The Mountain town of British Columbia, Whistler!

The lovely ski town of Whistler nestles in between mountain tops, evergreen trees and beautiful lakes. I got a chance to visit this mountain town on the occasion of my Aunt’s 51st birthday. We started our drive from Seattle, eventually crossed the Canada border to drive along the picturesque Pacific coast to reach Whistler. Our first stop was green lake with a backdrop of snow-capped Blackcomb mountains. Since it was so chilly, we didn’t really walk around. We just stopped for a bit to enjoy the lovely scenery and loved clicking pictures at the lake. Soon after we checked into our hotel, I and my aunt started to walk along the hills and valleys near our resort. We enjoyed walking by the streams of river that cut through the hills and had bridges to pass by to relish the views. We could see the last signs of fall colors and I felt like playing a character in a fairy tale story while I was twirling in my long woolen skirt outfit which kept me perfectly warm.

Green Lake

Hills and Valleys of Whistler

Streams of water along the hills

Me and my aunt with pictursque backdrop

Streams cutting through hills

We woke up early next day to rejuvenate our mind and body in Scandinave spa. I was super excited about it and it was my chance to pamper my adorable aunt for her birthday. The spa was a combination of outdoor pools, indoor steam and sauna rooms. We enjoyed the hot water pools outside and the eucalyptus spa room followed by the solarium which had very soothing music while enjoying the enchanting forest views. I particularly enjoyed the yoga studio in one of the indoor rooms where you could self practice. Getting into the mat and practicing after a long time felt so so good. All in all it was a great morning to begin with.

Trekking scenes behind our resort

Scandinave Spa

Scandinave Spa

I also really savored the food in Whistler. The different restaurants that we tried were Elements Urban Tapas Parlour, Peaked Pies, and Grill & Wine Whistler. I extremely loved the mushroom Raviolis, gnocchi and the lentil pies at these places and would recommend them to all the culinary lovers out there. Since we visited off season, the restaurants did not have any wait time but still had very delicious food which perfectly worked for us. Our trip was short but yet it felt just perfect. On the way back we stopped by at Surrey to enjoy some Indian delicacies. All in all we had a great family time and at the same time explored a new city. Do you like going to Mountain towns? If yes, please share where you went to! I would love to hear!

 

Trekking the Rocky Mountain National Park!

After the day of camping at the Winding River Resort, we headed towards the Rocky Mountain National Park to explore the winding trails that led to breathtaking waterfalls, lakes and rivers. We started with the Adams Falls trail which was short steep uphill trail. We were very lucky to spot a Moose on our short way up the hilly terrain. The locals there told us that Moose is a really aggressive animal and very protective as a mother so all of us were very careful while watching the Moose enjoy in its natural habitat. We finally reached the Adam Falls which was beautiful and all worth the uphill hike.

After our hike, we relaxed and lounged by the magnificent Grand Lake which is the largest lake in Colorado at an elevation of 8000 feet. We geared up for our next trail after relishing the delicious Mexican lunch at the Grand Lake Downtown. Our next trail was full of wild yellow/white flowers and huge lush pine trees which led to the massive Colorado River flowing under the bridges. The weather was sunny and I enjoyed this trail the most.

We ended our day driving ten miles through the Rocky Mountains surrounded by alpine meadows, forests and creeks. By the end of the day we spotted about six Moose, ten Elks and so many deer and horses grazing grass in the lush meadows. It was so amazing to see the wildlife in the national park and not tied up in zoos. However one thing that we missed was the Mountain View from the Trail Ridge road which leads to the highest peaks of Rocky Mountain National park. It was closed due to the recent snow storm in Colorado and we had to make our way back after reaching up there. Have you recently hiked National Park. Which one is your favorite? I would love to know!

Camping by the Colorado River!

The state of Colorado located up in the mountains is very scenic and breathtaking. I have always wanted to camp in a cozy little tent by the river in the midst of mountains and finally got to do it in Colorado. Since the weather has been so unpredictable lately, we decided to camp in a little log cabin bordering the Colorado river. The cabin was a part of the Winding River Resort campground located few miles from Rocky Mountain National Park right by the Grand Lake. The cabin was a little chilly during the night when we snuggled into our blankets to keep ourselves bundled up and warm.

Waking up in the morning in the midst of mother nature surrounded by peaks, creeks and wildlife was like a dream come true. We went for an early morning walk and I was very excited to see the horse stables, vegetable farms and hear the river water gushing through the creeks. We also enjoyed breakfast in the picnic table right next to our log cabin by the fire pit that kept us warm during the chilly morning. During our stay in the campground, we did not have phone signals and it felt so good to be out of the digital world and so close to mother nature for once. I could easily imagine how it would have been to live in the early ages and how much more intimate and close people must have been to each other in those ages. I was lucky to experience it in today’s world of digital chaos. I will recommend this trip to all those adventure seekers who want some peaceful time to themselves away from city life.