Jesse McGee

The village at Whistler is quite deliberately quaint. Every building’s style complements the overall appearance of an upscale European hamlet. The sidewalks are wide expanses of interlocking brick surrounded by interesting shops and international restaurants. It is beautiful but very contrived. The contrast with the very natural beauty of its setting is remarkable. The views from the top of the mountains are wonderful - mountain peaks as far as the eye can see. We took the gondola to the top of Whistler Mountain, then the new peak-to-peak gondola across a 4 km span to Blackcomb Mountain. We saw bears while crossing but weren’t quite quick enough to photograph them. On the way to Vancouver, we stopped at Brakendale, the winter home of the bald eagles. We knew it was much too early to see the birds ... read more

'We spent Monday night in Jasper at the Pyramid Lake Resort, a rustic group of cottage-like two storey walk-ups overlooking a tiny clear-watered lake. The room was ordinary but the service and the breakfast were exceptional. The dining room had cathedral ceilings with floor to ceiling windows and a huge fieldstone fireplace. Tuesday morning we visited the Miette Hot Springs. On the way we saw a group of female big horn sheep grazing at the side of the highway. We were able to get quite close to them to take photos. There were others casually climbing the ridiculously steep cliffs above us. At the hot springs, I was disappointed to discover that the water is chlorinated to remove the sulfur smell so I couldn’t go in, but Mark and Sam enjoyed a long, leisurely soak. Every ... read more

We were very fortunate Sunday afternoon. As we drove along the Bow Valley Parkway (the more scenic alternative to Hwy. 1) the sky began to clear. We passed a few interesting points along the way. Among them, a memorial for Germans and Austrians held in the internment camps during the first world war and used as slave labour to build the roads in Canada's first national park and, the Great Divide - the path that marks the Continental divide that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. All along this highway are lookout points where tourists can pull over and photograph the mountains. When the ten peaks appeared in the distance, we watched for an opportunity to stop and take a picture of these huge, snow-covered peaks. Our first view of Lake ... read more

I woke up early on the second day. Mark and Sam were still sleeping so I slipped out for an early morning walk down the main street before the shops opened and the tourists arrived. Unfortunately, it was cold (only 2 degrees) and raining. The mountain tops were lost behind the clouds and everything was grey. I walked from one end of town to the other (it's only about 1.3 km each way) and took a few photos of the shops and street. At the far end of Banff Avenue, I stopped to admire a stone bridge spanning the Bow River.... read more