MyWestworld

The Kootenays: Eight Reasons to Head to Fernie This Weekend

by Dave Quinn As I write this it is early March – and the hot sun streams in my window, made hotter by reflections off the meltwater puddles on the street in front of my house. The first flowers of the year are coming out on the warm hillsides in the valley below. This is not your [...]

The A-trains: 10 Dreamy Rail Vacations to Stoke Your Boiler

• Amtra • The U.S. is known for its national parks, and this 14-day pioneer-themed rail journey explores five of the most scenic: Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Arches and Canyonlands.

Sled Dog Races a Mushing Success

A beautiful Kootenay weekend brought out more than 2,500 onlookers to take in the action at this year’s Bootleg Gap Sled Dog Races in Kimberley. “We had three less competitors than last year,” explains a grinning event volunteer John Boucher, “but at least two of those were in Whistler doing Olympic duties, so we can’t complain.”

Top 5 B.C. Golf Trends This Summer

Sustainability hasn't exactly been a buzzword in the golf industry, and indeed there are more than a few golfers who like the idea that their footprint is bigger than yours. But change is in the air. Especially in the U.S., there's a new mantra, currently being promoted by USGA president Jim Hyler: "Brown is the new green."

Saving the Island’s Courtenay Estuary Through Informed Recreation

The Courtenay River estuary is an ecosystem under siege – hence the formation of the Estuary Working Group back in 2008 to bring together environmental groups, individuals and government to safeguard this biologically diverse heart of the Comox Valley.

HIVE 3

HIVE has got to be one of the strangest, most invigorating, chaotic experiments in the history of Vancouver’s live theatre scene. And beginning March 11, the HIVE will buzz again with 12 site-inspired, installation-based performance pieces from Vancouver’s coolest theatre companies.

The Kootenays’ Whitewater: Up in Cold Smoke

Nelson's backcountry Cold Smoke Powderfest comes as B.C.'s Whitewater contemplates future ideas for expansion, including plans to expand into critical habitat for the south Selkirk endangered mountain caribou herd.

Vancouver Island: Return of the Martin Mars Bombers

Thirty years from now, I may not be able to tell you who won the Norway-Slovakia game at the 2010 Games, or what colour Jill Barber’s furry winter hat was when she sang at the Richmond O-Zone, but I will never forget the throaty growl of the Mars bomber’s four 2500-horsepower, Wright Cyclone engines as the plane drew a curtain of water that momentarily blotted out the sky.

Remember: They Are Not Your Friends – And You Are on Duty

“A smile denotes warmth, openness and friendliness. Smile gently and with sincerity. But be careful not to overdo it. False . . . and never-ending smiles can invite suspicion.” Instructions from Reverend Sun Myung Moon? . . .

An Educated Sip: Victoria’s Top Tea House

The art of bellying up to the bar takes on new meaning at the Silk Road Aromatherapy and Tea Company in Victoria’s Chinatown. Co-owners Daniela Cubelic and Nancy Larose are offering not only 100-plus leafy imported blends, a dazzling collection of tea accoutrements and green-tea spa facials, but also an in-depth education at the world’s only linger-and-learn tea bar.

Top 5 Examples of Olympiad “But Is It Art” Art?

One of the pleasant surprises stemming from Vancouver’s Olympics has been the aesthetic sophistication. Things didn’t look promising back in Torino in 2006, given the contrast between the Italians’ amazing . . .

Pacific Northwest: Keep the B-Train?

Amtrak passenger trains have been running between Vancouver and Seattle since 1995, offering a scenic roll across the border. But it is only in the past six months that the service has become truly practical for British Columbians looking for a daytrip or weekend in Space Needle Town.

North Shore: Best Vancouver View

The new "View Pod" energy tower is perched on Grouse’s highest point, 1,295 metres above sea level. Access is via the Skyride aerial tramway, the Peak chairlift and the world’s first wind-turbine crow’s-nest elevator, from which thrill-seekers squeeze onto the sky-high platform to appreciate the view.

Fraser Valley Roadtrip: Daffy Dally

Founded in 1905 by Charles Maclure to house workers at his brick works, the Fraser Valley's village of Clayburn has maintained its historic centre: a dozen old homes, a heritage school and church and a wonderful two-storey brick general store. Inside, the renovated building serves two purposes. On the right it houses an old-fashioned candy store and Yorkshire deli (Melton Mowbray pies, shortbread, cheeses and treacle puddings); those with a sweet tooth will be in heaven. The other half is an English tearoom with scrumptious sweets; its snow-crab soup and homemade scones are famous.

Bowen Island: One Man’s Eco-Quest

How I built an eco-shed, ditched my SUV, alienated the in-laws and changed my life forever My name is James, and I drive an SUV. It is a golden-pearl Premium Edition Lexus rx-300, with all-leather interior, genuine walnut wood dash, seven-speaker Nakamichi sound system, seat heaters, moon roof and sport racks. It is a high-riding icon of luxury, a mobile conspicuous-consumption statement, a prosperity public-address system – the sort of vehicle that valets named Chip park in front of five-star Indian fusion restaurants. Let me be clear, though, that the rx-300 is not an indication of my hard-won success as a writer. It’s a hand- me-down from my father-in-law, who offered it to my wife, Elle, and me as a gift just as our 1994 Volvo station wagon threatened to die with our two tired babies in the backseat some night on a lonely New Mexico byway well beyond the fringes of Sprint-Verizon’s digital safety net.

Stikine: The Great River

Stikine River Country is raw wilderness. Its headwaters region, the wildlife-rich Spatsizi Plateau, is North America’s equivalent to Africa’s Serengeti Plain. In its mid-region, the mighty river continues to deepen the spectacular 100-km-long Grand Canyon, which has only once permitted the passage of humans. The Stikine’s estuary, with its broad-fanned delta of layered silt, is a vital and irreplaceable migratory bird stopover along the Pacific flyway.

Vancouver Island: Travels with Taste

Fast forward almost a decade and McAree is head of Travel with Taste, B.C.’s first culinary tour operator – leading locals and international travellers into the West Coast food culture of Vancouver Island. Her specialties: walking tours in her home city of Victoria (“urban foraging,” as she calls it) and longer treks to the farms, wineries and under-the-radar restaurants of Salt Spring Island and the Cowichan Valley.

Salt Spring: A Gulf Island Getaway

FOOD & WINE Founded by liberated slaves and later favoured by hippies, today Salt Spring is the first Gulf Island that comes to mind when ex-Toronto power brokers think “retirement cheese making” by Daniel Wood As it turns out, this moment contains everything that follows. Three round mounds of goat cheese, each originally the size and shape [...]

De Courcy Getaway: My Paddle, My Pie Lifter

Accounts of the cult’s seven island years are rife with references to black magic, sex slaves and “brutal” labour. I consider this local colour a cautionary tale about putting one’s faith entirely in the hands of another. Convinced by a recent convert (a foodie friend) as to the integrity of Blue Planet adventures, I remain eager to experience first-hand a nirvana where the Three Truths are active relaxation, fine wine and good food, all locally sourced. And all I’ve had to do so far is sign the relevant papers, pack my bags and hitch a ferry.

Fraser Valley Foodie Tours – with a Conscience

FarmFolk/CityFolk projects aimed at increasing consumption of local foods include “Meet Your Maker,” which brings together farmers, buyers and distributors so they can create networks. In summer, the organization also conducts farm tours – day trips to local farms. Now entering their fifth year, FarmFolk/CityFolk’s Incredible Edible tours are an opportunity for culinary education on everything from heirloom poultry to environmental sustainability.

Mexico’s Copper Canyon Express

Near Creel, the train stops. Alongside, Tarahumara women quietly display their intricate baskets woven from grasses or foot-long pine needles. This is not the Mexican bargaining we’re used to. Silent babies, wrapped in bright cocoons, cling to hot-pink sweaters and orange shawls.

Australia: Riding the Ghan

On my journey south from Darwin, egrets rise from billabongs and wild buffalo flee the rumble of the Ghan’s approach as the kilometre-long train rockets along at 110 km/h. With welded-steel rails, there’s no clickety-clack. Dirt tracks lead away into eucalyptus forests and thousands of massive, stalagmite-like termite mounds draw gawking Ghan passengers to the windows. This is the land of “Waltzing Matilda,” . . .

World’s Top 25 Rail Journeys (2009)

The U.S.-based Society of International Railway Travellers bases its annual awards on the experiences of its members, writers, editors and staff. Trains chosen must meet “stringent standards for service, accommodation, scenery, itinerary, off-train experiences and passenger enjoyment.” New to the Top-25 list as of 2009 are two routes in Norway and the British Pullman, which completes the British leg of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express journeys between Paris and London. However, due to the recent economic downturn, gone are the GrandLuxe Express and Sierra Madre Express, which ran in Mexico's Copper Canyon.

Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer: The Rockies Under Glass

During a trip aboard the transcontinental in 1886, the wife of Canada’s first prime minister insisted on riding atop the train’s front bumper. The engineer played along, but he must have been sweating bullets. The first lady had chosen the steepest section of track to be out on the cowcatcher – the drop between Hector and Field known as the Big Hill.

The Trans-Siberian Railway: From Moscow to Mongolia to Beijing

Large crates, boxes and bags consumed most of the space in the four-berth carriages. I noticed this cargo on the platform in Moscow, but assumed it would make its way to a freight car. I failed to realize, then, that the Mongolian passengers that boarded with it would be the floorshow for most of the trip. At every stop they jumped from the train, wearing new leather coats, mitts, jackets, hats, boots and carrying another dozen of the same. Residents of the small communities waited, money in hand. As soon as the traders disembarked, the haggling started.

South Africa’s Blue Train

Erik, my butler, is escorting me to my room with the kind of understated grace found in noble families. He stashes my bags; explains the intricacies of the electronically controlled window blinds, the telephone and the television (which can be used to watch in-house movies or documentaries about the areas the train traverses), and shows me where to place my shoes for polishing and my clothes for ironing. And, oh, yes, if I want anything, anything at all, I have only to ring.

New Westminster’s Build-a-Boat Program

The Fraser River Discovery Centre’s Build-a-Boat program (February 6 to May 15) offers the chance to help construct a 12-foot, flat-bottomed, wooden dinghy called a Fraser River skiff, with volunteer coaches from the Vancouver Wooden Boat Society (FRDC) assisting aspiring mariners.

Sustainable Travel? The Return of the Train’s Glory Days

It’s not that there isn’t hope for air travel. While fuel prices soar into the stratosphere, both government and corporate researchers are searching for cheap, alternative fuel sources for airplanes. But so far the prize has been elusive. Jet engines require a potent kerosene-like fuel that can withstand high altitudes and low temperatures, and engineers are now examining ways to power aircraft with hydrogen. Meanwhile, to my way of thinking, rail has the upper hand.

Interview: Parlaympic Sledger Greg Westlake

In Sweden, in the 1960s, a group of paraplegic hockey fans decided they weren’t ready to hang up their skates, so they sat on them — and the sport of sledge hockey was born. Players in this fast, hard-hitting, low-to-the-ice game sit on metal frame sleds, which are in turn mounted atop two hockey skate blades. The athletes hold mini hockey sticks in each hand, using the metal-tipped, butt-end of the shafts to propel themselves across the ice. Surprisingly, Canada has been late in achieving dominance in this sport. Paralympic gold did not come our way until Torino in 2006 . . .

24 Hours: Shanghai

From May to October 2010, China’s biggest, busiest and flashiest city is hosting what promises to be the biggest, busiest and flashiest World’s Fair ever. The only problem may be determining which neighbourhood crowded with pedestrian throngs and architectural marvels is the fair site and which is just Shanghai. Pudong, for example, an area of town conceived in the 1990s, rivals anything the fair’s designers have come up with. And that’s saying something . . .

Swallow Tail Tours: B.C. Foodie Treks with a Twist

The getting there may require a certain amount of huff and puff (tours can be up to five days long), but at some point during each day comes the goal, and the reward – an amazing multi-course meal made from fresh, regional B.C. ingredients matched to the best B.C. wines. Like the participants on her tours, Kort cares that the food she eats is nourishing for the body and sustainable for the planet.

Vancouver to Seattle: The Amtrak Special

Ammtrak's two-train schedule is the only way to provide a schedule that's amicable for both southbound and northbound travellers – at least those who want to spend a night in either city and have some fun.

Vancouver Island’s Fab 4 “Wild Edibles” Escapes

Washed up, dried out and covered in sand, seaweed looks and smells anything but edible, or nutritious. That’s why Diane Bernard, a.k.a. the Seaweed Lady, leads her Wild Seaweed Tours past “the compost pile” and into the “living ocean garden” of the tidal flats off Whiffin Spit. “We look at, learn about, eat, wear and play with about 12 to 15 different types of seaweed,” says Bernard. “And I give lots of ideas on how to cook and enjoy all of them.”

Okanagan Daytripper: A Wine Country Cycle

FOOD & WINE The Okanagan’s Kettle Valley Railway Trail is where mountain bike forks meet VQA corks by Chad Hershler Kurt Flaman isn’t happy. We just started biking and already we’ve run into a pickup truck. B.C.’s Kettle Valley Rail Trail, the old Kettle Valley Railway converted into a hiking and biking route that stretches 455 kilometres from [...]

4 of the World’s Top 25 Rail Journeys

I stand, gazing out the window, elbow-deep in dishwater. Through bare trees, a comforting echo rises from the valley. Every time I heat that whistle, and the clatter of wheels on rails, I start to sway to the rhythm of the train song. Ch-chunk ch-chunk, ch-chunk ch-chunk . . . A few months ago, I travelled with my husband 9,000 km across two continents, three countries and five time zones on the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Cortes Island Daytripper: Shuck It Up

To this Kamloops kid, albeit one who relocated to the coast 10 years ago, oysters, particularly raw ones, seem as foreign as coconuts to the Inuit. So I approach the oyster altar tentatively and, without overcontemplating the slime factor, slurp back a loonie-sized specimen. It’s mild, accompanied by nothing but a tart squeeze of lime that almost brings tears to the eye.

A Fraser Valley Culinary Weekender

In recent years, Harrison and Agassiz in particular have ramped up the local culinary scene with a slew of community events. August’s Circle Farm Tour, for example, now entering its seventh year, is slated to host 2,000-plus slow-food lovers eager to nibble and nosh . . . and word of Farm House Natural Cheeses has even spread all the way to the White House.

Gone Newfie

The Rock boasts more culture than most visitors can absorb — unless they are embedded by James Glave “If you’re extra lucky, you’ll get yourselves invited to a kitchen party,” Terri Shea told Elle and me in the days leading up to our Newfoundland vacation. “Friends and neighbours get together and play instruments and sing and tell [...]

Washington’s Newest Museum Sports Flyable World War II Bomber

Top 10 B.C. Foodie Treks

No matter where one travels in B.C., there’s food in the forest. But determining the difference between delicious and deadly — be it mushroom, moss or seaweed — can be scarier than skydiving, which is where B.C.’s foodies of the wild come in. Ardent supporters of dining locally, but for free, these pros have grub-gathering neophytes turning stinging nettle into sweet tea and seaweed into trail snacks within hours . . .

How Is Victoria Celebrating the Olympics?

While Vancouver and Whistler are jumping with frenzied Olympic activity, what are the citizens of Victoria doing? Apparently, taking it easy with a nice cup of tea. As a matter of fact, British Columbia’s capital city has decided to market itself as a nearby refuge from the mayhem of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games with a campaign called “Calm on over to Vancouver Island.”

Vancouver Island’s Comox Valley: A Mountain Biker’s Dream

Of course, as with most things involving government, the Provincial Trails Strategy is bureaucratic and a kind of anathema to the anarchic spirit of the sport. But it’s also a progressive attempt to better harness the tourism potential of mountain biking.

Five Top Things Not To Do When Visiting Vancouver

A protocol guide just issued by the City of Vancouver has people from all over mocking my town. Well, let’s just see how brightly our 2010 Winter Olympics shine compared to those of other cities, where residents didn’t know to match their trousers and socks. . .

Vancouver: Not Your Usual School of Fish

WORDS TO CHEW ON Kambolis, the owner of three top-rated Vancouver restaurants (C restaurant, Raincity Grill, and nu restaurant + lounge), and Ronalds, Kambolis's business associate in the Contemporary Ocean Products line of sustainable food items, have just flown back from the international SeaFood Summit, held this February in the "City of Lights.

The Yukon Quest: Interview + Video

I'd read Adam Killick's book Racing the White Silence and became interested in the race. Even before then though, all the Jack London and Farley Mowat stories I'd read growing up put the bug in me to find an excuse to go up north. Then I got an assignment with the newspaper 24Hours to cover the race, and ended up covering the Inuit Games, as well. But spending some time out on the trails with Frank Turner's kennel was a real highlight. Watching from the sidelines had its moments, but it's hard to beat getting out onto the trail.

Monster Mush: Celebrating 2010’s 1,635-Km Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race

The Quest racers – both human and canine – are doubtlessly losing weight. I can’t even imagine the toll the physical effort must be taking as they tackle Eagle Summit. The 1,100-metre peak is infamous for wind-scoured conditions and a particularly steep climb followed by an even steeper drop, a place more than any other – on a course filled with open water, overflows (water running over river ice), glare ice and side hills – where mushers and dogs are in danger. As a CBC correspondent quoted one race official as saying, “It’s where dreams are lost and promises to God made.”

Vancouver Island’s Mount Cain: The Soul of Skiing

Somewhere in the primordial recesses of a skier's mind is the memory of a ramshackle operation where the lifts barely limp from one day to the next. There are no double de-caf lattes whipped up by young baristas with Australian accents; instead, hearty bowls of chile con carne are served by a swarthy woman in a white apron who looks like she fells old-growth Douglas firs in her spare time. In other words: this place hasn’t been branded into some generic, four-season destination of over-inflated real estate with slick high-speed lifts whisking skiers to the top of runs as manicured as pressed corduroy slacks. And believe it or not, it exists.

Vancouver: Low-Car Diet Gets a Boost

"In fact, it was the cost-breakdown of car ownership on the AutoObesity website that eventually convinced me to give up my car altogether and start biking and taking transit. The average car costs between $8,000 and $10,000 per year to own – and anything that saves me that much money is worth looking into."

Snow Job: Enough White Stuff?

Can you have a Winter Olympics without snow? A lot of people in the Lower Mainland are starting to wonder. After all, this has been one of the mildest winters in recent memory and the snow that fell on the local mountains in November appears to have been completely washed away by persistent rains. Recent news reports have suggested that Olympic organizers were considering moving the freestyle skiing and snowboarding events from Cypress Mountain to another location. However, Olympic officials deny that is not the case, and insist that everything is under control.