May 07, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Nimpo Lake, Sightseeing Tours
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By now the ice is already off Nimpo Lake in the West Chilcotin but when I was out there in February everyone was still using the ICE ROAD. So of course I had to check it out as well. The Ice Road is plowed out by volunteers to connect the different properties on Nimpo Lake. Driving across the Lake might save you half an hour or even more compared to driving around the Lake in the summer. Too much fun, I really liked it. Will have to do it again next winter!
May 04, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Squamish, Surfing & Watersports
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I went camping in Squamish this weekend, and on the way back to Vancouver we made a slight detour to watch kiteboarders at the Spit.
The Spit is a long, narrow gravel road (actually a breakwater) that juts out into the mouth of the Squamish River. Getting to the Spit is relatively easy; the roads are well marked until the last crucial couple of turns. With a little perseverance, we found our way and gently eased our rental car along the dusty gravel road.
The backdrop at the Spit was spectacular, with a fantastic view of the Stawamus Chief and Shannon Falls behind the brightly coloured, looping kites. There were about a half dozen kiteboarders on the water, with another half dozen on land preparing to go out.
It’s amazing how much speed kiteboarders pick up as the glide across the water – and how much height they get in the air. Some of them must have been 20 feet above our heads. They seemed to like to do all their fancy jumps and tricks right near the spectators on the Spit.
I’m sure they were making it look a lot easier than it actually was… although we did see one pair of kiteboarders doing the “walk of shame” after being caught downwind. They were forced to gingerly step (barefoot) along the long gravel road back towards the launch site.
We spent half an hour being entertained by kiteboarders. Next time, we’ll bring chairs and extra layers of clothing – even though we weren’t actually in the cold water, it was still chilly just watching due to the blustery winds. On a warm summer day, this would be a unique place to snack on a picnic lunch in the afternoon.
May 04, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Ucluelet, Hiking
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I spent an afternoon walking along Lighthouse Loop, a portion of Ucluelet’s Wild Pacific Trail that clings to the rim of the shoreline before weaving along boardwalks in the forest.
If you walk this trail, bring a pair of binoculars to watch the boats and birds in the distance. On my trip, a bald eagle was perched on a jagged, black rock near the surf, calmly dodging dive-bombing seagulls.
The shoreline trees on this trail have survived so many wild ocean storms that they are permanently sculpted, giving the illusion they’re being blown by the wind even when the air is calm.
As expected, part of Lighthouse Loop includes a lighthouse; Amphitrite Lighthouse and the surrounding tangle of rocks, tidepools and surge channels were fun to explore during low tide.
The loop takes less than an hour to complete. On the drive back to our campsite, we spotted a doe and two fawns nimbly stepping into the bushes next to the road. Always have your camera handy on the west coast – you never know when nature will decide to wander past your car window.
May 04, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Squamish, Camping
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The sun was shining and we were in the mood for a Friday night camping getaway. Since this was the first camping trip of the season, we were looking for a place that was quiet, was easy to get to from Vancouver, and had basic amenities (water, flush toilets, firewood).
Paradise Valley Campground in Squamish fit the bill.
When we signed in at the campground, we met the hosts and picked up firewood ($5 for all you can carry) before heading to our site. The campground was clean and well maintained, and came with a resident hummingbird that buzzed around at dusk and dawn.
An unexpected camping highlight was rock-painting... the hosts will set you up with paints and brushes (free) and then let you unleash your inner Van Gogh on any rocks that you can fit in your hand. The result was colourful rocks tucked into corners of all the campsites (my own masterpieces are pictured above). Kids would love this! I’m proof that grown-ups find it pretty fun, too.
The next morning we hiked the short but straight-up trail to Brohm Lake from the campground. We couldn’t find the trail that went down to the lake (just a viewpoint of the lake), but it was a good way to stretch our legs and get out in the woods. Along the way, we saw more dogs (4) than people (2). The “boulder caves” were pretty neat, and are located at the beginning of the trail for campers who are too full of s’mores to hike the whole thing.
A few mosquito bites later, we headed back to the city in time to watch the Canucks game at home. If you’re looking for an easy, early season camping trip, I’d recommend Paradise Valley in Squamish.
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 Travellers >
North Vancouver, Bird Watching
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I know this type of bird as a whiskey-jack, but it goes by a long list of other names: Gray Jay (its official name), Canada Jay (its past official name), meat-bird, and camp-robber (the last two are due to its cheekiness and appetite).
Whiskey-jacks are curious and bold. Many like to supplement their natural diet (insects, berries, mushrooms, carrion or small animals) with people food (trail mix and sandwiches).
On a recent snowshoe trip at Mount Seymour, this particular whiskey jack zipped over as soon as we stopped to admire the view. My only offering was a sad, old apple I found at the bottom of my backpack. You can almost see the confusion on the bird’s face – “What the heck am I supposed to do with this?!”
My favourite whiskey-jack feature – aside from the fact that they’re pretty darn cute, especially when you get a photo of one sitting on your head – is how they store their food. They have large salivary glands and use them to coat their meal in bird-spit, and then hide these saliva-laden packages in the trees. This food storage technique helps them survive winter in snowy forests.
So, next time you’re in the mountains and stop to take a breather, look around. You may gain a feathery lunchtime buddy if you’re willing to part with a little bit of trail mix
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.
May 01, 2009 | Tips from Us >
Sidney, Breweries, Distilleries & Cideries
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Just a short detour off the Lochside Bike Trail, which runs the length of the Saanich Peninsula between Victoria and the Swartz Bay Ferry terminal, cyclists can find a sweet break from the pedals. Sea Cider Farm and Ciderhouse is located about 12km from the Swartz Bay, on the opposite side of the #17 (Pat Bay) Highway from the cycling route.
I stopped at the Ciderhouse last week on a weekend cycle for a sampling of their hard apple ciders, ranging from dry to dessert sweet. My favourite was the Kings & Spies, a light sparkling dry cider with a touch of sweet.