May 12, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
100 Mile House, Farms & Markets
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The night we arrived at the Hills Health Ranch, we spent a bunch of time exploring the beautiful acreage. We met Annie, a newly born (only three days old!) donkey along with the other 4 or 5 donkeys on the ranch. Little Annie was the cutest thing, and a nice touch of reality on this ranch.
Just before dinner, we had a chance to see some of the horses on the ranch. About 12 or 13 of them had broken out of the fenced in area of the ranch and onto the ski hill just behind the main lodge. We took pictures of them from the big balcony just off the 1871 dining room. It was pretty cool to see the diversity of the horses, and funny they believed the ‘grass was greener’ on that particular side of the fence!
May 12, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
100 Mile House, Accommodation
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I was so surprised when we arrived at the 'Hills' at how relaxing the resort, with a focus on weight loss and health, could be. We met a bunch of great staff members, all of whom were really friendly and positive, encouraging an active and healthy lifestyle.
The resort was huge, offering pretty much every activity you could want to participate in, like hiking, Pilates and yoga. They also have a pool, gym and personal trainers on site to help everyone achieve their goals. I also liked the fact that the ranch serves as a recreation facility for locals, with a ski hill, terrain park and miles of cross-country and horseback trails.
The owner, Pat, was saying that some visitors stay up to 3 or 4 months to achieve weight loss goals. What a cool experience that would be! There is a large wall located in the center which has pictures of all the successes experienced at the ranch. For someone looking to lose weight or maintain a healthy lifestyle, this would be a great weeklong vacation!
May 12, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Clearwater, Accommodation
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You simply can’t miss the sign to this beautiful lodge. It’s big and colorful and clearly marks the entrance to the property. We were greeted by Bernward and Gisela on the front porch and warmly welcomed to their home where they have lived since immigrating to Canada from Germany in 1993. They came to Canada just the year before that for a vacation in the Terrace, B.C. area and the idea was born at that time to exchange their busy lives in Germany for the rustic outdoors of Canada. They fell in love with the property at Clearwater Lake at first sight and began renovating that same winter to turn it into the very special place that it is today.
Bernward and Gisela both take excellent care of their guests who come from around the world to enjoy the outdoor wilderness experiences that they offer. Bernward takes care of the guests and arrangements, but Gisela does all the cooking as it is her passion and as a Chef trained in Bonn, Germany you are in for a treat - several of them. Every dish is prepared with fresh ingredients purchased from local growers and the presentation is fabulous with taste treats such as bison (buffalo), pine mushrooms, schnitzel and homemade bread that you can’t quite stop yourself from gobbling up. There is also an endless supply of good wine, great company and a roaring fire in the hearth to keep you warm.
May 12, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Clearwater, Accommodation
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The views here are amazing. The Wilderness Ranch has several suites separate from the main house that guests can choose to take their ease. Nothing overly fancy but the view out over the valley and cattle range is outstanding. There is even a large balcony you can sit on and enjoy a hot cup of coffee, hot chocolate or a nice glass of wine. On a warm summer evening I can picture myself with a special someone chatting and letting the timelessness of the place wash over you. You can cook for yourself or go up to the main house and let them do the cooking, which consists of some great home cooked meals made from scratch and you can enjoy the company of the cattle hands who live on the property. A week here and I’d be the perfect little cattle girl - yee haa!
May 12, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Nimpo Lake, Fishing
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The ice has just gone off of Nimpo Lake, which means the fishing is going to be excellent!
You'll find that fishing for Rainbow Trout in Nimpo Lake can be quite an adventure because they're real fighters and very feisty after being stuck under the ice all winter! My favorite way to fish for them is from a boat but with a fly rod because you get a lot of action on your line and keeping the fish on can be a real challenge.
Nimpo Lake is full of freshwater shrimp which give the flesh of the trout a red color the same as salmon and you won't find a better tasting fish anywhere!
Come on out to this great lake and enjoy the stunning mountain views, great fishing, and great company. See you at the boat launch!
May 11, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
100 Mile House, Historic & Heritage Sites
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We took a break from driving and stopped off the highway at the 108 Historic Site.
Unfortunately it wasn’t open yet for the season but we did have a great walk around the grounds, looking at the old historic buildings that sit on the edge of 108 Lake.
Many are original to the site including a huge log
Clydesdale Barn.
We'd heard from some locals about stories/rumors about the site, specifically about the famous Angus Mcvee, a Scottish woman who owned and operated the hotel in the area in the 1800s. Rumors say that she used to kidnap girls who were running from home on their way to the Cariboo gold fields and then sell them to traveling men. She also supposedly murdered a large amount of passing merchants, miners and other prospective buyers of her young girls who visited the isolated hotel and in the course of the following years, more than fifty-nine bodies were found in the small lakes of the area. Agnes Mcvee always buried her ill gotten booty near the hotel and in following years after her death, visitors continued to find buried gold and coin in the surrounding areas.
The hotel was ripped down in 1892 and the wood was used to build a post house and telegraph/store that still stand at the 108 Historical site.
Other highlights of the site that we saw included old farming equipment, logging equipment, a one room school house, trappers cabin and blacksmith shop. The grassy shores of the lake offer a great place for a picnic lunch stop and there is a large area for parking off of the highway which also features washrooms and area information.
May 11, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
100 Mile House, Spas & Wellness
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I treated my feet in the afternoon to a spa pedicure as they needed some TLC after being trapped inside shoes and socks all winter. The spa area at the ranch is very clean and the charming country decor encourage relaxation and comfort. The esthetician was extremely friendly and professional, answering my questions about what she was doing, product she was using etc. After a lovely foot soak, massage and nail care, my tootsies are soft and supple and ready to take sandal season head on!
May 11, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
100 Mile House, Spas & Wellness
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At first I was apprehensive of trying a fitness class at the ranch but forced myself out of my comfort zone and thought I'd give one a try. Pilates sounded like a good option, something I’d never tried before and it ended up being a great experience! The instructor Cathy was friendly and funny and was great at providing a wide array of options for each exercise depending on skill/fitness level. There was a range of ages and experience levels within the others in the class but Cathy was awesome at giving us newbies tips and advice to ensure we were getting the most out of the moves. The studio is a great space as the large windows allow a ton of light to stream in and brighten up the room. The 50 minute class went by as quick and snappy as Cathy’s jokes and we left feeling strong and able.
May 11, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Clearwater, Guest Ranches & Horseback Riding
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I have gone on trail rides before, but I was amazed to find our guide, Dominique, had no intention of taking us riding - at least not right away. Her approach to riding is to actually spend time with the horses and familiarize riders with the methods she uses to work with her horses. I really appreciated being taught something about how to handle a horse and not just plopped up on a dusty old mare to go for a trail ride. Each of us in our little group was asked to select a horse and I liked the light brown one called ‘Roper’.
We then walked over to an open area with our horses and we were instructed on how to make the horse back up, how to get them to move their hind quarters away from you and then the front quarters, and then how to get them to walk in a circle around you on a long lead. I realize these are trained horses, but there is a knack to getting them to do these things as they read your every move and look and interpret it accordingly so it took several attempts to get it it all right.
One of the most interesting tricks we were taught was that if we wanted the horse to stop walking in a circle or to get their attention you had to make a very serious or angry face and stare pointedly at their hind quarters. It was amazing to do this and watch as the horse did exactly as she said it would and immediately came to a complete standstill, looking at you expectantly and waiting to see what you wanted next. This was so very cool to see! It was like being a horse whisperer for real. It was this same circling technique that we used to load the horses into a trailer which was much easier to do than I would have thought. Roper of course was the youngest horse there so was harder to manage and the instructor had to help me out a bit. No matter, I actually learned something and I loved it.
May 11, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Clearwater, Car / Truck / Motorcycle
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Anyone traveling to this location had better double check the directions before leaving as there are two Chezacuts to look out for - one at the very end of a 30 kilometer stretch of road and the other only about 7.3 kilometers along the way. Both have Chezacut in the name so we of course got it wrong and went to the very end and had to turn around and go all the way back. There is currently no sign to mark the entrance to the ranch but the applications have been sent in and they expect to have proper signage up early summer 2009.
The drive is worth it though as the Chezacut Wilderness Adventure Ranch is amazing. You have to drive up this very long winding driveway, but go slow as it is quite rocky - though they are working on it and making some improvements. There is certainly a gardener in the group as the grounds are impressive even this early in the season. The best time to visit is around middle of may to the end of August and even into September as the trees will have leafed out.
The views at the ranch are panoramic and the main house has an absolutely huge kitchen where you can kick back and relax. I’ll go back to the garden though for a moment as there is a huge pond they’ve created right off the kitchen with surrounding decks and lounge chairs. It’s a bit cold right now, but in a couple more weeks it will be warmer and I can so see myself with some coffee and snacks and a good book out on the deck. That would be my favorite spot and you get the added bonus of humming birds flitting around while you relax. Apparently, they have several varieties that frequent the little feeders and they’ve counted as many as twenty-four at one time. I tried to get a picture of a little one with blueish wings but he flitted away before I could get set up. I couldn't help but attach a picture of the resident mutt whose bed was an old half water barrel with a big old horse blanket to lay down on - too funny!