May 15, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Squamish, Hiking
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This past weekend brought beautiful weather to Vancouver, Coast and Mountains so to take advantage of it, a small group of us went to
Stawamus Chief (aka “The Chief”) for a hike just outside of Squamish. The Chief is a Provincial Park with picnic tables, grass area, full running washrooms, camping, a little info booth/gift shop where you can snack on ice cream bars and a nice little walk to view BC’s 3rd highest waterfall -
Shannon Falls.
The hike up the Chief is a little more intense than the walk to Shannon Falls. I found the trail level to be intermediate-difficult. I'm not a big hiker but I found it was a good work out and it's much more scenic than the Grouse Grind. The age range of hikers varied from 7 years old to 65+ and some pet dogs. I would ensure you wear proper footwear, take extra clothing, water and a little snack before you go up. Although we did see a fellow walking up the trail barefooted… he looked like the extreme/outdoorsy type and probably was ‘callousing’ up his feet for some other sport?! Perhaps training for a hot-coal walking contest or he could be just plain crazy.
Anyways, the trial had some man-made steps, ladders and chains to assist you on the steep inclines but majority of the trial was composed of rocks and mother-earth. There are 3 peaks you can hike; one path leading to peak 1 & 2 and another path leading to peak 3. You can also get to peak 3 via peak 2 (
map). We only climbed to the 1st peak where we soaked in the view of the Howe Sound and overlooked the town site of Squamish and the surrounding mountains. It was very breathtaking and serene minus the stark-white topless male teens who were trying to work on their tans (a sure sign that summer is on it’s way...)
We managed to fi
May 12, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Sightseeing Tours
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British Columbia has, yet again, won the RV-friendly Welcome Mat Award! For the fourth year in a row, Good Sam Club members (1 million of them) have voted British Columbia as the most RV-friendly province to visit. I have spent more than a few nights in a camper (small C class) and have would to agree – not that I’m biased or anything.
May 12, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Vancouver, Dining
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I am not a huge fan of oysters, but I’m game to throw one back every now and then - as long as you shove it in a shooter glass full of spicy-something or another with vim and vinegar added in for good measure. That being said, I happened to run into
Rodney’s Oyster House as part of a scavenger hunt yesterday, and I think I may have been instantly converted into one of those obsessed slurpers I keep bumping into.
While I have never been to Cape Cod or Martha’s Vineyard, I would expect Rodney’s would fit in there just swell, with white-washed wood, hand-painted driftwood signs, hanging buoys and …er, hanging around beach-bum-looking-boys.
Here are two tips I picked up for you. 1. Happy hour is from four to six with oysters for a buck a shuck. 2. In the summertime Rodney (I assume he hangs out there too somewhere) opens up a garden patio for picnics -Wednesday through Saturday 11:30 AM to 10:00 PM (weather permitting). Rodney’s is located in
Yaletown,
Vancouver.
May 04, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Whistler, Sightseeing Tours
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The
Whistler Mountaineer has just launched a fantastic new rail service to/from Whistler this week. I was really, really lucky to be on the inaugural train. The journey takes about three hours each way. I've driven the Sea to Sky Highway to
Whistler many, many times, so for me, the train experience was very cool. You can still see the scenic highway from some of the stretches of track. But I thought the best part was travelling through the areas which you can't see by car. There's a section that goes through the Cheakamus Canyon. They actually slow the train down to give everyone a really good look at the rapids and cliffs. Further north, you overlook the top of Brandywine Falls. There are two levels of service on the train -- Glacier Dome and Coast Classic. The Glacier Dome is the premium service and includes hot, plated meals and a more panoramic rail car. The Coast Classic service has large windows and offers chilled meals. For
BC residents only, there is a special $99 round trip introductory rate if you book before June 30th.