The heat wave is expected to break after today, but there were already signs that it was on its way out. The temperature in the morning was already a bit cooler when we headed out to Shannon Falls just outside Squamish. The trail to the waterfall, like many we have encountered in this area, was extremely easy and clearly marked. This nevertheless didn’t stop large groups of people from bringing their hiking sticks and gear as if they were climbing Everest.
Though the parking lot was quite full, there weren’t actually that many people at the waterfall viewpoints themselves. Even a tour bus was parked in the lot, but there is an alternate path that doesn’t have any steps that leads to a (not as good) viewpoint for those who are not as in shape etc. and perhaps they were all there. Or, as we surmised based on the odors emanating from the visitor center area, they were all blowing up the public bathroom in a big way.
The entire excursion to and from Shannon Falls took about twenty minutes tops. We had the rest of the morning ahead of us, so we started driving north toward Whistler to another waterfall called Brandywine Falls. It was only about a thirty minute drive on gently curving roads that cut between the mountains. It was scenic and relaxing and an easy drive. Once again, the path was very well manicured and easy to follow.
The sun was shining brightly on the falls, so I used a fancy in-camera technique to smooth the water into the silky image you see above. It was also a very short hike, and we found ourselves back in the parking lot in short order. On the way back toward Squamish, we stopped at Tantalus Viewpoint to catch a glimpse of some of the taller mountains, still clinging to what little snowfall remains.
By now it was lunchtime, and we decided to simply go back to Tall Trees because Nicole liked their sandwiches. She treated herself to an ice cream sandwich as well because she’s been good. We ate and relaxed back at the Air BnB, which was definitely not as hot as the previous day. Eventually we went back down to the riverside pathway and decided to take it as far as it would go in both directions. It wasn’t all that far. We saw a sketchy looking trailer park and large amounts of poo, which we suspect was from a bear.
As dinner time crept close, we decided to get a pizza. We were informed by the first place that we called that they were out of several ingredients and that the pizza would also take about 70 minutes before it was ready. We weren’t sure if we heard all that right, but decided not to wait that long for a pizza that was missing some potentially key ingredients. We ended up instead at Backcountry Brewing, a local establishment where Nicole got easily swayed into making a few extra purchases from the shop while waiting for our pizza to be ready.
We ate back at our place and finished off what we could of the red wine before various insects started dive bombing into our glasses. This is no doubt what inspired Canadian singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette to pen her hit song Ironic with infamously not ironic lyrics, “It’s a black fly . . .in your chardonaaaaaay.” The mosquitoes started biting us as well. These unwanted visitors were obviously the catalyst for Canadian singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette’s hit single Uninvited, particularly when crooning, “But youuuu, you’re not allowed! You’re uninviiiiiited!”
After dinner, we tried to figure out the somewhat complicated Canadian recycling and composting bins. I suppose it is not actually all that complex, but for people like us who simply have garbage and recycling, determining what is “compost,” required a bit of homework. Apparently in Toronto, you can even compost in plastic bags because they have some sort of machine that “vaporizes” them or something fancy (or is quite possibly completely made up). Plastic bags are definitely not compostable in Squamish . . .or generally most places in the world.
We went back to the riverside near “Jack’s Bar,” because we basically live there now, and we took a look at the stars filling the clear night air. Not surprisingly this town is not very well lit at night, which makes it a bit dangerous for driving, or really doing anything. So many people were out for a leisurely walk which seemed like a death wish. I suppose when the weather is often foggy, rainy, cold, etc., everyone is trying to take advantage of the unseasonably clear and warm weather and maximizing their time outdoors. Luckily we didn’t inadvertently run anyone over (that we know of). After star gazing for a spell, we returned to the Air BnB to get organized for our departure tomorrow.
passports & pepto bismol 