Well, by now I hope you've had a chance to read the first four chapters of Beneath the Surface (hopefully you enjoyed it, too). Because we are so close to publication, I wanted to place you right into the beginning of my story, and share with you the beauty of Squamish, Britannia Beach and the Sea to Sky Highway.
I want to start off, first of all, by saying that the road Liss turned off from the Sea to Sky highway doesn't actually exist. The best part about writing fiction--as I learned from a very good author friend of mine early on--is that you can place things into the natural world when you need them. In this case, I needed an almost-abandoned road, so I imagined one, and there it was.
On the day I drove up the Sea-to-Sky highway, I took my daughter with me, and she snapped a few photos while I drove. They turned out okay, but not spectacular (she was only five at the time and used her V-tech camera, but it was worth a shot). That day, I just wanted to drive the road, not stop and take a bunch of photos; I merely wanted to experience the road, as Liss had done. Squamish, B.C. is literally my back yard, yet I hadn't been there since 2000 (such is life with babies and my love of camping in the Fraser Valley and Hope area).
If you ever get a chance, I highly recommend a much better way to experience Vancouver to Whistler, which I have marked as "where the Pacific Third malions inhabit", and that is aboard the Rocky Mountaineer. Our train ride was a Christmas gift from my parents, and we just recently--finally!!--used our passes. I can't say enough good things about our trip, everything was amazing, including the food, the service and the staff; however, the highlight for me, was that for six whole hours, I was right in the heart of my story. I was light-headed, giddy, and couldn't stop smiling. When I think back to the weekend, which was two weekends ago (August 11), I can honestly say I had the best time ever, with my family.
Here are some photos. I'll write about them along the way.
The very first photo I'll show you is a map of Furry Creek and Oliver's Landing. From Vancouver, it takes about 45 to reach, provided the traffic doesn't slow you down. Unfortunately for Liss, she went right past it. Porteau Cove, where the first part of the party was to take place, is just south of Furry Creek. Chelsea was waiting for her there.



