May 29, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Galiano Island, Beaches & Swimming
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The Southern Gulf Islands have always been a special place for me: my family has had a cabin on Galiano Island for many decades. For me, the island is a place to relax and unwind, for lazy walks down sandstone beaches, exploring tidepools on the shore, kayak excursions and bike rides.
This photo is at Bellhouse Park on Galiano, which overlooks Active Pass and the ferry traffic that travels through it. At low tide, with a little bit of scrambling over seaweed and rocks, it's easy to walk along the waterfront from Sturdies Bay to the point where the park is located, and around the corner to the next little bay with a sandy beach (both bays as well as the park have public access from the roadway). Along the shore the soft sandstone rock takes on weird and wonderful shapes from the force of the water.
May 29, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Sooke, Culinary Tours & Schools
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How pleased we were that the Little Vienna Bakery chose to advertise 'Cheese' on it's main road facing sign! We'd left Vancouver on a 8am ferry to Swartz Bay. By 11:30am we were at our destination of Sooke and it felt a world away. Never to miss a fine European cheese selection, and ready for a healthy lunch, we hopefully entered the Little Vienna Bakery. Travelling with a gluten allergy is challenging to say the least. Trying to get lunch at a bakery usually ends in disappointment. This bakery was a marvellous exception.
When we sheepishly inquired of a gluten-free possibility, Michele, the proprietor, enthusiastically came out from behind her counter and regaled us with CHOICES of bakery treats and promises of a freshly baked loaf. This was enough to make our hearts sing. The most divine mushroom soup alongside my turkey and havarti sandwich on mmmmm....bakery fresh bread was enough to start looking into Sooke real estate. We couldn't resist taking away flourless chocolate cake for later. It was devoured within the half hour.
If not tuned into 'cheese' signage, The Little Vienna Bakery would be regretably easy to miss - blending in with other less interesting looking small businesses on the right side of the main road coming into Sooke-central. However, inside is a cerebrally-skewed microcosim of the town. Yes, it's a relaxing locals hangout and they probably want to keep it that way. Their secret outstanding lunch spot and repreive - all to themselves. Don't let them. Two weeks later, and my mouth's still watering at the memory.
May 26, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Burnaby, Historic & Heritage Sites
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My 9 year old daughter and I look forward to the re-opening each year of the Burnaby Village Museum and even though we have been through the outdoor museum countless times, we still find new discoveries on each visit. For me, it is browsing at all the implements, food stuffs, tools and toys in the General Store, or imagining what it must have been like to live in the Love Farmhouse where life wasn't quite as simple as it is today. For my daughter, the fun comes through the independence of being able to run and explore this little town moreless on her own. She delights in learning about what school was like in the early 1900s from the period school teacher/interpetter. He explains the school lessons for her age group and mentions too what happened when homework wasn't complete or when children talked back. We also enjoy the beautifully preserved Interurban car in the large barn and interpretive centre - again enjoying the stories as told by the costumed train conductor. As always, our 2 hour visit flies by and we conclude that, yet again, we didn't give ourselves enough time.
May 26, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Merritt, Guest Ranches & Horseback Riding
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The
Quilchena Hotel has been welcoming guests on and off since 1908 when it was built due to wild spectulation that the railway would run through the Nicola Valley and the hotelier would become rich. The railway routed elsewhere but the hotel continued on until 1917 when it shut down for more than 40 years. It was reopened in 1958 by the grandson of the original builder. I didn't stay at the hotel but happened by it en route from Merritt to Kamloops via Highway 5A. We enjoyed a delicious lunch in the saloon - one of the best hamburgers I have ever had and no doubt considering the beef is raised and processed right on the ranch. For a history buff, the place was bursting with rich material. The 16 rooms are all unique and, while comfortable, are still reminiscent of the early days. The Saloon is a local favourite with bullet holes in the bar reminding us of the wilder days when outlaw Billy Miner roamed the area. The drive to Quilchena Hotel takes you past Nicola Lake and it was spectacular. I would highly recommend this alternative route if driving to Kamloops!
May 18, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Richmond, Whale Watching
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I am an absolute sucker for whales and marine animals, and knowing that the ocean playground near my home in Vancouver is teeming with life makes it that much more interesting. So when I had the chance to go with a local company, Vancouver Whale Watch, on a four-hour whalewatching tour, I had to jump at the chance. Their shuttle bus collected me from downtown Vancouver, and took us to the historic fishing village of Steveston, in Richmond, BC, where we jumped on covered boat and headed out to sea.
It being late April when I made my trip, it was still a bit early in the whale season, but I learned that all the whalewatching companies who share the waterspace around Vancouver Island, San Juan Islands in the US and around the Vancouver Islands "talk" to each other over their radios, to alert others if they've spotted a pod. So the likelihood of seeing whales is actually really high between late April and October.
And even if you don't, there was no shortage of other water life! We saw dozens of eagles pearching, California sea lions, a Dall's porpoise, and literally tons (of fun) Stellar Sea Lions, who we got up close to (keeping a safe distance, of course!) and got to hear them grumble and belch at us.
But so far, the whales had eluded us. Until... success! Two enormous Grey Whales, who the naturalist said hadn't been in these waters for two years, were spotted by another boat crew. So we headed over to find these shallow-water feeders munching happily and loping around us.
Alas, we didn't see any whale tails, or the typical Orcas that one sees at the height of the season. But we did see lots of spouting off - and Orcas or not, it's pretty incredible to see these things in their natural habitat.
It was an absolutely fabulous way to spend a sunny day!
May 07, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Queen Charlotte City, Car / Truck / Motorcycle
The Queen Charlotte Visitor Centre is gearing up for a busy tourist season! We are now open 9-5pm - closed on Wednesday and Thursday. We are a great place to get local and regional information. Come in and relax watch a video use the internet and shop for local arts and crafts.
May 03, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Penticton, Wineries & Vineyards
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I absolutely LOVE wine touring in the Okanagan Valley. So far I've probably been to over 25 wineries in the region and if you enjoy wine paired with stunning scenery, the experience is not to be missed!
Some of my favorites include Grey Monk, Mission Hill, Quail's Gate, Elephant Island, Red Rooster, Laughing Stock... down to Burrowing Owl and finally Nk'Mip in Osoyoos. And I could go on...
It was really interesting to see how the landscape and geography changes as you wind through the valley from rolling hills to a desert-like climate. Each area just as beautiful as the next.
I've gone back several times over the past couple years and I plan to make it a long standing tradition with my friends.
May 03, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Port Alberni, Hiking
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To get to the trail head for this hike you need to prearrange a boat shuttle across
Great Central Lake. We took the boat from the Ark Resort which is about 17kms from
Port Alberni on
Vancouver Island. After crossing the picturesque lake we coated ourselves in bug repellent before setting out on our 16km hike to the base of the Della Falls where we would camp. It was pretty flat to begin with and then gradually got steeper. It did seem to take a long time, probably 6-7 hours. We camped overnight at a nice campsite on the creek. You will want to camp close to the base of the falls because the next day is a long one!
The next morning we took in the scenery looking up at Della Falls, Canada’s tallest waterfall 440m high! It was breathtaking standing in front of these cascading falls - we took lots of pictures!
Next was our 2-3 hour hike up to get a view of the falls ending at Love Lake before the 1.5-2 hours to get back down to our site.
We were the first group to head up the trail for the season in early June and there was still a lot of snow at the top of the trail. We couldn’t really find the path after a certain point but we knew what general direction we were going in to get to Love Lake based on our map. My friends with ice axes and proper hiking boots lead the way by kick-stepping a make-shift path in the snow which really helped.
May 03, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Squamish, Snowshoeing
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Our 2 day (22km) snowshoe trek to Elfin Lakes was my first trip in the Diamond Head area of Garibaldi Park.
It was definitely more challenging than I had expected, friends who had done the trip in the summer described a hike that was relatively flat. In the winter you take a different route which was practically uphill all the way to the lodge. This made day 1 quite a challenge! That being said, the views were well worth it!!
We stayed overnight at the cabin at Elfin Lakes and enjoyed playing cards and cooking up a hearty dinner with the other travellers from BC and Washington State. The second day was mostly downhill making it a lot less strenuous so we had a chance to really enjoy the stunning scenery of the area and take some amazing photos on the way down.
This trek left our group with a feeling of accomplishment, especially the first time snowshoers!, so we finished the trip with some much deserved burgers at the Shady Tree in Squamish.
May 01, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Victoria, Farms & Markets
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It's blossom season in BC: I found these vibrant-hued buds near Oak Bay Village in Victoria.