Before we left Whistler we had to find the Olympic Village if for no other reason than the fact it is located in the Callaghan Creek Valley. It is remote and turns out everything is closed for the season. We did drive there however and saw the Olympic Totem and the ski jumps.


We also saw a disquieting road sign.

Route 99 North out of Whistler falls to Pemberton then rises rapidly to Duffy Pass and an elevation of about 4,000 ft.

Just after Pemberton we stopped at a river where salmon were running. We didn’t get a good picture but trust me 10 seconds before this picture the river was alive with fish. What is outstanding is the distance of this spot from the ocean. Look at it on a map.

During this section of the drive it was spitting enough to require an occasional swipe of the wipers. As we climbed we saw fresh snow on the peaks.

The scenery was breathtaking. Louise kept saying it’s a postcard. In addition to the peaks the lakes were outstanding.

In Lilloot we had to stop to take a picture of both sides of a roadside sign.

Between Lilloot and Kamloops we drove in the Thompson River valley, beautiful farm country.

Tonight we are at Sun Peaks another ski resort just beyond Kamloops.

We are in Whistler, the site of the alpine events during the Vancouver games.

We left Victoria early, driving to Departure Bay in Nanaimo to catch the ferry to Horseshoe Bay near West Vancouver. The weather was overcast and low clouds drapped the hills as we returned to the mainland.

From Horseshoe Bay, Route 99 parallels Howe Sound a fjord like body that you get glimpses of from the highway but never get a opportunity to photograph from a view point. This is too bad because Howe Sound is magnificent.

We did stop, however, at Shannon Falls, British Columbia’s third highest falls at 1,100 feet. We are the two unrecognizable people in this picture.

We arrived in Whistler as it started to rain – our first of the trip. We checked in and we’re catching our breath as the sun came out.

The prevailing westerly flow of marine air produces a much milder climate on Vancouver Island than mainland Canada. Year round gardening is possible and it shows.

The residential building next to our hotel is partially surrounded by a water garden.

We came to Victoria to see a particular garden. Butchart Gardens a 55 acre masterpiece created on the site of a mined out limestone quarry by the wife of the quarry owner and cement manufacturer. A number of friends told us of these garden in superlative terms. Words are not adequate, neither are these pictures.

The sunken garden was created in the deepest part of the quary.

The sunken garden’s pond.
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The Star Pond.


The Japanese garden.

The Main House.

We left Vancouver totally enamored with all that it can offer. We saw a lot but knew there was a lot more to see, which is a great feeling.

Drove to Tsawwassen, try pronouncing it, to catch a ferry to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island. We were loaded onto The Spirit of British Columbia which can carry 2100 passengers and 470 cars. On the 25 nm trip we passed a sister ship shown below.
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Disembarking we drove to Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, where are staying on the Inner Harbor a most beautiful and picturesque setting.

The Empress Hotel is located at the head of the harbor. We know of a few people who have stayed there – the Queen and the Wallis’.
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We walked around and stumbled onto a street fair which included chalk painting on a closed street.

Walking back to our hotel we spotted a 48 ft. Sabre in a inner harbor marina and walked down to speak to the owner who had it shipped to the West Coast and uses it heavily.

Millions of people come every year to this once heavy industrial site. More than 200 shops scattered throughout the island sell everything from custom-made jewelry to yachts.

The centerpiece of the island’s shopping experience is the Granville Island Public Market a gastronomical emporium selling everything imaginable. This is a scene taken outside the market where people noshed with Vancover downtown in the background.

With the fine weather today the place was booming. Louise found a quiet restaurant, the Sandbar, for a late lunch/early dinner. We ate and drank local. This restaurant has ship like this hanging both in and outside the restaurant.

While most of the industry has been regulated out of the area, not all has. This is the local concrete plant apprpriately camouflaged.

This area is located a short drive from Downtown Vancouver. In the winter it offers skiing and snowboarding. In the summer, hiking, zip lining, paragliding, and eco-walks. Central to all these activities are the gondolas which we rode today to the almost 4,000 ft. Summit.

This is a shot looking down on Vancouver. You can see the proximity.

We saw a number of para gliders. There is one centered in this shot.

We spent about two hours at the summit. A year round pass for locals cost CAN$ 129. What a bargain.

Came back from Downtown stopping at the Lonsdale Market for a bottle of Okanagan Valley wine. We went out on our balcony to enjoy the wine and the view to discover a block party below. Apparently every Friday night the Food Trucks line up and are surrounded by a beer garden and stage with live music. How could we resist?

There must have a dozen and a half or more trucks. You can see them in the picture below extending to and parallel to the water. The garden and stage were behind the building on the right.

We returned to our hotel to drop off our car, have lunch and take the SeaBus from Lonsdale Quay to Downtown Vancouver. It was a beautiful day with temperature in the low 80s. The passenger ferry is a very convent and economical way for people from North Vancouver to get to Downtown. Round trip fair for seniors is 2.75.

The ferry terminal is next to the cruise terminal and convention center. The picture below was taken from the ferry terminal and shows a Carnival cruise ship in the foreground with the sail-like roof of the convention center in the background.

We then walked to Gastown and Chinatown. Gastown is where the city began. Today heritage buildings now house cool bars, boutiques,and galleries. A Gastown landmark is the steam clock which whistles every 15 minutes. Below are some Gastown scans including the clock.

The Lonsdale Market, a Quincy Market look-alike, is only about a block from our hotel. We walked there for breakfast which we enjoyed outside. Following breakfast we drove to Stanley Park a 1000 acre peninsular park located adjacent to downtown Vancouver. This heavily treed oasis is named for the man of NHL fame.

We spent the entire morning in the park and only saw a portion of it. The pictures below show some of the parks highlight and include the sea wall path which circles the park, the totem pole display, and the two of us in a hollow tree.

It has been a long day but we are in Vancouver. Tom took us to catch our 7:00 AM flight to Seattle where we picked up a car and drove north. We are staying in a new hotel in North Vancouver. Thanks for the suggestion Louise Wallis. The area which historically housed ship building and other maritime related operations is being converted into a residential area of high-rise apartments and hotels. This is a picture from our balcony looking back on Vancouver.

The ride from Seattle and into Vancouver brought back lots of memories from our days in Spokane and the sight of snow-capped rugged peaks wet our appetites of what is to come.