April 14, 2009 | Field Reports >
Parksville, Farms & Markets
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The farm is half-way between Parksville and Qualicum Beach on Central Vancouver Island.
It includeds Cheeseworks and Morningstar Creek Winery. There's a ton to do - see where they get that yummy cheese from, sip some of their new wine and enjoy a day on the farm!
Watch my video if you can't experience it for yourself!
April 14, 2009 | Field Reports >
Vancouver, Attractions
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This was built for the Olympics and is definitely going to become a tourist destination for Vancouver. It sits next to Canada Place which was built for Expo 86. This new building boasts the best view in the city of the North Shore, the Burrard Inlet and the mountains. You can tour the building as a tourist and see the 6-acre living roof, the clean wooden halls and more. Or check out my video for an overview.
April 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Sooke, Sightseeing Tours
Sooke is a little off the “beaten path” as far as Victoria tourists are concerned. We have a few but very worth wile places to visit. Just like visiting Saltspring Island or Cowichan Valley, you pretty well have to make it a day trip, but it can and will be exciting and eventful.
Imagine this scenario: early sunny morning you jump into your car and drive out to Sooke where first, you can fill up with coffee, pastries and some picnic fixings. Little Vienna Bakery is a fantastic spot to drop by to do that. Then, you head out up the coast and you will have at least half a dozen of great beaches to visit. Most of then have spectacular trails, long and short, well marked and many have picnic areas and free parking. You can be free to go as far or as close as you wish. Within first minutes from Sooke town you will hit the first few beaches, the farther you go the wilder they get, if you enjoy a bit of drive, you can get all the way to Port Renfrew which is the only open ocean point on this side of the island. Wonder Botanical Beach with it's tide pools and ten foot waves. On the way back stop by BC's first meadery at Tugwellcreek Farm and sample this ancient beverage as well as their organic honey. By now, you've had enough fresh air so turn into our Sooke Harbour House to browse its' extensive indoor/outdoor unconventional Art Gallery. Stay for dinner or even spend the night. If you trip happens to be on a Friday, enjoy an appetizer and a glass of fine wine in the Lounge listening to some live music in the Garden Room.
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?
April 07, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Squamish, Snowshoeing
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If you’re relatively fit and have your own backcountry camping gear, the Elfin Lakes Route in Garibaldi Provincial Park makes for a scenic overnight snowshoeing trip within easy reach from Vancouver.
In mid-February, I joined six other friends for a snowshoeing adventure weekend. Our plan was to stay overnight in the hiker's cabin at Elfin Lakes, but when we got there, we discovered that someone had constructed three igloos just a short walk from the cabin. A closer look revealed that they were all vacant, so three of us decided that this was an opportunity we couldn't pass up! We definitely made the right choice... even though the temperature was below freezing and my boots had turned into blocks of ice by morning, we had a better sleep than the rest of our group who opted for the crowded (albeit toasty-warm) cabin.
The route to Elfin Lakes is 11 km (7 mi) one-way and is well marked. However, be sure to bring tire chains during the winter months for the sometimes icy drive to the trailhead. And if your heart is set on staying overnight, come prepared to camp outside, as the cabin fills up quickly on weekends.
April 05, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Festivals & Events
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When I first moved to Vancouver one of the things that impressed me the most about the city is that there's a defining moment when you know that spring has finally arrived. Two years on, I still look forward to the time when the city literally blossoms and explodes with colour and pinkness for the first time.
Visiting Vancouver at the end of March and beginning of April is always a treat - the crocus are out, and the cherry blossoms line every street. Their arrival ushers in warmer and longer days and it somehow lifts everything. The city also holds its annual
Cherry Blossom Festival too - lots of music, events and celebrations around town.
Here's a picture taken just off of Granville and 7th in Vancouver - I think it's fair to say that spring has truly sprung!
April 01, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Museums
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I had the opportunity to be toured around the
Vancouver Maritime Museum in Vanier Park this morning. I have to admit that it had been awhile since I had been through the museum. I fully expected to be awed by the size and historic significance of the RCMP Arctic Schooner, St. Roch and I knew I would be fondly reminded of the educational richness of the exhibits featuring shipwrecks, fireboats, pirates, deep-sea exploration, the old CP steam liners...and I was....but what I didn't realize is that the current Vancouver Maritime Museum is much more than a look at our maritime past - it is very much about learning from our past as we look forward to our
future. The newest exhibit is called Melt Down and it is a look at how oceans react to global warming. Visitors learn about changing marine ecosystems, the uncertain future of salmon stocks, CO2 emissions, carbon footprints and various concepts about sustainability. I was very impressed and wished I had hours to digest all the great information contained within this fascinating building. The picture in this blog shows the difference in size of the Arctic summer ice in 1997 (all the white bit) and then the Arctic summer ice in 2007 (smaller bit of white outlined).