British Columbia

June 29 - July 8, 2005: John and I traveled with Heather and Rajy's family to Whistler, British Columbia for a week of relaxation in the mountains. Mom and Dad drove from Oshkosh to visit Christopher and Carrie in Medford, Oregon and then headed up to Canada to meet us in Vancouver before driving to Whistler. The weather wasn't the greatest this time around but we still had a good vacation.

(Click pictures for larger views)

Views of Vancouver

We stayed at the Pacific Palisades hotel in downtown Vancouver, overlooking English Bay. Note the floating fuel stations. We also enjoyed some indoor putting and a boat ride near Granville Island.

Brandywine Falls

We took a quiet forest hike to this beautiful waterfall near Whistler. Tradition says it was named for the payoff on a bet between two surveyors over the exact height of the waterfall. One wagered a bottle of brandy, the other a bottle of wine.

Hike to Whistler

John and I hiked down the mountain from our condo to Whistler village. Along the path is Alta Lake, where we stopped to rest a bit. When we got to Whistler we enjoyed a Mediterranean lunch. The hike back up the mountain was more challenging, especially with John's backpack filled with Whistler sweatshirts, pottery, and a 6-pack of local microbrew.

Hanging out

On the rare occasions we had a break from rain, we hung out on the deck. Jay watched for bears on the mountain. We also went to Whistler village with the kids (nephew Jay and niece Ashlyn).

Golf

John and Rajy played golf at several nearby courses. Heather, Jay and I joined them for a par-3 outing at Big Sky near Pemberton. You can see Mount Curry rising above the course, its peak shrouded by a cloud.

On the way to Big Sky John and I saw a black bear cub venturing out of the brush, but we decided to drive by slowly instead of getting out to get pictures, assuming the mother bear would pop out at any moment.

John took this photo at
Furry Creek, a golf course
south of Whistler.