May 12, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Bella Coola, Bear Watching
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We saw a little black bear along side of the highway on our way into Bella Coola, right after existing Tweedsmuir Park after out decent of the Bill Hill on Highway 20. It was pretty neat to see such a newborn cub, but we made sure to keep our distance, as mama bear was probably pretty nearby!
May 12, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Bella Coola, Attractions
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We made it out to the inlet at Bella Coola, which is one of three destination access points to the Pacific in BC. What a cool little place! We spent some time exploring the ocean front, hopping from log to log, photographing the port and walking along the shore. It was pretty quintessential BC traveling experience: the ocean, snow capped mountains and lush green valleys!
May 12, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Bella Coola, Historic & Heritage Sites
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To see some wonderfully preserved First Nation's petroglyphs, Bella Coola has a short guided hike or walk available to see a number of examples. Only a 1/2 hour walk to reach the site, this hike is enjoyable and the end result is fantastic.
I, unfortunately, was only able to do this hike with a private group, but there are guided hikes offered throughout the summer, starting mid-June by a Nuxalk Nation member. I would imaging the interpretation during the hike would add great value to the hike, and I myself would love to go back to get the full details on the site.
May 12, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Bella Coola, Attractions
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A great little stop in Bella Coola is Clayton Falls. From someone who has spent a lot of time visiting pretty significant waterfalls, Clayton Falls are pretty unique as the water has smoothed the rock it flows over into interesting formations. Good photo stop!
Really easy to get to right at the end of the highway. There is a nice little recreation park with some benches and picnic tables close by as well. Wonderful views into the inlet and back onto the wharf.
May 12, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Williams Lake, Guest Ranches & Horseback Riding
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We took a short horsemanship lesson at Chezacut, which turned out to be probably one of my favorite moments of the trip. Dominique, the owner, taught us how to become more in tune with a horse, demonstrating how to get the horse to move forwards and backwards, sidestep and around in a circle. The lesson culminated with all the members of our group managing to load our respective horse into a horse trailer.
I had never experienced something like this before. It was a level of connection and higher learning I've never had working with horses or going on typical trail rides (which I've done plenty of!). Dominique was great too, not letting us back down from the challenge of working with the horses. And to top it off, beautiful scenery!
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!