October 14, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Squamish, Camping
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When I think Thanksgiving, I think turkey (or rather, tofurkey) not tents. Well, this weekend I learned that a lot of people think tents, RVs and warm campfires on the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend.
Our plan was to take our new/old ’88 Westfalia campervan on a maiden voyage over the long weekend. We had a few campsite requirements: within cellphone range of Vancouver in case something falls off the Westy; no crazy unpaved roads; campfire. Bonus points for electric plug-in so we could make smoothies in the morning (hey – I didn’t say this was rustic).
Alice Lake Provincial Park in Squamish sounded good to us. We rolled in around 6pm, and were blown away by the number of people who had the same idea, albeit with more functional vehicles. Our smoothie dream was crushed when we found all 55 electric plug-in campsites were already taken. Nonetheless, we were able to find a nice spot tucked in the trees.
All that was left to do was to sit around the crackling fire, cook dinner on our campstove, and eat what seemed like a zillion marshmallows (they were the mini-kind, which made for some eclectic roasting methods). It was a clear night, so we had a nice view of stars peeking between the silhouettes of tree branches above. In the morning, we checked out Alice Lake and watched a fellow camper take his dog paddleboarding.
Before we left, the campground operator told us that more than ¾ of the 108 Alice Lake campsites were full, and that ALL of the 60 campsites in nearby Porteau Cove Provincial Park had been full since the Wednesday before the long weekend. Wow! I had no idea so many people went camping and RVing for Thanksgiving.
Overall, I had a relaxing, bug-free, quiet camping trip at Alice Lake Provincial Park. I’d definitely consider camping as a future Thanksgiving activity. Now all I need to figure out is how to roast a tofurkey over an open campfire
October 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Cranbrook, Fishing
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One more wild B.C. trout caught on a wild fly fishing only river.
Gerry Frederick
October 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Cranbrook, Fishing
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I live here and fish these waters every year. After a better than normal season this past summer I wanted to share some images with everyone. These fish and the surrounding mountain vistas are all part of high country fishing in the Canadian Rockies near Cranbrook B.C.. The scenery may not change but the fishing only gets batter as time goes on. New fishing practices and basic common conservation efforts has insured continued great fishing for years to come. I hope you enjoy the photos.
Gerry Frederick
October 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Kamloops, Golf
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For all the times i have played Sun Rivers, never have i had the opportunity to witness all the Big Horn sheep. There must have been 40+ grazing and roaming thru the 9th hole as the video clip below will show.
What a site to see. But do not get too close!!!
October 08, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Vancouver, Surfing & Watersports
Windsurfing in Vancouver, British Columbia! When the wind picks up, Vancouver is a great place to hit the water for a sail or windsurf... and that is exactly what I did on a windy fall day at the end of September! I must admit there is nothing like strapping the board to your car roof rack, driving to Jericho Beach, and ripping across the Ocean waters of Burrard Inlet looking at the amazing views of Vancouver and the North Shore Mountains. Talk about having it all... and in a couple of months we will be skiing too! Beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia has it all!
Tip: If you don't have your own gear... no worries! Windsure Adventure Watersports by the Jericho Sailing Centre rents windsurfers or even a paddle boards!
October 07, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Tofino, Hiking
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My family decided that this year we wanted to stay for a few nights on Vargas Island, and rather than put it off, as we do so many camping trips, we managed to pack-up and find a boat ride to our destination beach for a wonderful camping trip.
The first thing that is important to remember if you are thinking about this adventure is to either:
1. Get to Tofino early (leaving Nanaimo at 7 AM or earlier) so that you have plenty of time for the boat ride out there
or
2. Find some accommodations in Tofino for the first night well in advance so that you are not stuck in the village with no where to stay (accommodations are famously booked in the summer months in Tofino
The second thing that I recommend for this trip is to line up a boat ride in advance (if you are not bringing your own marine transportation (I imagine kayaking would take at least 4 hours, but I'm not sure).
Next, I recommend doing a bit of planning about where you'd like to camp on Vargas Island. There are a ton of long sandy beaches on the island that you can see on Google Maps (satellite view). Apparently some of these beaches are private, so it may be best to stick to the provincial park area of the island (you can find a good map of the provincial park as well as other helpful information on BC Parks website).
Once you known where to go and have your marine transportation figured out, you're ready to go!
We decided to camp in the corner of Ahous Bay, which is one of the bigger, more protected sandy beaches on the island. We had a fantastic time, with exceptional weather. The biggest highlight for my kids was beachcombing (there are a ton of sand dollars, as well as many washed-up buoys and other flotsam).
We went despite the wolf warnings. According to the park officials, this was not a good idea, but we didn't know it at the time. Apparently there have been quite a few "close calls" with wolves and campers, and the prevailing thought is that the wolves are too habituated to humans and may be dangerous. After knowing this information, next time I'll definitely check around to see if there are wolf warnings before I go.
The ocean is not warm enough for a long swim, but you can certainly jump in and exhilarate in the feeling (our kids sure did).
Oh - and don't forget that it's important to arrange specific transportation for the way back. We are lucky in that we have our own boat (a small inflatable Zodiac), but I imagine folks have been stuck out there without a ride home now and again!
All in all, I would say that this is one of the easiest remote beach camping experiences that you can have in BC - you're close to Tofino (very civilized) yet feel completely isolated from the world on your own sandy beach heaven. Quite a trip.
October 06, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Rossland, Skiing & Snowboarding
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This contest looks too good to be true- and the video is the funniest thing I have ever seen! A whole winter of ski bumming with no work, no agenda- nothing. Just skiing in the Kootenay Rockies on the Powder Highway. I think the contest ends November 22, and the winner starts bumming in the new year. I should just quite my job and go for it. Check out the video for more information!!
October 06, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Vancouver, Festivals & Events
The Vancouver Biennale is a series art installations around the city and the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition partners up with the Bienalle on its official opening for the "bikenalle" which is a bike tour of the installations that allows you to view the art and also see a lot of Vancouver. I decided to hop on my bike and take the tour.
I thought it was a great way to ride the seawall that now goes almost all the way around downtown. I saw parts of the city that I hadn’t seen in years, the art was fantastic and I was reminded how beautiful and bike friendly Vancouver actually is.
October 02, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
North Vancouver, Hiking
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My vision of a casual trek in the woods seemed further and further away as I slogged behind my hiking buddies. The speed demon of the two (increasingly distant) figures up the steep slope had been enjoying a period of unemployment. Turns out that not working, while bad for the wallet, is great for developing thighs of steel on weekday hikes.
In between heaving for air and dodging rocks dislodged from the boys above, I took a second to look behind me and had one of those “I can’t believe I’m in BC” moments. I felt like I’d wandered into a Lord of the Rings flick, complete with misty clouds, thick conifers, freshly sprouting spring grasses, and jutting boulders.
In actuality, though, I was an area called Hanes Valley beyond Grouse Mountain. It’s an interesting, challenging and rewarding hike that takes you from well-travelled trails to complete wilderness in the space of a few hours. The full day hike ends at the peak of Grouse, which means we finished our day in the woods with lumberjacks, poutine and a blissfully effortless tram ride back down to the city.