If a picture is worth a thousand words, then tonight’s blog post will be the equivalent of roughly 11,000 words. But why can’t a picture be worth a thousand dollars??!! Then just one picture would have paid for that little air conditioner mishap I had back in Winnipeg….and one picture would buy a few rounds of DQ Blizzards for me and my co-campers at the RV Park……just a suggestion for whoever is in charge of these things.

I’ve spent the past 3 days in the village of Pemberton which lies in the Pemberton Valley,  about 30 kms north of Whistler, on Highway 99. I was last here 20 years ago for an outdoor wilderness course and didn’t recall much of the area except that it seemed “remote” at the time.

Today the village boasts a population of approx. 2500. The surrounding countryside is quiet and peaceful, dotted with farmland and livestock, streams and sheltered all-around by the majestic snow-capped Coastal Mountains. It is a quiet beauty, the collective power of all the elements drawing together to strike a chord within the heart. One cellist can play a beautiful tune but a collection of finely-tuned musicians create a symphony orchestra. Pemberton felt like a symphony to me, I can understand why my heart brought me here. To be calm and still. And simply enjoy the music.

I’d like to share with you a few of the photos that I took while visiting the village and cycling in the area. One day I cycled north out of town, backtracking through the route that I’d followed into Pemberton with Miss Daisy. It included a 13 km fairly steep uphill (that took nearly 2 hours to climb) with several tight switchbacks. I wanted to see how it would compare by bike. The verdict? I’ll take a steep uphill or downhill on a bicycle any day, negotiating mountains in a 27 foot RV is still not at the top of my list of favourite things to do in life.

In a few thousand “words”, here is to the beauty that is Pemberton….enjoy the music.

30 kms to the south, life starts to pick up pace in Whistler and beyond. Here, the pace of life is still quiet and the roads less travelled.

Recognize this place? It's none other than McDonalds. No big yellow arches acting as beacons of the french fried world, I like the sublety.

The mountains are your constant companion here in town

The general store, so nice and quaint

One of the many local ranches, where they make ranch dressing. Oh, just kidding, they have horses and cattle and stuff like that.....

The symphony of the elements

Nice view in the rear view mirror of Miss Daisy Too

There are many waterfalls to be seen across the country but none nicer than the ones that catch you by surprise on your travels

The last flat section before the big climb...like the "calm before the storm", the "calm before the real huffin' and puffin' begins..."

The viewpoint from the top of the 13 km climb

My feet, hanging out over Nairn Falls, which drop 60 m

2 Responses to “A Picture = One Thousand Words”