Westbound + Wandering | Night Seven: Lost Lake, Loud Villages & the Best Ice Cream All Year

We started the day by packing up my little mobile office - James was gearing up for a full day of riding while I was settling in for a full day of laptop work. We met the boys at The Lift Café, where the morning began with smoothies. I claimed a small corner table, fired up the Wi-Fi, and started tackling my to-do list - client updates, social posts, and checking in on life back home from my mountain-view desk.

The plan was for James to disappear for hours, but before I knew it he was back… with a flat tire. BOOO. First run of the day, too. Luckily, a local bike shop fit him in right away, and he was back out on the trails in no time. I, on the other hand, was on fire - I knocked out some editing, polished up a couple of blogs, and felt like a productivity queen before wandering into the village on a very serious mission: find good stickers (and maybe shop a little).

For lunch, I grabbed a poke bowl from Village Poke and parked myself in the Olympic Plaza, listening to my audiobook while the world moved slowly around me. It was peaceful, serene, and exactly the recharge I needed.

By late afternoon, I met back up with James at our “casa” in the parking lot, and we packed for a little evening getaway to Lost Lake - just five minutes down the road. The heat was almost perfect for me, but still hot enough that I popped up an umbrella for shade. We lounged around until a food truck pizza lured us in - delicious, wildly overpriced, but worth it for the moment.

Post-pizza, we aimed for Cows Ice Cream in the village… and were greeted by a lineup that looked like it required camping gear and an overnight stay. Nope. We wandered through the village and stumbled into Rocky Mountain Chocolate instead. Honestly? Probably the best ice cream I’ve had all year. Win.

Back at the parking lot, we poured a little whiskey, chatted about the day, about the hills, and about how good this trip has been so far. We turned in early, ready to roll out tomorrow.

And thank goodness - we’ve loved Whistler, but it’s a long weekend and the crowds are relentless. People just stop dead in the middle of the walkway like they’re starring in a movie about themselves. Maddening. My patience meter is running low.

Tomorrow morning, James, Scott, and Tollman are doing a short trail ride - one of those “you have to pedal up first” types (hard pass from me). Then it’s off to Squamish for the official start of our van-life holiday, where I can finally share more video and behind-the-scenes bits of what it’s like to live in a van for a few weeks.

So far? Incredible. Great friends, great views, great times. Huge thank-you to Scott and family for sharing such a beautiful holiday together.

Pretty sure this will be a yearly thing now - maybe we fly into Calgary next time and start the drive from there. That’s where the magic really begins.