Explore BC: Sea to Sky Gondola // Squamish

It's hard to beat that incredible feeling of waking up on a Saturday morning full of sunshine and possibilities. Last weekend, I was obliged to complete the Tourism Challenge before it finished on May 31st-- this challenge requires that you (and one lucky friend) visit a minimum of fifteen tourist attractions and five neighbourhoods/hotels/events within the space of a month and a bit. I had eleven attractions under my belt, which included places such as the Vancouver Aquarium and Capilano Suspension Bridge, but needed four more stamps before I could call it a day. Happily, attractions in Squamish usually provide visitors with two or more stamps due to the additional distance. As a result, I was able to visit the beautiful Sea to Sky Gondola and explore the Britannia Mine Museum with my fiance for free!

We began our day relatively early in order to beat the crowds of tourists at the gondola. By leaving our home at 8:30 am, we were able to make it to Squamish before 10 am (which is when this attraction opens). Since the parking lot was quite full, we were forced to park in the free lot which required us to take a short hike to reach the gondola. After receiving my first stamp at the base of the mountain, I was given a set of three questions that I would have to answer at the summit in order to receive my second stamp.  

 

We stepped into our gondola and were treated to a magnificent view of Howe Sound as we enjoyed a ten minute ride that ascended 885 m to the Summit Lodge. I definitely recommend this lovely ride for the spectacular sights that it provides; however, if the $35.95 ticket price is too steep for your liking, you can always hike the Sea to Summit trail for free!

Once I had answered my three questions, received my second stamp, and had taken enough pictures of the gorgeous area, my fiance and I were able to enjoy a scrumptious meal of a cheeseburger, gourmet hot dog, and fries. While the food was so-so, the panoramic view we enjoyed of Howe Sound, the Chief, and Sky Pilot Mountain from the patio was unparalleled.

Crop Top // Topshop

Shorts // Zara

New Balance Sneakers // Little Burgundy

Sunglasses // Ray-Ban

Necklace // Singapore

Bag // Vintage

Following our lovely visit to the Sea to Sky Gondola, the fiance and I then visited the Britannia Mine Museum, which was a fun, eye-opening look into the lives of miners from over a century ago. Unfortunately, I did not take my camera to the mine as I didn't want to blind the other visitors with my camera flash. We were able to take a miniature train into the mine itself and walk through some passages to experience the conditions that the miners once had to endure (hint: you can't have claustrophobia in the mines). A big nerdy reason for why I wanted to visit the mine was that a significant episode from The X Files was once filmed at the site-- I'm such a huge fan that I was thrilled to be in the same building as Mulder and Scully when they encountered an alien spaceship, an alien bounty hunter, and hundreds of alien hybrids. I know, I've got it bad...

I hope that you all have a lovely weekend-- B.C. is presently experiencing a big heat wave and I'm looking forward to my first BBQ tonight (as well as a turn in the hot tub)!