Tuesday, May 21 to Sunday, May 26, 2024 (The Clock Tower, Whistler, BC and Coquitlam, BC)

Today is the start of our 2-week "vacation" so we are splitting the blog into 2 parts...of course, the first will be our fabulous Anniversary trip to Whistler, BC...and the Whistler-Blackcomb Ski Resort, the largest ski resort in North America. Of course, in the Spring and Summer, it transforms into a major mountain biking and hiking destination.

So with the car packed up, we stopped by the office to let Tim, the manager, know we would be away...and we were on the road by 9:00, heading to the Departure Bay Ferry Terminal in Nanaimo. This ferry takes you across to the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal in West Vancouver, a convenient location to get onto highway 99 north to Whistler without having to drive through Vancouver.

Boarding the 11:25 a.m. sailing...as you can see, the weather is rather dreary...

About an hour and a half later after docking at the Horseshoe Bay terminal we pulled into Whistler...

We found The Clock Tower by Vacation Internationale, checked-in and unloaded the car...there are no elevators so thankfully our 'Studio Plus' was on the first floor (not the ground floor). Unfortunately, I mistakenly heard "3rd floor" so poor Steve lugged our 2 suitcases up extra floors before I realized our room 105 and of course, was on the first floor. 

The Clock Tower from the road...the blue arrows indicate where our Studio Plus is located...

Steve got pictures before it became too "lived in"...although it's called a Studio Plus, it actually had a separate bedroom...

The living/dining room...

And a full kitchen!

Oh yes, mustn't forget the bathroom... 

We're in Whistler! Let the adventure begin! It has been years (I'd say well over 20) since we were last here...needless to say, we don't remember a lot about it. 

From the moment you arrive in Whistler Village, nestled at the base of Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, it’s apparent that this is a resort village unlike any other you’ve ever experienced.

Yes, the rumors are true: it’s absolutely massive, but in a way you’re going to really love. With its endless array of shops, cafés and bars, restaurants and legendary aprés nightlife, the pedestrian-only Village is a destination unto itself, a one-of-a-kind confluence of two massive mountains, unique to North America, with an energy and style that are the envy of resorts around the world.

After getting settled in, we went out for a short walk...it was cool and windy...so decided on Black's Pub, next door in the Sundial Hotel, for drinks and dinner. It (like all of the other restaurants/pubs) has a huge outdoor patio but it was too cold to sit out there today!

Steve took a picture of it when we left...the patio with all of the yellow umbrellas...

Wednesday (May 22) morning we woke up to some blue sky and a fresh dusting of snow on the mountains...a much nicer day! Below is the view from our living room. Since it's a pedestrian-only village, you access hotels that face the 'Village Stroll' from the street behind including the underground parking lots. It's absolutely amazing the high density of hotels, resort, condos just in the main Village Centre, let alone all of the surrounding areas!

We wandered around Whistler Village...

And then decided to walk over to the Upper Village... located at the foot of Blackcomb Mountain. It is bounded by the Magic Chair and Wizard Express Gondola at the south end and the Chateau Whistler Golf Course at the north end.

There is a huge network of paved pathways throughout the whole area...great for walking or biking. Yes, there are tons of bicycles here!

One of Whistler's most iconic structures is a picturesque covered bridge. The wooden structure is located in the river valley located between Whistler Village and the Upper Village...

The covered bridge crosses Fitzsimmons Creek, a beautiful waterway that flows from the mountains. The unique turquoise colour of the creek is the result of glacial till - tiny particles of suspended rock that are produced when massive glaciers grind the earth's surface.

In 1991 150 mm (6") of rain fell over 5 days causing flooding and washouts...

Wow...says if you were here 14,000 years ago you'd be underneath a continental glacier 1,500 metres (4,900 feet) thick completely covering Whistler Mountain!

Unfortunately, the Whistler Village Gondola is currently closed for regular maintenance, as is the Peak 2 Peak Sightseeing Gondola. The Peak 2 Peak is a glass-bottom gondola that runs between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains (not sure if I'm happy or sad that it isn't operating right now, LOL). It also includes access to 50+ kms of hiking trails in the summer.

The only gondola running right now is the one that goes up Blackcomb Mountain. We had planned on taking the gondola up this afternoon, but since the weather was nice this morning, we decided to hop on it now. We had already purchased tickets in the Village earlier ($136.50 for both of us). But first, we took a stroll through the Upper Village...

The gondola...

Steve took a 5:04 minute video as we went up the mountain. The ride takes about 20 minutes. Excuse the first 50 seconds as the gondola was badly scratched so Steve eventually stood up to a narrow window near the roof to get a clear view...

The Rendezvous Restaurant is at the top, so we went in for a hot drink...

Then we went outside for pictures...it was pretty windy and cold up here on Blackcomb Mountain!

They were shoveling snow off the deck when we arrived...lots of fresh snow last night!

Views from the deck...

Alta Lake...

The Peak to Peak glass floor gondola takes you from here (Blackcomb Mtn.) to Whistler Mountain in the distance. Unfortunately it's not operating until June 15th....

Time to head back down...

Alta Lake left and Green Lake on the right...

And a 5:23 minute video going back down Blackcomb Mountain...

Walking back to Whistler Village...

We headed to Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub at the Pan Pacific Whistler Mountainside Hotel for lunch...

It was beautiful out so we got a table on the patio...

Their special today was a burger and beer for $25. It's pretty darned expensive here, so we figured that was a good deal. 

The main memory I have of our last trip to Whistler was the Dubh Linn Gate Pub. There was a band playing outside on the patio and the place was packed! One song they played resonated with us...Home for a Rest by Spirit of the West. We must have recently returned from our first all-inclusive vacation to Varadero, Cuba...that was in 2020, so yup, over 20 years ago!

View of the mountain bike park gondola from the pub...

A different view of the Clock Tower where we're staying...

Pictures taken as we walk the 'Village Stroll'...

Clock Tower in the distance...

Steve wondered how they dealt with all the snow removal within the village...

Steve took a 37 sec video of some of the mountain bikers...

And then back to Black's for a beer...we wanted to change it up and go to the Longhorn Saloon across from Black's but the music was blaring so loud we couldn't stand it. There are mountain bike rental/sale stores everywhere throughout the village.

It's a much nicer day today to sit out on the patio! But they do have some with heat...

Since we had a big lunch, we decided it would be our Anniversary lunch...and a light dinner of hot dogs for dinner in the condo. (42 years!)

Our plan for Thursday (May 23) was to walk around Lost Lake...but first we had to get there. We should have driven there if we wanted to walk the 4km around the lake. As it was, just walking there is about 2 kms each way...and we took a wrong path. So we managed a good 5 km walk just getting to the lake and back to the Village. 

The Village Trail took us along Fitzsimmons Creek...

Cool artwork under the bridge...

Lost Lake...

A spotted bolder along the trail...

Quite by accident we ended up at a different part of the Village that we had missed yesterday. And low and behold...Mountain High Brewhouse was right there!

We had about 10 minutes before they opened so we wandered around the area a bit. That's Olympic Plaza down there, we will visit it after lunch...

They don't have this water feature up and running yet in front of the Mountain High Brewhouse...

Unfortunately, it was a little too breezy to sit outside, so we asked to go inside. They brew a good beer!

See the model CN train? It makes a circuit around the whole pub which is huge...

View from upstairs...

Whistler Olympic Plaza...

It may be a day late but we made sure to eat light today so that we could enjoy our Anniversary Dinner...at The Old Spaghetti Factory. Probably the most reasonably priced restaurant in Whistler...meals include soup or salad, fresh sourdough bread, ice cream and coffee/tea. We both had a pasta dish and both were about $21...and all very tasty!

Well, the weather forecast was for rain Friday (May 24), so we went on a driving tour. We started out heading further north on highway 99 to Green Lake. We missed the one pull-off to stop and take pictures but on our way back, Steve managed to find a side road that took us down to the lake.

After that, we found Alta Lake Road, a back road, and came across Rainbow Park. It was closed for renovations but we were able to take a walk through the Rainbow Heritage Cabins...

While visiting Rainbow Park, you may have noticed a few old cabins by the railway tracks; these are the last remaining structures of Rainbow Lodge.

Opened by Alex and Myrtle Philip in 1914, Rainbow Lodge operated for decades as a successful summer destination for those looking to fish, sail, hike, and more. The Philips sold their business to the Greenwood family in 1948, who continued to run the lodge until 1970, when they retired to Arizona and sold Rainbow Lodge to Joan Saxton. As Rainbow Lodge at one time included 40 cabins, stables, and a store, as well as the main lodge, you might wonder why there are so few buildings left on the site today.

If you are interested in reading more about the history of Rainbow Lodge click here.

We continued along the trail, crossing a small wooden bridge...

Alta Lake...

And back...

Next, we drove to an area just south of Whistler called Function Junction. It seems to be a commercial support area to Whistler...Home Hardware, Rona Hardware, Whistler Glass, construction companies, etc.

But it also was home to two more breweries we wanted to visit. The first one was Coast Mountain Brewing...

The Nocturnal Dark Lager was excellent!

Just down the street and around the corner was Whistler Brewing...

We have had Whistler Chestnut Brown before and loved it but although it was good, it was a much sweeter beer than we recall. If we could have stayed for another brew, they suggested mixing it with their Black Tusk beer to soften the sweetness...but we (Steve) was driving. Apparently customers ask for that mix all the time so makes you wonder why they don't make a mixed brew. 

Not very busy...

So back to the Village...a little more wandering around since it had stopped raining and oh look, we found another pub...Beacon Pub and Eatery.

Well, our time at Whistler has come to an end...Saturday (May 25) morning we packed the car and headed south. Our "vacation" is not over yet...we will be spending the weekend with Chris, Angela and Isaac! 

Steve wanted to get some scenery pictures along the way but two things were against that...first, it was a cloudy, drizzly day, and second, most pull-over lookouts may have had a great view at one time but were now mostly overgrown with trees blocking the view. 

This was Tantalus Lookout, Elevation 320 m (1050 ft)...

That mountain ahead in Squamish is called Stawamus Chief and is very popular with climbers...

We took a drive through Squamish...

Halfway between Vancouver and Whistler, where the Coast Mountains meet the mouth of Howe Sound, our lively town is steeped in adventure and rich with culture. We share a passion for nature and community, inspired by our wild surroundings to get outside and explore.

Photo taken from the spit in the inlet. 

Shannon Falls is just off to the right of Stawamus Chief Mountain ...The highway actually goes right by Shannon Falls Provincial Park. 

If your interested in checking out the gondola ride and hike we did to Shannon Falls in 2020 click here

Looking back along the Howe Sound inlet towards Squamish...

Too bad it's a cloudy dreary day as it's such a pretty drive with a sunny blue sky...

We arrived at Chris and Angela's shortly after noon and Angela had a lovely lunch ready for us. Isaac has a birthday party to go to this afternoon, so here he is writing on the birthday card...with a little help from mom...

He wanted me to take a picture of him with the pen behind his ear...too funny! And such a cutie!

Since Angela and Isaac were out for dinner at the birthday party, Chris, Steve and I went up to John B's Pub, for drinks, dinner...and to watch the start of the Canucks hockey game...

Everyone back home and watching the end of the game...

Sunday (May 26) was a very busy day for Angela! She was out of the house just after 8:00 to go help set up her school's big fund-raiser, activity day. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day...the first time in all of the years she has been involved. So they had to set up everything in the gym...they usually have the whole school field outside to set up. But they made it work. Chris, Isaac, Steve and I went mid afternoon so Isaac could partake in the activities. OMG, it was packed in the gym and so noisy! Steve managed this picture and then we went and sat at a table outside under a tent where it was much quieter.

Steve took this 31 second video of Isaac trying to get across by jumping from ball to ball...he didn't make it this time but he managed to another time. Too bad we didn't get a video of that!

Angela didn't get home until about 5:30 and was exhausted! Chris and I prepared tacos for dinner...

Monday (May 27) and time to head back to Vancouver Island. We said goodbye to Angela and Isaac when they left for school. Isaac was sad that we were leaving and refused to give us a hug goodbye...funny little guy!

After big hugs with Chris, we left at 11:00 for the ferry terminal. We had reservations on the 1:00 pm sailing but arrived at the terminal just before noon and managed to get on it...bonus! 

We are spending the night at Rob and Angie's and then continuing on our vacation fun...Stay tuned!