Whereupon we arrive at Pemberton and set up camp
It dawned a sunny day, and we were chased out of our tents pretty early to make sure we were in line for what we imagined would be a huge cluster–frack of a lineup.
As future events would prove, we weren’t wrong on that account.
We chose our overnight stop well, about an hour from Pemberton on some stellar single track, and with very little traffic. We arrived in Pem at around 8am.
We knew things were not going to go well when we passed by the Poleyards (the northern parking area) four times before seeing the small, improperly placed, inward facing sign that suggested something to do with the festival. When we found it at about 8:30 there were a few cars in place, so it looked safe to go eat breakfast and come back at the 10:30 opening.
We tried to go find VIP parking, but to no avail. What we did find, though, was the Gate C entrance to the festival site which was signed “IP Parking”. In fact we drove right into the festival grounds before turning around, and without being challenged.
Things were looking even more potentially fracked.
Back to the Poleyards then at 10:30 to be greeted by a backlog of about 120 vehicles in four lines to collect wristband. The beginning of the dust, as we extinguished our engines and pushed our cars around the yard. Global warming, doncha know.
This was supposedly an “Advanced Check-in” location, and for the life of me I couldn’t see the point of it. It took an hour pushing our cards in a big circle. Luckily, I had asked abotu VIP parking (promised for all cars with 4 passengers), and by the time we came around, they had found one. As far as we know, we’re the only vehicle that day that got one, and only because we asked.
Next stop, lineup no. 2: the shuttles.
The folks who gave us our VIP pass didn’t know where the parking lot was, but assured us the someone at the end of the road would route us in the right direction. They didn’t, and we ended up with the riff-raff. If you look at the photo closely, you will see one of only three buses that we saw in two hours. When I went to the HQ and asked, they were polite, but unhelpful. See, their radios didn’t reach the main festival site, and besides, they were on different frequencies.
At this point, we were thirsty, so J hooped on the chariot and went to town to buy some beverages. We had learned that the so-called security check consisted of a quick pat down of luggage. I saw some security pull out six-packs of brew from coolers, shrug, and put them back. So much for no outside alcohol.
It was on Justin’s journey for bevvies that he made a discovery: following another car with VIP tags, he followed a wood chipped road into the VIP parking lot. Cleverly signed as “MV Road”, with a sign pointing back towards Whistler.
As quickly as you could say “WTF?!?!” we had pulled up the car, reloaded our crap, and exited the Poleyards waiting area and found the cherished land. Grassy, empty, and entirely inviting. Better than that, there was a shuttle bus waiting when we arrived, and another one in ten minutes.
Twenty minutes later, we had arrived at the festival site. Onsite staff tried to direct us to specific sites (right on the main thoroughfare, as it turns out, which turned into the biggest dust bowl, as it turned out) but we were having none of that. We snagged a single site at the family campgrounds, and three more lots in the Nairn campgrounds. We decided that festival atmosphere was within our reach, even if Cass remained 17 (and the grounds 19+).
By 5:00pm we were firmly established and set up, drinking bevvies and enjoying life.
Later on that evening we headed out to the Barn Dance. A lot of boring country cover songs sent us scurrying back to the campsite.
Day 0 complete.