Wow, we’re in a celebrity town. Or at least, a town which thinks its a celebrity. All over the place are flags saying “Squamish – Heart of the Winter Olympics 2010”, because the Olympics are coming to the region in 7 years time. However, “Heart of” is the kind of phrase I’d invent in my best marketing moments (not that there were many of those). Basically the Olympics will be in Vancouver and Whistler…and guess which town sits halfway between them – yes, Squamish.

So, in a way, the 3 grocery stores, 4 petrol stations and 5 fast-food restaurants that make up Squamish are at the centre of the Olympics, in the same way that the hole is at the centre of the doughnut.

Anyway, I’m putting Squamish down a bit too much. We’re staying at a great hostel, the Squamish International Hostel, which is a brand new hostel beside the Sea to Sky Highway 99. It’s really nice – we’ve got a motel style room (ie bathroom in the room) and a brand new kitchen and dining area. (Don’t believe the web site, it is actually finished).

There’s a huge waterfall nearby (Shannon Falls), a lake for the children (Alice Lake), with self-guided trails through the kind of woodland scenery you see here, and a McDonalds for a treat.