Murder in Whistler

Friday was a provincial wide specialist professional development day, and I had decided to go to the CUEBC conference in Surrey.

We had asked friends to join us on a weekend that we had booked at Sundance Lodge in Whistler. Patty and Olivia came up from Washington, and picked up Paula, Bridget and Daniel, and went up to Whistler in the late afternoon. The conference I was at was close to the border in Surrey, so I went down to Burlington, picked them up, and headed back over the border to North Van, picked up my gear, and then on to Whistler. We got up to the lodge at about 10:30. We had booked two apartments which were on the same floor, but with a few rooms in-between.

We were staying at Whistler Creekside and woke up to beautiful views down the valley and over the lakes. It was in between the mountain biking season and the ski season, so the town was a bit quiet. We all went in to town for a walk around the village. After we had walked from one end of the village to the other, Roger, Olivia and I decided that we would go for a walk up the mountains, while the others decided they would head back to the lodge.

We crossed the creek and began to head up Blackcomb Mountain. The walking was easy on grassy hills which would be the ski runs during the ski season. The slopes got a bit steeper at times and we stopped regularly to take in the views, as well as to catch our breath. The views were spectacular. All the colours of fall spread out like a carpet in the valley below. We were looking across the valley at the snow capped peak of the nearby mountains and wondering how much further we would have to go to reach the snowline. We had decided that we had better turn around by about 3 pm, so that we would be able to get back down the mountain before it started to get dark. As it neared 3 pm we also began to see snow on the sides of the road. We continued a bit further and decided that we had reached the snow line, so we stopped for a bit, took in the view, and headed back down the mountain. On the way back we stopped at a rocky outcrop that was strewn with rocks and Roger and Olivia decided to build an Inukshuk to join the other Inuksuit that others had built.

When we got down to the village we decided to call in to the Whistler Brewrey and have a snack and a drink. We ordered some chicken wings and a taster tray of the beers. There were seven beers on the wooden tasting tray that arrived. We tasted them all before deciding which we preferred, and ordered a pint each.

Paula had picked up an unopened "Murder" game that was set in a ski resort, so we ha decided that we would play that on Saturday night. We had all been given information about the characters we were playing, and had brought up gear appropriate for the scene. We moved furniture from one unit to the other so that we had enough for all of us to have dinner and play the game. It was fun with Roger dressed up as a Texan with a broken leg, using a mop as a crutch, while he sipped his Havana Club rum and Havana cigar.

We woke the next day to find that it had snowed up on the mountain, and that if we had done the walk up the mountain today instead of yesterday that we would only have had to walk half the distance to the snowline. We had another walk around the village before heading back down the Sea to Sky Highway, stopping at Brandywine Falls and back along the edge of Howe Sound to Vancouver.

Driver's licence

If you are resident in BC for more than 90 days you must get a driver's licence. They will not accept an International licence after the 90 days.

Well, I finally got my driver's licence. I had to wait about six weeks from the time that I passed the Knowledge Test. That was a bit stressful - having to get 80% of the test correct to pass. This was done on the computer, at $15 a sitting.

On the day of the test I had an appointment at 8:30 am. It was pouring rain. The tester said that he wasn't there to test my driving ability, as he said that he knew that I could drive because I had held a licence for over 30 years. He said he was looking to check to see if I knew the BC laws and to see whether I had brought any bad habits with me.

We went out to the car and he checked all the lights and indicators. He then said that he would not do any talking, except to give instructions for turning, and where to go. He took me through every type of speed zone - around a school, a playground, shopping district and in the highway, before telling me we were heading back to the testing centre. We sat in the car for a bit while he discussed a few points, and then he said that I had passed, and that we had better go inside to get my licence. I paid $50 and collected my Victorian licence before breathing a sigh of relief and heading for school. I was back in class by 9:30 am.

Seattle weekend

We were supposed to visit Carol and Terry in Winthrop this weekend, but they rang to say that they were suffering with coughs and splutters, and that we might want to reschedule our visit.

We decided that we would head down to Seattle. The forecast was for rain, but there were things that we could still do despite the weather.

We headed down to the Skagit Valley on Friday night and went to the Burlington-Edison High School game against Blaine. It was also the Homecoming game. The Homecoming Kings and Queens of each year level were announced and presented to the crowd. It was unfortunate that it was bucketing with rain. I did manage to be in the right place to capture the BEHS Rollercoaster Cheer on video.





On Saturday we drove down to Seattle and had a look around at the Waterfront area. We stopped at the Curiosity Shop and also went to the Pike Place Market. It was while we were at the Pike Place Fish Market that Bridget spotted someone in the crowd and asked me if it was Ben Graham. It was, so I suggested that we go over and say "Hello". We did go and talk to him, and he introduced us to another couple of guys he was with. They were also players for the Arizona Cardinals who were in town to play the Seahawks on Sunday. One of them commented that ".. it must be true what he says about being famous in Australia, if people rcognise him in the street in Seattle". We talked for a while and he let Bridget get a photo with him. The Cardinals won the game.


Ben was captain of Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League from 2000 - 2003. He left Geelong to play football in the US for the New York Jets. He also captained them, and therefor became the only player to have captained two professional team in two different sports. He is the only player to be named a captain of both an AFL and NFL side. During his career he has played in the biggest game in two codes, the AFL Grand Final (1995) and the Super Bowl XLIII. He was the first Australian to have played in a Super Bowl.

The next day we went on the Underground Tour from Pioneer Square. It gives you a glimpse into the past of the city, and the colouful lives of some of the people. It is amazing to listen to the stories of how the city was rebuilt after the great fire.

Thanksgiving weekend

Thanksgiving is celebrated in Canada on the second Monday of October. That means a long weekend. Most families celebrate with a turkey dinner on Sunday. That also happened to be Bridget's 17th birthday, so we had a dinner with some friends on the Saturday night.

One of the teachers at school invited us to share the celebration with her family at Cultus Lake. It is about a ninety minute drive up the Fraser River Valley towards the mountains. Her two daughters were in Calgary and unable to attend. As it turned out, it was a very multicultural affair, with 4 Aussies, I German, and 3 Mexicans, as well as her family. There were about 30 people for a sit-down turkey dinner. Each family was to bring certain things to contribute towards the meal.

It was a beautiful clear day, and it was a lovely drive out to Chilliwack, with the Fall colours in the trees and a very clear view of snow capped Mount Baker in front of us for most of the trip. Near Chilliwack, we turned off the main highway and headed through farming country towards the foothills of the Cascade range. We started a gradual climb for a few kms. towards Cultus Lake, which is a summer resort, with houses around the shore. It is also very close to the US - Canadian border.The only problem with having Thanksgiving dinner out in "The Valley" was that we had to drive home.

On the Monday holiday we decided to go to the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia - UBC. They have a great collection of First Nation Totem Poles and other pieces from the Pacific Coast of BC and Haida Gwaii, or The Queen Charlotte Islands. They are still in the renovation phase of their redevelopment and several galleries are still to be opened.

Paula and Nola headed off for Vancouver Island on Tuesday. They caught a ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo, and stopped at Chemainus on their way down to Victoria. Tara, the downstairs tenant, works for Fairmont Hotels, and booked them in to The Empress Hotel. The next day the weather was kind to them. and they went to Butchart Gardens. On Thursday they caught a ferry back from Schwarz Bay to Tsawwassan. They called back at home to book another Fairmont Hotel in Seattle and headed south. I am not supposed to know that they had to come back to get Nola's passport as well. They went down and stayed in Mount Vernon, and went to La Conner and Anacortes while they were there. They spent Friday night in Seattle, ent to the Pike Place Market on Saturday, and returned to Vancouver via Chuckanut Drive, and Taylor's shellfish farm.

Handsworth had a Pro-D Day on Friday, so Bridget and Daniel had no school. I was contemplating taking Friday off and suggesting that we all head down to Seattle. I shouldn't have worried about whether to take the day off, or not, because my problem was solved. When I got home after the staff meeting I was told, "They've gone!" They had already left for Seattle. No problem now!

Friday after school the weather was nice so I decided to walk home. I knew that there was a track under power lines and if I followed them I would end up near home at the base of Grouse Mountain. The power lines cross the Mountain Highway just near school, so I started there and followed the trail. I hung my keys and whistle from my backpack so that they rattled as I walked. Apparently this is one of the most active times for bears as they are trying to find food to build up their fat reserves in preparation for hibernation. There were still blackberries on the bushes, so I picked some as I walked. I wasn't sure where the trail went from Lynn Valley Road, so I walked a couple of blocks on the road and picked it up again on 29th Street. A bit of a way up the mountain the trail hit a creek. I walked up the creek a bit and found a park. The trail seemed to continue on the other side of the park. I came to a road and the power lines continued up the mountain. The path seemed a bit narrow and overgrown, so I decided to walk along the road. This turned out to be the Braemar Connector. This took me to the top of Lonsdale, and then I decided to stick to the roads till home. It took me about an hour and a half, and it was probably about 7 - 8 km.

Saturday was great weather as well. The temperature was in the high teens and it was beautiful and sunny. Not having a car, I was trying to decide what to do. I decided that I would go for a walk to Grouse Mountain. I had talked with the kids about doing the Grouse Grind again, but neither of them were interested in going. They just wanted to stay at home. Bridget did have a bit of a cold. I have a 12 month pass for the Skyride, so I thought I would walk to the lower station, catch the cable car up, and walk some of the trails up on top. Well, I walked up to the power lines near home and followed them to Grouse. It is much quicker than going by road. I don't know what made me do it, but, when I got to the start of the Grind, I decided to do it again. I think I was regretting it after about 10 minutes. I had started the timer on my watch as I stepped through the gate. I reached the 1/4 way mark in 30 minutes, 1/2 way in 50 minutes, 3/4 in 1 hr and 15, and finally got to the top in 1 hr and 36 minutes. That was about 15 minutes better than the last time I did it.

I walked around to get the views, and then went to see the bears again. I took the chair lift to the peak and got a closer look at the huge windmill that they have constructed as a power generator, which will provide abour half the power needed on the mountain. It also has a viewing capsule at the top of the tower. I caught the cable car down and then had to walk back along the power lines to get home. Quite a bit of walking so far this weekend.

On Sunday we had to take Nola to the airport for her flight home. We dropped her at the departure area at 11:15 and then being such a nice day we decided to drive to Steveston. We walked around the shops and along the riverside wharves. We had fish and chips while watching the boats come and go, and the seagulls and other birds looking for a feed. The view back up this arm of the Fraser River looked straight at Mount Baker. It was very clear and the snow capped mountain looked great. We have a 12 month pass to the Canadian National Parks and Historic Sites, so we decided to go to the Gulf of Georgia Cannery. Paula and I had been before when the kids were away during the summer, but we thought that they would enjoy the tour and we didn't have to pay anything extra. As we were walking into the Cannery a voicecalled out from behind us. We turned around to find some of our friends who had just come down for an afternoon walk, and icecream.

We watched a movie about the fishing industry in this area, and then took the guided tour of the canning line. When that finished the guide took us through another part of the building where they produced fish meal and oil mainly from herring. We had more time this time to explore the exhibits, and to get a feel for what it was like working in the cannery.