They don’t care for good drivers or fast horses now…
Just strong legs and a complete inability to feel pain were required today. As promised and talked about for the past three weeks today I headed out to Whistler for the Canadian Cheese Rolling festival. Cheese rolling is pretty self-descriptive in so far as an 11-pound cheese wheel is thrown down a hill and everyone chases it. On the way down, racers lose their footing and end up tumbling, rolling, sliding and bumping down. Hence the inability to feel pain, and I have to say a fair few people were limping around and dripping blood. Traditionally, the first person to get down the hill to the finish line wins the race and the cheese. I’m told this is originally an English sport- Gloucestershire and while I’d love to say that can’t be right, I figure something had to be developed to keep folks entertained while the cricket was on.
Needless to say, while I had no intention of throwing myself down a hill, I know, I lack a sense of adventure, I did enjoy watching various people dressed as a mouse, a cat, a herd of cows, and one man (undressed) in a bath robe chasing cheese. Maybe next year I’ll have padded up and kitted out and decided a season lift pass is worth the pain and agony of throwing myself down a mountain and after an 11 pound cheese.
Having made the 125KM drive out to Whistler I thought I have a wander around. After a small temper tantrum in the parking lot I managed to find somewhere to leave the car and set off to see the town. Whistler Village is a purpose built ski resort, and hugely busy all year round. Despite this, and the slightly manufactured feel to it, I did find it rather quaint and pretty. All the buildings have been kept in an Alpine style and it isn’t hard to imagine it 6’ deep in snow and Heidi skipping through the square. The lifts are running up the mountain all year round. In the summer for hiking and biking and a biking completion was taking place. This weekend was a mountain biking competition from Whistler Village down to the valley floor, through “BC’s epic biking tracks”. This was supplemented by the VW Trick Showdown in which riders clung onto bikes as they hurtled down a ramp and turned summersaults in the air. Very much like the aerial skiers at the Cheese Rolling. Again, I think a wish to stare death in the face and a complete in ability to feel pain was needed, as worryingly the air ambulance passed over head more than once.
The drive back provided one last chance to see the amazing and breathtaking scenery of Britannia Bay and Garibaldi Provincial Park. I really do live in the most amazing place. It is truly awesome. The mountains still have snow on the top, the lakes and bays are an unbelievable blue, and it is totally unspoiled (in so many places) affording views of lakes, rivers, forests, glaciers and mountains. I have added this to my list as a place to drive back out to in a few weeks time, when I have time to wander around, visit Shannon Falls and even pay a visit to the Mining Museum. Watch this space…
All in all, a mixed and interesting day. It was probably worth the trip out just for the Sea to Sky Highway- Route 99- when the improvements for the Olympics are completed it will be a fantastic road to drive, in the mean time it has annoyingly slow speed restrictions (in places- mainly where it has already been improved and no-one is allowed to drive for fear of ruining the new surface before the Games) but the most fantastic views imaginable.
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