March 28, 2008 | Tips from Us >
Victoria, Dining
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I just had a fabulous dining experience at Café Brio in Victoria. For some time I have wanted to try their "3 Course, Chef’s Dinner" menu – a steal at $28. The pork pate paired with local Church & State winery’s pinot noir was a great way to start. The tender flat iron steak followed by “crispy quince ravioli” for dessert…wow. I’d highly recommend this place not only for its superb fare but for its quaint, European ambience.
The restaurant is located on Fort Street which also happens to be called Antique Row - a great place to look for treasures.
March 21, 2008 | Tips from Us >
Princeton, Snowshoeing
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The best thing about snowshoeing in Manning Provincial Park is the diversity of terrain. There are pretty rigorous vertical ascents to Windy Joe Mountain or Blackwall Peak, and flat forest trails around the lakes.
My ascent to the Blackwall Peak lookout took 2.5 hours of nearly non-stop snowshoeing plus a 20-minute stop for lunch. This is snowshoeing for the sake of snowshoeing -- and to admire the view. The "trail" is actually an unplowed park road. So there's no challenge in finding your way. But the snow is plenty deep for snowshoeing. I saw a lot of animal tracks, including lynx, and caught sight of many birds and squirrels.
The trail around Lightning Lake has no major changes in elevation, but much of it crosses the slope running down to the lake, so you're snowshoeing at an angle and stepping near some edges that could be tricky if you don't watch where you're going. If you hike around all of Lightning Lake, you'll need about 7 hours. If you take the shortcut across the bridge halfway down the lake, you'll need 2.5 hours -- assuming you never pause to take a picture or watch the wildlife. If you follow the trail to the left from the parking lot, the last leg of the hike is a bit deceiving. Just when it seems that you've nearly reached the end, the trail winds wildly around a sharp peninsula and adds another 30-45 minutes to the trip. The only other way off the trail is to sneak onto the cross-country skiing track, which has signs warning off snowshoers. Or to venture onto the frozen lake...if the ice is thick enough (
be sure to check).
I stayed at the Manning Park Lodge. The place is modest but immaculate, and you just can't beat the location. The nearest snowshoe trail is literally a few steps out the door of the lodge.
March 19, 2008 | Tips from Us >
Osoyoos, Museums
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My colleague and I had an extra hour before our meetings in Osoyoos began and the road signs pointing us to the Osoyoos Desert Model Railroad were so darn easy to follow, we thought, "what the heck, lets go check it out". Off we went. This attraction is a 5 minute drive from the Osoyoos Visitor Centre, tucked in behind an array of industrial buildings. From the outside, it appears to be a large shed, and truthfully, our expectations were modest. But what a surprise we got once we made our way through the giftshop, up a set of stairs and through a set of double doors! While there most certainly is a model railroad incorporated into this miniature village, it is so much more....3000 feet more including 8000 little painted people (painted by members of the family that operate the attraction), a working Ferris wheel, a ski hill complete with an operational gondola system, Euopean style houses and buildings, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, running cars, even a brothel! In fact, the model railroad, impressive as it is, was a secondary experience to just trying to take in all the detail of the village.
While we were there, a man in his twenties asked the owner if he could take his picture because "visiting this place was in the top 5 highlights of his life". My colleague and I planned to spend about 30 minutes...we could have stayed most of a day. At a modest $6 entrance fee ($4 for children) this is a must-see while in Osoyoos. You can even buy some of the little painted people and start your own village at home! The Gift Shop is well supplied with unique stuff including some great kids toys; the attraction is wheelchair accessible, easy to find, well maintained and well cared for. I will be back.
March 11, 2008 | Tips from Us >
Victoria, Dining
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Being the youngest of eleven children, food (and mealtime in particular), has always been competitive and somewhat of a contact sport for me. I research, I sniff out, I long for a gastronomic experience not exactly like ones I‘ve had in the past. Last Friday I found a gem of a place called LURE, located just across the Johnson Street bridge from downtown Victoria in the Delta Ocean Pointe Resort. Both their lounge and dining room have, in my opinion, one of the best views in the city. Our table looked straight across the harbour to the Fairmont Empress and Parliament Buildings.
The crab-stuffed salmon roulade followed by a tender lamb shoulder prepared me well for one of the naughtiest chocolate desserts I’ve had in a long time. Had I not had that last glass of wine, I could probably tell you the name of it. Just ask the server for the dessert with the word “sin” in it. He/she’ll know what you mean.
Whether you are just stopping in for a drink or decide to sample the quality fare, LURE is definitely worth a visit. Tip: if you go at night, you’ll see the Parliament Buildings lit up!
March 05, 2008 | Tips from Us >
Victoria, Hiking
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This oasis is one of 60 or so parks in the Greater Victoria area and if you are into waterfalls and bird watching, it is a great discovery. I like to visit soon after a rainfall as Sitting Lady Falls is at its best, cascading over the dark rock face into the lagoon below. Moss and ferns cover much of the cliff so you get dramatic contrasts between greens, whitewater and black rock.
The Lagoon trail meanders through the forest and along the waterfront with various viewpoints and benches ideal for watching the variety of birds that seemingly make this their all-inclusive holiday.
If you opt to take the Beach trail and time your visit at low tide, you’ll be rewarded with sand that stretches almost ½ km (1/3 mi) wide along with amazing views of the Olympic Mountains and Juan de Fuca Strait. As well, seals love to play in the waters just off the beach and I’ve seen as many as 30 or so flip-flopping around.
March 04, 2008 | Tips from Us >
Victoria, Dining
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A group of us went for dinner on Friday night and treated ourselves to one of the best views in the city – Vista 18 Restaurant; the rooftop restaurant of the Chateau Victoria Hotel.
Arriving just before dusk, we sipped drinks and watched the sun slip behind the Sooke Hills as the 3,330 lights of the parliament buildings clicked on for the evening. This takes downtown dining in Victoria to a whole new level ;)
March 03, 2008 | Tips from Us >
Tofino, Sightseeing Tours
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It doesn't matter how many times I go out to the west coast of Vancouver Island, I'm always amazed at the raw beauty of our natural wonders. It was even more evident as seen recently through the eyes of our two English guests who while well travelled, seemed totally delighted with everything British Columbia had to offer. Of special interest to one was the old growth forest and the other the expansive and tantalizing beach.
So they are both coming back, one to explore our coastal rainforests and the other to body surf all summer long.
March 01, 2008 | Tips from Us >
Whistler, Skiing & Snowboarding
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Yesterday I finally had the pleasure to ride down the
Peak to Creek run in Whister. The run starts at the top of Whistler mountain. The sun was shining and the views were spectacular. People were stopping to take pictures everywhere. The ride down was perfectly groomed and moderately difficult (a blue run). There were very few people on the run and I was flying down the seven kilometer long, covering about 1500 meters of vertical. I was all by myself, with
DJ Tiesto cranked on my iPod. As I was going down, I had one of these "it doesn't get any better than this moments" everybody should have once in a while. Stopping only once to take this picture, I think I was down at Dusty's pub in about 10 or 15 minutes. Nobody will be able to take this moment away from me.