Trip to Whistler

Curling doesn't start until Tuesday, so Leland Rich, President of the US Curling Association, and his lovely wife Margaret and I decided we would go up to Whistler today to check out some of the Alpine events.

Four words come to mind:

EASIER SAID THAN DONE


We were told to go down to the Waterfront  Station to catch a two hour bus up to the mountain. We met at 9am and were told by the Waterfront people we needed to go to the bus station all the way across town, but that, without a reservation, it was gonna be a crapshoot. We then tried to find the bus station. When we asked a very nice cop where the bus station was, he gave us great directions, but said we really would be better off catching a ferry to North Vancouver and catching a bus from there. After lots of hemming and hawing, we decided to forgo North Vancouver and chance the bus station. We got on the train THE WRONG WAY, and then laughed at the next stop when people started asking US for directions. Eventually, we made it to the train stop at the bus station where the volunteers wearing "Transit" buttons told us they didn't really know how one was supposed to go to Whistler. We eventually ambled over to the bus station where we learned we had missed the Greyhound bus by five minutes.  We eventually found another bus operator who told us to head back to the Waterfront, queue on the street, and cross our fingers taht somebody doesn't show up....somehow, someway, it eventually worked.

We are pulling in now....hopefully we can find a bus ride home and avoid sleeping on the mountain.

This adventure will probably be airing on Canadian television as Episode 1 of their "Laugh at Americans" hidden camera televison show.