Sept 24 – Lillooet to Whistler

When you least expect it free wifi access is available. While writing this and the Lillooet part we are already at Squamish’s Klahanie camground. Didn’t have much time in Whistler for writing and we would have had to register with yet another operator for 10,- CAD. We were just clearing the RV’s pipelines at Cayoosh Creek RV in Lillooet, guess who waited in line behind us, yes, Esther and Jim – next destination Whistler.
But before arriving at Whistler we – again – had a spectacular drive ahead of us: Duffy Lake Road on Hwy 99. Today we arrived early at our destination for the day, around 13.00 hrs. We checked in and bumped into Esther and Jim on our way out.
The campround is quite different to the ones before. Bigger and in better shape, cabins for rent available plus a store and game room on site. More expensive (50,- CAD per site –– no free wifi or showers). Most of the RV sites/campgrounds we stayed at cost around 27,- CAD, full hook-up. Settled in and walked to Whistler Village (passing Esther and Jim), first stop was Tourism Whistler to say hi and thanks to Vanessa and Darlene. Then off to Whistler Mountain Guest Services – their computers are connected to several on mountain webcams – who helped to make up our minds and postpone our gondola ride.We strolled through the quaint village with its nice shops and cafés. It was amazing to see the amount of young people here. During summer Whistler becomes a mecca for mountain bikers. Definitely enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere (and buys). I was just about to take a photo of Markus and the bear in front of Rocky Mountain Chocolates when Esther and Jim left the shop. The picture you’ll see was the last one for that day as the four of us headed to the Dubh Linn Gate pub just off Blackcomb Mountain gondola. Esther and Jim rented the camper in Calgary and spent some time in the Rockies but left earlier due to colder weather. Same as us, they will spend the last two to three days Vancouver. The city offers a large variety of accommodation. Hotels, B&B, campground, hostels, motels and so on. Don’t take my word on it, but I would say that there are about 14.000 hotel rooms or 97 properties one could choose when in Vancouver. And just guess where they will be staying...your're right, The Georgian Court Hotel.
After two pitchers we split – Markus and I hadn’t had dinner yet and Esther and Jim went for some groceries – only to find us arriving at the same time in two taxis at the campground. Markus and I almost walked back to the RV park. At Blackcomb Way/Nancy Green Drive crossing we decided not to walk any further. There are no lights on the walking trail to the campground and Whistler is located within bear country – and we didn’t take the flashlight with us.