Mark & Gill

Too early for the stampede unfortunately! A good drive from Banff today- leaving the Rockies behind and travelling through countryside that could be found in NZ. Very pastoral at times and we all thought it looked like home (Mark, Gill, Chris).

The highways were mainly long and straight for kms- speed limit mostly 110km. Lots of warning signs again for elk but fortunately for us we did not meet them on the highway! We had an interesting little excursion through the suburbs following Google directions which turned out to be to a similar sounding location but miles away from where we were meant to be! Chris had us out on a shopping spree for him post arrival – new shoes and essentials he needed! The weather here is ok but considerably cooler – the brochure says it can be “rather unpleasant” and the city has an interesting “Plus 15” walkway system through numerous building links at first floor level – accessibilty to shops, malls etc without getting wet.

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A lot cooler today- a change from the 30-35 degrees we have been experiencing. Great to sleep in for awhile this am, breakfast overlooking Lake Louise, named after Princess Louise the daughter of Queen Victoria – just beautiful – the lake is a turquoise colour due to the melting glacier silt. Chris canoed the length of the lake and back! Mark and I walked around the side – great views of Mt. Victoria and Victoria glacier until the rain set in!!

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Wow! spectacular scenery all around. We entered the rockies at the end of day 2 of our Rocky Mountaineer train trip. Day 2 took us to Jasper where we stayed overnight having covered 625.6 kms that day. The scenery along the way was diverse going from green and treed to very arid. The train trip was very relaxing though also tiring in a way as you rock along! We were fortunate to be on a trip with very low numbers so had plenty of space to wander around and also to enjoy a special lounge car.

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All aboard the train at 7.10am! De-trained at 7.30pm in the stop-over town of Quesnel. A full day but very relaxing and enjoyable – great scenery- steep canyons, raging rivers, soaring peaks, contrasting vegetation, no bears on route (but saw one on the Whistler slopes early this am), good company and heaps of food and drink.

Another early start tomorrow – on to the Rockies!

Rocky Mountaineer Photos

Comments

Comment by Barby on 2007-06-03 20:51:55 -0700

Hi Enjoying your descriptions but haven’t seen any photos yet – seems to be a problem with the link?

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It’s gorgeous! you hear about how pretty, stunning and picturesque Whistler is and it’s true. Even without the snow the village encompassing Whistler and Blackcomb mountains is impressive. Towering fir trees, beautiful tulip displays, “alpine” architecture and careful landscaping make for a truly delightful setting. I had a great wander and window shop this am- I was exceptionally good- it was very unfortunate- you can’t buy at the beginning of a trip with limited luggage space !! I did assist Chris with purchases this afternoon though (and paid!).

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This morning Mark and Chris tackled the “Zip Wire” a series of huge flying foxes (zip lines) strung across a river valley between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. Gill went shopping. The zip-trek was great fun – spectacular scenery – pics and video will hopefully be up in the next day or so. In the afternoon Chris and Gill did the shopping thing and added to Chris’ wardrobe and pantry! For dinner we were invited to a meal with Chris and 7 of his friends to celebrate Emily’s birthday and Jen’s leaving Whistler. Tomorrow we board the Rocky Mountaineer train again for a two day journey through to Jasper.

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Yes Mark is alive and well although you haven’t heard from me! An early start yesterday for commuter Sky Train into Vancouver then onto the Whistler Mountaineer Train for a fanstastic journey through the North and West Vancouver communities along the coastline skirting the fjord, Howe Inlet – and on up through the mountains to Whistler by lunchtime. Met up with Chris who had come to meet us off the train with his new boss who took us through Whistler Village to the Chateau Whistler where Chris works and we are staying – great room overlooking both Whistler and Blackcomb – bit of a tour of the hotel, village and staff accomodation – so we have a good impression of the set up here – and it is apparent that Chris is doing well, enjoying himself, has no intentions of coming home anytime soon. Dinner with Chris in the poncy dining room and then met a few more of his mates at a favourite bar in the village Cinnamon Bear. Great to be here spending time with Chris.

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The Amazing Race (go Marg!!) this am to catch the ferry to Vancouver Is. at 9am- we didn’t make it and had to wait til 11am. Plenty of time then to sort out the Loonies and Toonies! and enjoy coffee and cookies. The ferry trip out to Vancouver Is. where B.C’s capital is located, takes 1 1/2 hours – it was calm and scenic as we passed though the passages and the Gulf Islands. No whales but did see a seal or two.

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Hi from sunny and warm Vancouver. The trip over was great- we got some sleep and enjoyed smooth travel for the most part. A long wait at customs lines in S.F though! Had a great day today exploring downtown Vancouver and surrounds. We enjoyed a panoramic view of the city from Burnaby Mountain looking down into Deep Cove, over the inlet to Port Moody/Coquitlam and around to central Vancouver itself. We drove down into the city, around the harbour, some flash yachts anchored in the marina, and into Stanley Park, a promentary jutting out into the Burrard inlet. This 405 hectare (1000 acre) public park, the largest in Nth America, has stunning scenery – huge trees, cycleways, gardens and walkways with vistas of the harbour and out to sea through the natural forest. We lunched on Granville Island at the indoor market- wild salmon rolls, sticky walnut buns and coffee- yum, yum! The afternoon was spent wandering around Steveston, a picturesque little fishing village on the coast near to the airport.

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And we do know where we are going and when we will be back. It is getting very exciting now – I am all packed and a wondrous thing has occurred – my bag is much smaller than everyone imagined it would be (and even smaller than the nice new red one I bought especially for this trip!). The housesitters are worried that I do not have enough clothes – that is because I’m travelling light as instructed, it is spring over there and the last stop on the way home is Hong Kong!

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