We got up early, because we were leaving today for Whistler. We had an early breakfast, took pictures of the gym, then went to take some other pictures outside of the hotel. Finally we boarded the bus for the first day of our journey through Canada. We were headed for Whistler and the British Columbia mountains. These are not a part of the Canadian Rockies, but the Cascade Mountains that are along the coastline. The west side of the mountain range are exposed to the coast/Pacific ocean rainfall and the east side have completely different weather. We will be in this range of mountains until Thursday when we leave Whistler. Although we are headed for Whistler, we have several stops along the way. First we rode in the bus to the northeastern side of Victoria island, then caught the ferry at Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen and then made our way by coach to Vancouver. We were able to arrive early, so were first in line in our lane to board the ferry. This was a cold, wet morning, so we stayed near the bus as we waited for our turn, then we rode onto the ferry right on the bus! When we were parked, Dan let us out and Amy directed us from 2nd level where we were parked, up the stairs to the 5th or 6th level. We didn’t know there was free wireless on the ferry, so many of us left our ipads and computers on the bus, then we couldn’t go back to get them. We went outside for a few minutes after we got started, but it was very cold. I had on both layers of my squall jacket and gloves and was still freezing. I noticed several times that it was my ears that bothered me the most, so I decided to get a headband/ear covers as soon as possible.
We were on the ferry for about 2 hours, but it was so big and stable, no one got seasick. There was a nice gift shop and snack area, so everyone found something to do while we were there. This ship was incredible to me, because of it’s roominess. The aisles were wide and the seats were roomy. Also, it wasn’t full, so there was more room because there were less people. It was nothing like the airplane or the Victoria Clipper. Even the bus is much more crowded than this ship. Very nice experience overall. When we could see that we were nearing land, we made our way back down to the 2nd level. Then the captain gave the signal that we should be back in our vehicles. Everyone was ready to go. When we were nearing shore, the front of the hold opened and all the guys waited outside to get pictures of us coming in to shore. Then they jumped back on the bus and we were the second vehicle off the ship. We got started right away on going east towards Vancouver, then driving right down through the middle of town and out the the north side. We saw the Olympic Stadium and several other Olympic venues along the route. Dan and Amy were good at pointing out everything of interest. Amy showed us a Fairmont hotel in Vancouver where another group had stayed in the past. Apparently the other groups have not really enjoyed staying in Vancouver, so we weren’t scheduled to stay there. I think that was a great decision, especially since it is so close to Victoria, and this way we get to go to Whistler.
As we got to the north end of Vancouver, we took a route up to Grouse Mountain, which is the Peak of Vancouver and a famous ski resort/lodge. There is a Tram SkyRide up the mountain, where there is a restaurant, gift shop, and various activities. We were having lunch there. We arrived in time to catch the trams up to the top, then went directly to the restaurant where they served a nice buffet lunch with pork loin, pasta, 5 salads, mixed vegetables, red potatoes, rolls and cheesecake, chocolate mousse cake, and fruit. Everywhere we go they have fruit for nearly every meal. It has been so nice to get fresh watermelon, cantaloupe and pineapple so often.
After lunch, we walked up the path to a spot further up the mountain where the staff and volunteers are caring for two Grizzly bears, named Grinder and Coola whose mothers were killed. The bears are about 4 years old and they have been kept together and are given a large area to play every summer. During the winter when they decide to hibernate, they are locked into a special barn-like building where they stay for the whole winter. They have infrared cameras in the barn, so they can learn about what the bears actually do while they are hibernating. They have found that bears don’t actually stay still for the whole time, but get up and move around, take a drink of water, then go back to sleep.
We took pictures there, then went and saw part of the Birds of Prey show and got to see a rescued bald eagle. Then we headed back to the tram building/gift shop area to get ready to head back down to the bus. I was able to get a souvenir pin and a ski headband to help keep my ears covered when it is cold. We bought some postcards as well. Then back down the tram and to the bus to get on the way to Whistler. On this day we traveled on the Sea to Sky Highway and there was quite a lot of up and down mountains.
I think we stopped at Shannon Falls on this day. I didn’t get out of the bus when we stopped; I think I was taking a nap. I guess I should have because the Falls were apparently very nice. Also, this is where many in our group got the BC Provincial Parks Passport to collect stickers along the way. Bob got out and bought a postcard here, as well as taking pictures of the falls.
After this we continued on to Whistler. Along the way we saw a black bear along the side of the road, so we stopped and took a number of pictures from inside the bus. Ten minutes later, we arrived in the Pan Pacific Whistler Village Center, where we quickly settled in our room. We took a quick walk through some of the village, stopping in some of the shops. Then we got ready for dinner, which was served buffet style on the first floor terrace of the hotel. We had grilled ribs, chicken, baked potatoes, corn, vegetables, salads and fruit. Interestingly, I don’t think there was any dessert; at least we left before any was served.
Our room at Whistler was a suite w/King bedroom, living room w/fire place, small kitchen w/refrigerator and stove. Everything was new, fresh and gorgeous. Shower and separate tub in the bathroom. There isn’t a restaurant at this hotel, hence the kitchenettes. They did cater us a dinner and will serve breakfast each day, but they don’t routinely do so. There is another Pan Pacific hotel in Whistler and guests at this hotel can also eat breakfast at that hotel. Behind and around our hotel is a walkway called the “Village Stroll” where you could walk for quite a while without interaction w/a vehicle. This area is lined with shops in an outdoor mall fashion. There are also other hotels that have shops and restaurants on their bottom floors, so intermixed with the stores are hotel entrances. There are stores of every type, and Amy gave us a map that shows where things are located. We found a couple grocery stores listed. We will probably get to those tomorrow. We have had plenty of water till now, but want to keep up with that as we go.
After dinner, we went to the gym and tried out the elliptical and treadmill. They had one of each as well as two bikes and a weight bench. There was a nice pool, but it was outside, along with the hot tub. We did exercise for 20-30 min, but that was enough for tonight. We are going ziplining tomorrow, so need to get to bed. We did watch some TV show called Storage Wars that was pretty interesting, had never seen this before.
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