Ray and his extended family
decided to take a vacation north of the border and packed 12 people (7 adults
and five kids) in three vehicles for a July adventure in Whistler, B.C. While
Ray and his brother JJ have skied in Whistler during the winter years ago, the
resort has evolved into an amazing year round destination. The family decided
to rent a large house, which was located from the property management company
Whistler Platinum. They selected a house located in the Kadenwood neighborhood,
a new property near the Whistler Creekside Village which actually has its own
Gondola that travels between Kadenwood and Whistler Creekside. After a fairly
uneventful Sunday afternoon drive from Seattle to Whistler, a property manager
greeted the vacationers at their Kadenwood home. The home was spacious, modern,
and gorgeous – 6 bedrooms 7 baths, dual kitchens, hot tub, gas grill, fire pit,
and enormous glass windows affording views of the surrounding forests.
Curiously, the house glass lacked air conditioning, a sink drain garbage
disposal, window coverings (very few had drapes), and a Keurig compatible
coffee maker. During the July visit, the temperature did get into the low 90s
making the glass house warm during the day, but mountain breezes brought
refreshing coolness during the evening. Hungry from their 4 hour journey, Ray
drove to the main Whistler village and picked up KFC for the family. KFC in
Whistler only has one type of chicken which appeared to be a hybrid between
extra crispy and original recipe, but proved to be a popular choice for
everyone.
On Monday, everyone got back
into the cars and went to the main village to board the gondolas up the
mountain. Many of the lifts operate in the summer for hikers, sightseers and
even cyclists. Whistler hosts a large mountain bike competition yearly called
Crank, attracting all sorts of mountain bikers doing amazing stunts on their
way down. Lifts operate from the main village up both Blackcomb and Whistler
Mountains, and the “Peak 2 Peak” gondola offers great views as riders travel
between the tops of the mountains. The more adventurous members of the family
took a short bus ride from the Blackcomb Peak 2 Peak gondola station to the 7th
Heaven chairlift which brings riders to the 7500 foot mountaintop. At that
altitude, lots of snow remained and lots of people were enjoying July skiing. The
views were quite spectacular!
On Tuesday, Ray and Traci
decided to start the day with a morning run around the neighborhood. While
descending on the road from Kadenwood, a large black bear crossed the road in
front of them. Ray and Traci watched the bear walk into the woods, completely
ignoring them. The runners decided to return home, drive to Whistler Creekside
and then run along the paved trails which surround the resort, figuring bears
would be less likely to forage around the village. Later in the day, Ray, his
brother in law Dave, and several of the kids went to the village to do an
“Escape Room.” Escape rooms have popped up in many places – a group is locked
in a room and using clues, logic, and luck figure out how to get out. The group
did a Pirate Ship themed escape room and the 6 of them started out handcuffed
and locked in the brig. Fortunately, the prisoners managed to escape with some
hints from a kind pirate on a radio. Escape rooms are great activities for
groups to bond although can be frustrating especially for first timers. For
dinner, Ray took advantage of the gas grill and barbecued steaks. Even more
appreciated by the younger travelers, the fire pit became a S’mores oven for
delicious desserts.
The next day, Ray, JJ and
Dave brought all of the kids for a zipling experience with Ziptrek Ecotours. The forests of Whistler proved to be an
amazing place for riding ziplines. The group selected the Eagle tour which
included 5 ziplines located among the trees of Whistler Mountain – the tour
begins by riding the Whistler gondola up and then walking to the course located
in the valley between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. Ray was very impressed
by the hard work and the attention to every safety detail by their guides. The
views from the ziplines were incredible, and the equipment allowed riders to do
tricks like riding upside down. It would be hard to imagine a better setting
for ziplining than Whistler. The guides were very informative, talking about the
bears (they called them mountain cows as most ignore humans – but stay away
from the very territorial grizzly bears!). Family dinner was at a Japanese
restaurant called Sachi Sushi, located in the Whistler Village and offering
some delicious traditional dishes and sushi.
On Thursday, JJ wanted to
take his kids (swim team members) to the Meadow Park Sports Center for a
swimming workout in their large indoor pool. Ray decided to tag along and enjoy
the pool as well, although his workout was considerably less difficult than
theirs. The sports center includes the pool as well as a skating ring which
also hosts hockey games. Afterwards, the guys and the kids went back to the
village to join tour company Wedge Rafting for a “white water” rafting
experience. Due to the size and age of some of the kids, the Cheakamus Splash
family friendly experience was chosen which was more of a lazy river floating
experience than white water rafting. Still, on a 94 degree day it was quite pleasant
to float down the river. Rafter were given wet suits and encouraged to get into
the chilly river (glacial melt). On the way home from rafting, Ray picked up
several pizzas from a shop across the courtyard from a place recommended by the
zipline guides. After a restful night in the mountain resort, the 12 family
members enjoyed a pleasant drive home.
