British Columbia Travel Blogs | Travelogues | Travel Journals

Canada! My first memory of Canada stretches way back to 1985. I was in New Jersey playing with my cousins in a suburb near Newark. Given my fondness for planes, I used to curiously watch various airlines fly over their house to Liberty International - PanAm, TWA, etc. And I vividly recall seeing Air Canada. And *that* red leaf. I asked my aunt what the deal was, why an airline would have a red leaf and that's when I found out about Canada and their identity with the Maple. The next time ...

I landed in Vancouver on December 25th, 2007.  What a day to be by yourself ... I immediately phoned home to my family to hear their voices, a special day that we're always together :( ... Christmas!   I took photos at the Vancouver Airport, picked up my luggage, phoned home, & later sat and enjoyed a cup of coffee in the airport.  I was at the GATE early since this was an international flight though staff said to wait until they annouced peopl...

Fossli Provincial Park was donated to the people of British Columbia in 1974 by Helen & Armour Ford of Port Alberni. The name "Fossli" is a place name from Norway that had been applied to the property before the Ford's acquired it.  Although the  Park is  accessible by land  from a logging road, the best approach is by boat from Sproat Lake. Beach your boat at the trail head on the sandy shore and a few minutes walk will take you into the incredible green-filtered ligh...

A Great Summary of Canadians

It's 5:40am and I'm sitting at my gate waiting for my plane to be ready to board, I don't even know if it's here yet.  Geez, I'm too sleepy to figure it out.  I have about an hour and 20 minutes more to wait.  What to do what to do?  I don't wat to wat any airport food, no way, just chit chat with the girls, and play my DS.  Till boarding and the plane will take us to our layover in Seattle, Washington. 11:45am, all aboard.. we're leaving Seattle now making our way t...

So its approximately 2:56 AM, where I am, which is my room in beautiful Sooke, British Columbia, I am currently riding a high created by my excitement to be travelling to Thailand in three weeks, and by the amount of Espresso I consumed at work today. I work at starbucks by the way, and It is really hard not to drink an excessive amount of caffeine when it is so readily available! Ive spent months reading about other peoples trips, watching videos on you tube, and reading lonely planet books ...

Well this morning is bitter sweet. Sad to be leaving Vancouver but happy about the next part of our adventure. The morning is sort of wasted and then it is time to check our luggage in and then find our way to the check in area for us. Once on board we checked out our cabin. Basic but nice. Clean and comfortable. This afternoon was just finding our way around. Of course there was also the safety drill. We went to the main dining room at the allocated time and met the other 2 couples to b...

Yesterday was the last of our time in the Rocky Mountains.  It was good to be on the move again.  We boarded "The Skeena" at lunch time.  There weren't many people on the train.  Soon after the train set off we headed up to the dome car to see the rest of the mountains.  We saw Mount Robson - the tallest in Canada, it was an impressive mass covered in snow - its peak well into the clouds.  The mountains continued for a few hours, after that it gradually became tr...

James Dunsmuir commissioned Samuel Maclure, a Victoria architect to design the castle.  Brett and Hall, from Boston were commissioned to plan the garden and surroundings.  Local stone, trimmed by Valdez and Saturna Island sandstone was used in the building's construction.  James Dunsmuir told his architect "Money does not matter" "Just build what I want". It is said that James and Laura sat down with the architect to design their home, and both having very different tastes.&nb...

The saddest part of all cruises is disembarking.  This was no different.  We got off relatively painlessly though and picked up our rental car to tour around Vancouver in.   We checked into our hotel in Vancouver and then my husband and son were eager to cross the suspension bridge.  I wanted no part of that, chicken that I am.  I stood watching them cross that crazy prehistoric contraption  shuddering at the fact that they were crazy enough to do it. ...

Vernon. My hometown. The place I’ve lived by WHOLE life. It’s a beautiful, small city in the Okanagan Valley, which is situated in BC’s interior. The population is about 37,000 people. It’s the North Okanagan’s largest city and is located on three lakes, Okanagan, Kalamalka, and Swan, and surrounded by golf courses and Silver Star Mountain (the local ski hill). About 450 kms West is Vancouver, 600 kms East is Calgary, and 150 kms South is the U.S. border. Vernon is accessible by ca...

I can’t even count the number of times I’ve been to Vancouver. In August of 2007, I was supposed to take a trip down to North Carolina. However, unfortunate circumstances forced me to cancel that trip. So, with two weeks to kill, I decided to take a spur-of-the moment trip to Vancouver with the intent of playing tourist. See, although I’ve been to Vancouver countless times, it was always for a weekend here, and night there, usually to watch my beloved Vancouver Canucks play a hockey gam...

Every once in a while you come across a new destination and experience that simply takes your breath away. I have just returned from one of those such experiences. Nestled away on the west coast of Canada, in the heart of the former glacial fiord land in Knights Inlet Lodge. This rustic floating lodge is located in Glendale Cove surrounded by pristine wilderness and is home to a major population of Grizzly Bears. For two days we had the privilege of watching these magnificent animals in their...

After months of waiting Melissa and I are finally leaving for our trip to Europe!! Our flight isn't untile 8:50pm so we have the day to spend with our families and ofcourse time to kill at the airport. I've been looking forward to this for SOOO long that it doesn't seem real and I can't believe it's actually happening!!

"Alaska.  Imagine yourself there for one moment. Your delight when you spot a grizzly bear fishing for salmon off the shores. That instant when the silence of a misty fjord is shattered by a giant humpback whale, breaching high into the air, then crashing back against the sea. A pod of majestic orcas swimming through the inside passage...  looking up at the midnight sun... This is Alaska. This is real, the adventure of a lifetime. I will be back Alaska... "(author unknown)