Seaplane Glacier Tour – a first in such a flying machine for Vinny VanGo dwellers, and it was so awesome.
We had seen the seaplanes land and take-off from Green Lake on the first day bike ride and decided the $200 a person was well worth it. We were only in the air for about 40 minutes but it was a view like we’ve never experienced.
I’ve tried to keep the video clips under a minute, but this one is 2 min but my words would do it justice. I really need to do a whole slideshow on this one, but we are just too busy riding our bike all over on this fabulous Valley Trail system that connects so many places in Whistler.
The 10 fellow passengers were witness to a topless show that had me ripping off my shirt because a yellow jacket from a nearby flower pot flew under my shirt and stung me on my shoulder about 2 minutes before we were to leave.
Taking off and landing on water is so smooth, especially if you don’t crash into other types of water enthusiasts who are in the lake.
A new day a new experience that is the “360 Whistler Experience”, a 1.88 mile gondola ride, among the world’s longest that goes back and forth between Lodges at Blackcomb to Whistler Mountain. Towards the beginning, after you hit on support tower you can see the path of the gondola dip down (like entering warp speed) as you ascend to its bottom elevation screaming “Woooowww!” Finally it heads up to the next support tower. It is 1430 feet above the ground at its highest, and was the first gondola to connect two side by side mountains.
Also included in our “360 Experience”, was the Cloudraker suspension bridge that connects two rock peaks and is about 427 feet above the Whistler bowl at an elevation of 6562 feet. We had seen this on our seaplane ride.
But first a hike down to a chair lift ride up from the Whistler Peak to the swaying steel Cloudraker. I was so surprised that John wanted to do this because he doesn’t like heights (remember, the Parkinson fear of heights is how we named our band “Treacherous Edges” after all) . Kate’s brother who works on tall buildings etc. said you should never hold on to scaffolding or railings and just walk.
This seemed to help, and he got across with minimal issues. When I got off, he was busy photographing other tourist couples so he didn’t seem to be to affected.
Before reaching those new heights, we had already accomplished a 6.9 mile hike to Decker Lake which started at the top of Blackcomb Mountain.
It had incredible views of those on steroids Canadian Rockies.
John saw his first moose that he had been so wanting to see ~ just because it was in the backpack of the hiker in front of us ~ need to take what you can get.
We were told they are more prevalent up north so since we are traveling south this most likely will be the only moose sightings. There was a bit of rock scrambling down to the lake, but at least there were no chains and stairs like Ha Ling.
We have found that we need to add at least an hour onto whatever All Trails App says it’s going to take, but we got there and were happy to sit on that Peak to Peak Gondola for a bit.
When all was said and done, it had been a 10 mile day according to the little heart app on my phone. Luckily, I had pre-ordered the Mountain Buffet at the top of Whistler Mountain because we were starving, and for a buffet it was very good. But first a beer at the mountain top bar that commands the view of the valley, and a musician was outside rocking it. He even did “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” among many other of our favorites. Here we met another Lisa, a local Whistler middle age teacher, with whom we enjoyed talking. We joined her table as she was positioned close to the music, but not getting wind blown with the cool mountain winds that were outside for a beautiful sunset.
She told us that we must come to Merlin’s and see the Hairfarmers. Well technically they say they stop running the gondola at 8pm, but they said we are not allowed to sleep under the bar, so we were one of the last ones out, as the staff scurried around with cleanup. We had been talking to Eric, the musician and before you knew it we were on the gondola with this lovely couple and discovering more about the Whistler Music Scene. Now we have a Spotify Playlist called “This is Whistler” with many of the local bands and musicians. His band, Big Love, would be playing at a park in Whistler the next day.
Yes, we were securely back on the spreadsheet enjoying the famous Whistler BC tourist town. First, the bike trails are amazing, many paved, some gravel, and some well we need to push up and very carefully ride down. The Riverside Campground is right on the fully paved Valley Trail and you can get to Whistler Village, or several lakes and parks without having to share the shoulder with speeding trucks and cars.
Green Lake is beautiful, that’s how we discovered the Seaplane Ride in the first place and there is a Jack Nickalaus Golf course complete with 19th Hole overlooking the lake, and we needed a bit of settling in after the incredible flight. In fact, I felt a bit queasy as we were approaching the landing, and one poor guy had to use the little white bag. After a bit of foot planting on land and half a turkey club, we were ready to carry on with our bike ride.
Alta Lake is another one of the many Lakes on the Valley Bike Trail. Unfortunately, the Rainbow Park was closed for construction (you could actually see the machines working) and we had to simply turn around, but oh the peaceful mostly flat ride through nature. We decided to head toward the Village for some walking and groceries. And why not a bit of libation at Black’s Pub rooftop deck. Mountain bikers came pouring off the trails into the gondola lines to head back up for more thrills. There was a jump at the end that we could witness the bigger thrill seekers doing their thing from our roof top table.
Well, we decided to make it an early night since we had the 360 hiking day planned and we had been out quite late the night before at the Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub for our rainy day undertaking.
The first day in Whistler was supposed to be on the rainy side, so we kept the bike exploration under 3 miles, but were keen on getting a sweet treat in a coffee shop type venue. The Alpine Café was discovered the afternoon, and wouldn’t you know it they were having their 20-year anniversary celebration later that night. So, after riding to Lost Lake
and taking a nap, back to Alpine Cafe we went, and the place was hopping. Patrons came from far and wide, and we met a lovely family from New Jersey who had been coming for years. The father was really funny and said he was a comedian yet worked in finance. Then there was the mother-in-law of the owner who came from Vancouver. Evidently, she had been living on leased land for some 15 years and the owners wanted it back so she was lamenting about having to find a new place. They had three bands which were very rough. Seems like they may have been old patrons or friends of patrons and the sound system was poor, but that was fine because we could sit way back and talk with people. Most importantly, everyone was having a great time and the sense of this community was evident. It was a beautiful night to hang at the Alpine Café.
A rainy day is always good for Vinny because he generally gets an inside thorough clean and needed maintenance (the bathroom sink P-trap had become a bit too slow. Paddle Boy turned plumber, and before you knew it, swished down the drain. A bit of a break in the clouds, and decided to walk the 2 miles into the Whistler Village to experience the nightlife with a taxi home alternative planned. The Whistler Village is much bigger and spread out compared to our familiar Mammoth Lakes Village, and has many more refreshment possibilities.
We ended up at the Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub, where again ended up sitting with a middle aged woman hiker, who did the film work and actually did work on “Watchman”, one of John’s favorite movies as well as the reboot of Star Trek. Decided to head out to the public concert of the Whalers (Bob Marley variety), but as the rain started, we found a Crepe place for a dessert instead. The waitress here told us about the local Red Chair Band that was to play on Sunday. We were trying to make a night of it, so we went back to the Dubh Linn Gate to see the Irish Duo that was scheduled to play that evening.
Our final day in Whistler would be a music day (also laundry). We would go to see the Big Love Band in the park. They had a stage on a trailer where both front and back were opened affording good ventilation, but rain protection which was needed. Although a section fell to the ground during the end of their performance.
Later, Eric the lead, who we had met atop the Whistler Mountains said, “I guess I jump around a bit much and hope they don’t charge us.” I had never seen such a movable stage trailer on wheels, and thought it was a great idea.
Then it was the Hairfarmers who are a legendary local duo who have been playing together for 24 years.
It was definitely the most high energy show in a bar setting I have ever experienced.
The guitarist was masterful and the vocal range of the lead singer who played conga drum and other percussion was incredible. We would definitely look up the Hairfarmers for the next time. We luckily sat in the balcony above the stage and had an excellent view. The next thing we knew there was our new friend Lisa who had told us about this concert.
We were going to head out to Red Chair that night but were too pooped.
As our time in Whistler comes to a close, we hope to be back here as it is not so far from Washington. The campground although expensive after tax etc $100 per night was so convenient, well located, and in excellent condition. All the washers and dryers worked! I believe this is the only campground close to Whistler Village. In Pemberton we were told to eat at Barnnork, an exceptional Thai Restaurant, and guess what they are located right in our campground, yum. We had the most quiet spot on the edge and were enjoying regular showering, full hook-ups, Wi-Fi and cell coverage. We’d do it again!
Travels with Vinny VanGo 
Loved each of those videos. Thanks much. Keep up your adventures
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