WHISTLER TO SUN PEAKS

This day was mostly a travelling day, driving east towards the Rocky Mountains.Unfortunately the smoke haze from the forest fires had increased and blotted out the scenery.

Luckily we had a roomy coach and everyone go along well and although we were disappointed we all tried to keep cheerful.

We stopped at the lookouts anyway to stretch our legs. Our tour guide told us what we should be seeing. "Down there is the beautiful Kamloops Lake."

However we could see some wildlife on the side of the road from the coach.

We stopped at Hat Creek Ranch, where we learnt about the Shuswap people and their traditions. The native people of Canada are no longer called indians. They are now known as First Nations people. We learnt how they fish and dry them. We learnt about their summer homes and.......

....their winter homes.

We went inside the winter home it was surprisingly warm under the ground. There was also an exit through the roof.

We wound up a mountain to the gorgeous little ski village of Sun Peaks, which was designed by a champion Canadian skier. The down hill run finishes at a ski through coffee shop where skiers can be refreshed without removing their skis.  

Sun Peaks reminded Bill of a Swiss ski village, especially this cute little covered bridge. Bill took his sore foot back to the hotel while I went for a walk through the forest with another friend.

SWINGING FROM PEAK TO PEAK

Yippee, we had a sleep in this morning. After another delicious breakfast it was Free Choice Activity time. We chose the Peak2Peak Gondola ride. The gondola swings from Blackburn Mountain to Whistler Mountain but first we must get to the top of the mountain on a chairlift.

I was a little apprehensive but I was so excited to be here, that I didn't care anymore and just looked out for bears and the beautiful scenery.

There was a fabulous 360* view at the top of Blackcomb peak, however the pink haze in the sky was to haunt us for the next few days. It was smoke from numerous forest fires in BC.

My stomach did a flip when I saw how far down the Gondola falls before it rises again to Whistler peak. There are no more pylons after this one until the other side of the ravine. Bill relaxed when he saw that it was made in Switzerland.

There was a glass floor just to give you a bit more of an adrenalin rush. It was very hard to get shots of the magic view due to the reflections on the windows, but I managed this one. We stopped at the top for a coffee on the terrace. Bill's foot was sore so he stayed there with a friend while I and a two others walked to another chairlift which took us even higher to the summit.

This one really took your breath away. It felt like we were going to splat into this wall of rock.

Now we were really on top of the world with this Inukshuk. Originally these  symbols were created by the Inuit people to show 'someone has been here' or 'you are on the right path'. However it can have a variety of meanings today. It was the logo for the Winter Olympics meaning 'welcome'.

This fellow was trying a one legged meditation pose for a photographer. He kept losing his balance. I expected him to topple over the edge at any minute and take a short cut down the mountain.

Then it was time to take the chairlift down to pick up Bill and then swing in the gondola back to the other peak and then down, down, down again in two more chairlifts to Whistler, which you can see at the bottom here. Look at that smoke blowing in and starting to hide the mountains. We had the afternoon to ourselves, I explored the village while Bill checked out the doctor's surgery and then the pharmacy. A few hundred dollars later he had some antibiotic tablets. Thank goodness for travel insurance.

THE ROAD TRIP BEGINS--VICTORIA TO WHISTLER

The mobile phone buzzed, jumped around and played an annoying tune. It was 5:30, time to get up, shower, and BBB. (Bags Before Breakfast). The tour was well organised, we would put our bags outside the room and we wouldn't see them again until inside the next hotel room. The breakfasts everyday were to be seen to be believed. (I don't know why I never took a photo of them.)

We boarded our colourful coach which would become home for the next seven days. We changed seats every day. We left Victoria and drove through Vancouver Island until we reached Nanaimo, where the coach drove onto a ferry.

The ferry took us across to the mainland at Horseshoe Bay.

Although misty, the scenery was wonderful where The Coastal Mountains tumbled into the sea. We had lunch on the ferry and sat next to two Canadian girls and it was interesting listening to their stories of life in Canada.

We were on the way to Whistler, where the 2010 winter olympics were held. Consequently the Sea to Sky Highway had been upgraded. This drive along Howe Sound is rated as one of the most scenic in the world and I can vouch for that.

We pulled off the road to take a short walk into the forest to view The Shannon Falls, the highest in BC.

Soon we arrived in the lovely ski village of Whistler. We had an hour to explore before our rooms were ready. Just about every shop, cafe and bar had an Australian working there. I think the Aussies have invaded Whistler. We had lunch in the above restaurant the next day while Bill waited to see a doctor. He had an infected toe and was starting to hobble around in pain. So we got it looked at before we headed into the boondocks.

In the afternoon we were off to The Fairmont Chateau Whistler, (the pink one in the background) our rooms were big and beautiful with a view of Blackcomb Mountain.

By now we were all starting to become friends and we had many enjoyable meals together. After dinner we had a presentation by Michel Allen, a world leader in Black Bear research. It was informative and entertaining. Tomorrow we are going to swing from peak to peak.

HAVING FUN IN VICTORIA

After visiting the Butchart Gardens in the morning, it was free time so we had lunch on the veranda of the Empress Hotel overlooking the beautiful harbour. Bill even scored a free lunch. He ordered an Ahi Tuna Roll but didn't realise the tuna was raw. When the waitress asked, " How was the meal?" Bill explained he didn't know it would be raw and he couldn't eat it. She said, " I will get you a complementary soup and you won't be charged for the tuna." We were impressed with this service.

Scenic Tours offer a Free Choice activity in most places. There were seven different activities to choose from here in Victoria. We chose a scenic float plane ride. I had never been on one before so I was excited. Canadians have used float planes for many years to provide access to places where roads are impossible. They have played a vital role in the forestry and fishing industries and now tourism.

It feels great zooming along the water.

We flew over the city and over the many islands floating in the sea.

We even visited the Butchart Gardens again but from a few thousand feet above.

After that buzz we had a few more hours left to explore. We hopped on a cute little ferry for a trip around the harbour. These ferries are operated by a group of retired sea captains, who enjoy sharing their knowledge of the area.

The ferryman took us up close to a Harbour Seal and her pup resting on a jetty laden with brightly coloured canoes.

Then we sailed passed a suburb made up of floating houses.

The ferryman had to watch out for floatplanes. He told us it is the only airport where planes couldn't take off because there was a whale on the runway.

After our exhilarating day we relaxed at the Veranda Restaurant and watched the sun slide behind the water and the moon rise over Parliament House. It was a great start to the holiday. Next stop Whistler.

THE BUTCHART GARDENS

While in Victoria, BC, we visited the world famous Butchard Gardens, which cover an area of 22ha. They are the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen.

The gardens were the idea of Jennie Butchart when she decided to beautify the worked out limestone quarry, which had supplied her husband's Portland Cement Works.

  

The gardens have been blooming for over 100 years.

The Ross Fountain installed for the gardens 60th anniversary by Ian Ross, the Butchart's grandson.

The gardens are still owned by the Butchart family.

It is visited by a million visitors annually.

Hanging baskets along an arbor.

I was finding it hard to believe that we were actually in these famous gardens.

VICTORIA, BC, CANADA

Three weeks ago we set off on a new adventure. We flew to Victoria, British Columbia via Sydney and Vancouver. We were met by the guides from 'Scenic Tours' and transferred to The Empress Hotel in a posh, black, limousine bus.

The chateaux style Edwardian hotel was designed by Francis Rattenbury for Canadian Pacific Hotels and it was completed in 1908. Since then it has had many renovations and VIP guests including royalty and film stars.

We had a room overlooking the inner harbour. There were lots of people on the wharf cheering and shouting.

Soon we could see why. It was the Dragon Boat race day.

It was a hot summer's day and we swapped our winter clothes for cooler ones and went for a walk along the waterfront.

The streets are lined with hundreds of these beautiful baskets of flowers and many interesting buildings.

A sculpture in a busy, bustling city square.

The bed looked inviting after such a long trip from Australia but we had a meet and greet dinner in the Kipling Restaurant named after Rudyard Kipling, who was a regular visitor. There were almost 100 people on the tour but we were split into two groups for two coaches.

That evening we enjoyed the sunset out of our window and marvelled at the thought of being on the other side of the world ready to discover parts of Canada and Alaska.

EVERYONE LOVES A PARCEL

The courier brought us a parcel.

"Hey Diane, the parcel has arrived."

"Yippee, our travel documents have arrived with some goodies too. This backpack looks handy."

"Yep, it fits and not too big."

So, what did we end up with? 2 backpacks, 2 laundry bags, a document holder and........

........a guide book for Canada and Alaska, the itinerary, the air tickets, and information booklet together with health forms and baggage labels. The cruise ship documents I had to download from the internet.

Soooo in two weeks we will be on our way. Rah, rah, rah. Do I sound excited? This trip has been on my bucket list for years, I can't believe it is about to happen.