December 31, 2008 | Tips from Travellers >
Harrison Hot Springs, Hot Springs
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South Garden Bed and Breakfast in Harrison was the most wonderful place to stay. The service and food were amazing, the surroundings breathtaking (even in snow) and the room was fantastic. We are soo happy we stayed there and would absolutely recommend it to others without hesitation!!!
December 29, 2008 | Tips from Travellers >
Rossland, Cross-Country Skiing
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Had the most magical evening last night in Rossland. We went with Le Petit Fromage to a cabin out at the BlackJack Cross Country Ski Club. It was wonderful- Bridget had the cabin warmed up by fire and the table dressed for a banquet! We skiied out (took us about 30 minutes) and had a fabulous meal- Cheese fondue, cold meats, salad and to finish it off chocolate fondue. The ski back took us a bit longer (may have been due to the schnapps, beer and wine which we consumed!) This was a fantastic and authentic Kootenay experience- would highly recommend it to others.
December 23, 2008 | Tips from Travellers >
Chilliwack, Hiking
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most of the way up mount webb in chilliwack lake provincial park is radium lake .this is a moderate 15 km. hike from the footbridge by the campground. this area was opened by british royal engineers training between ww1 and ww2. .they named the alpine lakes for the beautiful green colour of the water. flora,greendrop,and radium lakes. the trail was very scenic, with alpine meadows and dark old growth rainforest. the trail follows and crosses radium creek fort he over 900 meter climb.there are numerous log bridges and a wild suspension bridge on the way, along with historical ruins of charles lindemans old sattelite hunting cabins.upon reaching the lake i was impressd by the rugged beauty of it all. it was definitely worth all the effort.
December 23, 2008 | Tips from Travellers >
Chilliwack, Hiking
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In May i went camping at Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park.The hiking trails were closed by snow, and water levels so high that the boat launch was inacsessible.My neighbour suggested we drive to the south end of the lake and hike in to the reserve. The 11.5 km. road is not suitable for cars, but a 2 wheel drive truck is no problem (use caution).As we neared the end of the road, Depot Creek was washing over the road, so we decided to add an extra kilometer to the hike and not drive through as the ability to drive out would be uncertain. The easy trail is normally 5.4 km. return. Along the way there is a visible line where 2nd growth forest meets old growth.There is a beautiful sandy beach here, but it was under 1 meter of water. The trail ends opposite the mouth of the south chilliwack river. This part is a narrow peninsula with an old beaver pond to the south and lake to north. Near here my hiking partner walked right past a rare and endangered spotted owl. It was napping about 3 meters off the trail, and resembled a boulder. On the return trip it had moved to better cover about 10 meters off the trail. This place is so beautiful i wish i could post all the photos.
December 23, 2008 | Tips from Travellers >
Merritt, Camping
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One of 2 lakes in Kentucky-Alleyne Provincial Park, Alleyne lake is about 40 km. from Merritt, just southeast of Aspen Grove. The lake is a stunning turquoise colour that changes with the light This is mainly due to the mineral content and depth. The lakes were created when huge chunks of ice fell from retreating glaciers and sunk in the surrounding mud. The beautiful white sand on the shore is seashells ground up by the glaciers. Be careful near the water's edge,as this sand is like quicksand. Many intact seashells can be found near shore. The calcium supports a large population of gammarus shrimp which impart a tastiness to the 2 to 3 kg. rainbow trout . The smaller potholes between the 2 lakes are stocked with trout and fishing in these kettles is restricted to young people. The mule deer population is numerous and they have little fear of humans. They regularly browse throug the campground, and caution should be used as the does with fawns can be agressive and territorial. Osprey fish the lakes regularly, and often land to rest in the old nest just out of sight from the campground. The park staff are excellent people, and keep the pit toilets very clean.i have been here twice and will return again in may when the ice is gone and the water is re-oxygenated.
December 22, 2008 | Tips from Travellers >
Kimberley Alpine Resort, Skiing & Snowboarding
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We have just heard from some of friends in the states about this fantastic new air service into Canadian Rockies International. Non-stop service from Salt Lake City, Utah. This air service gives you access to some of the best skiing in the Canadian Rockies- with less than 12 minute drive to Kimberley Alpine Resort, and or about 1hr to either powderful Fernie Alpine Resort or Panorama Mountain Village. There are also great seat sale prices for packages now available. So this might be the best way to access the Canadian Rockies as in the past many would use the Calgary, Alberta gateway. But now with this new Delta Air Service it is much easier to land in British Columbia and have quicker access to skiing and no mountain passes to drive. In fact it might be the closest airport in Canada to skiing!!
Also it is great to see all of the resorts that are served by this flight are now fully open and have great skiing and riding conditions
December 20, 2008 | Tips from Travellers >
Duncan, Breweries, Distilleries & Cideries
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I'm from Duncan on Vancouver Island and when my husband I were out for a drive about two weeks ago we saw some signs for Merridale Ciderworks, so we said, "Why not?" and we checked it out.
This place is amazing! It's an estate cidery tucked away on Merridale Road (a side road on Cameron Taggart rd.) and they have the nicest views! As soon as we walked in the door we were greeted by the hostess and asked if it was our first time visiting. When we said it was, she offered us to go on their self-guided tour of the distillery to learn more about the process of cider-making, and once we finished that, we went back inside and had a tasting of several different types of their cider (our favourite was the Scrumpy! mmm!).
After the tasting, we had lunch in their bistro (I think it was called the Pommeraie Bistro) and the food was FANTASTIC! My husband had the chicken pot pie and I had the lamb burger and everything was locally grown and organic, and the waitresses were friendly and helpful. I can't believe we had never been to this place before, but now that we know it's there, we've been twice since that first day!
I definitely recommend Merridale Cidery for anyone who wants good food in a warm (literally, they have a fireplace!), friendly venue. And if you want a laugh, go to the tasting bar, Darcy is hilarious! :)
December 16, 2008 | Tips from Us >
Pemberton, Car / Truck / Motorcycle
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So there I was at Vancouver's International Airport, waiting to pick up my mum, who was arriving from Toronto, when I heard this come over the tannoy: "Would those people joining the Jamaican Bob Sledding Team event, please make your way over to carousel number 6". I thought, huh? Are you serious, the Jamaican Bob Sled team? They've had a film (Cool Runnings) made out of their story!" In fact, it's a really interesting tale - a bunch of guys in Jamaica decide they're going to form a bob sledding team, get recognized and compete at the 1988 WINTER Olympics. And they did! It's was a ridiulousy feel-good story, so of course, I couldn't pass up a chance to officially welcome the team to BC!
I dispatched my husband to pick up my mum (it was a toss-up, collect my mother or go see athletic Jamaicans who normally wear lycra), while I wandered over to Carousel 6 to investigate. There, a motley crew of reporters, film crews, fans and representatives from Pemberton (a community near Whistler) were gathered. Pemberton and the Copper Dome Lodge there are hosting the team as part of their 2009-2010 North American Training Camp.
Soon enough the athletes arrived - and we waved Jamaican and Canadian flags to welcome them. I've attached one quick mobile-phone pic of one of the team, sorry for the quality. The team were given Pemberton hats and beamed from ear to ear. Fans and team members alike seemd excited. It was a real reminder about the spirit and drive required to make it to the Olympic Winter Games, and I felt pretty excited to have chanced upon their arrival.
So if you're heading up to Pemberton over the next little while, be sure to keep your eye out for the team and cheer them on as they train!
Go Canada, of course, but go Jamaica, too!
December 15, 2008 | Field Reports >
Whistler, Skiing & Snowboarding
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Opening Day of the Peak 2 Peak Gondola was Friday, December 12. The gondola sets all sorts of world records as it travels from the top of Whistler Mountain over to Blackcomb. I took a ride on opening day and shot this video of the event.
December 15, 2008 | Field Reports >
Whistler, Skiing & Snowboarding
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I managed to get a Media Pass to the opening of the Peak 2 Peak Gondola in Whistler so I shot this footage of the ceremonies and some of the people that were up there on that snowy day on top of the mountain!