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February 3, 2010 | Tips from Travellers > Sechelt, Festivals & Events
Find more information about Sechelt, Festivals & Events
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There is a special place that we discovered in our travels in search of the perfect beach, challenging golf and great cuisine. That place is Roberts Creek, in the heart of the Sunshine Coast. Perfectly placed between Sechelt and Gibsons, this charming community has it all. There are bed and breakfasts galore, vacation homes, a hostel, and great camping.
When were were there on in mid August we were able to experience and participate in the silliest parade and the most interesting market with live entertainment all in the perfect setting of Roberts Creek beach and park.
It was an incredible day of continuous entertainment, great fast food, crafts, and just tons of local characters. We met a kayaker that had just kayaked from his home on Gabriola island and had come in to spend the late afternoon and evening before kayaying his way furnther up the coast to his eventual destination at Powell River.
We then went back to our vacation rental after picking up some suculent wild salmon fillets from the local fish monger and had a fabulous bbq. A truly spectacular day and wonderful evening. The sun shone the whole day making me the biggest believer in the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia.
January 25, 2010 | Tips from Travellers > Vancouver, Motorcycle Tours
Motorcycle ride: Vancouver as seen from the Cypress Mountain
point of interest. Zoom into city center and visit the 2010 Olympic
countdown clock, also see a cruise ship passing under the Lions Gate
Bridge. Then, a virtual motorcycle ride on the Sea to Sky Highway to
Porteau Cove Provincial Marine Park, British Columbia, Canada.
January 22, 2010 | Tips from Travellers > Courtenay, Wine Tours
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When I have friends visiting Vancouver Island, it's great to take them up the oceanside route on Hwy 19A to breath in the fresh sea air and quiet beach exploring on the way to Beaufort Vineyard & Estate Winery, which has a quiet location with great vistas of the Beaufort mountain range. We usually arrive in time to enjoy one of the vineyard picnic baskets or bring our own.
We partake in the complimentary offering of red and white wine selections and unusual blackberry / black current port in the wine tasting room and learn quite a bit about wine making from the Vintners: Susan and Jeff Vandermolen.
Afterwards, we take time to sit on the patio deck or side yard chairs listening to music while sipping their flavourful wines, chatting with other guests & enjoying the restful setting.
January 21, 2010 | Tips from Travellers > Burnaby, Bird Watching
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Burnaby Lake is a jewel, a quiet oasis in the heart of the city of Burnaby. The area is popular for outdoor enthusiasts looking for a quick “back to nature” moment, without the hassle of a long drive.
The paths along the lake are well marked and easily accessible. Strolling along the lake you can see a wide variety of birds. Herons, ducks, eagles and kingfishers are spotted regularly, and keep an eye out for the beaver dam and its occupants!
A bird viewing tower and several wooden promenades provide excellent photo opportunities, especially in the early morning when the sun is coming up over the lake. A seasonal nature house and interpretive display is open during summer weekends.
A loop around the entire lake is approximately 10km (6mi), or you can take a quick out-and-back stroll on one of the many trails. Don’t forget your camera!
January 21, 2010 | Tips from Travellers > Victoria, Gardens & City Parks
Find more information about Victoria, Gardens & City Parks
I went to Butchart gardens for the very first time and was amazed at how beautiful this place is. Awesome.
January 19, 2010 | Tips from Travellers > Rossland, Skiing (Downhill)
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Just had an unbelievable weekend at Red Mountain in Rossland. The weather on Saturday was spectacular and the snow was even better. Dropped the kids off at the ski school and managed to get 3 hours of uninterrupted and great skiing.
Took this picture on the top of Granite looking out over towards Old Glory! The trip up the mountain was worth it just for the view.
January 17, 2010 | Tips from Travellers > Wells, Canoeing
Find more information about Wells, Canoeing
Bowron Lake Provincial Park is a large wilderness area situated on the western slopes of the Cariboo Mountain Range in eastern British Columbia.
The world-renowned Bowron Lake Canoe Circuit encompasses a 116 km chain of lakes, waterways and connecting portages. The Park is a place of many moods, from bright sunshine and placid blue lakes to angry gray waters and torrential rains.
January 5, 2010 | Tips from Travellers > Whistler, Dining
Find more information about Whistler, Dining
I could eat here every day..thoughtful, well-rounded menu, well-prepared food, great service (ask for Kelly), reasonable prices, pleasant atmosphere...the open kitchen adds to the warmth and coziness. It is on the Village Stroll, just on the West side of the footbridge and the gazebo (see the map).
They offer an ample variety of pastas and pizzas as well as wood-fired rotisserie chicken, lamb and pork; the entree list has a couple steaks, and some other fish and seafood. The braised lamb shank special sounded tempting, and the calamari (served la plancha) came highly recommended. I chose the mussels in tomato coulis from the appetizers, along with chicken/cannellini bean soup...either with a salad would have made a great meal!
We ate several places we won't go back, but this is exactly the kind of place we were looking for - I don't need foie gras prepared six different ways as one place advertised - just take good food and don't mess it up...I eat food because I like it and it sustains me not because I am making a fashion statement for crying out loud! And I don't need to pay $200+ to do it...so there! Go eat at Caramba! and tell them the crazy people from Seattle sent you.
January 4, 2010 | Tips from Travellers > Nimpo Lake, Festivals & Events
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We had the pleasure of attending the New Year's Ice Party at Nimpo Lake this year and it was unbelievable! Apparently the last one was held 10 years ago during the Millennium year and it was intended to be an event every 10 years. However, organizers tell me it was so much fun, this just may become an annual event. People arrived in vehicles, on snowmobiles, ATV's or simply walked to the party spot.
Starting just after dark, the party was held on the ice of Nimpo Lake. A huge area was cleared on the ice, and numerous Christmas trees were subsequently plopped into the resulting snow banks surrounding the party area. The trees were decorated with Christmas lights that lit up the huge area. There were Swiss candles (six foot tall logs that burned like torches) ice candles (ice mold lit from within by a candle) and even tiki torches added their light to the four bonfires kept roaring by party goers.
Barbecues kept chili and hot dogs hot, while a turkey roaster did double duty as hot chocolate heater and a great punch slowly froze next to the ice bar. The ice bar. Now that was something to behold! The base was built of huge blocks of ice taken from the lake the day before and it was finished off with long slabs of ice about four inches thick, then coins were set into the ice. Lit from behind by red and green floodlights, it stood like an ethereal sculpture in the middle of the dance floor.
Oh yeah, there was music, along with other activities. A skating rink provided fun for the kids, while adults tried their hand at curling. But this was like no curling you've ever seen before! The rocks were made of blocks cut from a large Aspen tree that were smoothed and then a bent spike was hammered into the top and provided a handle, while the bottom of the 'rocks' had water poured over them so that they were smooth and sailed along the curling rink at a pretty good rate.
A grand show of fireworks was put on at 8:00, at 9:30, and a spectacular show again at midnight. This was a great way to welcome in the New Year and if the organizers do decide to do this next year, by all means, attend. I spoke to a lot of out of towners that came in just for this party and they all had a blast! Seeing the amazing Coastal Mountains in the moonlight beyond the gay Christmas lights was a sight to behold and you couldn't ask for a greater way to ring in 2010.
December 29, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Harrison Hot Springs, Spas And Wellness
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Boisterous Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort publicizes itself as an official venue for February's 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, but visitors seeking a calmer experience may find its "older sister" resort at Harrison village a nice alternative.
Sprawled on the shore of southwestern British Columbia's Harrison Lake, the hundred-year-old hotel and adjacent mineral baths was offering cocktails and spa treatments to bathrobed movie stars when the upstart ski municipality of Whistler, BC was still just a shack on a cattle path.
Historically, the scalding "St. Alice's Well" waters gushed into Harrison Lake at a torrential rate and carried huge quantities of dissolved, "healthful" minerals. It was a tempting scenerio for 1890s era speculators and bathers. Over time the "health spa" expanded to become more of a "pleasure resort." Liquor distributor Seagram assumed ownership in the mid-1950s, possibly due to the growing fame of The Copper Room. Prime ministers (Mackenzie King), presidents (John F. Kennedy), kings (King of Siam) and movie stars (Clark Gable) snuck away to Harrison's dine-and-dance room for time away from the limelight — sometimes mingling with surprised locals on the dance floor.
Nowadays, the resort is still part Hollywood supper club, part Tropicana spa and part rustic lodge. It remains —as one staffer told me— "A place where movie stars can feel like regular people; and regular people can feel like movie stars."
Fans of ski sports may rush to Whistler's mountains in 2010 for a piece of Olympic action, but for a quieter experience, I prefer to get chin-deep in a natural hot spring, sip a cocktail and share gossip about movie stars.
(Photo: St. Alice Hotel - circa 1890's)
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