I regretted my decision to do the 9:00 am bike tour with Ash, my Airbnb host because I was tired and it was dreary and cold outside. When I left my bedroom, Ash wasn’t around, so I drove myself to the meeting place. I met one of Ash’s guides, who said he wasn’t told I was coming but said he could add me to the tour.
While we waited for a couple to arrive for the tour, I walked over to a nearby restaurant and bought a bottle of water. When I returned, the tour guide said he received a message from Ash saying he moved the 9:00 am tour to 1:00 pm because the other couple asked for it to be pushed back.
I was frustrated because I would have preferred to sleep in and I had just paid for parking. The guide was also frustrated because he wasn’t told earlier. I went back to the Airbnb and went back to bed. My back and neck were still recovering and the extra sleep felt good.
When it was close to 1:00 pm, I walked out of my bedroom and saw Ash getting ready to leave. He asked if I wanted to share a taxi, so I agreed. While we waited for the taxi, Ash asked me how my day was yesterday and if I made it to the physiotherapy place. I was confused since we talked all about it the night prior. I said I went there and then went to the spa. He responded, “Oh, great! You went to the spa too?!” He clearly did not remember talking to me when I got home…must be the mushrooms.
Ash and I arrived at the tour meeting place a little early, so I grabbed a coffee and a pastry at the restaurant next door.
For the tour, we used electric bikes (e-bikes). I used an e-bike once in Vancouver, but these bikes were much more powerful. You still pedal, but there is a battery pack that assists you on hills and makes pedaling easier. We tested the bikes in the underground garage to make sure we were all comfortable on them.
There were four other people on the tour: two women in their 40s from Montreal and a couple near retirement age from the UK. It was 47° F and raining. Whistler has a lot of paved bike paths, so we rode through the town on the paths. We were surrounded by huge green pine trees, rode by lakes, and stopped at the Valley of Dreams (a pioneer house from the early days of the town).
The rain poured on us at times, making it hard to see. Thankfully, it let up a bit for part of the ride. Ash told us stories as we arrived at each sight – like a lake where people swim naked and hang out during the summer.
Toward the end of the tour, we were riding very fast (about 25 MPH) down the windy path. A group of five tourists was walking and taking up the entire two-lane path. Ash and the two women passed them, which scared the group, who had split into two groups. One of the girls realized her group was now on both the left and right side of the path, forcing us to drive in the middle of them. She was crossing but decided to stop in the middle and scream…right as I was trying to pass.
I slammed on my breaks right as she turned to face me. I couldn’t stop in time, and I ran into her, but she was able to grab the handlebars and help stop me. Her friends apologized because they knew she jumped right in the middle at the last second, giving me nowhere to go. Thankfully, we weren’t hurt, and I continued.
The bike tour finished up and Ash offered to buy me a meal since he dropped the ball telling me the tour time changed. The couple from the UK joined us as well. We went to the restaurant where I had gotten a pastry and coffee earlier – Portobellos. We all got the chicken and mushroom pie, which was incredible!
Susan and Tony from the UK were awesome. We talked all through the meal and ended up staying to talk afterward for a couple of hours. Ash didn’t talk much and was on his phone once he finished eating. Then he quickly left. Susan and Tony told me they had signed up for the 9:00 am tour, but received a message that morning from Ash saying he needed to move the tour to 1:00 pm because a guide canceled on him. Right before we started the tour, he was drinking a beer and asked them if they wanted one. I told them about my experience and we realized that Ash had fibbed because he didn’t want to do two tours.
Susan retired last year after working in home health care. Tony chimed in, “She’ll be able to take care of me when I’m old!” Susan shrugged, “It’s quite different taking care of someone when you’re not getting paid.” Tony hasn’t retired yet and works for the Department of Defense repairing submarines. They have two sons in their 30s who are married with kids.
Susan and Tony have been to Canada a few times. They would be there for 25 days in Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Whistler, and Alberta for this trip. They gave me some good tips about Vancouver Island and told me about all of the bears they saw.
I swapped stories with Susan and Tony about crossing borders and police. When they were visiting the US, they were pulled over when driving a rental car. They were scared and didn’t know what to do. Do they get out of the car? Do they wait for the Officier to come to them? They got a speeding ticket and were embarrassed to tell their son, a police officer in the UK.
When they went into the US to see Niagara Falls, they were asked to pull over while their car was searched at the border. They ended up just paying a travel fee in US dollars, which was a problem since they didn’t have US cash. They used a prepaid card, and it worked.
I really enjoyed talking with Susan and Tony. They were friendly, kept me company, and it was fun swapping stories.
I went back to the Airbnb, showered, and rested for a bit. A guy I had been messaging on Tinder for a couple of days asked me how my day was. He said his band was playing at a local bar that night so I said I’d come see him play.
Adam was 37 years old and was from Toronto, but lived in the area for many years. He messaged me the first night I arrived in Whistler when my back and neck were extremely sore. He was really nice, asking how I was doing and telling me about his pulled neck muscles as well.
I took the free bus to the village that Ash told me about. It was a quick ride, but shortly after I boarded, a British girl jumped on and we chatted for a bit. She had just finished a catering event and was hired separately from the caterers to “make sure rich people had wine at all times.” She was excited about the job because she said she was paid for the work of two people ($25 an hour) for a five-hour shift where she talked to people for 70% of her time. They let her take home three bottles of expensive wine because the label was ripped (but the cork was still on). She said, “They also didn’t care if I drank on the job.” Maybe Ash’s description of Whistler as being the Wild West was correct.
I arrived at the bar where Adam was playing and ordered a drink. I purposely sat towards the back at a cocktail table. His band was really good, and they played cover songs. Adam was the lead singer, had a great voice, and was charismatic on stage. I was nervous and wondered why he was interested. He seemed much cooler than me.
The band was done playing, and the bar was still open for about an hour. I figured Adam would message me asking if I was there and where to find me. I always hate the first in-person meeting. Will he be attracted? Will I be attracted? Will there be chemistry?
As soon as the band finished, I looked up from my Long Island Iced Tea and saw Adam running towards my table. We made eye contact and he got a huge smile on his face, came around the table, and gave me a hug. He said, “I really want to talk to you, but I have to use the restroom really bad! I’ll be right back!”
Adam ran off down the stairs to use the restroom. I felt relieved. The anticipation was over; he was happy to see me, he made me feel accepted right away by hugging me, and he was cute.
Adam came back from the restroom and stood by the side of my round table. We briefly talked, and then he said he had to help the band clean up and load their equipment in their van. He asked if I was sticking around, and I told him yes. For the next 20 minutes, as Adam was loading the van, he’d stop by my table to chat for a few minutes here and there. He had a lot of energy, and it made me feel excited.
Once Adam was done loading the van, he sat at my table with me. He’s been sober for over five years, so he didn’t order anything. He was about 5’11”, thin, had wavy black hair that was just above his shoulder, and full sleeve tattoos on his arms. He looked like a musician – sort of like Chris Cornell from Soundgarden.
Adam and I talked for the next 45 minutes about where we’ve lived and politics. He liked Trump, even though he can be crass. He said he likes to disrupt the system. Canada and the US were in the middle of trade talks that weren’t going well, so we talked about the current climate between our countries. I enjoy talking about politics, so we continued for a while. At one point, he got a big smile on his face and said, “You get really passionate talking about this.”
I really appreciated him saying that with a smile on his face. My ex-husband, Aaron, hated that I got passionate about topics like politics. One time we were out with a few friends for dinner, and I was getting animated while talking about politics. Under the table, he squeezed my leg and looked at me like, “Stop, you’re embarrassing me.” After we left the restaurant, I asked him to never do that to me again. It made me feel so belittled and controlled. But a few months later, he did it again while I was talking with some other people about politics at a restaurant. This time, I was angry that he was making me feel like I couldn’t be me and angry that he was hiding the fact that he was squeezing my leg. He always liked to appear to be the “nice guy.” I said to the friends, “I’m sorry. I’m embarrassing Aaron. He’s squeezing my leg under the table to get me to shut up.” Understandably, there was an awkward silence.
Having Adam appreciate my passion for politics felt amazing. He wasn’t embarrassed; he liked it. I could be me without judgment. At 1:20 am, the bar was closed, and they were cleaning up while trying to get people to leave. We decided we should leave, and as we walked outside, Adam said, “You’re just so real – I like it.” We talked outside for a bit, and I mentioned I thought some places were open until 2:00 am. He explained that only the underground clubs are open that late and he doesn’t do those clubs.
After talking for another 10 minutes, Adam offered to take me back to my Airbnb since I had taken the bus there. His van was illegally parked on the sidewalk so he needed to move it too. When we arrived at my Airbnb, there was nowhere to park so he just pulled up out front. We talked for a little bit, but I couldn’t invite him inside because I wasn’t allowed to have guests. I got out of the van and said maybe I’d come to see his show the following night. He said he would like that.
Adam lived in Pemberton, about 20 minutes north of Whistler. When he got home, he messaged me for a bit, flirting, and then telling me goodnight. I was happy to have met him. He’s one of the rare guys on Tinder that messaged me shortly after we matched. He was always nice and fun, and I looked forward to seeing his show the following night.
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Really enjoyed following your adventures this day.