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Vancouver - Mount Baker - Bellingham
The cloud hung over Vancouver but there was a glimmer of sunshine on the horizon over our destination, Mount Baker.
We were meeting our friends Elaine and Terry for a day exploring the slopes with our local guides, so we were up early to get up to the mountain by nine. Luckily the roads were empty and the border crossing in Sumas quiet so we made it up to the resort in good time.
As usual I scanned the forests as we cruised up the mountain, but there wasn't even a whiff of bears, even along the shallow river beds which lined our route.
We were getting kitted up with boots and skis when Elaine and Terry turned up. We had a good range of fat skis to choose from. Dave tried out the K2 Obsethed and I tried out the Atomic Access skis which were light and fast. Unfortunately the boot hire range did not match the skis and we both had to settle for beginner boots and to add insult to injury mine were male boots yet again! I had learned my lesson in Tahoe so took a size smaller and stuffed the heel spaces under the insole to get a better fit.
The snow softened quickly under the blue skies so it was similar to the conditions we had experienced in Tahoe, but a lot better of fatter skis. Elaine and Terry struggled a bit on their own piste skis so decided to try out some wider off-piste skis too.
We enjoyed our first taste of Cinnamon Danish and the newly built lodge by the C5 & 6 chairlifts, before exploring the far bowls of the ski area. On a whole the terrain was varied and as steep as you wanted it to be. Unfortunately some of the steeper off-piste canyons were closed because of avalanche risk, but the potential for some fantastic skiing was very evident as we wove through the trees.
Lunch consisted of more pulled pork sandwiches and burgers with coleslaw washed down with a pint of Wicked Whit from the local brewery.
The clouds eventually caught up with us and with slightly aching thighs we called it a day in the late afternoon with more hot coffee to wake us up for the journey home to Bellingham.
The drive was just over an hour and took us through lush pasture lands dotted with traditional red wooden barn and homesteads bordered by white picket fences, all surrounded by towering forests.
We just had time for a quick change and then were whisked away for a treat at The Oyster Bay restaurant. Elaine works a realtor in Bellingham. One of her satisfied customers recently sent her a voucher to use at the restaurant as a thank you for all her hard work. She insisted that we help her make use of it before it expired.
The restaurant boasted views of our next destination the San Juan islands which were perfectly lit by a muted sunset. I decided to indulge in two fishy courses of oysters and salmon, both of which were inventively combined with a variety of ingredients and cooked to perfection. The guys both went for steak Wellingtons which were equally impressive. All was washed sdown with some local white wine. We had no space left for dessert.
Feeling physically tired with full bellies we gratefully accepted the opportunity to use Elaine and Terry's granny flat and rolled into a queen sized double bed.
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