Alberta/British Columbia

[Cesar Rodriguez]

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[Nocturnal Submission]

Neat tie-in with your new avatar.

[Amor de Cosmos]

CR your route really depends on what you're interested in. The Southern route, via Kamloops, takes you through the Southern Okanagan. It'll be hotter, more recreational -- lots of holiday homes -- boat traffic on the lakes several medium to large size towns. It's the wine area of BC, so if you're into that you can visit several wineries in a day. The Northern Route will be way less populated, some stunning parkland -- Wells Gray is worth a lengthy visit — and you can take in Barkerville which is a reconstructed Gold Rush town (not as tacky as it sounds.)

Unless you're into Mountain Biking I'd give Whistler a miss, there's not a lot going on there in the Summer and it's expensive (if you do go don't forget to take bear spray!) If you're into an authentic BC experience you could go past Whistler to Pemberton and take the corduroy road over the mountain back to the interior. Braelorne, an almost abandoned mining town is up there. There are some gorgeous glacial lakes, well worth the trip but you'd need a AWD vehicle.

Instead of Whistler I'd suggest taking the ferry to Vancouver Island and driving to the West Coast to Tofino or Uculelet. Gorgeous beaches, whale watching etc. (including serious surf if you're into that.) You could then mosey down to Victoria for a couple of days before you take the Washington ferry.

[WOM]

Didn't Billy Casper live in Calgary for a while?

[Amor de Cosmos]

Not sure. He lived out here, that I do know.

[Billy Casper]

Burnaby for thirteen years and then Walnut Grove for three.

[Billy Casper]

Like Amor said, avoid Whistler. It's expensive and over rated. Also avoid Gastown (full of shops selling tartan, mini totem poles and cigars). I personally found Tofino to be not as good as I thought it would be. It has got beautiful beaches and scenery, but I thought it was a long way to go to see 'just' that. This was twenty years ago though.

Look up Pender Harbour on the Sunshine Coast. It's only a 45 minute ferry ride and an hour's drive away from Horseshoe Bay, has stunning scenery (especially from the top of Mount Daniel) and isn't too touristy. There aren't any beaches as such, but there are loads of lakes where people go swimming - Garden Bay Lake in particular. Go for a walk to Frances Point and look for whales and bald eagles.
It's a proper fishing community, and a one night stay with a boat rental will be a highlight of your visit. (In my opinion, like.)