June 09, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Chetwynd, Sightseeing Tours
I took a couple of friends with me and explored some of Chetwynd's walking paths. The trails were awesome! As we crossed under the Legion Bridge, we caught a glimpse of the Chainsaw Carving Championship tents. They were all set up and just waiting for the carvers to begin on Thursday morning.
I can't wait to check it out tonight after work. There is an air of excitement around the town. Did you know the Championship is in its seventh year?
June 09, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Tofino, Beaches & Swimming
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TripAdvisor awards Tofino "Best Beach in Canada" in their 2011 Readers' Choice Awards! In fact, BC beaches swept the awards: Tofino, Okanagan Valley and Parksville took the top three spots.
I visited Tofino in April and took this photo at Cox Bay, a beach noted for surfing, sunsets and oceanfront resorts. Other favourite beaches in the Tofino area include Long, Chesterman, and MacKenzie.
If you're travelling on Vancouver Island this summer, a trip to the west coast is must!
June 08, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Prince George, Dining
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On Tuesday, I made a trip downtown to Books and Company and the cafe within the store called Cafe Voltaire. While there, I decided to not only browse the hundreds of unique books that they have, but also to sit down and have a coffee with some friends. The ambiance is amazing and makes you feel like you can get anything achieved! In Cafe Voltaire, they have a create your own sandwich on the menu and offer a vast variety of things to create the ultimate sandwich. Everything is made on spot and is very fresh! The bookstore has many interesting books for anyone and everyone with several different topics. Great for the avid reader or just someone who is interested in finding that unique novel!
June 07, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Fort Nelson, Attractions
I would just like to let everyone know about our fabulous new facility up north in Fort Nelson. We are located on the north end of town just off Highway 97 / Alaska Highway / Alcan. Walking distance from Triple G Hideaway RV campground, the Fort Nelson Heritage Museum as well as the Art Fraser Memorial park.
Our new location is very big, all windows along the front of the building letting in that summer sun. There is parking right out front as well as a picnic table and garbage can.
Inside we have public washrooms, free WiFi access (only from inside the centre), computers are available or bring in your own and relax in the seating areas, complimentary water & coffee, a kids colouring area, brochures/maps, northern rockies attire, merchandise, local art and of course the smiling faces of our counsellors.
This year's staff are four local young adults. Lee, Laurisha, Kersten and myself are all home for the summer from post secondary. We love meeting new people and providing what we can about our area and more. We are still getting stock and more brochures in from other regions but we are trained up and full of as much helpful information as possible.
Come on down to see us! We will be here until mid-september, seven days a week, 7AM to 8PM! Phone: 250-774-6400 E-mail: visitorinfo@fortnelsonchamber.com
June 07, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Invermere, River Rafting
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Great for all ages looking to relax. I really enjoyed all the bird life and seeing the beavers swimming so close to us. The 1.5 hours it takes is a great length of time on the water.
When around Fairmont Hot Springs go and see Glacier Raft Adventures and check out the Columbia River Scenic Float.
June 07, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Sightseeing Tours
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For those who like to walk the self-guided walk of Dawson Creek's historic downtown is a must do. The brochure, that can be picked up at the Visitor's Centre, the Art Gallery, and the Alaska Highway House, takes walkers all through the downtown area and gives them a taste of the historical, vibrant and quirky past of the city. The brochure includes a map and legend and each building has a write up on its history. Fun facts and interesting information make this an extremely easy and fun way to pass the time. Give your legs a stretch and your mind an opportunity to learn - take the walking tour!
June 07, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Richmond, Festivals & Events
Hello everyone! Well it’s finally here! Ships To Shore 2011 in Steveston! For those of you who aren’t familiar, this is a massive event held at Garry Point Park in which a handful of tall ships come from around the world, give tours, sail around, engage in mock sea battles, and dazzle audiences for several days! As if that weren’t enough, there’s also live music, food, performances, an artisan market, outdoor movie screenings, and just a whole lot of fun stuff to do for the entire family! This is one of the best times of the year to be down in Steveston, and I wasted no time getting down there to experience it for myself!
Enter the beautiful Lady Washington, an 112 foot tall ship from Washington state, USA. Does it look familiar? It should! This ship was featured in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie as the ‘HMS Interceptor.’ It played a brig in the fleet of the British Royal Navy, and was renowned as the fastest ship in the Caribbean. While under the command of James Norrington (the evil dude), it was stationed at Port Royal, until Jack Sparrow and Will Turner commandeered it. I managed to get onboard with my camera and sail with it for the official ‘grand entrance’ of the tall ships for the festival. What an experience!
I was talking with Captain (Tommy) Cook, her master, and he joked with me about the reality of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. In the film, Jack Sparrow and Will Turner commandeer and sail the ship entirely by themselves. Cook laughed. With a full crew of 12 people onboard it’s a full time job to keep the thing afloat! The first Pirates movie was utter Hollywood- as beautiful as these tall ships are they require A LOT of work and manpower to maintain and run properly!
There is no arguing that the tall ships have a certain majestic and romantic allure to them. While onboard you can’t help but think what it would be like to sail on one back in the 1700/1800’s. Ahh piracy. Thanks Hollywood for making it so cool. Sailing with the Lady Washington was an absolute pleasure! To top it off they even shot a few cannon balls at the onlookers at Garry Point. Excellent! I can’t wait to check out the rest of the 2011 Ships to Shore Festival! There is so much going on this weekend! Stay tuned for more video, photos, and blog posts!
Now get off yer arse and swab the poop deck! :)
June 05, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Sightseeing Tours
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Take a walk down Pouce Coupe Village during the nice summer days. Pouce Coupe Community shapes up the place by planting flowers every summer. Each business has their own flowering spots in the middle of the road to make the town look more enjoyable. Lots of volunteering and wonderful to look at. If your passing through Pouce Coupe feel free and take a look. Amazing colors.
June 05, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Prince George, Shopping
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While travelling it is always great when you can find the comforts of home and be able to just relax in your current environment. While visiting in Prince George, I discovered an amazing little book store that allowed me to take a step back from the world of travels and take another adventure through their shop.
The shop, named Books and Co., provided a great environment for me to find a book that I can have to sit back and relax, while enjoying a knowledge adventure over the summer. They had a collection of books not only unique to Prince George and the surrounding region, but also all of the regular favourites, plus a great selection of books of authors I have never heard of; but now look forward to reading many of. The environment provided me to dive into a world of fantasy, action, crime, or adventure, or have my pick of travel tips and cook books. I now have a very long reading list, with perhaps not enough time this summer to complete.
After selecting my books I was able to relax in the in-shop cafe, named Café Voltaire. With a great selection of hot and cold drinks, cakes and other treats, soups and sandwiches, and many other options, I was able to enjoy my new books with an amazing snack.
Through my quest for further entertainment I was able to discover that upstairs is ArtSpace, which has live shows and entertainment options. I hope to make it back to Books and Co. very soon for another adventure. It was a great afternoon well spent in this amazing little book shop and cafe!
June 04, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Biking
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When I plan my bike rides I usually have a destination and a ‘treat’ involved. To my surprise, I found a treasure about 1 hour out of Dawson Creek, at the Rolla store (in the picture and the pub is on the right). This cycling route in total is about 55km and takes approximately 2 hours to ride. I rate this ride 3 bikes out of 5.
Directions: Start at Robins Donuts and head out on highway 49 to Spirit River you will head to Rolla Road (Big Red Barn on the left hand side) take a left. Follow Rolla Road to Rolla, here you will approach the Rolla Store and Pub (stop here for the treasure). What I have discovered there is that they make fresh BBQ Burgers at lunch with ALL of the topping and hotdogs. Even better they have homemade sweets for sale (peanut butter marshmallow squares and chocolate haystacks). The staff at the store are top-notch and ever so cheerful. They even have a newly built sundeck that you can sit out on and enjoy a coffee.
If you are feeling extra thirsty you can step into the Pub, just a couple feet away and enjoy a cold one. Many of my fellow cyclists’ make the trip just for that. Continuing on home you can ride back the way you came or you can enjoy a very peaceful ride down Sweet Water Road (6km), turning left at 7 mile corner (Road 225) and pedal back into Dawson Creek. I really enjoy the Sweet Water road for cycling, traffic flow is relatively low, the scenery is picturesque, and the air is so fresh.
Well I will keep pedalling in the Dawson Creek area until find something else new to share, Happy Chains!