WHISTLER

It was grey and overcast here this morning with drizzling rain. So we rugged up - I even had 5 layers! - to head into downtown Whistler.

As it's the end of the Summer season lots of things are closed and the Winter season hasn't kicked in yet. Even so, Whistler is a beautiful place and there are plenty of tourists like us out and about.

Some of the chairlifts are operating with specially designed chairs that carry BMX mountain bikes up to the top of the mountain.  Bike riders follow in the next chair so they can ride their bikes down the dirt tracks which will become the ski runs when it snows.

We took the gondola up to the top of Whistler Mountain where we then rode the Peak to Peak gondola across to Blackcomb Mountain.  The 360° views are magnificent,  just not today. The top of the mountains and a lot of the ride to the top and between the peaks were shrouded in cloud.  It continued to drizzle and at one point we saw snow falling. The temp at the top was 0° but without any wind it didn't seem too cold.

The autumn colours of the trees on the mountain are gorgeous.  The pictures just don't do it justice.

Once back in Whistler we walked across to Upper Whistler and managed to see a black bear on the way! It was grazing at the base of a closed chairlift.

We visited the Cultural Centre Museum to learn more about the native people of this area and then took a walk through the bush to return to the hotel.