In the first post of the Day Tripping series I talked about the town of Hope being the gateway to holidayland, however it could also be looked at as the gateway to hell.
Although heading north on Highway 1 is actually a quite lovely experience the fiery inferno of Hades is simply a reference to the tumultuous rapids that squeeze through a 110 meter-wide passage between vast vertical chasms in the Fraser Canyon.
Simon Fraser himself (after which the river was named) dubbed the passage as such in 1808 writing in his journal, “surely this is the gate of hell.”
Located just south of Boston Bar, Hell’s Gate itself is a bit of a tourist trap as they have installed an airtram that takes you over the restless river below and to the other side of the canyon. Once across, you can buy maple syrup, stuffed beavers in Mountie outfits, and get your picture taken with large chainsaw-carved animals.
There is a suspension bridge you can cross instead if you’re not afraid of heights, however part of the journey heading up to Hell’s Gate is some of the other attractions along the way.
- Spuzzum – Blink and you’ll miss it.
- The town of Yale – after which the downtown neighbourhood of “Yaletown” is named.
- Alexandra Bridge – The old highway crossing still intact, however the floor of the bridge is that loosely spaced metal grating (like when you are walking on to the Ferry car deck) so I wouldn’t recommend looking down if you’re squeamish!
- Lake of the Woods – an awesome pitstop just past Hope (if heading North) with picnic benches and paths down to a perfect lake for plunging into after a long drive on hot day.
Driving from Vancouver to Canyon should take about two hours, then it’s probably another 30-40 mins until you reach the Airtram at Hell’s Gate. If you do head up, check out the fish elevators (when you look down because I know you will) those are also pretty cool.
Any good Canadian kid remembers growing up watching The Beachcombers, which took place in Gibsons, BC on the Sunshine Coast.
In recent years I had a moment at the CBC with some memorabilia, and giggled fondly when a posted about Bruno Gerussi’s beard hair in 2006 (link via Darren Barefoot). A focal point of the show and the town is the welcoming sight of Molly’s Reach, but there’s much more to the Sunshine Coast than canned CBC TV archives.
A quick 40 minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay will lead you to Langdale terminal, and I must point out (because I’ve been asked countless times) that the all-encompassing Sunshine Coast is not on an island – even though you take a ferry to get there.
For about ten years I attended summer camp in Roberts Creek so I came to know the coast pretty well. Also, my best friend’s grandparents lived over there so once she got her license we’d cruise the strip in Sechelt looking for trouble. Okay, there was no cruising of the strip although I wonder if they have installed an actual stop light since I was there last. But I digress.
The Town of Gibsons has two main commercial areas: Upper Gibsons which has a number of shopping malls, restaurants, services and a light industrial area located on Gibsons Way and Lower Gibsons which is a quaint fishing village with bakeries, cafes, and shops that surround the bustling fishing wharf, a seawalk and the Gibsons Harbour.
Recent developments in the Town include the Downtown Revitalization of Lower Gibsons, a new log wharfinger building and boardwalk over the breakwater, and the development of the Winegarden Waterfront Park. [Gibsons]
The Sunshine Coast towns offer fishing, camping, hiking, gorgeous beaches, boast “an internet savvy population,” and the best part is that the cost of the ferry is only charged one way. Also, you can walk on the ferry at Horsehoe Bay and use the Sunshine Coast Transit System to save money, and the environment during your outing.
In Gibsons you’ll be able to take in a Sunday Market, enjoy Jazz Week from June 7-15, and even the World’s Best Water (that one the “Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting” contest in 2005 [wiki]). It’s come a long way from its Beachcomber days, and I even remember when it got its first Wendy’s/Time Horton’s – that was a pretty big summer for us. Now that the nice weather is creeping up on us, and that one of my dearest friends lives over there, we’ll have to make a point of day tripping to Gibsons in the near future.
I must admit this is a pretty proud moment for me. Not only do I get to use my social media skills to promote and live blog a community event, but this is for a festival in my old neighbourhood, in my hometown – and it’s going to be pretty darn great. Miss604.com is pleased to be an official media partner for Surrey Fusion Festival 2008:
Surrey Fusion Festival will be Surrey’s largest 3-day multicultural celebration with 40 international pavilions celebrating music, food and culture. 5 stages of entertainment with headline performers on the World Music Stage and the Celebrations dance stage, all this in a brand new beautiful urban park.
What:
Surrey Fusion Festival 2008
Where:
Holland Park (SW Corner of King George Highway & Old Yale Road)
Between Surrey Central Skytrain station and King George Skytrain Station
When:
Friday, July 18, 4pm – 11pm
Saturday, July 19, 11am – 11pm
Sunday, July 20th, 11am – 9pm
There will be a world music stage, a headliner stage (including a performance by Juno Award winning Jully Black), a celebration dance stage (featuring Irish dancers, entourages from Korea and China, Elite Bhangra and Hip-Hop crews, traditional oriental artistry, historical Persian performances, salsa, sambas, caporeia, calypso and modern tap).
Food, activities for kids, three days in the sunshine (crossing our fingers on that one) and the cost? In the grand tradition of other community event like Winterfest, Surrey’s Fusion Festival is absolutely FREE to everyone. Simply enjoy Canada’s 2008 Cultural Capital and if you’re still not convinced, I’ll have blog posts and Flickr photos being published throughout the entire weekend to entice you out.
We’re still a few months away and there’s a lot to prepare for, check the website for updates and if you would like to help out they’re also in need of 200 volunteers. Find out more on the Surrey Fusion Festival site.
Oodles of glorious sunshine being predicted for this weekend gets me thinking about outdoor activities. Should a Metro Vancouverite feel like a mini-escape, perhaps even a multi-hour adventure in a single day, what are the options? I’ve decided to pull from a pool of childhood Sunday drive memories and highlight a few gems in this new series: Day Tripping.
Located just over an hour outside of Vancouver, heading East on Hwy 1, you’ll come to the lovely town of Hope (also known as the gateway to holidayland).
Once in Hope you can split off to the Crowsnest Highway, which will take you along Southern BC to the Alberta border, up to the Fraser Canyon along Highway 1 (Trans Canada), or take the 5 along the Coquihalla to Merritt and beyond. More info about regional highways is available at DriveBC. However, there is much benefit to staying in the Hope-land area.
Aside from being a great breakfast spot with amazing mountain views nestled between those evergreen-covered giants, hope is also very historically significant for BC. Located along the Fraser River it was a major pit stop for those gold-rushing up the canyon.
The area I would like to feature is Coquihalla Canyon Park which is more commonly known as the Othello Tunnels. This quintet of railway tunnels, originally part of the Kettle Valley Railway are intertwined with a series of bridges which follow a relatively straight line through a gorge lined with sheer, flat rock cliffs. [TheKettleValleyRailway]
Trains don’t pass through the tunnels anymore but they’re seriously fun to check out – if you can stand damp darkness and the feeling of being rushed back a hundred years. Here’s an excerpt from a great local resource, FindFamilyFun:
If you have a flashlight, bring it. There are puddles inside the tunnels and I stepped right in the middle of one. In between the tunnels are viewing spots where you can see the Coquihalla River. Be careful, it’s a long way down.
Age group: I saw people from all ages going to the tunnels. You may not enjoy it as much if you don’t like walking (because it takes about 15 minutes to get there), or if you’re scared of the dark.
Oh yes, and there are bats… just so you know.
We used to go trudging through with my dad (while my mom sat in the car) and always enjoyed the adventure. I haven’t been in about 20 years but it looks like the paths are more cleared away and marked, I recalled saying, “are we supposed to be here?” several times thinking a train was going to rush up behind us at any minute.
In grade 12 for my provincial exam in English our essay theme was “Hope” and I wrote purely about our adventures to Hope and the Othello Tunnels. I’m sure they were looking for something more traditionally inspirational, but seeing my score of 90% lead me to believe the board appreciated my spin.
The Othello Tunnels make a great day trip, and I would also recommend stopping in at Rolly’s in Hope for breakfast on your way out there (if you like the vinyl booth + eggs n’ sausage with never-ending coffee breakfasts like we do). Around the corner on Fraser Street there’s also one of those wooden boards with a space cutout to insert your head on Rambo’s body. Good times.
In terms of workshops dedicated to the development and discussion of Content Management Systems (CMS) we’ve recently had DrupalCamp, WordCamp, and now it’s time for Canada’s largest-ever Joomla! Day.
On June14th 2008 from 9:00 AM to 5:30 please join us to celebrate what could be the largest Joomla! Day in Canada! We will be getting together at the Vancouver Public Library and there you get to meet many of the people who actually created the Joomla! CMS framework. [RMDstudio]
Tickets are $25 and include refreshments and a Joomla! Day t-shirt, check out the RMDstudios blog or the Tazzu blog for more information.
I must admit, I’ve dabbled in all sorts of open source platforms and although my time with Joomla was minimal it’s still great to see that it has such a widely supportive user base.
