Canadian Rockies Road Trip :: Part 3 Revelstoke & Yoho NP


October 21, 2018

From Nelson we headed to our third destination of Revelstoke where we spent just one night.  We arrived in Revelstoke for lunch after another big drive taking in some beautiful scenery and a fun ferry ride across the lake.  

Revelstoke is a big ski town and like most ski towns they have some attraction on their ski mountains during the summer months – in Revelstoke this was the Pipe Mountain Coaster ride!  I got to join the kids on this super fun ride down the mountain in the beautiful countryside!  

After a lovely relaxing evening spent on the balcony of our hotel (Coast Hillcrest Hotel) overlooking the gorgeous mountains we then headed for off for our first day in the beautiful Rocky Mountains via the Yoho National Park.   One of the best tips we were given prior to doing our road trip was to download the Gypsy Guide App which has an amazing guided tour of all of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.  It works via GPS so it knows exactly where you are and gives you a fabulous commentary of everything you are seeing and the best places to stop!  

Highlights from our day in Yoho were a visit to beautiful Emerald Lake, Takakkaw Falls and seeing a train travel through the Sprial train tracks! Beautiful day on the road.

Sweet Style-3423 Sweet Style-3435 Sweet Style-3436 Sweet Style-3442Sweet Style-3460 Sweet Style-3481 Sweet Style-3497 Sweet Style-3501 Sweet Style-3505 Sweet Style-3561 Sweet Style-3566 Sweet Style-3569 Sweet Style-3579 Sweet Style-3611 Sweet Style-3653 Sweet Style-3666 Sweet Style-3729


Canadian Rockies Road Trip :: Part 2 Nelson


October 3, 2018

After two wonderful days in Kelowna we hit the road for a long day of driving before arriving in the town of Nelson in the West Kootenay area of southern BC.  This small town is best know for its historic buildings from the silver rush era.  Nelson is also situated on a lake which made for more fun for the kids with some kayaking.  We celebrated Indi’s 9th birthday while staying in Nelson and after looking around the town spent some fun downtime by the lake at our hotel Nelson Prestige Lakeside Hotel. 

Sweet Style-3171 Sweet Style-3180 Sweet Style-3182 Sweet Style-3219Sweet Style-3268 Sweet Style-3274Sweet Style-3281 Sweet Style-3319 Sweet Style-3354


The beautiful British Columbia Interior and Canadian Rockies :: Part 1


We have had another amazing summer of travel which kicked off with a wonderful two week road trip of the beautiful British Columbia interior and Canadian Rockies!

Part one of our trip took us to the city of Kelowna, a 4 hour drive east of Vancouver.  We drove through Kelowna at Christmas time on our way to Silverstar Ski Resort and it was a winter wonderland.  On our second trip to Kelowna however we discovered the delights of this amazing city on the lake in the middle of the Okanagan Valley.   Well know for being a wonderful wine region, Kelowna really is a fabulous place with a funky downtown area filled with great restaurants and great shops.  We stayed at the lovely Manteo Resort which had the perfect patio for adults to enjoy drinks by the lake and a great pool and recreation area that kept the kids entertained for hours!  

We enjoyed a great day boating on the lake with friends and a bike ride along the fabulous Kettle Rail Trail which is the old Canadian Pacific Railway line that has since been abandoned!  Definitely add these two items to your list of must do’s when visiting BC!

Sweet Style-2886Sweet Style-2893 Sweet Style-2934 Sweet Style-2947Sweet Style-3058

Yes that is a helicopter and a float plane out front of the house!!Sweet Style-3065 Sweet Style-3076 Sweet Style-3082Sweet Style-3086 Sweet Style-3121 Sweet Style-3123 Sweet Style-3125 Sweet Style-3130 Sweet Style-3134 Sweet Style-3139 Sweet Style-3154 Sweet Style-3157 Sweet Style-3163 Sweet Style-5907


Sea to Sky


September 26, 2018

Looking for a lovely day out while visiting Vancouver then a trip along the Sea to Sky Highway to the Sea to Sky Gondola at Squamish is just perfect.   The Sea to Sky Gondola is approximately an hours drive from Downtown Vancouver along one of the most scenic drives in British Columbia.

We visited on a beautiful sunny June day when the skies were clear making the views just perfect!  If you are feeling extra energetic and looking for a great hike you can head up the mountain on foot but we chose the easy option via the gondola!  

One up top there is plenty to do with shorter easy hikes, a lovely lunch in the cafe with the stunning views or a walk across the suspension bridge. 

We spent a good hour or so wandering and enjoying the sights before our trip back down the mountain.  It was then on to Whistler for another walk around the beautiful and bustling village, a delicious lunch, treats at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate shop and a trip to Lost Lake which looks oh so different in summer!

Another great day out in Canada!

Sweet Style-2683Sweet Style-2688 Sweet Style-2699 Sweet Style-2695Sweet Style-2701 Sweet Style-2716 Sweet Style-2708 Sweet Style-2706 Sweet Style-2732 Sweet Style-2731 Sweet Style-2728Sweet Style-2719 Sweet Style-2724Sweet Style-2734 Sweet Style-2754 Sweet Style-2750 Sweet Style-2747 Sweet Style-2742

 


Torfino


August 25, 2018

With so many fabulous places to visit on our doorstep here in Vancouver we headed out to Vancouver Island for another long weekend in June while my mum was visiting from Australia.  This time our destination was the seaside village of Torfino which is on the south western side of the island!  In summer it is a big surf town, while in winter it is where the storm watchers head to see the wild weather that batters this side of the island.

We stayed in a great little place called Duffin Cove Resort which was right at the far end of town as you drive through.  We had one of the cute waterfront villas that was super cute with a loft bedroom for the kids and a king bed and mini kitchen downstairs!  We were right on the water so the kids could play on the rocks while we sat on the deck and watched the sun set.  

We also did a bear watching tour which was loads of fun.  We jumped on a zodiac with just 8 others and were wicked up the inlet to see the bears coming out of the forest to feed on the rocks at the waters edge as the tide went out.  It is always so fabulous to learn more about these animals and the way they live.

We ate at some fabulous restaurants the favourite being The Wolf in the Fog.  We finished the weekend with a quick trip back through Victoria so we could show mum the capital of British Columbia.  We visited last year so we stopped at our favourite asian restaurant in Chinatown for a quick meal before doing a driving tour of this little city.

It was then back on the ferry homeward bound after a fun 3 days away.

 Sweet Style-2422 Sweet Style-2430 Sweet Style-2436 Sweet Style-2447 Sweet Style-2452 Sweet Style-2467 Sweet Style-2474 Sweet Style-2514 Sweet Style-2525 Sweet Style-2528 Sweet Style-2535 Sweet Style-2542 Sweet Style-2544 Sweet Style-2554 Sweet Style-2562 Sweet Style-2564 Sweet Style-2565 Sweet Style-2572 Sweet Style-2579 Sweet Style-2584 Sweet Style-2599 Sweet Style-2606 Sweet Style-2607 Sweet Style-2619 Sweet Style-2627 Sweet Style-2628 Sweet Style-2636 Sweet Style-2649 Sweet Style-2653 Sweet Style-2657