RonnieAdventure #0214 - Southwest British Columbia Part I

Since I was at home on July 4, 2016, I decided to take some fireworks pictures from our front yard and then as a contrast for my blog use some old pictures from a trip to southwest British Columbia in July a few years ago. (The temperatures in Las Vegas were in the triple-digits during the days and the temperatures in British Columbia were in the low two-digits at night! Quite a change!)

Whistler-Blackcomb is a major ski resort area located about 120 km north of Vancouver and, in addition to being major ski destination in the winter, it is a great place to spend a week in the summer!

We had a nice day for flying to Vancouver and the plane passed near two mountain peaks that I think were Mt. Hood and Mt. Rainier.

After clearing customs we rented a car and headed north toward Whistler. The sun was setting just before we arrived at the resort, so the next morning I walked around the grounds to take pictures of the area. 

Some of the ski lifts are open during the summer months, so tourists can ride to the top of the mountain and enjoy the views. Although there was not a lot of snow remaining on the west side of the mountain, much to my surprise, a couple of the ski slopes on the north side of the mountain were still open. 

There are a number of hiking trails that leave from the top of the mountain and, of course, the bears also like this area during the summer months.

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A short distance from the ski area there is a large zip line that crosses a canyon several times on your ride down the mountain! We had an amazing ride with the opportunity to go upside down on the last leg. 

For something a little less exciting, there is a nice hiking trail that follows the river from the resort to an old train wreck site. 

Apparently in 1956 several boxcars loaded with lumber came off of the rails in a rock cut and then the boxcars were dragged off of the track and into the forest where they lie today. Although I didn't see any bears on this hike, the mosquitoes liked me!