Of mountains and beaches...

Another year. Another skiing and camping trip with the family - check and check.

Skiing:

We went to Whistler Blackcomb ski resort this year in February for couple of days to ski. It is lauded as the largest ski resort in North America. We stayed in Pemberton, a little north of Whistler Village and drove in both days to ski.

This was our first time in Whistler. So the first thing we did when we reached there in the evening was to pay a visit to the visitor center in the 'village'.

Whistler Visitor Center

We picked up the ski trail map. It was a hodgepodge of color coded trails and lift information. There are two mountains - Whistler and Blackcomb and they have many different levels of slopes (green, blue and the blacks) with many chair lifts and gondolas to take you up to different elevation points in the mountains.

We decided to stick to just one mountain, the Whistler mountain.

Whistler Mountain Ski Trail Map

The simplest trail I was told, was the 'Lower Olympic Trail'. I have skied few times and feeling quite confident that I can manage the 'green' slopes, I got on the lift 'Fitzsimmons', to tackle the 'lower olympic trail' which is marked as the easiest one.  As the lift started up, I found that this mountain is nothing like any other places I have skied. As the lift kept ascending (which felt like forever to me), with me gaping at the intimidating valleys down below, my heart started pounding.

After a few apprehensive runs in this trail, I pep talked myself to take on a higher 'green' slope. So I took the 'Garbanzo Express' lift to go to the next high point.

There are few ways to come down from there to join the green 'pony trail', cruise down the green 'expressway' and eventually down to the 'lower olympic' trail.

Up there the real trouble was that I couldn't locate the 'papoose' trail which was the 'green' path. There are 2 other 'blue' trails (banana peel and orange peel) which will join the green path as well. In the state of panic, I couldn't locate the right one and I still am hazy about how eventually I ended up in the green 'expressway'. The 'expressway' was so fun to cruise and from there I made my way down the lower olympic trail again.

I did not have enough nerves left that day to take the 'Garbanzo Express' one more time. That's for another time, another winter.

The Whistler Village is a smorgasbord of restaurants, book stores, coffee shops, boutiques and grocery stores where we spent much time hanging out.

Whistler Village

Whistler Village

Camping:

We camped at Nehalem Bay State Park again this year in august. This time we stayed for two nights. The days were warm, evenings windy and the nights wet and cold. The kids biked around the camp site, played in the sand at the beach.

Nehalem Bay State Park

Nehalem Bay State Park

We went to Manzanita, a quintessential beach town, right next to the state park, for coffee, ice cream, grocery and food.

Manzanita, OR

Manzanita Beach, OR

Manzanita, OR

We lounged, read books and huddled together when it got cold.

Whenever we cross the Columbia River to get to OR, I get mesmerized by the grandeur of the river and the breathtaking views you get, when you cross the bridges across the river. On our way to Nehalem Bay we went through Astoria and crossed the Astoria-Megler Bridge. On our way back to WA we used the Lewis and Clark Bridge. Both of these bridges are majestic, preserve the character of this region and offer stunning vistas.