September 05, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Telegraph Cove, Whale Watching
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The area off Northern Vancouver Island is well-known for it's whale population, and recently I visited the area for the first time to find out for myself.
Telegraph Cove is a picturesque village south of Port McNeill and this was our base for activities. In the morning we were meant to go kayaking, but with choppy waters we decided to forgo the paddle trip: instead, we soaked up the sun on the wooden boardwalk at Telegraph Cove waiting for our afternoon whalewatching tour with
Stubbs Island Whale Watching. Midmorning, our reverie was broken with the call of 'WHALE!' from the opposite deck. And just like that, three orca swam right past the opening of the tiny cove, as we stood watching from land. Later that afternoon onboard the boat, we spotted four more fin whales, second in size only to the blue whale.
I'd say that's a successful day of whale spotting.
June 29, 2009 | Tips from Us >
North Vancouver, Kayaking & Canoeing
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I admit, there was a day last week that I just couldn't fathom spending behind the desk. Luckily, I had an exit plan in my back pocket, and took a friend up on her invitation to spend the day in North Vancouver.
Let's just say the day's experience ranged from serene to downright scary. We started with a gentle kayak from beautiful Deep Cove - quiet, calm, relaxing. But if I thought the heart rate was going to stay low for the full day I had another thought coming. By afternoon we were at the peak of Grouse Mountain ziplining at high speeds and heights through the forest. Yikes!
Amazingly, by 5pm I was safely down the mountain and home again. And when my husband asked how my day was, I could only say, "just another day at the office."
June 23, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Prince Rupert, Bear Watching
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Just north of Prince Rupert, near the Alaska Panhandle, is the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary. Although the sanctuary is remote and protected, travellers can visit the area on a boat tour from Prince Rupert. I recently joined Prince Rupert Adventure Tours on a visit to see the bears - we spotted five grizzlies that day! You'll get a sense of what the experience is like from my video.
June 18, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Port Hardy, Ferry
Just a few short weeks ago BC Ferries introduced one of it's newest vessels into service, the
Northern Expedition, sailing from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert. I recently jumped onboard this 15-hour scenic extravaganza through BC's Inside Passage - check out the video to see what I found.
June 06, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Victoria, Culinary Tours & Schools
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If you're into good food and in Victoria BC, I recommend checking out
Abigail's Hotel - not only for the great breakfasts they serve their hotel guests but also for the periodic cooking classes they offer - check out the video of our recent visit.
May 29, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Galiano Island, Beaches & Swimming
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The Southern Gulf Islands have always been a special place for me: my family has had a cabin on Galiano Island for many decades. For me, the island is a place to relax and unwind, for lazy walks down sandstone beaches, exploring tidepools on the shore, kayak excursions and bike rides.
This photo is at Bellhouse Park on Galiano, which overlooks Active Pass and the ferry traffic that travels through it. At low tide, with a little bit of scrambling over seaweed and rocks, it's easy to walk along the waterfront from Sturdies Bay to the point where the park is located, and around the corner to the next little bay with a sandy beach (both bays as well as the park have public access from the roadway). Along the shore the soft sandstone rock takes on weird and wonderful shapes from the force of the water.
May 01, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Victoria, Farms & Markets
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It's blossom season in BC: I found these vibrant-hued buds near Oak Bay Village in Victoria.
May 01, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Sidney, Breweries, Distilleries & Cideries
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Just a short detour off the Lochside Bike Trail, which runs the length of the Saanich Peninsula between Victoria and the Swartz Bay Ferry terminal, cyclists can find a sweet break from the pedals. Sea Cider Farm and Ciderhouse is located about 12km from the Swartz Bay, on the opposite side of the #17 (Pat Bay) Highway from the cycling route.
I stopped at the Ciderhouse last week on a weekend cycle for a sampling of their hard apple ciders, ranging from dry to dessert sweet. My favourite was the Kings & Spies, a light sparkling dry cider with a touch of sweet.
April 16, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Attractions
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Last Sunday I visited Vancouver's Anglican Christ Church Cathedral for the first time, to attend an evening Compline service, a Gregorian Chant. It was a calming and relaxing conclusion to the weekend and the beautiful music in a beautiful setting was appreciated.
An interesting note: For runners participating in this weekend's 10-km Sun Run who are looking for some spiritual preparation at the start line, The Cathedral is offering a special 8am service on Sunday. No promises on a faster finish time but angel wings might help carry you the distance!
March 30, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Snowshoeing
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Last night was Earth Hour, and my husband and I and didn't stop at just turning out the lights for an
hour. We turned out the lights, left home and drove to the top of Mt
Seymour near downtown Vancouver, where we built ourselves an igloo to sleep in for the night.
We were with a group of friends and new acquaintances, testing out an overnight tour offered by
West Coast Adventures.
It was a worthy endeavour to have along the experts, because without
some guidance building an igloo could be quite tricky. They also
brought along yummy snacks. And dinner. And breakfast. And a few other
things that made the whole night quite comfortable.
But before
all that, we started out with an igloo-building lesson. Our guides demonstrated how to make an igloo block, by cutting it out with a saw and shovel. By cutting out the blocks out from what will become the floor of the igloo, and then building the blocks around the circular edge of the floor, the igloo takes shape.
It
turns out I'm quite a whiz at cutting snow blocks. My husband, on the
other hand, excelled at placing the blocks and sealing them in, which
is not super easy: the walls go up on a significant angle, and need to
be gently yet strongly secured into place with the blocks tightly
wedged together. Three hours later, 12 of us had build four igloos, plus a cosy outdoor 'living room' for meals and socializing.
The
day had started as snowy and foggy, and we couldn't see much further
than a nearby band of trees. But as the light began to fade, the clouds
opened up and we could see the city spread out below us. It was a
remarkable feeling - at first as if we were on a remote mountain alone
in the world - and the next minute, on top of the world yet close
enough to see the roof lines of houses below. Welcome to a new sport:
urban iglooing. "Where else in the world," pointed out the visiting
Brit in the group, "Can you do something like this?"
As the evening wore on, the wine and food flowed and the campfire was lit, and soon we were ready for bed. We retreated back to our igloos, now cosy with candlelight, sheepskin rugs and warm sleeping bags.
The next morning, the sun was out and the view from our igloo-village was beautiful. After
breakfast and packing up, the last thing to do before leaving was to
tear down the igloos, making sure no-one would stumble on them and fall
in. However, it turned out we did a fairly good job of building
super-strong structures: we were able to walk over the tops of all four of the igloos, and then we put in some considerable effort to bring them down (seriously, these things are strong!)
A
ten minute walk later, and we were back at our cars and civilization -
add another fifteen minute drive, and we had emerged from winter into
spring. Roughing it doesn't get much easier than that.