Monday, August 31
Today was our much anticipated Whistler Day - travelling up on the Rocky Mountaineer train and returning early evening by seaplane landing in Vancouver Harbour. We wish!
Boarding the Rocky Mountaineer
We awoke to the now usual sound of rain on the windows and looked out to see low cloud, dark grey skies, heavy rain and the sound of vehicles on wet roads. We had to meet at the Fairmont Vancouver Hotel at 7.00 am so were optimistic that the rain would clear as the day progressed. Wrong! We did the 8 minute walk to the Fairmont in steady rain. We were then bussed to the station and boarded the Rocky Mountaineer in anticipation of seeing the beautiful scenery we have heard so much about and seen on so many postcards. Our hostess was bright and bubbly and told us we were experiencing "liquid sunshine" then went on to explain points of interest we would see along the way. The train departed on time at 8.00 am with the station staff all waving us off - no doubt glad to see us go so they could return to their nice warm beds! Breakfast was served and we settled in with cameras at the ready to capture all the natural beauty along the way.
The train goes through West Vancouver where there are some fantastic homes to be seen; around Howe Sound - the most southerly fjord in North America; past Porteau Cove known for its excellent diving sites; on past Brittania Mine that closed in 1974 and is now home to the BC Museum of Mining; past the Stawamus Chief - a huge glacier-polished granite monolith; on to Squamish - world renowned for its windsurfing; then climbs almost 610 meters through the coastal mountains. Here at Cheakamus Canyon there is a trestle bridge over the rapids below and the scenery is sensational - if you can see it! The low cloud made it very misty and, coupled with the raindrops on the train windows, made it nigh on impossible to see. Fortunately, the Rocky Mountainerr has a vintage observation car so it was necessary to take photos from it but this entailed risking severe frostbite as the car is open on the sides for unobscured photography. No gain without pain! From there the train passes over Brandywine Waterfalls and offers the unusual perspective of being above the falls. Thankfully, the rain had cleared a little and we got some great shots. Another 12 kilometers and we arrived in Whistler.
The view from the train window
The Henry Pickering Vintage Observation Car
The view above the Brandywine Falls
Again, we were bussed from the station to the centre of Whistler Village. Despite the rain and, therefore, lack of people & atmosphere, we could tell it was a very pretty village and would look glorious on a sunny day with all the flowers in full bloom but a degree of imagination was required today.
On the Peak to Peak Gondola
We had purchased tickets for the Peak to Peak Gondola - a 3 km long ride between Whistler and Blackcombe Mountain. It is actually the longest unsupported span in the world. To reach it, another gondola has to be taken and this ride is 25 minutes long. By this stage, we had got the giggles because the weather was closing in even more and it was difficult to see much at all and the whole day was turning out to be the exact opposite to what we had hoped for and expected but as my dad would have said, "It is what it is". We got on the first gondola and started clicking away with the camera in case there was a total white-out. We decided to lunch at the restaurant on Blackcombe Mountain and, in keeping with the rest of the day, found it was closed for renovations! We then had to catch the Gondola back to the Whistler side to have lunch there. As in all ski villages, the food was not cheap and we didn't think the quality was that great either but being today, what would we have expected! We then caught the longer gondola back down and were thrilled to spot our first bear from it. We spent the afternoon in Whistler Village looking around, running for cover under shop awnings, and drinking coffee and a beer. We had telephoned the seaplane company to ensure the planes were flying in these conditions and were assured they were but asked to check again at 4.00 pm. At 4 we checked again and were told they were flying and we were to meet at the designated spot at 5:15 pm. When we arrived we were told the planes weren't flying and we would be returning via mini bus. By this stage we just wanted to get "home" so boarded the bus for the now hour and a half journey in lieu of a half hour flight. We had to admit, the weather had cleared a little and we saw some of the scenery we had missed on the journey up, so all was not lost.
Flying low in the mini van
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