Sea to Sky

I drove to Squamish yesterday - about an hour north of Vancouver - about half way to Whistler BC.  Once you get through downtown Vancouver (which can be a bit of a feat on a Friday afternoon especially when there is an accident at Georgia and Jervis) you head over the Lions Gate Bridge Bridge.

In the early 1930’s, the Guinness family built the Lions Gate Bridge (also known as the First Narrows Crossing) to access their own property on the North Shore..... I guess all the beer made them lots of money because that is quite a driveway!

Fortunately for us 2 of the three lanes were going north so we sailed across with no delay.

Once you get across the bridge you make your way to the Upper Levels Highway which runs across the North Shore Mountains.  We headed west towards Horseshoe Bay.

At Horseshoe Bay we headed north on the Sea to Sky Highway which goes from West Vancouver to Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton.  

In the past this highway was notoriously dangerous, very narrow and twisty and at times it literally hangs on the side of the mountains with very little between the road and Howe Sound (an ocean inlet) below.  One of the "legacies" of the 2010 Winter Olympics was the re-do of the highway.  It took 3 years but it really is such a different experience now.  Much wider and straighter (still some single lane each way sections because there is literally no space for any more). 

Here are some shots of the drive......

We got to Squamish with time to spare and sat in the car in the sun (it was -2 outside) and looked at this beauty....

We met up with Lindsay's friend Maxine and headed home with a quick stop at Porteau Cove for a couple more snaps.....

We got back to Richmond just as the sun was setting after a glorious day and a wonderful drive.  Feeling very blessed to live in such beauty, especially this week when so many in the World are suffering.