Celebrating BC Day in Whistler, BC

BC Day holiday in Whistler, BC

Whistler was true to typical yesterday during our BC Day visit.  Tourists abound, the shopping and restaurant sections of Whistler Village were busy, and the young and young at heart were busy too.

Near the start of the Sea to Sky Highway - Highway 99 north from the Trans Canada Highway @ Horseshoe Bay.

The seaside was calm and plied with boats of all kinds.

Beautiful highway....and it should be for the mega million dollars it cost to build for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

We have to stop in and visit this mining museum some day.

Very scenic....and a treat to ride on a nice, warm, sunny day.

We took our time riding up.  With stops to grab a few photos and admire the ocean side scenery, we were in Whistler within a couple of hours from leaving home. 

Whistler Mountain

A giant Inukshuk in the village.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuksuk

The Whistler Arts Club was busy promoting its talents and shows.

Giant tricycle!

This giant tricycle showed up while we were having lunch.  It is solar powered.  It is easily two stories high. It was a crowd pleaser too.

Hmmm....what to have for lunch?

You can see the solar panels on the back side of this tricycle.

Although the village was very busy with tourists, we noticed that most retail outlets were offering 0% sales taxes with any purchase.  We also noticed that some former retail outlets had closed shop.  We did not see many tourists with bags of goodies.

Where the winter ski activities are the main draw, a certain crowd enjoys the two wheel fun in the summer.  This place was a beehive of mountain biking enthusiasts.

The skiing runs are groomed for summer downhill mountain bikers.

This photo best represents the land sculpting that is done to offer bike jumping options.

Downhill biking draws large crowds...us included.  It's fun to watch these bicycling enthusiasts race down the mountain at break neck speed.

Sure seems like fun.  This is a must try some time in the future.

Some of these bikes cost well past $4,000.  These riders were well suited up with shin, elbow and head protection.

There were thousand of participants who kept the ski lifts busy.

The ski lifts work through the summer months hauling bicycles and riders up the mountains.  What a good marketing strategy to keep the locals, tourists, and sporting enthusiasts engaged in Whistler.

After a few hours of walking about, watching the mountain riding bicyclists, and generally enjoying our time there, we headed back for home.

One of the many motorcyclists on the roads.

Still plenty of snow on this high coastal mountain range.

This is the mining museum we keep threatening to visit.....someday soon!

Beautiful calm ocean waters.

We chose to ride into the city of West Vancouver to take on fuel and a much needed riding break.

From West Vancouver, our ride home took 50 minutes.  Although a long weekend - busy with traffic and tourists - our ride back home was surprisingly seamless.  

That is how we spent our BC holiday.  We trust your Monday was a great day too.  Thanks for dropping by.