chains

K's company hosted its annual Whistler trip this weekend which was good fun once we got there. The getting there part was far more challenging than I expected. We got to Squamish fast enough and thanks to my lead foot we were well on our way to getting there in the expected 2 hours from Vancouver when all of a sudden it started to snow and that snow stuck. It must've only snowed for about 20 minutes but in that time my car decided to lose traction so I pulled over and K had to figure out how to put on the chains we'd borrowed from his coworker. Luckily another driver was just finishing up putting on his chains and gave him some tips but it's never an easy process and I don't think K really cared to pick up this new skill. With chains on, we were on the road again for a mile or two. We got within a few hundred meters of the Welcome to Whistler sign when the cars just beyond the sign got into a collision, then the tow truck that went to help became part of the collision. Which meant all of us behind them were stuck there for over an hour as they untangled the mess. Total drive time 4 hours. Man was the trip up ever a test of patience and ability to not drive each other crazy. Totally felt like the Amazing Race but we managed to make it unscathed and relationship still in tact.

Once we got there, it was Whistler so it was worth it. The snow was awesome, it was clear and sunny the next day, and I got to eat a beaver tail with sugar, cinnamon and apples. I even got K linking turns on his 2nd time snow boarding. The biggest hurdle on the slopes for him was that wretched heel side to toe side turn which he described as "really freaky." For me, I learned how to navigate trees efficiently without having to dig myself out of too many tree wells or making any face-to-tree contact.

In comparison, that time it took 7 hours to get back from Tahoe to the Bay Area, totally not worth it.