July 23, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Chetwynd, Sightseeing Tours
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It's been years since I have stopped at the look-out point at the Gwillim Lake Provincial Park; so, naturally I had to stop there to eat my lunch on the way to Tumbler Ridge. I had completely forgotten just how breath-taking the landscape in this part of BC really is; I love this valley so very much!
It is a marvelous experience to gaze out at the roling hills, with snow capped mountains hiding off in the distance - we are in the foothills of the rockies after all - and lose yourself in the scenery. The look-out is far enough off the highway that the quiet stillness just consumes you and your can enjoy the sights without distraction; definitely made the right choice to stop there, and I will most certainly be making the drive out there a few more times before the summer is over - though seeing the glorious fall colours grace the hillsides would be just as breath-taking!
July 15, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Hudson's Hope, Sightseeing Tours
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For the first time in 10 years the WAC Bennett Dam in Hudson's Hope BC had its spillway open, and what a sight it was to see.
Apparently since the dam's opening in the late 60's it has only spilled 9 times, so those of us who were lucky enough to see all that water gushing from the side of a hill this year can count ourselves as special people.
I remember the very first time I got to see the dam spill, it was in the late 1990's and I was barely 8 or 9 years old - the excitement definitely has not been lost at all.
When I first heard that the gates were open, not only at the WAC Bennett Dam but also as the smaller Peace Canyon Dam, I felt like a child again.
There is nothing like seeing a man made dam, made from natural materials, and nothing at all compares to that sight of thousands of gallons of water gushing from a hole in the side of the hill. Naturally, given my love for the extreme, I had to make a trip back up Highway 29 to see!
So it was set, I headed up there with some wonderful ladies from work and we made sure to spend all the necessary time getting perfect pictures capturing the spill gates and of course we HAD to do the tour!!!!!!
Oh my goodness, I know I may have a nerdy side but the tour is AMAZING! I have never learnt so much in such a short period of time! The entirety of the tour makes you gaze in wonder at all that was accomplished in such a short period of time - relevant to the time period - and of course the amount of water that really courses through all of those turbines!!!
If you have an hour to spare, the tour is so worth it and if not the visitor center up at the dam site has some really neat displays of pieces from the dam!!
July 15, 2012 | Tips from Travellers >
Hudson's Hope, Science, Nature or Animals
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It's taken a while for me to start my adventuring around the Peace area this year, but nevertheless the time has come!
Took a leisurely drive up to Hudson's Hope the other day, from Chetwynd, and was yet again thankful to be back in the beautiful Peace Region.
Having waited as long as I did, the summer rain, and the recent heat, made the hills and ditches flourish in green leaves and gorgeous wildflowers - definitely one of my favorite things about this area in the summertime.
On my way up to Hudson's Hope I of course passed by Moberly Lake and Cameron Lake; which are both back in full swing this year after the horrible floods last June. The water was so calm, and with the sun heating up everything, I wanted nothing more than to stop, run, and jump in the lake - would have made an interesting addition to my trip. Nevertheless, being a stickler of plans and time constraints I kept on moving towards my destination.
All in all I saw some amazing natural settings, just out my own back door, and some adorable wildlife as well!!! Bears, and Deer, and Moose OH MY!
July 23, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Chetwynd, Sightseeing Tours
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I spent my day yesterday doing what I always loved as a kid: exploring the Peace region's finest scenery!
After a late lunch a friend and I decided to take an adventure and travel for the day to Fort St John, through the amazingly scenic route along Highway 29 through Hudson's Hope. To me there is nothing more iconic in this regions summer season than descending a hill to mass fields of green and yellow canola sparkling in the sun and stretching for miles. In my opinion it really is one of the wonders of BC and everyone should experience it in their life; the fields just glow and really make you believe summer has arrived, no matter how much rain has been falling from the sky!
But of course that ended as we had to keep moving along the Highway, so we spent the afternoon driving around the city of Fort St John, saw a great movie in the amazingly large theatre (large for being in a mall!). We eventually made our way back home to Chetwynd, and seemed to time our return just perfectly as we caught one of the iconic Peace region summer sunsets on our trip through Highway 97 (Dawson Creek)!
It was the perfect day trip to remind me that whether it seems like the rain never stops, there are still those golden fields and sparkling sun sets which really do complete the summer scene of the BC peace!
July 19, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Chetwynd, Outdoor Activity Tours
In my time spent in Kamloops over the last few years I had slowly learned about geocaching; for those of you who haven't been introduced to this adventure, well you are sure in for a super fun time, let me tell you!!!
Geocaching is this super cool thing all over the world where GPS coordinates are given for locations of trinkets, coins and capsules of sorts. These are all hidden away from the public eye in varying locations! It is your job as a geocacher to find these items, but don't let ANYONE see you finding them, or else you don't get to log your find on the website under your account.
Now, onto MY adventure!!!! So after having spent quite a bit of time not working on my geocaching skills I decided that since I am home working for the summer in Chetwynd, BC, I needed something that was going to keep me busy and out of the house... so I thought to myself why not re-open my account and start exploring my home town!!!
There are SO many geocaches here in Chetwynd, and they are all in spots where you can explore the surrounding area in the mean time!! Everything from scenic hikes, lakes, and birds eye views of the town are incorporated in the preserved locations of the geocaches. My most favorite of all was on over looking the town from one of the main roads which winds down a hill (I wont spoil the hunts for everyone by telling you where exactly I was). This location I decided to search for at night as I would be less likely to be spotted by muggles (the geocache term for the public who may cancel your search)!
I have lived here in Chetwynd for most of my life, minus the first 3 years, and yet before I started some of the searches for the geocaches here I had not seen some of these locations from the angles in which I saw them on my adventures!
Geocaching is not just for in your local town/city, or for just going out for it specifically! It gives you something extra to help explore the terrain AS you are traveling around, and I definitely recommend that people come here for it... the locations I have found so far are AMAZING, with gorgeous views of the town and area!!!
June 13, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Chetwynd, Festivals & Events
This past weekend in Chetwynd sure was one for the books; there was so much to see and do that a person almost didn't have time for it all!
First thing Thursday morning when I was taking my morning walk through the Rodeo Subdivision I could hear the chainsaws starting up their buzzing, which was super exciting! I have usually always been around for the championship, but had missed it for the last two years so I was quite happy to be in town for this years.
There were so many new vendors down at the site selling arts and crafts, and lots of great food and snack; this was a great thing because it was quite warm out all weekend so having food and drink readily available was great!
After seeing everything around the site on the first day I didn't think that I could be surprised any more, until Saturday morning came and there were two horse and buggy teams taking people on rides from downtown to the carving site! I wasn't so much interested in the ride as I was in just playing with the horses, who were big sweet hearts which is no surprise being raised by locals to the Chetwynd community.
This weekend was the best example to remind me just why I love being a local here, and calling Chetwynd home: the people are awesome, the events get better every year, and there really is nothing better than getting to spend the weekend outside with new or familiar faces enjoying artists work their magic!