Clarkwards do Whistler

It sounded too good to be true: a mostly-paid trip to Whistler to attend a wood convention with clients.  Add on that our Kauai besties were coming, too, and our kids were going to be watched by our other favorite friends, and the puzzle fit together perfectly.  We worried until the day of about the trip, though, with a few hiccups at work and then Zachary coming down with Influenza B the week before we left.  I watched the other kids closely and expected someone else to get ill and keep me from going.  That didn't happen (even though in my paranoia, I took a fever-free, grouchy Owen to urgent care for a flu test), and we were off!

Our first day was in Victoria, where we had only enough time to rent bikes and cruise around the cloudy city before meeting up with boys to take the ferry to Whistler.  We found this little cafe and took pictures for Kate.

The ferry ride was much warmer than years ago with the kids, and almost vacant.  We spotted humpback whales and funny books.

Our hotel in the middle of Whistler was dreamy.  We could see the mountain bikers right by the elevator, and the first night was clear and beautiful.  We each had a suite which included a fireplace.

I'm sure the lobby workers see this every six minutes and roll their eyes each time.

The first night, we went to dinner together at 21 Steps, where Nic had his favorite meal of the trip and we all got excited talking up mountain biking.  We were glad we brought jackets and I realized quickly that I did not need any shorts.

I love the signs in other countries.  They are so much more obvious than ours.

The next morning, it was chilly, cloudy, and a little rainy, but Heidi and I decided to go for the mountain biking anyway.  We were both apprehensive and cautious to start, but by the afternoon, our speed and turning skills increased dramatically.  I did get more aggressive which ended with me flipping over my handlebars. I felt like such an idiot, but Brady claims this happens to even the better riders when they start pushing their skill levels.  It was a rookie mistake of hitting on my left brake too hard.  Argh.

So glad for these helmets that saved my face on the fall.  More glad for this adventurous girlfriend who will ride down mountains with me.

We had other rookie moments: Heidi getting stuck trying to get through the gate, and me with my squeaky bike brakes that announced my every moment of caution by that afternoon.  We laughed at each other and pushed each other.

When the boys finished their convention, we went up the gondola to a dinner reception with them.  They served popcorn and drinks on the way up and we took in the best and only views we got on the trip.

Brrr, it was so cold!  I'm glad we spent the time outside checking things out and getting these pictures since the weather prevented any other visibility the remainder of the week.

The dinner was fun and we went to Nic and Heidi's suite that night to watch the first half of "Bird Box," which scared me to pieces and kept me up half the night.  I told Nic that if he went on the Peak-to-Peak gondola the next day, I would finish the movie and otherwise there was no way I would watch another minute.  We had a bargain and he closed his eyes, sat backwards, and took the ride up. We saw an enormous black bear on the way up, and then we were stuck in the clouds.

The lift to the Skybridge was closed but we asked and found out it was possible to hike to the top.  It would take a couple hours tops.  We went for it, thinking we were pretty smart to find something active that was possible on a cold, rainy day.  On the way back down, we were as cold as I remember being in the last several years with gusty rain slapping our faces and saturating our clothes...except for Brady, who has excellent gear and stayed completely dry.

The view was socked in and so funny for that reason.

After this picture (where we each sported our $5 mittens), Heidi and I spent 20 minutes under hand dryers in the bathroom, ringing out our sports bras and trying to stop shivering.  We finished off the day with the hot tub and dinner with clients.

The next day, we decided it was biking rain or shine.  Luckily, the weather held off until just as we finished biking.  It was misty and a little spooky, but otherwise perfect conditions.  The boys pushed us to try harder trails, and we did blue after blue.  Nic had a scary fall, but recovered after about 15 minutes.  The best trail was Crank it Up, and we did the run 3 times with the boys jumping and the girls rolling.  The last time, I was getting very confident and excited, and took it too fast.  I landed face first after an accidental jump and slid down the hill, scared I would get hit by another biker.  It was slightly terrifying and I'm glad nothing bad happened outside some bruising and soreness.

We said goodbye to Whistler and headed to Squamish, a place close to our hike for the next morning.  We ate appetizers and mushroom risotto at my favorite place of the trip, Salted Vine, then scrubbed mud off our gear in the girliest, coastal-themed Air B&B I have ever seen.

The next day was dismally rainy.  After getting food for the hike, we drove 45 minutes through downpour, thinking the entire time that it was a huge joke to be outside that day.  It turned out that once we started hiking, the tree cover provided enough protection and the rain let up.  We did not do our planned 18 miler since the view was obstructed, but still managed 11 miles with a gorgeous view of Garibaldi Lake in the middle.  Heidi and Brady ran the trail back, and Nic and I--the once-but-no-longer-runners--hiked back.

Brady took this pic to make fun of my short hiking pants.

I had to sport my Shireen tank, even though it was freezing outside.

That night, we started the BYU game against USC at 10pm, finishing close to 1am with the game winning touchdown.  I knew the result of the game already from a text string but it was so cute hearing the reactions of the boys.  "Did you know anything about this game???"

It was time to pack up and say goodbye to vacation mode the next day.  We headed to Vancouver for a couple hours to walk around and realize we were not city people.

We had one last meal together.

Then, we each put on our comfy Lulu pants, crossed our legs, and went home.

We got home and collected our children.  While we were gone, Owen coughed so hard he threw up for the first time--all over Mahjinka.  We hope she forgives us someday.  Kate also had a fever.  No influenza, but still illness that seems to accompany every trip we take.  

I took pictures of my war wounds and two weeks later, they are still visible and even tender.  

We have wanted to mountain bike and explore Whistler ever since our infamous trip where we were stuck on top of the mountain with Zac and Kate.  The weather wasn't perfect but the company was, and it was one of my favorite weeks with Brady that we have ever spent together.