Sea to Sky: Vancouver to Williams Lake

I left Vancouver this morning to drive up through British Columbia. I'm a little sad I didn't spend more time in Vancouver; it is a gorgeous city. The sky was absolutely blue today, and the city has lovely architecture and is surrounded by water and snow-capped mountains, all of which stood out in high relief on such a clear day. What an amazing place -- I'll definitely have to return to see it in more detail, and to visit Victoria, which I skipped in order to give myself time in Alaska.

I took Highway 99, the "Sea to Sky" highway, from Vancouver northward, past Whistler, and to a town called Cache Creek, at which time I turned onto Highway 97, the "Cariboo Highway". The Sea to Sky Highway was spectacular. The first portion of it, especially, was remarkable; I was driving on a mountain on my right side, with gorgeous blue water on my left. Unfortunately, there were NO turnouts along that stretch, so I have no pictures of it....oh well, that's what a memory is for, right?

I did take some photos after I passed Whistler, when there were finally turnouts on the road, but I'm afraid they don't do the scenery justice. I drove mostly through the mountains and through valleys, but continued to climb up and up, until I finally reached Cache Creek and turned onto 97. The remainder of the drive was through a gently-sloping valley. It made for easier driving, but not nearly as spectacular scenery.

I got to Williams Lake, where I'd decided to stop for the night. Total drive for today was 500 km (around 300 miles), and it took me almost 8 hours, counting stops. I found a hotel, and grabbed some supper at a local pub.

I had the strangest conversation on the way back to my hotel room. While I waited for the elevator in the lobby, an employee of the hotel came up to wait, as well. Here's how the conversation went:

Me: Hello.

Him: Hello.

Me: How are you?

Him: Fine. Who are you?

Me (thinking he'd asked how I was): Great, thanks.

Him: You're name's Blaine?

Me: Oh, no, I misunderstood, sorry.

Him: Where are you from?

Me: Atlanta, Georgia.

Him: Is that in Saskatchewan?

Me: No, it's in the United States.

Him: Oh, yeah, I've heard of it. It's in Idaho, right?

Me: No, it's actually in the Southeastern United States, on the Atlantic coast. Where are you from?

Him: I'm from Williams Lake.

Me: Oh, so you're a local.

Him: Yeah. So Atlanta....That guy's from there, isn't he? The one who did Thriller? Isn't his first name Michael?

Me: You mean Michael Jackson?

Him: Yeah. Didn't he die?

Me: Yes, he died last summer.

Him: How'd he die?

Me: An overdose.

Him: What's that?

Me: He took too much medication.

Him: You mean he took too many pills?

Me: No, I think it was an IV medication for sleep, actually.

Him: Well, everyone's just dropping dead around here....

And then he got off the elevator at his floor.

Totally bizarre. He looked normal, but his voice was robotic, and there was something not quite right about him.

Anyway, I continue on tomorrow. Until then....