May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
100 Mile House, Accommodation
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This is a great B&B located in a private setting on 108 Mile Lake. It’s easy to find and what a stunning location. You can swim off the dock, canoe, hike around the lake, golf, or laze around a quaint sitting area right outside your door. The hummingbirds are plentiful and you can enjoy the sun all day long with a beautiful sunset at the end a great day to top it all off.
Henning, our host, was very helpful and prepared a great dinner and breakfast for our little group of four. The services are excellent and he even provides wine and beer if you want. There was a huge, full moon the night we stayed and I tried to get a picture, but didn’t have any luck with the camera I was using. I did manage to capture the awesome sunset though. If you are looking for some down time this is a great spot.
There is lots to do in this area and horseback riding can be arranged in addition to other activities. The lake is my favorite though and apparently in the heat of the summer it can get quite warm. It's amazing how much time can go by when water is involved, the kids would especially love this place and after all the fun you can enjoy a great barbecue on the patio.
May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Anahim Lake, Attractions
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Yesterday, three of us went to the Precipice Valley and Falls otherwise known as the ‘Baby Grand Canyon’. This place is a amazing and is an unexpected surprise as it comes out of no where and if you didn’t have a guide you’d probably never find it. The canyon itself drops about 4,500 feet from top to bottom and looking up and further out across the valley the Coastal Range and Kappan Mountain soar above the canyon walls to who knows how high.
This is a rugged and beautiful place and the pictures cannot do it justice. The blackened rock on the canyon walls lies in stark contrast to the grey of the stones and giant landslides on the opposite ridge. It’s rugged and barren, but even here there are a few sturdy, or rather stubborn trees that cling to life along the sides of the canyon walls and add splashes of brilliant green to the panoramic scenery.
There are no fences here so I was pretty careful about how far out toward the edge I could creep, but I wanted to get a good shot of the falls so I crouched down low to get just that little bit closer. In some sections it is quite easy to walk closer to the edge and still feel, but you have to be careful where you step as some of the stones along the edge are split and cracked and probably not too safe to be walking on. It really is a very long long way to the bottom.
May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Anahim Lake, Guest Ranches & Horseback Riding
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Two of us are headed out this morning for an hour horse back ride. You don’t need an alarm clock here as the dogs make quite the racket trailing behind Bill when he goes outside to get the horses ready. We have to leave early though as we need to be back in William’s Lake by 2:00 at the latest.
We’re back now and this was a great trail ride as we didn’t stick to the typical groomed trails. Bill took us in a crosscut pattern through the woods (Tracy calls it ‘bush whacking’) and it was fun to navigate the rocks and fallen logs that blocked our path. I was riding Jessie, a small mare who seemed to know exactly what to do and where we were headed. It was a bit difficult though when we went up a series of small hills as Jessie wanted to try and get ahead of the horse in front of her, Dusty. We stopped to take a couple of pictures of one of the largest ranches in this area - over a thousand head of cattle.
Bill also gave us a great demonstration on how to pack a horse for one of their adventure pack trips into the mountains. I had seen this done on movies but didn't realize it was so complicated. Bill made it look easy though and I have a feeling any attempt on my part to repeat the process would be time consuming and less neat looking ha. Maybe I'm not cut out for a full-time cowgirl, but a few days here would be a great start.
May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Anahim Lake, Guest Ranches & Horseback Riding
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This is your official cow poke alert.....if you love anything cowboy this is the place to see! The main lodge reminds me of my Dad’s stories of growing up on a ranch in northern Alberta where they rode the range and herded cattle. This log home is amazing and the guest rooms are located upstairs, but you can also rent a log cabin for your stay at very reasonable rates. Canoeing and fishing and multi-day horse pack trips into the mountains is what they do best.
Your host is the resident cowboy. He can tell you old stories about Rich Hobson whose famous cattle ranch was located just one valley over in the Blackwater Country and one you’ll see on on of the multi-day horse pack trips. He is knowledgeable about the history and people who live in this area and has a great bear story to tell - actually he has several to tell - you have only to ask. He is charming and loves to talk, but you can tell he works hard and takes great pride in the lodge, the horse, and his dogs. There are three dogs and two cats and they laze around the lodge just like you’d expect to see them on a lazy hot summer’s day. I don’t think they moved the entire time we were here - in fact you have to step over them to get by - too funny!
May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Bella Coola, Outdoor Activity Tours
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We spent only one night in this small roadside lodge, but it was clean and comfortable the service was great. They have limited check-in and check-out hours this early in the season (early May), but they do set out a nice continental breakfast you can dig into in the morning or take along for snacks later on in the day. This is the perfect place to start any adventure and this lodge offers it all.
Kynoch adventure tours are provided throughout the season and I would love to come back in mid August to go on a river drift to watch the bears fishing for salmon in the Bella Coola river. They have pictures in the main reception area of the various trips and excursions you can take, but what I found fascinating were the pictures of the bears feeding and relaxing in the river! There are cubs and sows so engrossed in what they are doing they don’t even notice the boat floating right past them. Kynoch does other guided adventure tours as well such as hiking, wildlife and bird watching, eco-rafting, and mountain biking, but I’m sure they can help out no matter what type of experience you want.
May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Bella Coola, Arts, Culture & History Tours
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Visiting the Petroglphys at Bella Coola is a must do. Our group was a bit early in the season to obtain the services of a guide, but we did manage to find our way to the site without too much effort. It’s a short drive off the highway, but I would have preferred a guide as it is so much more interesting to learn about the history of the First Nations people in this area who would have made the rock carvings so very long ago. Another couple of weeks i.e. mid-May and on you can find a local guide at a number of locations in Bella Coola. The petroglyphs are located upstream from the highway to the south on Thorsen Creek - its only about a ten minute walk if you drive up as far as you can along the creek road.
It’s a easy walk to get in, but there are several sections of huge tree roots that you have to work your way over to get to the top. It would be easy to trip over them or the rocks so we took our time. The walk its self is amazing because as you get to the top you are walking through an old forested area with huge boulders and deep green ferns that grow in thick clumps along the ridge above the creek. On the way back I took up the rear and could easily imagine the ancients watching from amongst the trees to ensure we did not take anything or damage the carvings.
May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Bella Coola, Attractions
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Bella Coola is absolutely gorgeous and going out to the very end of Highway 20 you get a spectacular view of the North Bentinck Arm. The drive took us right past the ferry terminal and the boat harbor and out to a small recreational site near the Clayton Falls Park. The walk to the falls takes you just in behind the hydro station and their is a great little viewing platform where you can take pictures. There are lots of signs around that indicate swimming is not permitted as the undertow below the falls is very strong. The falls are a must see as the rock formations are unusual. They have been smoothed over by centuries of water coursing over the face of the rocks which has created a series of shapes and crevices and holes that make this place very special.
We also took the time to wander along the beach head for quite a while as the sun was shining and the tide was low enough for us to explore the tidal pools at will. There is a huge log across one smaller section of water and I was the first to suggest that walking the log to the other side was a must do. Better yet, half way across I realized you could get the log to bounce up and down making the trek that much more difficult and therefore much more fun. The picture is of Anne trying to work her way back across without the bounce and she is concentrating fiercely to accomplish the feat. We also spent some time at the recreation site which has washrooms and several picnic tables in the area so you could have a great lunch in a particularly beautiful setting.
May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Bella Coola, Sightseeing Tours
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The trip over the mountains to Bella Coola is not as bad as I thought it might be, however, if you have someone with you who is nervous it can be a bit scary on some of the hairpin turns and switch backs. The grade is up to 17% at times and it is a long way - close to 22 kilometers of mostly downhill. Make sure you stay in a low gear to save wear and tear on the brakes as you’ll need them as you go down the hill.
On the upside, the scenery is awe inspiring and we simply had to stop at various points to take pictures. It’s a bit difficult to account for the scale of the mountains in pictures but if you frame a tree in the foreground it helps a lot. I was excited to take on this section of the highway as I’ve been on these types of roads before and wasn’t at all nervous about the heights or drop offs. I did take my time though and the frequent stops gave extra time to cool the brakes.
May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Clearwater, Car / Truck / Motorcycle
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I have enjoyed my stay at the Lodge immensely, my only regret being that I cannot stay longer. Bernward is right in that you should plan to stay at least three nights as there is so much to do and see in this area. It is surprising how much you slow down once you are here. The atmosphere is so relaxing and the ambiance of the lodge itself lends well to a slower pace. Whether you are out canoeing, heli-hiking or taking part in the many winter activities such as ski-doing, three days is barely enough time to see and do it all.
My personal favorites here at the lodge are: the food - which was totally amazing; the lake and views from the lodge are fantastic; the richness of the colors are so vibrant - the greens, the blues, and the heather grey of the mountains; the hospitality was genuine and warm - you can tell that Gisela and Bernward truly love their work; and, last but not least the larger cabin that overlooks the lake - I have to come back someday to experience that - a few nights there with some long walks and coffee on the deck in the morning would work for me. I'm making plans already.....
May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Clearwater, Sightseeing Tours
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Another option if you are headed down the Tatlayoko Valley is to take the right fork and drive into the Horn Lake and Buff Lake area. We stopped for a quick lunch that Gisela had made up for us at a wonderful little campground on the eastern shore of Horn Lake. This is a small campground but it lies right on the shores of the lake with a plenty of space between each of the campsites so there some level of privacy. It’s actually quite nice and I’ll recommend it to my Mom and Day who like to find out-of-the-way places to take their fifth wheel and camp for several days at a time. They would love this spot and the pooch could take a swim any time right from their camp site.
Next up we drove another fifteenish minutes to Buff Lake which is also gorgeous and past that we ended up at White Saddle Air Services which is located at the far end of the lake. This section of the road is a bit more difficult to get through but totally doable if you take your time. This is also the location where parts of Seven Years in Tibet was filmed starring Brad Pit. In one scene he climbs this huge section of rock wall and yes, you guessed it, we actually drive right by that section of the rock wall where this was filmed. In the movie it appears to be a massive cliff high off the valley, but in reality it is a rock wall about twenty feet high and Brad Pitt was never any more than about a foot off the ground at any time.