June 29, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Prince Rupert, Dining
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After the Inside Passage tour of bears and whales, we docked around 7 and decided to check out some local cuisine. One of the guides on the boat directed us to a local pub with some great food. We ordered a mix of seafood and more traditional food, and every bit of it was delicious. They're well known for their battered halibut and cod which I was told was delicious. I can give you a first hand account that the Breaker's Club sandwich was amazing. The meal was accompanied by an awesome view of the harbour and great service!
June 29, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Prince Rupert, Bear Watching
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I was lucky enough to get to be aboard the very luxurious vessel The Inside Passage on Prince Rupert's Adventure Tours Whale and Bear tour this past Monday, June 27th, 2011. And by lucky, I mean it by every definition of the word.
There could not have been a more perfect day to be out on this amazing boat. It was clear blue skies and calm water all the way out to the beautiful
Khutzeymateen passage where the expert crew of the Inside Passage begin their eagle eye spotting of the bears from the boat deck. It only took a few loops of the passage before one of the crew spotted a gorgeous mother Grizzly bear and 2 cubs on the shore. We were able to approach the shore without startling the bears and get within a mere stone's throw of the beautiful creatures. The mother ate her grass while the 2 cubs frolicked and played on the water's edge creating one of the coolest scenes I'd ever seen.
After observing the bears for a good length of time, we pulled away from the shore just as the bears retreated into the woods. On the way back through Paradise Passage and into the Port of Prince Rupert, the crew fed the eagles and we were instantly surrounded by a flock of about 10-12 eagles, all diving the water around us.
It's actually kind of funny. The pamphlets and brochures might say that its a whale and bear trip but as we entered the Khutzeymateen, it honestly didn't even matter if we had seen a bear or a whale. The trip is more than worth your time and money for the scenery alone.
June 29, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Terrace, Sightseeing Tours
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As I mentioned before in one of my blogs, I was recently hired by Kermodei Tourism as a summer student. Since then, I've tried my best to approach the area I live in with the eyes of a tourist and not the eyes of a person who has grown up in this area.
This was my approach to the drive between Terrace and Prince Rupert yesterday. I have made this drive many times with my parents as a child but not nearly as much since I've been old enough to take my eyes off my Gameboy and really appreciate the scenery.
We happened to set out on a beautiful sunny Monday morning around 9am. This is a beautiful time for the drive, as the sun is hitting the mountains and the ocean inlet at just the right angles. Amongst the beautiful green mountains, you'll see scattered waterfalls all along the way.
About 15KM out of Rupert, you'll notice some cool glyphs on the side of one of the mountains (as seen in the picture). These faces have been on the mountain for hundreds of years and were supposed to be the protecting spirits of the channel across the inlet that they face.
The signs along the highway might say 100km/hr but with a mix of the amazing scenery and the high chance to see wildlife (be it bears or eagles or anything else), you might find yourself slowing down to take everything in.
June 21, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Terrace, Historic & Heritage Sites
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After recently becoming employed at Terrace BC's local Visitor Center for the summer, I had recently been hearing a lot of tourists telling us about the amazing things to be found up North towards the Nass Valley and Gingolx. I actually had not been up there since I was kid, almost 12 years ago so I decided to take my day off and be productive.
I left Terrace around 10am with a few friends and after a quick stop for some coffee at Cafenara (amazing local/organic coffee), we were on the road. It does not take very long before the drab highway opens up into gorgeous lakes, and waterfalls compliments by beautiful rolling creeks and rustic wooden bridges. The drive is stunning and even if you plan on driving straight through, you are in for a treat.
That being said, if you are willing to make a few stops, you will be rewarded with some AMAZING sights. Such things as Beaupre Falls, Tumbling Creek, Vedder Falls, and many others are all within the first 90KM.
And that is just the road there. Once you start arriving at some of the towns and villages along the way, you can stop at any of the gift stores featuring amazing first nation's art, or even check out some of the new government buildings which features some amazing architecture enhanced by the culture of the first nations.
Towards the end of the road, there is the new 15 million dollar museum in Greenville (as seen in the picture). This is a jaw-dropping gem that absolutely must be seen in person. Featuring re-claimed artifacts of the First Nations culture (now labeled treasures), it is packed with cultural art and a weird glow of a history and beauty.
June 18, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Terrace, Hiking
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Truly, I feel that Terrace BC has some of the most beautiful, and jawdropping sights on this Earth. The trouble is that, sometimes, you have to be willing to put in a bit of effort to find them. That being said, this effort is a small price to pay to see some of the things available in this area.
Hiking has always been a hobby and a passion of mine. I love exploring nature and, even more so, the feeling you get when you come across one of the many natural wonders hiding in Terrace's wilderness. It's an indescribably amazing feeling that I hope everyone can experience in their life.
The Gunsight Waterfalls are a staggering example of this feeling. If a picture says a thousand words, then I can only wonder how many words actually SEEING these waterfalls can account for. Located 18km outside of Terrace is the trailhead for Gunsight Mountain (a rewarding hike in itself, if you dare attempt the entire thing) and right across the highway from Furlong Bay. Heading about 2km into this trail, there is a deviation from the path up the mountain that takes you about 200m down the trail to behold the gorgeous waterfalls and rapids.