Arriving late at the Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel, we welcomed a good night's sleep. In the morning, we bought Compass cards, then set off to explore the neighborhoods. Our first stop was Granville Island Public Market, a wonderful medley of food and artisan vendors, live entertainment, and artists working their crafts. We then visited the lovely gardens at Queen Elizabeth Park and enjoyed panoramic views of downtown Vancouver. Next we visited Richmond Olympic Experience, a fun, interactive museum inside the Olympic Oval where simulators allowed us to "be" Olympians! We kayaked, skiied, and jumped our way to victory, then ended the day in the Gastown neighborhood with dinner at LOCAL, gelato, and sunset by the Olympic Cauldron of the 2010 Winter Games.
For our last full day in Vancouver, we explored the interactive Science World BC museum, stopping for lunch at CRAFT Beer Market. The boys enjoyed some afternoon downtime, while the girls found our way to The Pie Hole, which was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Rachel declared that her "Pink Lemonade" slice was the best pie she'd ever tasted, while Abby and I enjoyed our Apple Caramel Crumble slice very much! Later that night, no one was disappointed with my dinner pick, Dinesty Dumpling House; soup dumplings are always worth an hour's wait!
On our last morning in Vancouver, we rented city bikes and pedaled our way around the seawall at Stanley Park, then ate a yummy Malaysian lunch at Banana Leaf. Later, a two-hour shuttle bus took us along the scenic Sea to Sky Highway to the famous ski town of Whistler, where we spent the next 6 nights at Whistler Peak Lodge. Our centrally-located and spacious condo allowed us flexibility to cook breakfasts, and several dinners after busy days on the mountain.
Whistler, BC is a mecca of outdoor activities and adventure sports, but is most famous in summer for its #1 world-rated downhill bike park! After picking up our reserved downhills from Gateway Bikes, all five of us spent the first day shredding trails on the mountain. Mark took turns leading me down easier blue trails like Crank It Up and B-Line while the girls stuck mostly to green trails until the day's end. All had lots of fun, finished without injuries, and even spotted bears from the lift!
Biking was, of course, Mark's favorite activity, so I had arranged for him to enjoy an additional two days of riding with Adam. Some of his favorite trails were Heart of Darkness, Schleyer, Ninja Cougar, and Clown Shoes. Due to steady rain on their second riding day, they returned very muddy, but their last ride day was sunny and clear. Mark's only complaint was his sore hands from all the breaking bumps. My boys soaked up every minute of biking, and Mark already wants to return! I did see a few houses for sale . . .
While the boys were riding, the girls and I explored the village, had lunch, and did some shopping. Later, I enjoyed some high-flying adventure with Abigail and Mark through ZipTrek EcoTours. Soaring high above the valley between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, we traversed the valley five times on our "Eagle" adventure tour! On our other day together, we rented city bikes and rode along the scenic Valley Trail through forests and by lakes, and also hiked to Rainbow Falls.
On our second "family" day, we did the Peak2Peak experience, the only place in the world where you can ride a gondola to the peak of one mountain, another spanning a valley, then a third back down to the base. Once at the top of the Whistler gondola, we took the peak chairlift to the very top, where there were hiking trails, a suspension bridge, and even falling snow--in July! After lunch (with a view!), we rode the gondola spanning the mountains. At its center, it is the highest point above ground in the world (436 meters), and until 2017, it held the world record for longest free-span between towers (1.88 miles). From the top of Blackcomb Mountain, we enjoyed the cool weather while exploring alpine hiking trails.
On our last day in Whistler, we had arranged a canoeing trip with Backroads Whistler down the "River of Golden Dreams". Launching from scenic Alta Lake, we perfected our navigation skills and watched the seaplanes overhead. The mouth of the lake fed us into a marsh, and then to a peaceful stream, where we gently floated for the next hour . . . so nice!
Alas, the next day we had to leave this perfect mountain town, but our adventure wasn't over yet. After a long day of travel (shuttle bus, taxi, ferry, another bus), we finally arrived at Hotel Rialto in Victoria on Vancouver Island. The day concluded with a very nice seafood dinner followed by a street entertainer's show and night walking along the shore.
The next day, we took a whale watching/gardens tour with Prince of Whales. Once out in the open waters around the San Juan Islands, we saw sea lions, cormorants, and even bald eagles, though my favorite sightings were the humpback whales! Friendly and knowledgeable staff kept us entertained with facts about the wildlife. At the conclusion of the boat portion of the tour, we were taken directly to the private back entrance of the world-famous Butchart Gardens where we could explore at our leisure.
Designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2004, these gardens were absolutely incredible! Mark was begging to go, but this was for me, and for Abigail especially. She loved exploring the many beautiful areas, and taking pictures of flowers to paint later. We soaked in the stunning colors and artful floral displays and explored the different areas, like the rose garden, the Italian garden, and even a sunken garden built in a former concrete quarry.
Before traveling back to the airport for our early morning flight, we spent our last full day exploring the Royal BC Museum, followed by lunch in Canada's oldest Chinatown. We all loved our trip to lovely British Columbia and can't wait to return someday!
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