Taking a break from Vancouver 2010 events and activities for a moment here, the Early Bird RV Show is heading to the TRADEX in Abbotsford at the end of this week. From February 4th until the 7th you’ll be able to soak in all things RV-related in preparation for some road trips this summer.

Photo credit: telstar on Flickr

Exhibitors include: BCAA, BC Lodging and Campgrounds, Go West RV Sales, Traveland Leisure Vehicles Ltd. and dozens more. There’s a grand prize 2010 Hideout trailer up for grabs and daily seminars that include everything from accessories and technical advice to route planning. You can even camp at the TRADEX to attend this event.

With more and more people exploring their own back yard (such as my first-ever trip to Prince George last weekend) taking to the highways and byways of BC is a great travel option. If you’re concerned about the carbon footprint of your road trip or RV travel you can also look into offsetting your trip while you cruise around in style. There are several rental companies or carbon offset organizations that you can work with. You can also find a list of RV resources on the show’s information page or feel free to inquire at the event.

If you would like to attend the Earlybird RV Show I have two 4-packs of tickets to give away. To enter, leave a comment or RT this post, feel free to copy/paste this code:

I’ll draw the two winners Wednesday night so they have enough time to gather 3 friends or family members to join them this week. The tickets for winners will be at Will Call.

Update: The winners are Yasmin Abraham and Chantel. You’ll each have a 4-pack of tickets waiting for you at the venue this week. Thanks for entering!

Photo credit: John Bollwitt

On February 12, 2010 the Olympic Torch Relay will make its way down Denman Street with the torch carried by Judy Caldwell.

Judy is the founder of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, BC/Yukon Region and spectators are encouraged to come out and support her leg of the relay by wearing pink.

Let’s show the world that a diagnosis of breast cancer hasn’t stopped Judy and thousands of other women from leading healthy, vital and active lives – and that with our continued support and effort, we CAN have a future without breast cancer.

Everyone is being asked to paint the town pink by wearing pink hats, scarves, feather boas, mittens, shirts and jackets. Organizers are asking that if you wear a pink shirt or hat please be sure there are no logos on it. I assume they will be filming this and they’d like to get as many people as possible in the shot (without corporate or non-Olympic branding I assume).

Judy will have a 300 meter segment February 12th at 7:50am from Denman and Davie over to the Inukshuk in English Bay.

This weekend I hopped on the back of a dog sled for the first time thanks to Dog Power Adventures in Prince George.

Sally Swan and her team met us at their property which is just a few minutes outside of town. There she has almost 30 Siberian Huskies who were already howling and ready to go for a sledding adventure when we shows up. Sally operates a year-round sledding facility where you can take the dogs out for an afternoon excursion, day tours, multi-day treks or training runs.

We warmed up at the campfire pit before meeting our teams (giving them snuggles) and getting quick lessons on how to operate the sleds. From commands such as “Hike!” and “Gee!” to learning how to mush and applying the brake. Our 10-15 minute crash course covered all the essentials and gave our group the confidence to head out with our teams.

With the dogs very excited about their chance to get out and play, we took off for a few hours around fields and into the woods where Sally’s team had a campfire and goodies waiting for us.

The dogs, completely giddy and filled with glee after their run rolled around in the snow and scooped it up in their mouths to quench their thirst. Lapping snowflakes off their noses with their tongues our teams rested while we cooked our lunch over an open flame.

I made sure to give the dogs more snuggles during the break since really, you can never have too many snuggles.

Over half of Sally’s Huskies are rescues that were either adopted, abandoned, or dropped off by owners who simply couldn’t handle the task of raising a Husky. Many of them hailing from across North America these guys need a huge amount of exercise daily which is a daunting task for those who do not have the time, the manpower, and the acreage like Sally does.

For a bit of back-story, Sally’s family hadn’t originally planned on going into business with dog sledding but as their pack expanded with more and more rescue dogs, they needed a way to take care of the growing expenses. They also had an increased demand to take folks out on tours so they figured this would be the perfect combination.

Back at the campfire pit stop, we enjoyed our dessert of homemade cookies dunked in cocoa and after one last bun-theft attempt by one of the pups, we hopped on the sleds and headed back towards the main camp.

Snow whipping at my face, feet balanced on the runs of the sled, and three strong pups tugging me along through the powder-covered canopy in the woods, I let out more than a few giggles. If you ever have the chance to try this at least once in your life, I highly encourage you to do so.

Disclosure: cmp.ly/2 – I was there with a group thanks to Northern BC Tourism. Our adventure was on the house. For the record, I would gladly pay $95 for an afternoon out with the dogs anytime although now I have my sights set on the 3-Day or Bed & Breakfast tours with John.

I profiled Canada’s Northern House in my giant Vancouver 2010 Pavilions & Hospitality Houses post however I have also been providing expanded coverage for many of the houses. There’s much to do at Canada’s Northern House as they have quite a bit to offer at Games time.

Photo credit: Canada’s North on Flickr

Representing the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, here are some of the events you can enjoy for free at Canada’s Northern House.

Diamond Week
February 1-4, 2010 from 10:00am to 5:00pm

Diamond week will be a four day showcase of the diamond mining industry from early exploration through to the production, marketing of the final end product. At this three-day public event you can learn about Canada’s diamond producing regions.

February 1, 2010
The NWT Diamond Story

February 2, 2010
Mining for Canadian Diamonds

February 3, 2010
From Mine to Consumer – Processing NWT Diamonds

On February 4th there is also a Diamong and Fashion reception but it is by invitation only.

NWT Tourism Days
February 8-9, 2010 from 8:30am to 4:00pm

Learn about the Northwest Territories’ UNESCO World Heritage National Parks and outdoor activities and take part in workshops such as watching and chatting about the History Television show, Ice Pilots NWT.

Diamond Polishing
February 12-27 from 10:00am to 5:00pm

Arctic Sports Demonstration
February 13, 2010 from 11:00am to 9:00pm
Demonstrations and workshops will take place throughout the day covering everything from Kicking Sport and Pushing Sports, to Dene Hand Games.

Located at 602 West Hastings, Canada’s Northern House has been open since January 14th, 2010. You can stop by just to see the displays and exhibits daily from 10:00am until 9:00pm.

Follow @CanadasNorth on Twitter for event updates and information.

Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr

Update February 10, 2010 I had the chance to check this out today and it was absolutely lovely. Art, industry, history and culture all profiled in one space.

In Canada’s north there’s “a story to be told” said the crew at the pavilion. “When you can tee off at 11:00pm life isn’t so bad,” they added in reference to the 24 hours of sunlight they get at a certain point in the year.

The Northwest Territories are the 3rd largest diamond manufacturer in the world and they do so ethically. They also have as much gold resources as there was during the gold rush days of yore. If you have the chance to check out this pavilion with the kids you’ll learn a lot and get to touch some of the softest muskox wool on the planet.

Of special interest, Canada’s Northern House will be open until March 21st and they have FREE wifi available. Stop by and fill out their contest form to win a unique tapestry, a hunk of gold, or an NWT diamond.

Vancouver has LiveCity, Surrey has its Celebration Site at Holland Park, and Richmond will also be on the 2010 celebration festival map with the Richmond O Zone at Minoru Park.

Photograph © City of Richmond | 2010

Accessible from the Canada Line, this massive outdoor festival will host concerts, family activities and even the Holland Heineken House. Here’s a rundown of what you can find at the Richmond O Zone:

Here are just a few of the concerts that will take place:

The Vancouver 2010 Torch Relay arrives in Richmond February 9th and events kick off around 4:30pm with the torch ceremony happening from 7:00pm – 9:00pm. This will be followed by a fireworks show at 9:00pm.

You can find full concert listings on the Richmond O Zone website and they have updates on Twitter. If you do check out the O Zone and take photos, you can add them to their official Flickr group as well.

If you’re looking for a bit more of an exclusive experience at the O Zone, you can purchase upgrades that include everything from Executive Lounges to Private Suites at the site.