Saturday, September 5, 2009
Days 6, 7 and 8
Sorry! We've had a busy last 3 days and I've been too lazy to update my blog. Instead of giving a boring, detailed description of what we did every day I'm just going to post some photos of the last 3 days and let you figure it out yourselves.
We're packing up our stuff to leave the Harbour Towers Hotel in Victoria right now. It'll be good to be home and be able to eat for less than $30 but I'm going to miss the cool weather, the Inner Harbour and our hotel room with the great view.
We're packing up our stuff to leave the Harbour Towers Hotel in Victoria right now. It'll be good to be home and be able to eat for less than $30 but I'm going to miss the cool weather, the Inner Harbour and our hotel room with the great view.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Day 5 - Ferry to Victoria
Added Day 4 and Day 5 stuff tonight.
Day 5… We were awakened by soft thunder and the sound of rain on the metal roof outside the window of our hotel in Whistler. We needed to get up and get going, busy day. But the effects of the sound of the rain and previous day’s activities caused us to stay under the covers a little longer. Finally, we forced ourselves to arise and start our day.
Today we checked out of the Delta Whistler Suites and headed back to Vancouver on the Sea to the Sun highway. Due to the fog and low cloud ceiling, the views weren’t all that great this time but it is still a fun, beautiful drive. We got back to Vancouver, ate a burger for lunch and returned our car at the airport. We then caught a taxi and were on our way to the Tsawassen ferry to Victoria.
We got on the 2:00 PM ferry and arrived at Schwartz Bay at 3:35. The ferry takes a route through some of the islands and it is really beautiful. It was very windy and cold on the ferry if you wandered outside. We took a bus into Victoria and checked in at the Harbour Hotel and Suites. Our room is on the 11th floor overlooking the Victoria Inner Harbor. It’s a great view. Laying in our king size bed you can turn and look through the sliding glass doors, through our balcony and into the harbor, without even really moving. It’s great!
Tonight we relaxed and walked to dinner. Tomorrow we’re probably going to Butchart Gardens so check back! J
Day 5… We were awakened by soft thunder and the sound of rain on the metal roof outside the window of our hotel in Whistler. We needed to get up and get going, busy day. But the effects of the sound of the rain and previous day’s activities caused us to stay under the covers a little longer. Finally, we forced ourselves to arise and start our day.
Today we checked out of the Delta Whistler Suites and headed back to Vancouver on the Sea to the Sun highway. Due to the fog and low cloud ceiling, the views weren’t all that great this time but it is still a fun, beautiful drive. We got back to Vancouver, ate a burger for lunch and returned our car at the airport. We then caught a taxi and were on our way to the Tsawassen ferry to Victoria.
We got on the 2:00 PM ferry and arrived at Schwartz Bay at 3:35. The ferry takes a route through some of the islands and it is really beautiful. It was very windy and cold on the ferry if you wandered outside. We took a bus into Victoria and checked in at the Harbour Hotel and Suites. Our room is on the 11th floor overlooking the Victoria Inner Harbor. It’s a great view. Laying in our king size bed you can turn and look through the sliding glass doors, through our balcony and into the harbor, without even really moving. It’s great!
Tonight we relaxed and walked to dinner. Tomorrow we’re probably going to Butchart Gardens so check back! J
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Day 4 – The Grueling Hike
Day 4… we awoke in Whistler to a beautiful warm day with clear skies. We stuffed ourselves with some strawberry pop tarts, packed my backpack full of stuff and headed to the mountains. Today we were going hiking, Cindy’s favorite part of the trip! (ha)
We took the Whistler mountain gondola up to the top of the normal ski lifts and then took an open chair lift to the very peak of Whistler Mountain. We had our picture taken with the big stone monument thing that is the official symbol of the Vancouver Winter Olympics and then went off on what was supposed to be a pretty easy hike, you know, mostly downhill and stuff. After all, we were starting at the top and hiking down a ways.
The hike started off great. The trail was a bit rough but it was downhill and the views were pretty spectacular of the area around. We then traversed across the side of Whistler Mountain and got to see great views of a gorgeous lake with blue-green water. It was there, at the lake, that the going got a little tough. We had lost quite a bit of elevation and we then had to hike back up over the ridge and around a smaller peak. I said that in one sentence, but let me tell ya, it was not that easy. Cindy and I are both feeling that part of the trail in our thighs and calves today. It was like going up a steep set of twisted stairs and that just kept going and going and going… yeah… and it got pretty hot up there. Cindy’s neck got sunburned pretty badly.
Well, we did finally make it back to the chair lift and in the process we met up with a girl named Alanna (I think) from Montreal who was hiking by herself and also bit off a little more than she could chew on the trail. She was good company as we all then took the Peak to Peak Gondola from the top of Whistler Mountain over to Blackcomb Mountain. Usually, lifts take you from the bottom to the top of a mountain or vice verse. This gondola actually takes you from the top of one mountain to the either and boasts the longest unsupported stretch of cable lift in the world. It was really cool and views were fantastic of the valley between the mountains.
At the end of the day we washed off the trail dust and ate dinner at Earl’s in Whistler Village. We then drove over to Lost Lake at sunset, a little mountain lake that is really peaceful compared of the bustle of Whistler Village.
We took the Whistler mountain gondola up to the top of the normal ski lifts and then took an open chair lift to the very peak of Whistler Mountain. We had our picture taken with the big stone monument thing that is the official symbol of the Vancouver Winter Olympics and then went off on what was supposed to be a pretty easy hike, you know, mostly downhill and stuff. After all, we were starting at the top and hiking down a ways.
The hike started off great. The trail was a bit rough but it was downhill and the views were pretty spectacular of the area around. We then traversed across the side of Whistler Mountain and got to see great views of a gorgeous lake with blue-green water. It was there, at the lake, that the going got a little tough. We had lost quite a bit of elevation and we then had to hike back up over the ridge and around a smaller peak. I said that in one sentence, but let me tell ya, it was not that easy. Cindy and I are both feeling that part of the trail in our thighs and calves today. It was like going up a steep set of twisted stairs and that just kept going and going and going… yeah… and it got pretty hot up there. Cindy’s neck got sunburned pretty badly.
Well, we did finally make it back to the chair lift and in the process we met up with a girl named Alanna (I think) from Montreal who was hiking by herself and also bit off a little more than she could chew on the trail. She was good company as we all then took the Peak to Peak Gondola from the top of Whistler Mountain over to Blackcomb Mountain. Usually, lifts take you from the bottom to the top of a mountain or vice verse. This gondola actually takes you from the top of one mountain to the either and boasts the longest unsupported stretch of cable lift in the world. It was really cool and views were fantastic of the valley between the mountains.
At the end of the day we washed off the trail dust and ate dinner at Earl’s in Whistler Village. We then drove over to Lost Lake at sunset, a little mountain lake that is really peaceful compared of the bustle of Whistler Village.
Day 4 – The Grueling Hike Photos
Cindy and I at the top of Whistler Mountain.
Cindy on the trail.
A pretty mountain lake.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Day 3 - Sea to Sun Hwy and Whistler
I added Day 2 and Day 3 posts tonight. Day 3 photos are in the post below and then the Day 2 stuff is below that.
Our Chrysler 300 rental ride (Darin Rotert, you'd be proud, I'm driving a Dodge (Chrysler)) and one of the views from the day.
Day 3… we packed up our stuff and checked out of the Hyatt Regency in downtown Vancouver this morning and took off toward the next leg in our journey – Whistler. One of the best things about this day was the road trip from Vancouver to Whistler. To get there, we drove the Sea to the Sun Highway, which follows the coastline and you drive right along where the mountains come down and meet the ocean. It’s a beautiful drive. Unfortunately, there are forest fires somewhere and the smoke has caused the mountains to be really hazy. So even though it was a clear, beautiful day, the visibility wasn’t very good. It was still very cool but the pictures aren’t that great due to the haze.
We got to Whistler, home of the 2010 Winter Olympics alpine competitions, around 1:00 and checked-in to the Delta Whistler Suites right in Whistler Village. Whistler Village is a collection of hotels, shops and restaurants that has a really cool ski town vibe. The lifts for Whistler and Blackcomb mountains come right down into the village. We vowed to return to this place in the winter time to snow ski. It would be so cool.
We walked around the Village Stroll (as it’s called) and shopped the various stores: Gap, Guess, North Face, Merrell, and many others. This was Cindy’s part of the trip. This evening we ate pizza with at some place in the village that advertised organic dough, whatever that means. Must be healthy. This was our cheapest dinner the whole trip – around $13.00.
Tonight we’ve just relaxed in our room, read, listened to Adventures in Odyssey. Tomorrow we’ll take the gondola up the mountain and do some hiking and sightseeing.
I tried to talk Cindy into going on a 4 hour hike but I was unsuccessful so we’ll probably do something easier.
We’re having fun!
Our Chrysler 300 rental ride (Darin Rotert, you'd be proud, I'm driving a Dodge (Chrysler)) and one of the views from the day.
Day 3… we packed up our stuff and checked out of the Hyatt Regency in downtown Vancouver this morning and took off toward the next leg in our journey – Whistler. One of the best things about this day was the road trip from Vancouver to Whistler. To get there, we drove the Sea to the Sun Highway, which follows the coastline and you drive right along where the mountains come down and meet the ocean. It’s a beautiful drive. Unfortunately, there are forest fires somewhere and the smoke has caused the mountains to be really hazy. So even though it was a clear, beautiful day, the visibility wasn’t very good. It was still very cool but the pictures aren’t that great due to the haze.
We got to Whistler, home of the 2010 Winter Olympics alpine competitions, around 1:00 and checked-in to the Delta Whistler Suites right in Whistler Village. Whistler Village is a collection of hotels, shops and restaurants that has a really cool ski town vibe. The lifts for Whistler and Blackcomb mountains come right down into the village. We vowed to return to this place in the winter time to snow ski. It would be so cool.
We walked around the Village Stroll (as it’s called) and shopped the various stores: Gap, Guess, North Face, Merrell, and many others. This was Cindy’s part of the trip. This evening we ate pizza with at some place in the village that advertised organic dough, whatever that means. Must be healthy. This was our cheapest dinner the whole trip – around $13.00.
Tonight we’ve just relaxed in our room, read, listened to Adventures in Odyssey. Tomorrow we’ll take the gondola up the mountain and do some hiking and sightseeing.
I tried to talk Cindy into going on a 4 hour hike but I was unsuccessful so we’ll probably do something easier.
We’re having fun!
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