Sea to Sky Gondola ~ Squamish

At this time of year, it's best to prepare for winter and the cold of ice and snow, especially when you're heading to the summit of the Sea to Sky Gondola.















Located between Vancouver and Whistler, just outside the wonderful town of Squamish, where Sherry and I celebrated New Year's Eve, but that's another story, the ride takes about 15 minutes and covers almost 2km. The true vertical rise is 850 metres.







At the summit we are 885 m above sea level, the sun is bright and the temp is just below freezing and dropping.

There is a suspension bridge from the summit Lodge, which houses cafe, bar and gift shop, leading to viewing platforms and a number of hikes. At times the path is shaded, cold and almost dark with the heavy, low slung branches of the trees. At other times a person will walk out into the blinding brilliance of the sun.

The views are incredible from every direction. The sky is bright, the air crisp and clean, and the shadows long and cold.

Do we have to leave? Well, apparently yes. We have a dinner and dancing engagement with the Whiskeydicks at the Howe Sound Inn & Brewery. And anyway, in winter the last ride down is at 6:00 pm and by that time it is truly cold and dark.

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2015.

It's the transition that's difficult ~ Christmas Eve 2014

The longest night has finally passed. It's Christmas Eve and the day is glorious and fit for a walk.

Or a game of golf.












Isaac Asimov once said, or perhaps he said it through a character in one of his stories, "Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome."

As is the sand trap on number seven.

This transition thing is difficult.

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.

Walking the Squamish Estuary Trails

Within a short walk of downtown Squamish are some wonderful trails around the river's estuary, providing fantastic views of the mountains and life on the estuary itself.















Bordered by the Spit on the west, the Squamish Estuary stretches across the bay to the back of downtown. There are several trails and boardwalks of varying lengths.





The railroad tracks are walkable too, unless otherwise occupied by a train.

Trails wind their way over streams, through trees and tall reeds.

Over 200 species of birds pass through this place on their way north or south depending on which way they are going and the season. Any season is a good time for a walk and this place is ideal for just that. Anytime.

Some excellent information about the Squamish River Estuary, its history and development, and its future, is provided by the Squamish River Watershed Committee.

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.

Vancouver's first snow of the season

It was cold last night when we were out walking, to our weekly lesson en francais, and the air felt like snow, that heavy dampness kind of thing, as though the clouds were falling to earth.











Through the night it did snow and by morning, the skies had mostly cleared and the first snow of the season remained.






And remain it did through the entire day. There wasn't much, only a few centimetres. The streets were clear of course, but through the parks the white crust stuck, especially in the shade.


The birds were active at our bird feeder, which they are every day, but there was something slightly more frantic in their behaviour today.

This afternoon we went walking again, through the nearby park. The snow was more than a dusting, but only barely.












The shadows of the late afternoon revealed their own hues of blue and purple, reflecting the snow, and everything else.






















It's only minus six, yet it feels rigid, though nothing like our memories of the first snow in the Yukon two years ago. That snow happened early in October, and unlike Vancouver, once the snow starts in Dawson, it doesn't disappear until spring.



Our first snow of the season will soon be washed away and we will await the next snow day.

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.

Views from Squamish

Squamish is located about an hour away from both Vancouver and Whistler and it certainly appears to be a pleasant community of about 15,000.




The town had its beginnings with the construction of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway in the early 1900s. That strangely named railroad is now part of CN.

Forestry has always been important to the town and in recent years Squamish has become a bedroom community of sorts for people working in Vancouver or Whistler, wishing to escape the high cost of living in both places.

Squamish is also the  name of the group of Coast Salish people who have lived in villages in Metro Vancouver, Howe Sound and the Squamish River watershed "since time immemorial."






After contact with the European settlers, sixteen tribes united as the Squamish Band in 1923. Their territory is recognised as comprising over 6,000 square kilometres, though the lands controlled directly by the Squamish Nation are scarce indeed.

The views from Squamish on a sunny winter's day are incredible. This is a beautiful place.

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.