Across the road from the entrance to Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park, which is on Egmont Road, you will find the Egmont Heritage Centre.  It’s a small museum with artefacts from Egmont’s pioneer and 20th century past. What’s refreshing about the museum is that it’s not so fancy that you can’t get up close to things.  For kids, they can play with old phones — dialling is a novel activity.   A lot of Egmont’s history is connected to Portuguese Joe, also known as Joe Silvey.  His rather busy life — which included whaling in the Azores, two wives, many children […]

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Fernie is for Families and for Friends. It’s for Fans of skiing and riding, for Free-stylers and Fast downhillers, for Fresh tracks throughout the day and for Fine dining and Fun in the evenings. Before you come, make sure you book accommodation, before you leave this winter you should: Take the new chair to the top of Polar Peak and experience Fernie’s epic powder for even longer vertical than before! Drive out to Island Lake Lodge and discover some of best snowshoeing in BC. Get up before the rest with a first tracks package and make the freshest lines while […]

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A small mountain town known for its mining heritage, nestled between majestic Rocky Mountain peaks? Yes. Epic skiing and snowboarding all winter long? Yes. A dozen lakes and rivers to swim, boat, raft, fish, and float on in the summer? Yes. Dozens of trails to hike and bike from dawn ’til dusk? Yes. Nightlife that rivals the best night out in any Canadian city? Yes. Welcome to Fernie. I’m not from around these parts, not by a long shot. Coming from Vancouver and having lived in international cities, I was skeptical of the list I just mentioned. But having spent […]

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Roberts Creek is smaller than you might think, but if you are running up and down the Sunshine Coast Highway, make sure to head toward the water along Roberts Creek Road. The key reasons are: 1. The Shops are quite quaint as is the architecture.  There’s a lost Hippy feeling to it that is unique. The stores include a General Store and a children’s clothing shop. 2.  The Beach.  At the end of Roberts Creek Road is a tiny parking lot (brace yourself for disappointment at finding a spot on a sunny day) where you can park and walk down […]

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For those of you who really love nature and natural places there is a ideal location to visit only minutes out of downtown Vancouver, and it isn’t Stanley Park.  Just over the Lion’s Gate Bridge and a bit west is Lighthouse Park; a place where the old trees still stand tall.  Lighthouse Park isn’t very large but it is packed with interest for nature lovers and people who love the great outdoors. Trip Advice: If the day is sunny and nice try the bus (Route 250, goes over the Lion’s Gate Bridge which is a thrill on its own), as […]

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Cliff Gilker Park is the easiest of three walks we did on our Sunshine Coast vacation.  The problem for us was a three-year-old.  He was keen to walk his little legs off, but with roots and ups an downs, we were worried. Before I get too far into the details, Cliff Gilker Park, is at 3110 Sunshine Coast Highway near the Roberts Creek Road intersection.  The access to the park is on the east side of Hwy 101.  We took the upper parking lot.  At the same location were swings, a baseball diamond and well kept bathrooms. The key reason […]

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Considering the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia is actually part of the BC mainland, it’s odd that you need to take a 40 minute ferry ride to get there.  BC Ferries provides the same sort of ships from Horseshoe Bay that they do when you sail to Victoria or Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.   You arrive in Langdale and then you drive the Sunshine Coast Highway (a.k.a. Highway 101) to your destination.  When driving this highway, keep in mind that it’s all two-lane undivided roadway, which isn’t what a lot of us consider a highway.  There are a lot of […]

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I recently had the pleasure of taking a trip on Via Rail from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to Vancouver, British Columbia.  Via has some amazing deals available this year, offering fares that are 70% off the regular price.  The train fare was less than it would have cost to make the trip on the Greyhound bus! After a visit with family in Saskatchewan, my daughter and I greatly enjoyed the train trip home to Vancouver.  The train we took was Via Rail’s flagship Western Transcontinental, the Canadian.  It travels from Toronto to Vancouver and Vancouver to Toronto three times each week.  The […]

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The editors of this website asked local businesses for the essential recommendations for Williams Lake. We asked them: “If you imagine that someone has come to you and they are on a totally tight time line, and asked you these questions, what would you tell them?” 1. Where should I eat that I should not miss in Williams Lake? Answer: Carmens Restaurant, Chicken Parmigiana with fettucini alfredo, located on Lakeview Crescent in the Overlander Hotel A quick healthy over the counter meal at Bean Counter on 3rd Ave., attached to the library. Red Dog Pub – very good pub food, […]

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Victoria, British Columbia, is a wonderful place to visit because it boasts the mildest climate in Canada.  Therefore, visitors can enjoy many different outdoor attractions and shopping opportunities.  One of my favourites is checking out the public markets.  There are several different markets open between the months of April and October. Public markets are appealing because they offer a wide range of different items, sold directly by the artisan or grower, which makes it much more personal.  Markets may sell a variety of local produce, meat, seafood, cheese, bread, bakery items, along with artwork, handicrafts and jewellery.  Even when I […]

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