Whistler Summer '08

So it's two years until the Winter Olympics are held in Whislter... that doesn't matter, Whistler's still a great place to hang out and have fun with the family. Actually, I think my family was thinking that we'd best head up to Whistler well before the large crowds decide they're going to change the entire "scene" up there.

So, with all things set and ready to go, we piled into the van and were Whistler-bound...

The ride up started out smoothly; that was until we hit the are of HWY1 that was undergoing the "highway improvement program". With the Olympics only a year and a half away, the construction crews are working around the clock to fix up/widen the Sea-to-Sky Highway, but with all that construction going on, we were stuck in traffic for quite some time. Some parts of the Highway required staying to a max speed of 50km/hr... freakishly slow for the highway I tell ya. So, instead of the usual 2.5 hours to get up to Whistler, it took us 3.5 hours!! Oh well, at least we made it there... because just last week, there was a rockslide that completely blocked the Sea-to-Sky (the only route, aside from a 7hr detour, to Whistler).

Driving the Sea-to-Sky Highway

My dad in the back, being his silly ol' self... and my sisters

Beautiful forests and majestic mountains... ah, I love nature

Jacques looks ready to go... he's such a cutie :)

I was very psyched to go on this vacation in particular, because the hotel we were staying at allowed pets to stay as well. We stayed at the Hilton Whislter, and they even provided our puppy with his very own doggy-suitcase filled with treats and toys... how considerate :)

Up in Whistler it was beautiful. The weather was warm and not too dry, the pool-side was relaxing with very few roudy kids, and the hotel room was glam + spacious. I knew I would love it up here! Even if I don't spend all my time in the hotel, it's a nice place to crash :P

Honestly, in when you're in Whistler how can you possibly spend all your time couped up in the hotel room? My dad, who was feeling a little under the weather, decided to remain in the hotel room, watching the dog and the Olympics, while my sisters, my mom and I planned out all the fun activities to do.

One trail leads to another at this beautiful, dog-friendly park. The shuttle from Whistler Village takes you directly to this lake and runs every 15mins.

Most of the activities involved walking around the Whistler Village; this didn't bother me... I love to window shop and pretend I'm a tourist from some far away place... interested in Canadian apparell :P Walking through Whistler Village, it was easy to see that there were just as many restaurants as there were clothing/souvenier/sporting good stores. This made it a tough decision on where we would dine out... for the few nights were up in Whistler, I think we chose two great restaurants (reviews to come).