The trip back from Whistler

We also had a lovely drive back from Whistler on the 26th. The roads were clear, and we even had patches of blue sky. On the advice of my Uncle Ray we stopped near Squamish, at Brackendale Eagles Provincial Park to view the Bald Eagles there. It's just a bit off the highway, and made for a lovely stop on the way back. We saw dozens of eagles there, who are there to feed on the remains of the chum salmon who spawn in the river in the late fall. We're no wildlife photographers though, so this is the best we could come up with for a picture of an eagle:

It's not because there weren't opportunities though. One eagle in particular seemed to be showing off, doing circles over the river bank maybe only 6 m above the ground. I could hear the music from the Colbert Report while watching this. We did get a nice picture of this deer though, once she saw fit to get off the middle of the road.

Even the road going to see the eagles was lovely. Here's a scene of a mountain framed by the tall trees lining the road. How beautiful.

We made it to the ferry terminal at Horseshoe Bay at around 4:50, and we were boarding the ferry by 5:15. We couldn't have done better with a reservation! Apparently the ferries were running about an hour late, but there were no waits, so we were happy. We had a smooth (though dark and rainy) drive back to Victoria from Nanaimo, and we stopped in Ladysmith for gas and to enjoy their annual Festival of Lights. Here's a view of the main drag through downtown, with Christmas lights everywhere. It's much more impressive in person.