July 25, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Sightseeing Tours
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One of our favorite things to do on a summer evening is go for a drive on the back roads in the country. It's an enjoyable way to spend time with visitors while being a tourist in our own backyard.
I like to roll the windows down so we can catch the smells of the country: clover, alfalfa and fresh mown hay while looking at ranches and fields and wildlife.
It's common to see herds of deer, moose, hawks, coyotes the occasional bear or fox, out and about. Dusk is the best time for sighting wildlife and the sunset backdrops can be spectacular.
The great thing about the country roads here in the Peace River Country is that they are straight and go for miles and miles over rolling hills and along fields. The roads are either north-south or east-west with the occasional 'correction-line corner' to accommodate the curvature of the earth.
If you are looking for a quiet way to enjoy a summer evening under the big blue skies of the Peace River Country, hop in your vehicle and pick a road... any road... you won't get lost.
July 21, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Sightseeing Tours
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If you have been driving through the Peace River Country in July, you have undoubtedly noticed a lot of bright yellow fields as far as the eye can see. It's canola. And it blooms for a few weeks every July.
I love it when visitors come here in Canola season, often it's the first time they've seen this remarkable sight. When the sun shines it's spectacular.
This is where much of your canola oil comes from. It's harvested in the fall after the blossoms have faded and the pods have developed.
Another common sight at canola season is people standing beside their vehicles on the side of the road taking pictures of the landscapes. The color is a fabulous backdrop for old buildings, barns and wildlife.
Deer find the canola fields a great place to hide when they are resting and it's common to see only heads above the blossoms or a herd leaping and bounding over the sea of yellow.
We never tire of the beauty.
July 18, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Sightseeing Tours
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Last Sunday, we took our friends from Seattle on an afternoon drive for an ice cream and a drive around the area.
We went up the Radar Lake Road south west of town to the
Bear Mountain Wind Park.
All I can say is
wow, wow, wow! They are huge! And Beautiful!
Seeing those wind towers from below and in the distance is one thing, but being up close, right underneath them is another thing entirely.
There is an excellently maintained gravel road that winds along the whole 7 kilometers of the ridge. We parked and got out of our car and walked along for a couple of kilometers.
Each tower is numbered and there are 34 altogether. There is a mystery though, because the first tower has the number '0' and the last one is '34', so I'm wondering if '13' is missing? We didn't have the energy to go back and check.
The turbines are beautifully painted; the area is immaculate and undisturbed as possible. There are several cattle guards across the road as the area is a community grazing pasture. Nature has been well respected and the wind has been harnessed.
This is truly an amazing project. Be prepared to be amazed and awestruck!