Pitter patter......

Bellingham - Whistler

We awoke to a dim light in the room and the sound of the rain pounding on the sky lights. We both groaned simultaneously and turned over, dropping back into a dose to shut out the unwelcome weather.

So far we had been totally spoilt and had clear skies and deliciously warm temperatures for most of our holiday. But all was not lost as the rain at the lower altitude of Bellingham could mean snow on the higher slopes of Whistler. However, the tyres on the RV were virtually bare of any tread so we had to keep our fingers crossed for snow on the mountain but not on the roads.

Armed with a stash of borrowed goods - SAT nav, skis, ski boots and extra blankets we reluctantly left the warm and dry haven of Elaine's lakeside mansion and hit the road for a three hour drive.

The further north-west we travelled the more the clouds cleared until to our relief the rain eventually dried up and patches of blue began to appear above us once more.

We sailed through the Canadian border with just a few questions and no queues.

The traffic didn't start to build until we approached Vancouver, so the SAT Nav decided to take us on a slight detour to bypass a traffic jam on one of the freeways. Its subsequent new re-direction was oblivious to the fact that we were driving a super-wide vehicle with outriggers for wing mirrors. Needless to say it was an uncomfortable half hour for hubbie, whose face was ashen at various points during the detour.

Once past Vancouver and out onto Highway One it was plain sailing and we breezed past the townships of Horseshoe Bay and Squamish looking intently into the passing woods for bears.

Our first stop in Whistler was the tourist information to ask about parking the RV. Our second was to the Brewhouse Bar for lunch. Feeling slightly sleepy from some tasty amber ale, we did a quick supermarket dash to stock up and then took advantage of our mobile home and crashed out for an afternoon nap.

We awoke a couple of hours later to the all too familiar sound of rain on the skylight. Cold and in need of a cup of tea we flicked through the local papers while the kettle boiled. Whilst dunking our biscuits we discovered that there was an imminent showing of the Hunger Games at the nearby cinema, so we grabbed our coats and headed out in the rain towards a warmer sanctuary with buttery popcorn.

The RV had survived any bear attacks during our absence and was still in one piece in the car park. Although not as toasty as the cinema it was a welcome shelter from the rain, so once inside we bundled ourselves up in Elaine's spare blankets and headed for bed, praying the rain would turn to snow for our adventures to come on the slopes the following day.