Squamish and Howe Sound

 Our friend Lydia drove up from Seattle yesterday and today she picked us up at the bnb and took us for a drive to Squamish, at the top of Howe Sound.

We know Lydia from our shared love of Airedales and you might remember she took us to Wenatchee five years ago along with two Airedales and one Kerry Blue. Sadly, all three dogs have crossed the Rainbow Bridge but our friendship continues.

It was a very glary day which makes photography difficult, but the scenery is beautiful as the road north follows the coast of Howe Sound.

It's the most southerly Fjord in North America.

We stopped at Shannon Falls.

Because of the prolonged drought, the volume of water was much less than normal.

We drove through Squamish and stopped at a bar & grill for lunch. The town is about an hour from both North Vancouver and Whistler, the ski resort which hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Our dining spot was right beside the Squamish River and we ate outside without jackets. Lydia was amazed we could do this halfway into October. Normally it's wet, cold, and miserable. The restaurant was very well patronized on this gorgeous day,

The water in the river comes from a glacier and has a distinctive light-blue colour.

Nearby peak.

Lydia spotted a seal.

I had tried poutine in Toronto but this version was much better with beer-battered chips. I could only eat about half.

Lydia and Marianne looking for the seal that was playing around in the river.

A lovely place to have lunch.

On the way back to Vancouver, we stopped to look at this unicorn statue.

Each holding a hoof. It's some kind of art studio but it was closed.

Even the building is unusual.

We stopped on our way south at Porteau Cove.

The dock was built as a way to carry cars from Squamish to Vancouver by ferry if an avalanche or landslide blocks the road to the north or south,

The views are wonderful here.

Scuba diving is popular in the area.

It was amazing to have such warm weather. From October 1 each year, cars need to carry snow chains and be equipped with winter tyres to be allowed to drive here. Apparently, conditions can get very wintry and dangerous very quickly.