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October 8, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Vancouver, Wind-Surfing
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 7, 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 6, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Rossland, Skiing (Downhill)
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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 6, 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 3, 2009 | Field Reports > Nanaimo, Kayaking (Ocean)
The third and final day was an amazing end to a great weekend. Breakfast was gourmet-goodness which has been par for the weekend. The rock formations along De Courcy Island rocked my world. Check out all the cool patterns, caves, and bulges in these rocks. It's so cool!
Then if you needed more convincing of how amazing this trip has been, hear testimonials from other adventurers!
October 2, 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.
October 1, 2009 | Field Reports > Nanaimo, Kayaking (Ocean)
This is the second day of the Edible BC Gourmet Kayaking Adventure. The day started with the best breakfast I've ever eaten - yummy and hearty! It gave us the fuel to paddle over to Valdes Island to the "Cliffs of Insanity." The incredible texture and shapes of these cliffs were otherwordly.
We ate a delicious gourmet lunch at Blackberry Point before heading back to camp. Luckily we beat the rain!
And again- worked up an appetite for a delicious meal of duck! YUM!
September 29, 2009 | Tips from Us > Vancouver, Hiking
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Most people hike the
Baden Powell trail in sections, though there are some hardcore runners who do it in a day during the infamous Knee Knackering North Shore Trail Run. Me? I fall somewhere in the middle and set out to tackle it in a weekend.
The trail is 48km long and runs from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove. Three unique aspects of this trail are:
1. It’s accessible by public transit at either end, as well as in a few points in the middle.
2. It’s more of a traverse that a summit, so when you look at the skyline from Vancouver you’re likely to be looking at a section you completed.
3. If you live near Vancouver, you can go home to make dinner and sleep in your own bed in between days – awesome!
Baden Powell Trip ReportDay 1: Horseshoe Bay to Cleveland Dam, 10 hours (we took it slow and there was loads of snow)
Transport: 257 bus (Horseshoe Bay express) to trailhead at Eagle Ridge; 236 and 240 buses from Cleveland Dam back to Vancouver
Highlights:
- Seeing a deer 10 minutes into the hike
- Having the trail to ourselves for hours at a time, with no one around except for friendly ravens and whiskey-jacks
- Incredible view from Eagle Bluffs (the pic shown is proof)
- Neat old cabins in Cypress Provincial Park
Day 2: Grouse Mountain to Deep Cove (7 hours)
Transport: 240 and 232 buses to Grouse Mountain, nice friend-with-car from Deep Cove back to Vancouver (but buses would have been possible, too)
Highlights:
- Watching mountain bikers hop and balance (with hooting and hollering) their chunky bikes on the trails
- More people meant lots of friendly trail dogs giving slobbery hellos
- Seeing wiry runners training for the Knee Knacker run
- Interesting section from Lynn Canyon towards Deep Cove – never been here and was cool to check it out. Boardwalks, a mini-Grouse Grind, and beautiful forests.
Would I do the whole thing again? Heck yes. It’s a great trail that passes through forests, bluffs and wetlands – and it’s practically in my backyard. Highly recommended.
September 27, 2009 | Field Reports > Nanaimo, Kayaking (Ocean)
This is culinary tourism at it's best!
Imagine...a weekend of exploring the gulf islands by kayak while every meal is expertly prepared by a gourmet chef using local organic ingredients. Yum!
This was Day 1 of our weekend adventure. We launched from Cedar near Nanaimo and kayaked to Pirate's Cove - we got up close and personal with seals and inter-tidal marine life. Passing between sandstone walls and following the shore brought us to camp where we ate the first delicious meal.
To work up an appetite, we hiked around the island and heard mystical tales of The Cult of Brother 12 and hidden treasure.
Dinner was in the dark - but the taste was clear - another fantastic meal!
Check out the video highlights and don't miss day 2 & 3, too!
September 22, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Nelson, Mountain Biking
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We spent the day with mountain bike racer Trent Zoobkoff from Nelson BC on one of his favorite trails called 'Powerslave.' Nelson has the most amazing scenery and some of the best single track mountain bike trails world wide. Thanks to Trent for taking us out and sharing one of his favorite spots with us.
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