Native culture, cycling, a toast
By Day 3, the Sea to Sky Highway had become a sleek four lanes, but it still followed an ancient trade route used by aboriginal coastal and in land peoples.
Our sole stop in Whistler was the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, a First Nations museum complete with grand canoes, masks, a pit house, an extensive gift shop and the Thunderbird Café, which serves aboriginalthemed, locally sourced meals such as grilled salmon bannock burgers and venison chili.
From Whistler north the road narrowed to two lanes reminiscent of the original winding highway, with views of waterfalls, lakes and boardwalk- encircled ponds to prowl on birdwatching excursions.
Rural Pemberton, 21 miles north of the Whistler ski resort, has a population of 4,500. Although it had the fastest national growth rate — 14.7% — after the 2010 Olympics were announced, “Pembie” is still a sleepy rural outpost. Even the McDonald’s has hitching posts. The general store from 1956 is just as we remembered it, crammed with real- fur Davy Crockett hats and left- handed guitars.
Pemberton is not only Whistler’s affordable bedroom community, it’s also the site of the resort’s many activities, such as paragliding, sky- diving, jet- boating and heli- skiing. There is epic mountain biking in the high country, but the flat valley floor makes cycling popular for everyone, so we cruised along the river dike route and along country roads with the backdrop of snow- cappedMt. Currie.
Pemberton is also becoming a farm- fresh food destination. Every August during the Slow Food Cycle Sunday, farms open their doors for the day so visitors can purchase baked goodies and veggies such as the region’s famous potatoes that long ago gave the area the nickname Spud Valley.
Some of those renowned local organic potatoes make their way into Schramm, an organic potato vodka made at the Pemberton Distillery, where we finished our cycling trip with a tour.
“We use five types of potatoes, traditional craft methods and hand- operated copper pot stills,” said master distiller Tyler Schramm, who started his popular enterprise in 2009. As we raised glasses of the crystal- clear, smooth- tastingliquor, we agreed we had never tasted more luscious taters.