April 08, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Vancouver, Surfing & Watersports
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Tofino is the first location that comes to mind when you hear about surfing in BC. But what about surfing in the big city? Vancouver’s known as the place where you can sail, golf and ski in the same day… and if the conditions are
just right, you can add “surf” to that list.
In late March, spring winds were whipping across the trees and beaches of Stanley Park, which created conditions for a Vancouver surf attempt. Surfer, wetsuit, surfboard and camera-handler (me) all went into the truck to reach Third Beach in Stanley Park before the winds died down.
Bundled up seawall joggers did a double-take when they saw a wetsuit-clad figure carrying a surfboard down to the water at Third Beach. No pretty point breaks here! Any strategy for riding the waves was reduced to “avoid mussel-encrusted rocks”.
Twenty-minutes of battling washing machine style waves (for the surfer) and huddling next to wind blown cliffs wishing I had brought another layer of clothes (for me) resulted in a neat shot of surfing in Vancouver. Big city surfing – who knew?
December 09, 2008 | Tips from Travellers >
Delta, Bird Watching
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Every November, I get a fantastic birthday present that arrives from Russia. Actually, I get tens of thousands of birthday presents – and every single one of them is hungry and honking.
Sound like a birthday disaster? Not for bird nerds like me. I look forward to this time each year, when tens of thousands of snow geese arrive at
Delta’s Reifel Bird Sanctuary. It’s the perfect gift (just don’t try wrapping it).
In total, up to 80,000 Lesser Snow Geese make the 4,000-km trek from their arctic breeding grounds on Russia’s Wrangel Island to their wintering grounds on the Fraser River estuary.
Once the geese reach their wintering grounds, they hang out in dense flocks of about 20,000 birds and chow down on tasty grasses, weeds and marsh plants. When they take flight, it’s a feathery explosion: thousands of wings and beaks make a lot of noise.
My favourite place to view the snow geese is when they land in a field near the road (as seen in the above photo). However, they could be anywhere. During my visit this year, they munching and socializing near the river, so goose-watching involved Reifel’s viewing tower and a pair of binoculars.
If you're interested in checking out the snow geese, here are a few tips:
> The sanctuary says that the best times to view them are mid-Oct. to mid-Dec. and mid-March to mid-April.
> Check with the admission booth at the sanctuary for details on where to best spot the snow geese when you visit. Depending on where the geese are located, you may not need to enter the sanctuary, but I recommend it. It’s a beautiful place to go for a walk.
> There is a very small admission fee to enter the bird sanctuary (adults: $4, kids and senior: $2).
> Bring binoculars and keep an eye out for all the other great wildlife in around the sanctuary. On my last visit, I saw a barred owl, a black-crowned night heron and sandhill cranes.
December 08, 2008 | Tips from Travellers >
Tofino, Camping
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I have a soft spot for
Tofino. Sure, it’s foggy (most mornings), it rains (more than 10 feet a year) and it’s not exactly a hot weather beach destination (always pack a toque, even in summer), but there’s something special about this ocean-hugged town.
On past Tofino camping trips, I’ve battled tarps blowing off tents, prepared burritos in sideways rain, and peeked into tidepools while desperately clutching a wind-blown umbrella.
So when the sun finally does shine, I feel like I’ve earned it.
This past summer, a group of friends and I were lucky enough to experience one of those spectacularly sunny days. We surfed, cooked burgers on the beach, watched bald eagles and looked for sea stars and anemones – all under a bright blue sky. It was almost enough to make me forget about the sideways-rain-burrito-incident (almost).
The photo above is from the tail end of that blue-sky day, as we tried to find a way to hold on to those final moments of Tofino sunshine.
If you’re planning a summer trip to Tofino and the weather forecast is looking rather un-summer-like, here are some wet-weather tips:
> Exploring the beach can still be fun on a rainy day, as long as you have good wet weather gear. Umbrellas are tricky to handle when it’s windy, so opt for rain jackets, hats and rubber or waterproof boots.
> You can still
surf if it’s raining. A wetsuit will keep you warm in the water, regardless of whether the water is in ocean or rain format. If you do surf in wet weather, keep your warm clothes/towels in a plastic storage bin on the beach or in your vehicle. There’s nothing worse than “drying off” with a cold, wet towel.
> The
Wickaninnish Interpretive Centre is a favourite place of mine to visit on a rainy day. Enjoy a hot chocolate from the
neighbouring café and watch the waves.
> If you’re camping, bring a couple of tarps. You (or your friends who forgot a tarp) will be thankful you packed them.
> It’s foggy most mornings, but don’t despair. The fog often burns off mid-afternoon.
August 01, 2008 | Tips from Travellers >
Kimberley, Shopping
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What do yodelling and woodcarving have in common?
Usually not much, but in Kimberley, yodelling and woodcarving are happily intertwined at a small shop owned by Adi Unterberger, also known as the “Yodelling Woodcarver”.
I was part of a group that recently visited Kimberley. We were lucky enough to get an impromptu yodelling performance from Adi. During our visit, Kimberley’s famous yodelling cuckoo clock was on the fritz. Adi stepped in to fill the yodelling void. He popped on a feathered hat, put on his accordion, and yodelled away.
I was smiling the whole time he was yodelling – it was a lot of fun! I even ended up buying one of Adi’s CDs (“When it’s Springtime in the Rockies”).
Adi’s store is located in Kimberley on the platzl near the cuckoo clock. Drop by to check out his original woodcarvings or maybe even pick up a yodelling CD of your own.
For more information, visit www.yodellingwoodcarver.com
August 01, 2008 | Tips from Travellers >
Vancouver, Professional & Spectator Sports
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I had a free Sunday afternoon and a few toonies jingling in my pocket. After weighing my options (going out for a scoop of gelato was a delicious contender) I grabbed the biggest hat I could find and decided on a day at Hastings Racecourse.
While not as glamorous as the horse-racing you see on TV (I scanned the crowd and I was the only one in a Kentucky Derby-esque enormous hat), Hastings Racecourse has a charm of its own – especially for a novice horse gambler like me.
When my friends and I arrived at the track, the races were already underway. We spent the first twenty minutes deciphering the text-heavy racing program, placed our $2 bets (using scientific betting methods such as “I like gray coloured horses” and “Mister La Rock is an awesome name”) and sidled up to the white fence near the finish line.
There is a lot of racing lingo, but the racecourse staff was patient (and thankfully not condescending) as we stumbled our way through Trifectas and asked questions about Lasix. We picked up a free How-to guide to make things easier.
I started my afternoon as a quiet race-watcher, but by the end of the day, I was on my feet, pumping my fist and cheering on the ponies by name: “C’MON Krazy Koffee!” What can I say? The crowd’s excitement is contagious.
The afternoon flew by in a blur of toonies and sweaty thoroughbreds. At the end of the race day, I was only down about $0.90 overall (thanks to my scientific betting methods, no doubt) – not bad for a few hours of entertainment, and much more exciting than a scoop of gelato.
A few Hastings Racecourse tips:
- General admission to the racetrack is free (except during PNE Fair time).
- Live racing happens on the weekend (from April to November) and on Friday nights (from June to September).
- Parking costs $8, but you get a special voucher you can exchange for a free program and $5 off food or beverage purchases. Hastings Racecourse offers a shuttle service from various locations, and Translink has bus service to the racecourse.
- Check out www.hastingsracecourse.com for race schedules and shuttle bus information.
- Before the race begins, get a closer look at the horses as they walk around a small paddock off to the side.
July 02, 2008 | Tips from Travellers >
Vancouver, Biking
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The newest addition to my household is a burgundy, five-gear, Amsterdam-style bicycle. It’s not exactly suited to the few (okay, the many) hills that are scattered throughout Vancouver, but it cruises along flat routes. Solution? The seawall.
The Stanley Park seawall loops 8.8 km around the park and is must-do for Vancouver locals and visitors alike. It’s paved, which makes it a great place for a bike ride – especially if you’re looking to avoid hills.
You can also walk or rollerblade around the seawall; the pedestrian path is separate from the “wheel” path (bikes, rollerblades, skateboards) to keep things safe.
As I’m biking I like to keep my eyes on the sky and the water to look for wildlife that’s out and about. Today I saw six herons fishing, a bald eagle sitting on a rock by Third Beach, and loads of crows cracking mussels.
No seals spotted on this particular ride, but I do notice their glossy heads peeking out of the water quite often. If it’s low tide, I like to pull over to look for bright purple sea stars hanging onto the rocks (or hanging halfway out of a greedy seagull’s gaping mouth).
Some tips for first-time seawall users:
- There are lots of bike and rollerblade rental places near Denman and Georgia Street.
- If you’re on wheels, ride the seawall in a counterclockwise direction. That means starting from Denman and Georgia and working your way towards English Bay. There is a large one-way section in the middle and you don’t want to be going the wrong way.
- If you’re walking, stay off the “wheel” path and watch for oncoming traffic when crossing that path. Pedestrians can walk around the seawall in either direction.
- Bring your camera! There are great views of the mountains, water, beaches and the city along the way.
- Head out in the morning when it’s least busy – it makes for a very relaxing ride.
- When you’ve finished and have worked up an appetite, grab a bite to eat on Denman Street. There is a huge variety of food here, including sushi, pizza, falafel – even a shop that sells nothing but cupcakes. My personal favourite is to order pizza to go from Nat’s New York Pizzeria and eat on the beach or grass in English Bay.
For a map of the seawall, as well as some of the landmarks and nature you’d see along the way, visit: http://vancouver.ca/parks/parks/stanley/
June 26, 2008 | Tips from Travellers >
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, Wildlife Tours
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On a recent trip to Golden, I came face-to-face with a grizzly bear. A huge, hairy and – from what I could tell – hungry grizzly bear.
Luckily for me, though, this bear was also behind a fence. And he seemed too preoccupied with a peanut to notice me standing fifteen feet away.
I never thought I’d see a grizzly bear use the back of his plate-sized paw as a platter while he delicately crunched a peanut shell to get to the nuts inside. But, I saw this – and much more – on a Grizzly Refuge Tour at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.
The Grizzly Refuge at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is home to Boo, a grizzly that was orphaned as a cub. Boo's refuge, located right on the ski hill, is approximately twenty acres – the largest protected and enclosed grizzly habitat in the world.
Our small tour group rode the chairlift to reach the refuge and to meet Jubilee, an expert on Boo and all things grizzly. Jubilee gave us a run-down of how the refuge tour works; basically, Boo does whatever he wants to do.
On this particular day, Boo decided that he wanted hang out near the perimeter of the fence, which meant I could see a grizzly doing grizzly things: rubbing up against a favourite tree, splashing in a large pool of water, and foraging for food.
Boo forages for naturally occurring food in the refuge, but his diet is also supplemented to make sure he gets all the nutrients he needs. So, in addition to roots and grasses, he looks for nuts, fruits, veggies and meat that the bear experts toss over the fence or drop from the gondola (which stretches over his enclosure).
Throughout the Grizzly Refuge Tour, we wandered alongside the fence while Jubilee gave a running commentary on Boo and bears in general. She was very open to answering all of our bear questions, and taught us some neat bear facts. For example, did you know that female bears give birth during hibernation?
I also checked out the interpretive hut at the refuge. My favourite part of the hut was seeing how my hand dwarfed in comparison to a big male grizzly paw (made from a mold of a paw imprint).
If you’re interested in bears, this is an incredible opportunity to learn about grizzlies... and maybe even see Boo himself.
For lots more details on Boo and the Grizzly Refuge, visit: http://www.kickinghorseresort.com/activities/bear/bio.asp