I got paid to go to Seattle today! And that's pretty neat.

Some recent pictures.

I have a few pictures to share.

(Note: this is the first post I'm writing on my new computer! I'm excited, even though the final product won't be any different. The process should be though! Hurray for new computers!)



Here's the new gondola tower that broke. I wrote about it in this post. I don't know the exact day that things got back up and running, but people are using it now and it's back in full operation. I would have thought that public outcry and various regulations would have prevented this lift from opening up before next year. I was wrong.





These shots are from yesterday. 34cm of snow fell, which is about 13in. That's a lot! One of the shots is from the bus station, where I was waiting for the bus at 6:30 in the morning. The other is from the Whistler Skiers Plaza, at the base. The line-up is huge!

Everyone is hoping to get one of 650 "Fresh Tracks" tickets that allow you to go up the mountain early, eat breakfast, and ski the fresh snow before the rest of the lifts open. On big mornings like this, you have to be up earlier than everyone else in order to get one.

You can start buying the tickets at 7am, and begin uploading on the gondola at 7:30. I took this picture at about 7:10, so the tickets would have just begun being sold. The mountain opens to the public at 8:30, so that means you have less than an hour to hit the fresh snow.

In 2004, my first winter in Whistler and the worst snow season in history, I bought a Fresh Tracks ticket. It had snowed about 20cm the night before, and since it had been a terrible season, this was a very rare occurrence.

About half-way up, the gondola stopped for an hour. The gondolas hold about 7 or 8 people; six sitting around the sides, and one or two standing in the middle. I was one standing in the middle, as our gondola cabin bobbed and swayed, just above the season's first good snow dump.

When they finally got it working again, it was past 8:30 and the rest of the lifts had opened to the public. My Fresh Tracks ticket had not gotten me first access to the powder, but got me up the mountain after everyone else instead.

At the top, they gave everyone a free day lift ticket as payment for our suffering. With my season pass, I didn't want a free daily lift ticket...I wanted the fresh snow!

It's snowing right now, and has been all week. Finally the mountain is getting the snow it needs to cover all the rocks. After a slow early season, the snow is picking up, and that's good for the mountain.

The skiers and snowboarders in this town love the snow! But the drivers don't like it. It makes working more difficult and stressful. Whenever I look at the forecast, I look at it like a driver, not a snowboarder.

Hopefully there's no snow tomorrow, since I've got quite the drive tomorrow. I'm going to Seattle! It should take me four and a half hours each way under ideal conditions. We'll see what actually happens.