Keystone

We spent several days at Keystone with Jennie and Will. We were busy the whole time either riding bikes, geocaching, riding the ferry to Port Townsend, or walking the beach.

We had beautiful weather for our walks on the beach while we looked for agates.Jennie and WillThe Keysone/Port Townsend ferry.

And here we are again with Jennie finding the most agates. She always comes back with a handful, while the rest of us have a couple or maybe even zero.

While at Keystone we decided to check out a few more Geocaches. There are many in this area and we seem to be discovering more all the time.

Hmmm, how many people does it take to find a cache? Apparently as many as possible. We all have a GPS and it's usually a group effort to find the exact location. I have found several on my own, but it's fun to make it a family event.

Here's a traditional cache. If I like one of the treasures I can take it as long as I leave something of equal or greater value. We usually don't take anything, but occasionally leave something.

We always sign the Log Book once we find a cache. It's fun to see how many people have been there or if someone was there just before us.

This one was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

I looked at each cork very carefully and finally found it. This is a micro cache. The little lid unscrews and there is a very tiny roll of paper inside to log our visit on.

Some caches are in the strangest spots. I could never have reached this one, which is a little odd.

Ron looks like he is about done looking for this cache. We knew our coordinates were right, but we just couldn't find it. Finally Will got down on his knees and looked under the bridge...

and this is what he found. The name of this cache is "A Decent Proposal" and there is lots of bling attached to it. Some people are so clever.

One of the great things about searching for caches is that you get to learn a little about local history. This was one such cache. If you are not a geocacher, you would have no idea that there is something hiding inside this log house.

This was our most adventuresome hunt. We are parked way down by the water, so it was quite a hike to our destination. We actually found 2 caches on this trail.Jennie is looking at the first cache we found. It had lots of treasures, but we did not take any. We did sign the log book.We had to follow this trail to the next cache which was about a mile along the bluff. I did not like it very much. You had to be part mountain goat to walk this trail. However, I seemed to be the only one complaining and there were lots of people on the trail. Not to mention the person that put the cache at the end of the trail and who has to keep It maintained. I certainly don't want to go there again, but I am not real thrilled about heights either. These last few pictures are of the beautiful Coupeville area.

I better let you know that I borrowed this picture from Jennie. She is having fun taking pictures and learning how to use all the features on her new camera.

Whistler

Welcome to Whistler in British Columbia, Canada the home of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Amber and Jerad come here often and invited us to come along for a few days. Amber has been doing a 5 Peaks running event in B.C. throughout the summer and had a run at Whistler this weekend. Jerad has a seasons pass, so comes up often as he is an avid mountain biker and comes to ride the trails. Amber also rides.

Here's Jerad, Amber and Jodie ready for their first ride of the day. Jerad takes the chair lift, but the girls find it easier to get their bikes in the gondola. The runs don't open until 10 AM, so it gives them a little time in the morning to relax or explore the Village.

The bikers are lined up to get on the chair lift. There are special lifts just for the bikes, so you hurry and get your bike into the bike lift and then sit in the chair that is coming right behind. At the top the attendants take the bikes off.


This is the bottom of one of the runs near the chair lift.

Occasionally the bikers gather to talk about a trail, or maybe rest, before they head to the lift for their next run.
Sometimes it looks like an alien planet walking around the village. However, it's nice to see that the riders wear protection in case they should fall. I don't know this rider, he just happened to be the closest one when I decided to take a picture of the full gear.

Here's Jerad after a run. He's one happy boy, as he loves this. You can see he has his hand a knee protection and he also wears a full head helmet. It was a warm day, so I think he is riding in light gear. Ron and I took it a little easier and rode around the Village and also Lost Lake.
Everywhere you look in Whistler Village there are bikes. Oh, and I need to mention that these are expensive bikes, with lots of special suspension and brakes for riding the trails. They cost between $2000.00 and $7000.00 Most of the bike you see belong to the visitors...

but some of them are rentals. I am told that more money is made during the summer bike season than the winter ski season. Biking is a BIG sport up here. Then we ran into this cutie. Someone put a lot of work into this design. I'm sure it doesn't go up on the mountain, but it sure looks cute riding around the Village. Well, actually you have to walk them on The Village Stroll, but you can ride everywhere else.
We were in the Village shopping when along came Jerad and Mike. Mike's wife Jen K is here to run with Amber on Saturday. Jerad had a flat tire and ended up having to get a whole new tire and tube. You can tell the rear tire is a lot cleaner than the front. It was pretty dry and dusty on the mountain.

We are now in a gondola that takes riders up to the top of the runs. That is Whistler Village down below. We are on our way to the Peak 2 Peak Gondola, which will take us from Whistler to Blackcomb.

This is an aerial view of the bobsled/luge course for the 2010 Olympics.

We have now transferred to the Peak 2 Peak Gondola. They are a little larger and hold about 16 people.
This is a Peal 2 Peak Gondola coming back across. This one has a solid bottom, but there are a few that have clear bottoms for an even better view.I love this picture of Amber and Jodie, my niece, on the Peak 2 Peak Gondola. I had to adjust my camera settings a bit to get the mountains and the girls to both show up. Ah, isn't it nice when a plan comes together?

It was a little chilly at the top, but the sculpture was warm, so the girls are soaking up the heat. Amber will start her run from this location on Saturday, and I think she goes up from here.

As we head back across you can see the distance we travel.

We are back on the Village Gondola for the last leg of our ride.

Heading down to Whistler Village.

While the kids were out riding bikes, or having coffee, I decided to look for a Geocache in the Village. Come to find out there are lots of them. I'll just tell you I found one and not the name of it or where it was, as I don't want to ruin the surprise if someone else wants to look for it. It's always amazing to me how many things are hidden close by and only the Geocachers know where they are.

One last shot of Whistler Village. This restaurant was always very busy and I thought the flowers were so pretty. We had a great time hanging out with the kids. Oh, and notice more bikes in this picture.