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!
June 04, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Queen Charlotte City, Hiking
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What is Haida Gwaii known for? It's beautiful scenery! And where do you find such spectacular areas, worthy of filling up your memory card in your camera? Hiking!
My friend and I decided to go on a short hike together. We wanted one close to the city of Queen Charlotte, so I suggested we try the Gore Brook Trail. Located in the forests just outside of the town, we spent our morning trekking through a fairly easy hike, past mossy trees and through small creeks. Since the last time I had hiked the Gore Brook Trail, I found it to be well maintained and was impressed at how such a beautiful hike was so close!
I found some curled up black and yellow millipedes on the trail, always littered in the forest. They remind me so much of the hikes I went on as a child, and how they never got old no matter how many times I trekked through!
I will definitely be hiking more this summer, seeing how amazing our weather forecast is looking so far! For any information on hikes on Haida Gwaii, call us at the visitor centre (250-559-8316)! From hikes through beautiful old growth forests to beach walks, we have hikes for all!
June 04, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Prince George, Car / Truck / Motorcycle
Last Saturday, I dropped by the farmers market in downtown Prince George and was pleased with the amount of fresh baking and vegetables that the market offered (especially for this time of year in Northern BC). All the vendors were very welcoming and happy to tell you about their business and products! The smell of home baked bannock fills the air downtown and you walk by hard to resist sweets and treats for you and the family! After going to the farmers market, I stopped into a restaurant on 3rd Avenue called Nancy O's. The breakfast menu was great and I recommend the Cinnamon Swirl French toast! Yum!! And definitely fills you up for the rest of the day! The restaurant is welcoming to families and I love the warm environment inside! The waitress was really friendly and made sure that we had the best experience at the restaurant!
June 04, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Kelowna, Sightseeing Tours
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I was in Kelowna a month ago and the summer was beginning in the area! There is a boardwalk where you can walk at any time of day along the lake near downtown Kelowna and it is absolutely stunning. At sundown, the sun hits the water and it is a very peaceful and calming. Great for an after dinner walk with the family and is accessible for walkers, runners, rollerbladers and wheelchairs!
June 04, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Kamloops, Parks
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If you are a local or tourist looking for it all, I suggest Riverside Park in Kamloops. I went there in April and the summer weather was already kicking in! The grass was green and the flowers had started to bloom. There is a playground to entertain kids and also an option to walk alongside the river! Many times at the park, I have seen fish jumping above the water in the river! Great place to take a picnic!! There is accessible parking and some paved trail through the park. a nice place to spend with the family!
June 04, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Prince George, Parks
It is finally June and the flowers are blooming and sun is shining. My friend and I thought it would be an opportune time to have a picnic on Connaught Hill in Prince George. They have a beautfifully planted garden and a few picnic tables to sit on to have lunch.
I went and did a little bit of research on Connaught Hill and found out a few things. It is on such a tall hill and the hill is actually left over from the ice age! In the early 1900's there was a ski jump built from the top of the hill and the landing pad is where City Hall is located now! It was one of only 2 ski jumps of that size in the world! A windstorm blew over the ski jump, but it definitely worth seeing some of the history of Prince George on a sunny afternoon for a picnic!
June 03, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Vancouver, Hiking
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Every summer, I treat myself to the beautiful hike up Grouse Mountain in Vancouver! The trail is extremely steep and difficult, but definitely fun to challenge yourself and see how fast you can get to the top! Make sure that you are wearing proper footwear and clothing as it is a hike. I have done it both in the morning and the afternoon and I suggest being at the bottom of the mountain and starting early in the morning before the trail gets too busy! Be prepared with water, as there are no stops on the way and bring your wallet, as the only way down is by the gondola. It is beautiful on the top and definitely plan to do it on a sunny day so you can overlook Vancouver from the patio at the small restaurant at the top! They also have some neat tourist attractions at the top and they are definitely worth seeing after the strenuous hike to the top!