27.07 - Hidden trail with train wreck

After staying in Squamish we decided to come back to Whistler and see the train wreck in the woods, which is a secret tip, not a usual tourist attraction, just 8 km from Whistler. Decades ago a train derailed South of Whistler. The cost to clean up the mess was deemed too high, so that 7 train cars were left in the woods.
It was a really adventurous thing to do. Firstly, the trail is hidden and only marked with self-made sings. Secondly, the track itself goes up and down through the woods along the river. It felt like a treasure hunt as the marks could be easily overlooked. We lost our way at first and went for an extra kilometre detour just to come back and look for the signs again. It was a nice experience and something special. Someone turned the site into a fun park for mountain bikes with obstacles, bridges and ramps. We also climbed a few wagons and lying trees.


Hidden track to
 train wreck

follow the rabbit,
the eye



train wreck

train wreck











26.07 A hick up with the hotel

Unfortunately, somehow our booking via BBCanada didn’t work out. Upon our arrival to our B&B, the host told us that she was already fully booked and that the booking should not have gone through.  Because of the "Ironman Canada", the whole Whistler area was booked a few months ago. It was a technical problem on behalf of  the BBCanada. The lady called the hotels in the town for vacancies, but unfortunately without any luck. So we had to drive to another town 70 km from Whistler. Squamish was also pretty booked. The “Sea to Sky Hotel” had mercy with us and gave us a room which as actually reserved for disabled people and twice the size of a normal room. And after hearing our story with the previous hotel, they gave us a free breakfast and a good price for the room. So we had a blessing in disguise. By the way, breakfast was really good. The hotel was nice as well.

26.07 Whistler

We’ve driven highway 99 or “sea to sky” today. As the name suggests, it goes from sea to the mountains. We met quite a few bikers on the way. It is almost as famous as route 66 in the USA. It’s very picturesque and fun to drive. It took us to Whistler. We played around with the idea to go snowboarding on the glacier. Alas, the weather conditions were not good enough. Tomorrow it is the last day on which the glacier is open for skiing. However it’s been so warm recently and not snowing for over 3 months so that the glacier will be closed till winter season.

Yet, we met a women with her daughter who had skis on her. We asked her whether she was going to ski. She told us she was on her way for a ski jumping practice and if we wanted we could come watch. We followed them and got the opportunity to watch their training in a special swimming pool. It was cool and a rare thing to see.

26.07 Lillooet - oldtimers

Yesterday we arrived at Lillooet, the"ground zero" for the gold rush in Canada. A small city where restaurants close already at 21:00 and the door to the hotel at 22:00. We were lucky to find a Greek place for dinner. While dining there, we saw a few old-timers passing by. The next day we asked at the local museum whether it is something special happening in the town. It happened to be a summer festival called "apricot festival" with lots of small events, one of which was exhibition of old American (muscle) cars.

25.07 - Wells Gray Provincial Park

Today we've driven around the Wells Gray Provincial Park. It has waterfalls, rivers, lakes and volcanic canyons. The day turned out to be sunny even though the weather forecast was supposed to be rain at least till Sunday. We were lucky to enjoy the sun and picturesque views. All the sights could be reached within 10 minute walk and no extreme steep trails. The most impressive sightseeing is Helmecken Falls, which is a 141 m and is the 4th largest waterfall in Canada. Clearwater lake has got its name from its distinct clarity. 

Clearwater lake



Helmecken falls



Clearwater lake

Recycling

Canadians seem to recycle everything. We've noticed at the shopping receipt that one gets an extra  charge on some products like: plastic bottles, metal cans, tetra packs. After asking the locals we were told that almost any waste can be brought to a recycle site. So we found one, which was quite an experience of its own.  We were surprised that waste was being sorted out manually.

Weather conditions in Canada

It's kind of outstanding how different the weather conditions in Canada can be: floods in Kamloops, thunder storm in Quebec, forest fires in Alberta area. And that's all at the same time.