Works Like a Charm! Vacation

How does an entrepreneur take a vacation? Answer: One doesn’t. You can travel but your work travels with you. For us realtors there’s a saying: “If you need business, book your flights to somewhere far away.” Early spring one of the brokers at my office wrote four contracts whilst “vacationing” in Maui. Yesterday I popped into the office and my colleague on floor duty said that she just wrote an offer to help a broker that was on flight to Italy. See, it always seems to work. So, drive to Canada, cross the border and things start to happen. Works like a charm.

We had an awesome trip to Whistler with the family though. Me working a little bit here and there wasn’t an issue even though it could have been made into an issue. However, I’m blessed by a family that truly understands the double-edged sword of being an entrepreneur. Yes, I can go to Canada. Yes, I don’t have to report my vacation time to anyone as I don’t have PTO. Yes, I most likely will work a bit whilst on vacation. Yes, I don’t have to ask anyone if I can go to 5^th Grade camp, Girl Scout camping trip, dance recital or my child’s dental appointment. In the traditional sense of things, I have no weekends, vacations, evenings or holidays, but with that comes amazing privileges too, and I’m extremely thankful for that after trying to work 2:30PM to 11PM and 8:30AM to 5:30PM with three kids, no need mentioning special needs here as this issue is the same for all parents with young children. For us that turned out to be impossible as I was missing everything… work, dance recitals, meetings, family vacations, school events.

But back to Whistler. This was our third time up In Whistler, and our second with the kids. This was the first time for us bringing Martha, our lab, with us and I’ll have to admit I was a little surprised that no one was interested in seeing her paperwork. I was surprised even though I was told this was likely to happen. I wouldn’t try crossing the border without that rabies certificate though.

Four nights and three days filled with hiking, biking, swimming and sunshine. What else could one ask for? Yes, maybe beer but there was a fix for that too, and obviously poutine, the national dish of Canada made with French fries, gravy and cheese curds. Poutine may sound a tad odd for someone whom haven’t tried it, but trust me, poutine alone is a good enough reason to cross the border.

On our way back home, the border officer asked us we had bought any souvenirs, I answered that I had purchased three Starbucks mugs. For a moment he just stares at me blankly, and then he clarifies: “So you drove all the way to Whistler to buy three Starbucks mugs that were likely made in Seattle?” – “Yes, sir. I did. They had Whistler, BC and Canada printed on them.” He rolls his eyes and tells me most people buy maple syrup, not Starbucks mugs. I wanted to tell him, but I chose not to, that the mugs had not been made in Seattle. They’ve been made in China.

Here’s a list of places, hikes and things we like in Whistler.  As we chose not to take Martha up to the mountains (only service and rescue animals are allowed) we were looking for stuff to do with a dog as well:

In 2016 we were traveling with two barely 6-year olds and an 8-year old: 

• I took Mia on a 2-hour horseback riding adventure in Pemberton. Yes, I lied her age as she was 8 at the time and she was supposed to be 10. But she was more mature than most 8-year-olds and tall.  I have been on a horse since age 7.
• We hiked down the Mathew’s Traverse road on Whistler Mountain. This is something that can be done with a sturdy stroller or a baby carrier too. It took as a few hours the first time. This year it was about an hour.
• Strolling in the Village and playing at the playground by Olympic Square was fun.

This year they were 8, 8 and 10:

• We hiked Mathew’s Traverse Rd again
• We also hiked a Blue/Green hike “the lakeside loop” on the Blackcomb side. It is rated as a moderate hike, but I would say it’s probably too much for younger children with the rocky path and elevation gains, crossing the streams etc. It is an awesome hike though. Our kids loved it, we saw several marmots and had one following us.

• Whistler Mountain is definitely worth a visit with the entire family even if you don’t intend to hike. If you take the Peak Express, you can get all the way up to the brand-new suspension bridge on top of the mountain. Neither one of these are for the faint of heart or for someone suffering from fear of heights though.

• Peak 2 peak gondola is the 2nd longest gondola ride in the world.
• Meadow Park (5 minutes north of the Village) has a nice splash park aimed for the littler kids. Ours chose to swim in the icy river with Martha.
• Olympic Square playground was still a hit!
• Alpha Lake has a nice beach for the entire family and it’s opposite of Creekside about 5 minutes South of Whistler Village. The Arfa Park right next to the beach is a fenced doggy beach with a dock. We chose to stay in Arfa Park
• We rented bikes and rode around the Lost Lake. It was fun, but we divided into two groups as Magnus is a slower rider and there is plenty of smaller hills still. Lost Lake has a nice beach too, but it is a bit of a walk. Bike rentals can be fun, and they are relatively affordable. You can rent bikes for riders of all sizes in several places in the Village. Helmets are provided.
• We visited the Britannia Mine Museum. That’s an awesome place to visit and it’s suitable for everyone with the exception of someone suffering from extreme claustrophobia as you will take a train inside the mine tunnel.
• Here’s a link for some family hikes that we have NOT done

Other stuff worth knowing:

• PureBread at Olympic Square has amazing pastries for breakfast.
• IGA grocery store north of Olympic Square is a great place for anything you need, whether it’s a bottle of wine, candy, toothpaste or doggie treats.
• There’s a pizza place (Pizza Antico) on Main St that we really like and it’s pretty okay price wise. Most restaurants in the Village are quite expensive and the food is okay at best.
• At Creekside there’s Dusty's a nice BBQ place, one of the oldest in Whistler. You will have to drive there from the Village but it’s semi affordable and the food is great.
• Most restaurants within the Village are priced accordingly. This is a vacation resort and that shows on the price tags.