In early August, I was lucky enough to be invited for a quick one-day round trip ride of the Rocky Mountaineer Whistler. Being a train/transit fan, I couldn’t resist and take up the offer. The ride started so early that the company actually put us up at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel the night before. This way, it was guaranteed that all of the group would … Continue reading Rocky Mountaineer Whistler
There’s only one main highway to the west coast of Vancouver Island. That’s the Pacific Rim Highway. The highway is Highway #4 that branches off Highway #19 (Inland Island Highway) near Qualicum Beach. The first highly recommended stop along the way is the tiny town of Coombs. However, Coombs is probably home to one of the largest, international markets I have seen on Vancouver Island. … Continue reading Pacific Rim Highway – to Tofino and Ucluelet
Before I ever visited the Comox Valley, I had never heard of the Royston Wrecks. I had come across a small blurb in a visitor’s guide to Courtenay and Comox describing this collection of ship wrecks. Royston is a small town minutes south of Courtenay along the Old Island Highway. I would never think of stopping here, but I found a little road that leads … Continue reading The Royston Wrecks
For our stay in Courtenay, we stayed at The Cona Hostel along the river. You absolutely cannot miss the orange building sitting on the banks of the Courtenay River. It is situated in downtown Courtenay, but you don’t feel downtown at all. It’s in an old heritage building. From the outside, you wouldn’t be able to tell that it was a heritage building. Much of … Continue reading Courtenay – The Cona Hostel
Nymph Falls is a nature park that is a part of the Comox Valley Regional District. A friend works for the CVRD and recommended we visit a few of the regional district parks. He had joined us this day for the quick drive out to Nymph Falls. I did a Google Maps search and could not find Nymph Falls. A Google search itself turns up … Continue reading Vancouver Island – Nymph Falls
Earlier in the spring when we had gorgeous summer-like weather, I had the good fortune of a Vancouver Island getaway. My wife had school-related stuff to do on the Island, so I got to tag along for a week. I had never spend that much time on Vancouver Island, but it was a real treat. It started off with an up-island tour starting in Courtenay. … Continue reading Vancouver Island – Fanny Bay to Qualicum Beach
This is the last part of the Vancouver Heritage Foundation‘s walk along Burrard Street. We went south down Burrard Street past Nelson Street. Maurice pointed the two hotels near Nelson and Burrard. There was the older Century Plaza Hotel on the west side of the street and then the Sheraton Wall Centre, which stands on the tallest point on the Downtown Peninsula. He retold the … Continue reading VHF Burrard Street Walk – Nelson to Davie
After the Christ Church Cathedral, we headed south to Burrard and Robson. Burrard and Robson is the busiest retail intersection in the city. It’s the start of the Robson Street shopping area with all the big name retail chains. It’s also where playoff hockey celebrations tend to happen as cars with crazy Canuck fans honk their way up and down the road (but not this … Continue reading VHF Burrard Street Walk – Robson to Nelson
The Christ Church Cathedral was the highlight of my walking tour along Burrard Street organized by the Vancouver Heritage Foundation. This tiny unassuming church has been on the corner of Burrard and Georgia Streets since 1889. It may look like an old English countryside church on the outside, but the inside is magnificent. We were very fortunate to have one of the pastors, Peter Elliot, … Continue reading VHF Burrard Street Walk – Christ Church Cathedral
Burrard Street is home to our current Central Business District. It is where Vancouver does business. The stretch from Hastings south to Georgia is home to most of the corporate headquarters in British Columbia. We walked south along Burrard from the Marine Building while Maurice, our guide extraordinaire once again, introduced some of the buildings to us. One of the first buildings we came across … Continue reading VHF Burrard Street Walk – the Central Business District
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