Olympic Rings in Whistler, BC. That girl monkeyed her way up there like a pro. 

That’s right! The Canucks let me, the Teardrop and the dogs into Canada! Just a few questions, no paperwork and no search. Man, I’m loving our northern neighbors already!

So how’s this for road trip serendipity: on Saturday I rolled into Whistler, British Columbia, – home of the 2010 Winter Olympics – about 15 minutes before the start of Canada’s biggest mountain bike race! Several hundred spandexed professional mountain bikers, all revved up for the final stage of the 7-day BC Bike Race.

I’ve never seen so much spandex in one place!

Mountain biking is not my thing, in fact I don’t even own a bike, but I never pass on a chance to watch professional athletes do their thing. I stood right at the starting line in Olympic Plaza, where the closing ceremonies were held in 2010, as heats of 100 cyclists set off every 4 minutes for the mountain trails above Whistler. An hour and ten minutes later – an insane time split for 26K – they all came flying back into town, muddy and bloody and ready to party. What a riot!

And they’re off! 

After walking all around Whistler, which doesn’t take very long, even if you do a few laps, I headed out of town with the dogs to check out a local legend: an old train wreck deep in the woods. 

South of Whistler, a sharp turn in the Cheakamus River puts a sharp bend in the Canadian Pacific rail road tracks, too sharp, it seems for these seven train cars, which flew off into the woods and were never hauled back out.

I haven’t been able to find a date for this wreck, but it’s on the order of decades old. The cars have been reappropriated as a insane BMX bike course, complete with ramps and jumps on top of the cars, and covered in graffiti. You guys know how much I love graffiti! Wrecks, ruins, woods & graffiti, all in one place? This might be one of my all time favorite road trip treasures!

The Lil’ Engine That Couldn’t…

Whister Train Wreck 1

Whistler Train Wreck 2

Canadian Pacific Trains

Canadian Pacific Train Line + BMX Bike Ramp

Inside Mural

Inside, Out

Whistler Wreck D.O.G.

Dogs on top