Road Trip Arrivals - July 25 & 26 2014

Day 1:

After a long goodbye to our friends who would remain in Calgary a little longer, we packed up all our stuff and headed to picturesque Lake Louise to camp for the night. Setting up our tents and sleeping bags late in the evening was a true test of our camping skills, and we all passed!

Day 2:

We enjoyed a nice breakfast at Lake Louise before driving to Golden for some white water rafting on the Kicking Horse River! The water was cold, the guides were enthusiastic, and the waves were high -- no one fell in, though, thankfully!  We had quick snacks after rafting and then hopped in the van to continue our roadtrip deeper into British Columbia. We made it to Salmon Arm, BC after a quick stop at a fabulous ice cream stop called D Dutchmen Dairy. We were delayed on our way to Salmon Arm by an auto accident further ahead, so we ended up extending our stay at Nalanda's sister's place to overnight and making it to Peachland south of Kelowna in the morning.

Day 3:

After some of Peter's famous pancakes, we hopped in a motorboat and took off around a large lake in Peachland for the day, taking turns being pulled on a tube behind the boat. The water was refreshing!! We took a break for a burger lunch and then cruised around the water or went swimming at the beach in the sunshine. After a long day on the water, we ate a leisurely dinner at a great campground, and then headed to bed before a long day of driving the next day.

Day 4:

We ate breakfast and then packed everything into the van and got ready to drive all the way to Whistler, BC. We pulled over halfway through to check out the old Othello train tunnels and have lunch, and then hit the road again. We did make sure to stop for some Okanagan fruit on the way, which was delicious! When we finally arrived in Whistler, we checked into our hotel and enjoyed the comforts of hot showers and a nice comfy bed!!!

Day 5:

Breakfast was late and leisurely in the morning, and followed by an afternoon of free time to wander around the mountain town of Whistler and do some shopping. It's a great place to pick up souvenirs!!! In the evening was a ziptrekking adventure, where we were strapped into harnesses and hooked up to ropes strung between trees in the rainforests of British Columbia! The views were amazing and the ziplining was thrilling -- we even tried going upside down!

Day 6:

Today was  a long day on the Peak to Peak Gondola tour. We took a series of gondolas up Whistler mountain, only to find that the mountain had gotten quite a few centimetres of snow overnight! We went on a beautiful short hike in the snow, enjoying the crisp mountain air and the picturesque scenery. We then took a very smooth gondola from the top of Whistler mountain to the top of nearby Blackcomb mountain, where we had a hot lunch (most of us had poutine,a Canadian classic) before stepping into a gondola car with a glass bottom and heading back to Whistler mountain. We saw a few deer, and a whistling marmot (the animal from which Whistler got its name), but no bears! After the Peak to Peak we went to a nice restaurant to commemorate the last night of the road trip, and then spent some time in the jacuzzi in the evening.

Day 7:

Last day of the roadtrip! We packed up and hit the road, with little excursion in the afternoon at Shannon Falls. Some of us got a little adventurous and climbed up the falls, took beautiful photos, and relaxed a bit before reaching Vancouver in the early evening. We made it!!!

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