July 21, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Bella Coola, Sightseeing Tours
The only word to describe the adventure of driving down 'The Hill' is EXTREME! This intense drive is the hardest section of Highway 20, and the steepest drive I have ever encountered. With a steep slope to the valley below on one side and the massive rock cliff towering on the other this dirt packed road reaches hill grades of over 18% and it an adventure all the way down! This
Freedom Highway was built by the community of Bella Coola in 1953 and officially opened up this port community to the rest of the province. As we drove, very slowly, down The Hill into the Bella Coola Valley I was aww-struck by the beauty of this vast valley and breath-taking view, I honestly could not stop taking pictures! Although for some, the drive is filled with terrifying moments where the van got close to the edge, I can assure you that the drive is safer than it sounds. At only a few moments during the decend was there not enough room for passing vehicles...good thing there are very few cars on the road. I highly recommend this drive to any adventurer traveller seeking the joys of the Bella Coola Valley.
July 21, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Sightseeing Tours
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Hello my name is Brenna and I live near Dawson Creek. Yesterday I was in town and had a few hours to kill so I decided to do the Walking Trail through town. I was pleasantly surprised at how lovely the walk was. I didn’t have time to do the entire trail so I started at the Dawson Creek Public Library and walked west. At first I met a number of people on the trail; most had baby strollers or visitors going out for an afternoon jog. But as I got further from the Library and out beside the farm fields there were very few people. As I walked along the fields, the grass was rippling in the wind; I hope to go back in the beginning of August when the canola is in bloom – it would be very picturesque. I walked past some beautiful houses and through gorgeous parks. The entire trail is paved but I was able to get off to the side and jog in most places. I wound up and down along the trail and through the trees, with the Dawson creek always close by. Near the end of my adventure at Pioneer Village, I crossed the creek on a quaint little wooden bridge. I personally did not really enjoy the few blocks that I had to walk along 17th street but the rest of the trail more then compensated for those five minutes. After I walked from the Library out to Pioneer Village and back, I decided that I had not walked enough so I wondered through Kin Park. There was a nice playground and tennis court near the Hospital, which I walked through on my way down to cross the creek on another wooden bridge. After the two hours of brisk walking, I decided that the stone benches across the road from the Library were looking pretty good to rest on. It was definitely an enjoyable walk and I hope I can do it again soon.
July 21, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Delta, Farms & Markets
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Summer time in BC is berry time and every year I plan to buy berries and make jam and every year I end up missing the boat. Well, not this year! This year we made a day of it and went to Westham Island in Ladner with some friends. We spent the morning at the George C. Reifel Bird Sanctuary where we fed the ducks and walked around the sanctuary on the dikes. About half way around the walkway there's a viewing tower that gives you an amazing view of the wetlands and on a clear day you can see the North Shore mountains. After the bird sanctuary, and once all our bird seed was gone, we drove back to Emma Lea Farms where we drank the best strawberry milkshake we've ever had and we bought strawberries (that taste like strawberries are supposed to taste like) and tayberries (a tasty cross between a raspberry and a blackberry). We even managed to entertain our 2 year old boys long enough to pick a small crate of raspberries! It was a wonderful day of sunshine, ducks, berries, tractors, wagons and strawberry milkshakes! And, the best part ... now we have jam! Lots of jam! I can't wait to go back for more raspberries ... and blueberries ... and the blackberries! Yum!
July 21, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Merritt, Festivals & Events
In Merritt, BC we celebrated the 17th Annual Mountain Music Festival July 9-12, 2009.
With top performers like Johnny Reid and Kenny Chesney just to name a few, the event turned out to be a success along with the downtown street mall where I found many items to buy not to mention the good food.
I really enjoyed the the Merritt Walk of Stars and the downtown stage also had a great turn out of artists that were playing at the Mountainfest this year as well as some good local talent.
A highlight for me was Casey Clarke and the CMT Crew filming downtown and out at the Quilchena Hotel, it will be awesome to be able to watch the "The Chevy Cross Canada Countdown" on CMT during the month of August and see my home town of Merritt.
July 21, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Golden, Historic & Heritage Sites
I had the pleasure of joining Parks Canada on one of their guided hikes to the Burgess Shale in Yoho National Park. Park’s Canada has just recently begun to offer this guided hike. In the past this hike has only been available through the Burgess Shale Foundation, but they are very busy so Parks Canada has stepped in help keep up with demand and increase hiking visit to the Burgess Shale at Walcott Quarry.
The hike is amazingly beautiful, you start at Takakkaw Falls and the trail climbs steeply for about 1.5km, then it levels out to a rather enjoyable incline, then there is a very steep final 700m section at the end as you scramble up the rock to the quarry. You pass a few lakes including Yoho Lake and get spectacular views of mountain peaks, waterfalls and an aerial view of Emerald Lake. Unfortunately the day I went it rained all day (and snowed a little at the quarry) so the cloud cover was quite low and I wasn’t able to get the full view of the mountain peaks (I’ve seen pictures though and it’s amazing). I think this is an excellent example of a real “Canadian Rocky Mountain Hike” and it’s great because the guide is very informative and during the walk introduces you to different plants, birds, etc and finally the fossils. There isn’t too much at the quarry although it is very cool to be able to walk amongst the fossils and learn the significance of the site (the site was discovered in 1909!). Since it was so cold and snowy when I was at the quarry our time was cute short so we didn’t get to see too much (it’s great to be able to say I’ve been there though).
All this being said this is a LONG HIKE, 20km round trip (if not a bit more), plus an elevation gain of almost 800m at high elevations (the elevation of Walcott Quarry is 2280m). This hike takes at least 10 hours depending on how fast the group is. I would not recommend sending someone on this trip if they were new to hiking, or someone who was not properly acclimatized; it would be a very long tiring day for them.
July 21, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Fort St. John, Shopping
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Fort St. John is a long way from the retro, hippie meccas of southern B.C. but in the heart of this oilfield town an intrepid shopper may stumble upon The Rabbit Hole. I hadn’t even noticed the new retro shop until one blizzardy Monday in May when my friend dragging me (through the snow) to a poetry open mic in The Rabbit Hole. One Monday evening per month, The Rabbit Hole opens its doors to a mixed bag of local writers, giving them a chance to share their work and listen to the labours of others.
The store itself is filled with books (some old enough to classify as genuine antiques), records, bizarre giftware, and posters. From the rafters, the retro posters drip like relics of a past era and the books offer everything from modern fiction to cult classics, to linguistic treatises (at least 80 years old) and an ancient dictionary no less than 6 inches thick! I will admit that every time I wander off 100 Ave and through the doors of The Rabbit Hole I find myself drifting into a sort of book-nerd heaven laced with incense and absurdity.
So if you’re looking for a little bit of wonderland, drop by The Rabbit Hole – you will be enchanted by what you find.
The Spread the Word group is putting together a book of local poetry and short fiction, watch for it in November.
July 20, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Penticton, Sightseeing Tours
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As with the 2003 fires in Kelowna, many people believe that the "Okanagan" is on fire. Fortunately this is a very large valley. While there is a fair amount of smoke in the air there are definitely no fires close to Penticton. The weather is warm, the skies are blue (mostly) and its a great time to be on the beach.
Of course, Highway 97 to Penticton is closed as of July 20 at 2:30pm, but there is talk that it may open by Tuesday. There are alternate routes, however. Just yesterday I took Hwy 5A from Merritt to Princeton and then Hwy 3 and 3A from Princeton to Penticton. Absolutely beautiful drive! Stunning scenery. I had no idea how many deciduous trees were in the area around Aspen Grove (although the name should have given me a hint).
Besides Hwy 5A, travelers can take Hwy 33 to Route 201 (well travelled forest service road) directly to Penticton. Another option is to take a southern route to Osoyoos and then follow Hwy 97 north to Penticton.
Bottom line: we're still here, we're not on fire, and the weather is fantastic.
July 20, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Prince Rupert, Outdoor Activity Tours
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King Pacific Lodge in the Great Bear Rainforest would be a great place to go, kick back and relax - IF there wasn't so much cool stuff to do!!!
I'm not usually one of those people with FOMO - you know, "Fear Of Missing Out"! On vacation, I can usually kick back with a book and be perfectly happy for at least a day or two, but not at KPL... there are too many things worth doing (and once you're there, it's all-inclusive!) So, when our plane belly-landed in Barnard Harbour, I arrived at a floating adventure playland, and had to make some tough decisions:
Why spend time with a book when I can go kayaking at low tide, and see seastars, anenomes, sun stars and eagles?
Why take a long bath when there's a Rainforest hike, or cultural tour to Hartley Bay First Nation to go on?
Why spend time on the internet when there are humpback whales bubblenet feeding nearby, just waiting to have their picture snapped?
Why sleep late when I can go visit Cetacealab, an independent whale research station?
Why diet on vacation? There are no mere meals at King Pacific Lodge, there are amazing gastronomic experiences! Pacific Northwest cuisine, paired with BC wines, healthy BC-sourced fresh food, lovingly prepared by lodge's chefs. Executive Chef Maxim Ridorossi's creations are sublime. (Did I mention there are only 28 guests at a time - with a staff of 24 - 30 to take care of them?)
So, the answer to all of the questions was - PARTAKE and ENJOY. It's a once in a lifetime experience, and has to be experienced fully to be truly appreciated!
July 20, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Festivals & Events
It was sudsy and bubbly in Dawson Creek on Friday, July 17th! The Dawson Creek Vet Clinic was hosting a “Doggy Wash Day” with proceeds going to the Dawson Creek branch SPCA, so being a dog lover, I had to attend. The wash featured a BBQ (and of course a bowl of hot dog chunks for hungry puppies), clinic tours and games in addition to the pools of bathwater to clean local pooches. Dogs of all shapes and sizes were in attendance, and knowing my dollars were going to a cause like the SPCA, how could I not go scope it out?
July 20, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Fort St. John, Air / Airports
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The FSJ AIrshow is always a major community event; a chance to see a variety of planes take part in an incredible display of aerodynamic ballet. The planes flew so close it was incredible; we could even make out the numbers and decals on the sides of the planes! The Snowbirds were undoubtedly the highlight of the aero-performance. The twists and turns and loops were amazing to see so close!