Saturday 10 May, heading to Sun Peaks

Quiet night and awoke to drizzling rain to have bags out by 7 even though we dont leave until 9. Headed off to breakfast in light drizzle. Breakfast was underwhelming. Service was slow and the food offering most uninspiring which is not what I expect from a Fairmont hotel. I know that this is the start of the season and there may be new staff but surely they can't all be having the first day in their job! Anyway we have a big travel day today and are grateful that yesterday was so good as I'm sure we wouldn't be doing the glacier today in this weather. Very low cloud make it impossible to see mountain tops so it is very eerie.

Due to icy roads we were not able to go to Lake Moraine yesterday, so too we were unable to visit Maligne Canyon today but we continued along Yellowhead Highway which meant we were leaving Alberta and were now back in British Columbia so wound back the clocks one hour. Entering Mount Robson Park we are unable to see Mt Robson which at 3,954 metres is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. The top is only visible for about 3 months a year. Today it wasn't visible at all. We stopped for morning tea in the Mt Robson info centre area, continuing on for lunch at a pretty little town I can't remember the name of where Jo and I each bought Sushi for lunch from a supermarket and ate it back on the coach as it was raining! The light rain became intermittent and we were now making our way to farming (ranch) areas. Much more lush and green than poor Jasper.

We then arrived at the alone village of Sun Peaks. I haven't been here before but it remindsme of a mini Whistler in that vehicles are not within the village itself which consists of a number of hotels and little shops beside the chair lifts and gondolas up to the top of the ski slopes. Once we are settled in our rooms, we have a walk around the little village but it is after 4pm and most of the shops are closed, many not open for the season yet and there is light rain.

We head back to our hotel which is inundated with young people from schools all over the are who are here to compete in a band commission. Apparently it is mainly classical music that they are playing so at least I don't have to listen to any heavy metal head banging thump, thump screeching. We are being optimistic that they are all having dinner before us and leaving before us in the morning as so many of them are starting in our hotel! Once Bach in our room it is definitely happy hour so time to read my book, finish my bottle of wine(from 3 days ago) and catch up on the blog. We have lovely views from our hotel room and if the weather was nicer we would be sitting out on our balcony for happy hour!

And ofcourse while I'm doing the blog, the rain has stopped and the sun is shining through into our room! Jo has had the sneezes, blocked and runny nose since arriving in Vancouver. Enough is enough. Pharmacy hay fever medications are not touching it, so Nurse Ratchet's Disney Princess pink medicine kit to the rescue... Jo is now supplied with a Vix nose inhaler and is breathing easier. Off to dinner we go.

Dinner was very average. The chicken was okay but any half decent cook could have prepared the same. The Creme Brulee was inedible as even the burnt toffee topping tasted like mango. Who puts mango in toffee or naked custard? Anyway,we had pleasant company and I'm certainly not left hungry. Back to our room and attempts made for an early night.

And finally, here's a much better picture of the black bear I saw yesterday, I have borrowed a fellow traveller's photo.