June 12, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Ucluelet, Attractions
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This place is awesome. I convinced two friends to join me and they were so enamoured they visited again the next day.
The Ukee (local-speak for Ucluelet) Aquarium is open seasonally and admission is $5. It’s stocked with loads of live ocean critters caught on purpose and by accident from the local waters. The best part? They release the creatures back to their natural habitats when they’ve outgrown their tank or at the end of the season.
The Giant Pacific Octopus was incredible. We saw it while it was feeling feisty, so it did lots of colour changing, siphoning and suckering in its tank. The staff even fed it a crab! It didn’t actually eat the crab while we there – who wants to chow down with an audience watching? – but it was impressive nonetheless.
The Aquarium isn’t in a huge space, but it’s jammed to the gills with undersea goodies and a couple of touch tanks. Look for sea stars, jellies, anemones, corals, fish, snails and the disco decorator crab tank (you have to see it to believe it). The staff members were friendly and very knowledgeable.
If it’s raining on your next visit to Ucluelet or Tofino, the Aquarium would be a great way to spend time. Even if it’s sunny, tear yourself away from beach to visit the aquarium and see all the ocean morsels that call this part of the planet home.
May 04, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Squamish, Surfing & Watersports
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I went camping in Squamish this weekend, and on the way back to Vancouver we made a slight detour to watch kiteboarders at the Spit.
The Spit is a long, narrow gravel road (actually a breakwater) that juts out into the mouth of the Squamish River. Getting to the Spit is relatively easy; the roads are well marked until the last crucial couple of turns. With a little perseverance, we found our way and gently eased our rental car along the dusty gravel road.
The backdrop at the Spit was spectacular, with a fantastic view of the Stawamus Chief and Shannon Falls behind the brightly coloured, looping kites. There were about a half dozen kiteboarders on the water, with another half dozen on land preparing to go out.
It’s amazing how much speed kiteboarders pick up as the glide across the water – and how much height they get in the air. Some of them must have been 20 feet above our heads. They seemed to like to do all their fancy jumps and tricks right near the spectators on the Spit.
I’m sure they were making it look a lot easier than it actually was… although we did see one pair of kiteboarders doing the “walk of shame” after being caught downwind. They were forced to gingerly step (barefoot) along the long gravel road back towards the launch site.
We spent half an hour being entertained by kiteboarders. Next time, we’ll bring chairs and extra layers of clothing – even though we weren’t actually in the cold water, it was still chilly just watching due to the blustery winds. On a warm summer day, this would be a unique place to snack on a picnic lunch in the afternoon.
May 04, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Ucluelet, Hiking
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I spent an afternoon walking along Lighthouse Loop, a portion of Ucluelet’s Wild Pacific Trail that clings to the rim of the shoreline before weaving along boardwalks in the forest.
If you walk this trail, bring a pair of binoculars to watch the boats and birds in the distance. On my trip, a bald eagle was perched on a jagged, black rock near the surf, calmly dodging dive-bombing seagulls.
The shoreline trees on this trail have survived so many wild ocean storms that they are permanently sculpted, giving the illusion they’re being blown by the wind even when the air is calm.
As expected, part of Lighthouse Loop includes a lighthouse; Amphitrite Lighthouse and the surrounding tangle of rocks, tidepools and surge channels were fun to explore during low tide.
The loop takes less than an hour to complete. On the drive back to our campsite, we spotted a doe and two fawns nimbly stepping into the bushes next to the road. Always have your camera handy on the west coast – you never know when nature will decide to wander past your car window.
May 04, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Squamish, Camping
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The sun was shining and we were in the mood for a Friday night camping getaway. Since this was the first camping trip of the season, we were looking for a place that was quiet, was easy to get to from Vancouver, and had basic amenities (water, flush toilets, firewood).
Paradise Valley Campground in Squamish fit the bill.
When we signed in at the campground, we met the hosts and picked up firewood ($5 for all you can carry) before heading to our site. The campground was clean and well maintained, and came with a resident hummingbird that buzzed around at dusk and dawn.
An unexpected camping highlight was rock-painting... the hosts will set you up with paints and brushes (free) and then let you unleash your inner Van Gogh on any rocks that you can fit in your hand. The result was colourful rocks tucked into corners of all the campsites (my own masterpieces are pictured above). Kids would love this! I’m proof that grown-ups find it pretty fun, too.
The next morning we hiked the short but straight-up trail to Brohm Lake from the campground. We couldn’t find the trail that went down to the lake (just a viewpoint of the lake), but it was a good way to stretch our legs and get out in the woods. Along the way, we saw more dogs (4) than people (2). The “boulder caves” were pretty neat, and are located at the beginning of the trail for campers who are too full of s’mores to hike the whole thing.
A few mosquito bites later, we headed back to the city in time to watch the Canucks game at home. If you’re looking for an easy, early season camping trip, I’d recommend Paradise Valley in Squamish.
May 01, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
North Vancouver, Bird Watching
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I know this type of bird as a whiskey-jack, but it goes by a long list of other names: Gray Jay (its official name), Canada Jay (its past official name), meat-bird, and camp-robber (the last two are due to its cheekiness and appetite).
Whiskey-jacks are curious and bold. Many like to supplement their natural diet (insects, berries, mushrooms, carrion or small animals) with people food (trail mix and sandwiches).
On a recent snowshoe trip at Mount Seymour, this particular whiskey jack zipped over as soon as we stopped to admire the view. My only offering was a sad, old apple I found at the bottom of my backpack. You can almost see the confusion on the bird’s face – “What the heck am I supposed to do with this?!”
My favourite whiskey-jack feature – aside from the fact that they’re pretty darn cute, especially when you get a photo of one sitting on your head – is how they store their food. They have large salivary glands and use them to coat their meal in bird-spit, and then hide these saliva-laden packages in the trees. This food storage technique helps them survive winter in snowy forests.
So, next time you’re in the mountains and stop to take a breather, look around. You may gain a feathery lunchtime buddy if you’re willing to part with a little bit of trail mix
April 17, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Pemberton, Hot Springs
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Soaking in hot springs is one my favourite ways to relax. I’ve been to a few developed hot springs in BC (Ainsworth, Halcyon, Fairmont and Radium), and decided it was time to step my soaking up a notch with an undeveloped hot spring.
Armed with internet research and the book, “Hot Springs of Western Canada: a Complete Guide”, a crew of three of us headed out in our truck along dusty logging roads in search of natural hot springs.
One flat tire and a few wrong turns later, we’d reached our destination: rock lined pools set next to steamy, fern-draped cliffs and a rushing river. The water temperature varied, with a too-hot-to-touch waterfall on one end the scale and a chilly river on the other.
We spent hours lounging around, shaded from the summer sun by leafy trees, and chatted with friendly locals who showed us the best place to dip in the river for an invigorating cold plunge (a little too invigorating for my liking).
The pièce de résistance? Natural floating coasters a former hot spring visitor had thoughtfully left behind (as shown in the photo). Perfect for holding candles and beverages.
If you like hot water and road less travelled, pick up the hot springs book to find your own slice of soaking nirvana. Also recommended: a good backroad mapbook and a spare tire.
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