Friday 2nd August, we know we have a long journey ahead however we don't know how long as we set out undecided whether to drive the 330miles to Whistler or to stop midway around 100 Mile House.  Much of the route was on single lane windy mountain roads where our average speed was 40mph as we were stuck behind slow moving vehicles so the whole journey would take around 8hrs.

Entertainment was an interview with David Mitchell talking abut his book 'Backstory' which was so funny that the book must be a great read. After that it was Desert Island Discs podcasts with Michael McIntyre, Damian Hirst, Rankin, Russell Brand, Tim Minchin, Ricky Gervais and Dustin Hoffman.  We were surprised that we enjoyed ones we hadn't expected and disliked other that we thought we would like! I thought Ricky Gervais would be insincere and generally annoying and he was the opposite and I thought I'd like Tim Minchin and he came across as really cynical and uninspiring, which was quite disappointing.

Michael McIntyre was probably the most entertaining recalling memories of his grandmother and other family details along with the accent reinactment..

After a long drive we arrived at 100 Mile House, so called because it is 100 miles from Lillooet, on the gold rush trail (along with 98 mile house, 108 mile house and others similarly named).  It was around 4.30pm and I'd already been driving for what felt like ages, so we thought we'd find somewhere to stay for the night. We drove past the Ramada, which looked like the drabbest place on earth, and 108 Mile Ranch which turned out to be a vacation place for recovering alcoholics and was so dull it was enough to turn anyone to drink! So, we gave up and decided to press on and perhaps stay at Lillooet.

A hundred miles further on the mountain pass wove promisingly down towards the town, but on arriving we realised it was a mass of industrial factories and plants and not a place to stay. So we decided to press on the 80 miles to Whistler. The sat nav forecast it taking 2 hrs 25 mins, which I thought was crazy for just 80 miles but it turned out to be right as the road was like a narrow English country lane, except it climbed up, around and through the highest mountain passes.  Mile after mile at 30 mph max had me longing for a hotel, any hotel to stop for the night - but there was nothing, not a single inn or motel or anything for 75 miles.

We ended up booking an extra night at Nita Lake Lodge in Whistler and staying there, which turned out to be a great choice.  The staff were friendly and could tell we were exhausted so they ushered us into the loveliest room and parked the car for me.  

Another suprise was that the man who checked us in was from where we live, actually a road very close to us!

The one bedroom suite was beautifully decorated, modern yet cosy, with big windows a balcony and a fireplace. It was so nice to arrive knowing we were staying in one place for 3 nights, even though we knew we would have to change room to the cheaper room I had pre-booked for the next two nights.

Who could guess that a day of sitting in a car could be so draining... I'm guessing that it's similar to flying, the whole process being pretty tiring.

Gina

On Thursday 1st August, we spent the morning wandering around Jasper browsing the various gift shops. It was a glorious hot sunny day around 30 degrees which is a strange experience when you are looking at snowy mountains all around. 

After a small lunch, we left for Blue River, about 150 miles west of Jasper towards Whistler. We drove around the edge of Wells Grey National Park, and past Mt Robson, the highest peak in Canada and then on through Mt Robson National Park. It was very green with dense pine trees on the massive but gentle slopes travelling alongside a gushing river, almost the whole route. 

 There's not much at Blue River, other than Mike Wiegele's Helicopter Skiing Resort, where we stayed. Each wooden cabin has its own helipad and the place is famous for celebrities flying in and out to ski in the winter. In the summer it's quiet, with no helicopters in sight, just beautiful mountains and a lake. 

Upon entering Blue River town, we had seen a sign for a river safari, so we decided to do that. It was about 5pm so the sun was a bit lower in the sky casting a very pretty amber light on the river and Grizzly Bear Valley. The boat was small, with a powerful engine, and there were about 8 of us on the trip. We slowly left the boathouse, rounded a river bend through the glorious valley, and the river opened up wide, like a lake with beaches and small islands in the middle, perfect bear country.  

 On board was another passenger, a Mexican husky. She was fairly small for a husky with a thick black and white coat and ice blue eyes. She was a bright as a button, and stood at the bow watching everything, totally alert and ready for anything. We took so many photos of her as it was hard to take your eyes of this captivating animal. 

About half way through our hour long trip, they moored the boat so we could take a short hike up to a isolated waterfall. It was so special being somewhere where few others go as so many beautiful places are awash with tourists. Later back on the water we saw a lone black bear, looking for food on a small beach. We watched for about 10 mins and managed to take quite a few photos.

Gina