After never finding Lost Lake in Whistler and then barely dipping our toes in the glacial Joffre Lakes, we were ready for this swimming hole. With an overflowing parking lot and picnic spreads bigger than what you find at Ravinia, this place is not exactly a secret. The rock climbers like it here too and if you get tired of swimming in the not too cold, not too warm lake you can marvel at their skills. Henna and I, by the way, swam across the entire lake which made us feel like superstars. Corey enjoyed reading and catching some sun rays.

What I really liked about the place was the good vibes. The people were friendly and mostly locals. Before chilling by the lake we hit up a farmers market in Squamish. A lot of locals there too and it felt, especially when compared to Whistler, solid; a bunch of people spending their Saturday morning talking to friends and buying up a lot of produce. Tourists like us where there too, but it was not all about us. Really, it just felt good hanging out.

Pretty but too cold to swim in

So after swimming and after lunch we started our search for lodging. First we tried the campgrounds and that was a quick no-go. That failure led us back to an adorable motel where I write you from now (funny how failure to us is a clean bed and a comfortable room; success is sleeping in our tent and smelling like smoke). It also led to a so-so sushi meal where the owner’s son is studying at the University of Chicago. This led to more conversation with other diners and soon we were talking to every single person in the restaurant about places we should check out in Canada. It was such a friendly time that before we left we felt compelled to say goodbye to everyone. One person went so far as to invite us to camp out on his lawn sometime.

To the road

One last thing; I love Canadian signage. Every exit here has a sign telling, in universal picture form, what exactly the exit has to offer. Besides the usual things like gas stations or hotels, they also express less common attractions such as waterslides, swimming opportunities, and farm stands. Sometimes we cannot quite figure out what the picture is trying to communicate and we are tempted to get off the road and find out. It is like a perpetual game of Pictionary. What a country! 7/20/13 Noel