Located high in the spectacular coastal mountains of Vancouver Island, next to the farms and vineyards of the Cowichan Valley and close to Victoria rests The Aerie Resort. Surrounded by 85 acres of meticulously kept grounds and gardens, the breath-taking view from The Aerie is worth the trip alone.

There are 3 different buildings for your stay, each with its own special charm and incredible views.Villa Cielo is on the highest point and offers unsurpassed privacy and elegance. The Residence Building offers seven rooms and suites, while the Main Building is the original Aerie construction, and now offers 22 elegant rooms and suites.

The rooms have all the amenities, fireplace, couch, huge tub – in the sitting room – large bed and great view off the balcony.

Amenities: Massage, Meeting Facilities, Broadband Access, Restaurant in Hotel, Fireplace, Hot Tub, Air Conditioning, Television, more..

The Aerie Spa and Wellness Centre will leave you rejuvenated and inspired!

Activities: Swimming Pool, Golf, Tennis, Fitness, Mud bath, mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, fishing, sailing, water-skiing, diving, kayaking, rafting, culinary tours, float plane tours, yoga.

Aerie Resort and Spa is a haven for those who enjoy fine wines and gourmet cuisine.

Chefs create food that is fresh and delicious, using classic French techniques but much inspired by Pacific Northwest flavours and style.

In the Pacific Ocean, in British Columbia, the Queen Charlotte Islands are peaks of a submerged mountain chain. The seven largest islands of the 1,884 islands and islets in the archipelago are Langara, Graham, Moresby, Louise, Lyell, Burnaby and Kunghit. Just 2 km into the sea, the continental shelf falls away dramatically to the immense depths of the ocean, and this is Canada’s most active earthquake area. Photo by: marc_guitard

Naikoon Provincial Park, in the north-east of Graham Island, covers a range of diverse environments including sandy beaches and dunes, sphagnum bogs, ancient forests and rivers. The landscape was formed during the last Ice Age out of the deposits left by retreating glaciers. The main attraction here are the endless stretches of broad sandy beaches. On the north beach is Tow Hill, a 100 m outcrop of basalt columns which make a dramatic landmark. Also worth seeing is Rose Spit, an ecological reserve, where you can spot migrating birds travelling over the Pacific. Photo by: g d gustafsson

The Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site is in the south of the archipelago. The wilderness area of 138 islands stretching 90 km from north to south is only accessible by boat or charted aircraft. Mountains rise steeply to the west, and the coastline is dotted with stunning inlets, coves, bays and islands. This is great place to observe whales, bald eagles, nesting seabirds, black bears, river otters and sea lions. Photo by: Sam Beebe / Ecotrust

Rainforest and upland bog, salmon steams, estuaries and kelp beds sustain a rich diversity of life there.
When to go: April to November. Population: 4,935. Getting there: Fly to Vancouver or Prince Rupert to Sandspit, or take a ferry from Prince Rupert. You should know: This is a tranquil area with little development, so do not expect busy resort hotels with all the tourist comforts. Photo by: Yonn Yeth-Lachance

Photo by: Stef Olcen

Halfway up the Mozambique coast lies a chain of five islands making up the Bazaruto Archipelago. Form from sand deposited by the Limpopo River, fine beaches and coral reefs come naturally; and having long been a national park, so does the wildlife. Bazurato, Benguerra and Magaruque are the largest islands, with Santa Carolina and finally Bangue coming in on the small side. Photo by: André Pipa

Thanks to their protected status and relative isolation from the ravages of war, nature has been free to flourish here. Bazurato Island itself is 37 km long, and there gaudy pink flamingos strut the tidal flats, while large Nile crocodiles lurk in the inland freshwater lakes. The west is cloaked in grassland and thicket while the east coast is built entirely of impressive sand dunes. Photo by: yobosayo

Banguerra is about 11 km long and its blend of forest, savanah and wetlands provides rich pickings for local wildlife. Cashew nuts are native to the island and grow mainly on the seaward side. Photo by: yobosayo

Wild orange trees and sisal trees abound, as do mlala palms – the leaves of which are used in the waving of mats, baskets and hats. Nature lovers, sun worshipers and water sorts enthusiasts alike are drawn there. It may be said of other places, but this is a true tropical paradise with clear turquoise waters and endless palm-dotted beaches. Everyday you can snorkel and surf and run coral pink sand through your fingers. There are no roads, no shops and no tourist attractions, just the nature and the lovely everyday sun. Photo by: Brad Hunter Surrey Vancouver BC

When to go: Year-round but avoid the cyclone season in February. Little rainfall between April and November. Population: 3,500. How to get there: Flights into Viklankulo with connections onto the archipelago. You should know: The locals use the husks from the harvested cashews to make very intoxicating liquor. Photo by: darrenornitz

Quadra Island lies between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia and is the largest and most populous of the Discovery Islands. A short ferry ride from Cambell River takes you through whale- and dolphin-rich waters to this island of ancient temperate rainforest. Photo by: jenisthebest

With its rich woodland, diverse topography, and plentiful wildlife, Quadra Island has become a huge draw for outdoor enthusiasts. There is an extensive system of lakes and rivers for kayaking and canoeing and many paths and trails for hiking and mountain biking. Guided bird watching and fishing charters run during the summer months, as do seaborne whale and bear watching trips. Its lakes are home to an incredible variety of wildlife, including black-tailed deer, river otters, harbour seals, sea-lions, cormorants, snowy owls, the great blue heron and the rarely seen peregrine flacon. Photo by: bcshooter

Its remoteness at the top of the Strait of Georgia helps this island community retain an idyllic charm. Aboriginal and European people live side by side, and whilst tourism is growing it is not overwhelming. Photo by: GerryT

When to go: All year round although the ferries can get crowded in the May to August period. Population: 2,650. How to get there: By ferry from Campbell River or Cortes Island. Photo by: MT-FOTOS

The Gulf Islands are a group of mountainous islands situated across the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and the mainland of southern British Columbia. They are part of a larger archipelago that features the San Juan Islands just to the south in Washington State. By the way the easiest way to get to is Saltspring Island – also well known as Canada’s arts and crafts island. Its mellow pace, breathtaking landscapes have drawn artists from all over the world. It has recently become the haunt of several Hollywood film stars.

The next island is Bucolic Mayne Island with medley of rock bays, forested hills and once the agriculture hub of the area. Saturna Island is tucked away at the southern end of the island chain. This one is very rural, sparsely populated and difficult to reach.

The Pender Islands, also emerged as the ”Friendly Islands” have over 20 public ocean access spots to visit along its beaches and coves. The Penders are great hotbed for outdoor activities. Galiano Island (displayed in the picture above) has always enjoyed a reputation for being the most welcoming to visitors. The early settlers opened their homes to tourists as a way of earning a living.

As a group the Gulf Islands are still underdeveloped and many of the best lodges and restaurants are hidden away down forests tracks.

When to go: All year round, although the islands are little crowded in summer.

]]> http://www.wayfaring.info/2009/06/18/gulf-islands/feed/ 0 http://www.wayfaring.info/2009/06/10/weird-structures/ http://www.wayfaring.info/2009/06/10/weird-structures/#comments Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:29:40 +0000 misha http://www.wayfaring.info/?p=10197

I would say I never have been so amused of a bus stop. This is a real functioning bus stop located in Ventura, California. The bus stop looks like a giant snake and it’s very common to be scared to sit on the bench and wait for a bus. Designed by Dennis Oppenheim.

The stop is fantastic, it’ll be pleasure for anyone to spent his waiting moments in such a building, you won’t be bored for sure! The twisting and arching perforated steel sculpture abstractly shows a bus turning into a house. Fans of the arts adore its whimsy, while those who actually use the structure gripe that it’s completely inadequate to shield bus customers in rainy weather. The 36-foot-tall public art sculpture is located outside the north end of the Pacific View mall on Telegraph Road. Photos: Mr DSW

This is a ”Device to Root Out Evil” structure purchased for over three-hundred thousand dollars and installed at Harbour Green Park, the longest continuous waterfront park in downtown Vancouver. At the present site, the twenty-five foot aluminum structure shimmers against the waterfront background. Hand-blown deep red glass shingles and blue-glass windows reflect sunlight during the day and are illuminated from within at night. The sculpture’s new home enables Vancouver citizens and visitors to permanently enjoy the conversation which Device to Root Out Evil evokes. The sculpture is part of the  Vancouver International Sculpture Biennale Open Spaces 2005/2006.

ContaineR is a traveling film house dedicated to the cultural countdown to the winter Olympics in Vancouver 2010. The creators are a wonderful trio form of architect Robert Duke, designers Keith Doyle and Iain Sinclair, and artistic directors Nicole Mion and Evann Seibens. The containeR can fit up to 25 guests who look up to the screen in the vaulted space where they watch projected short films about movement, dance, and sports.

The structure speaks art as well. Graphic drawings of hands, eyes and cartoon cameras cover the steel walls of the originally cream and orange colored containers.  On a walk around the structure, viewers experience large-scale graffiti, and can watch a documentary of the construction on a video screen built into the container’s exterior.

The first public appearance of containR is at Moshe Safdie’s coliseum-esque Vancouver Central Library, and will continue its journey to and from different festivals over the next year, potentially taking on new capacities as a gallery, performance venue and retail space. Springboard is still in talks with the Vancouver Cultural Olympiad organization, hoping that other containRs can be built in public venues like Whistler, the Richmond Skating Oval, Cypress Mountain and downtown Vancouver.

Hopefully the structure will also continue to inspire and spark innovative uses of sustainable materials well beyond the city limits.

I will present you a ski event at Whiteface Mountain outside Lake Placid, N. Y. In 2010 ski cross will receive the ultimate sporting sanction as a new sport for Vancouver Winter Olympics.

In ski cross, four to six racers simultaneously dash over banked turns and bumpy surfaces, and make soaring leaps, all while elbowing and pushing their way to the finish line.

Ski cross is a bit like motocross and Nascar except there are more midair accidents, and because the course is in a compact space, there is no such thing as a comfortable, or safe, lead.

The ski-slopes where the racers race between themselves have huge jumps forming by bulldozers and snow-grooming machines, that send skiers 15 feet in the air as well as dips, off-camber hairpin turns and successive dips and bumps called whoop-de-dos.

Vancouver, British Columbia is a host city for the next Olympics Games, 2010. Despite of the fact that it is only 35 miles north of the U.S. border, Vancouver feels and looks different from any other big city in the United States or, for that matter, Canada. With its glass-and-steel towers, Vancouver could be in Asia.

There has been a lot of construction going on in Vancouver in preparation for the Games — and beyond. After the Winter Games, the 16-building Olympic Village, which will house about 2,800 athletes, is to be converted into a 730-unit luxury condominium complex called Millennium Water. About half the units have already been sold.

Most of the part of the peninsula is surrounded by a sea wall, which is ideal for walking, biking and jogging.

There are no freeways through the city. Those who want to head north to Whistler, where the Olympic skiing events will be held, can use the Lions Gate bridge, which spans the first narrows of the Burrard Inlet.

A statue of runner Harry Jerome stands against the Vancouver skyline.

No one knows for sure what Vancouver will be like after the Games!

Vancouver is two cities rolled into one. This Canadian city is absolutely spectacular with its panoramic hiking and bike paths, with pine-tree-lined waterway that connects Vancouver with the Pacific Ocean. The city is one of the world’s most livable place because of expanding restaurants scene, quickly neighborhoods, distinctive shops and lively bars that party all night.

So if you have just two days to see the most amazing parts in this city, first it’s good to visit Gastown. Once the seedy home to drug addicts and prostitutes, the old waterfront neighborhood is now a restored district of cobblestone streets and antique gaslights. The changes have been accompanied by trendy restaurants, art galleries and specialty stores, including Livestock, a sneaker shop that carries limited-edition Nikes and Adidases.

As well as the city has emerged as a major foodie destination, with a constellation of star chefs who are using local ingredients. It’s a fantastic place with serious cooking, especially for seafood like wild salmon with orange fennel.

Amid the glittering skyscrapers and Victorian buildings, it’s easy to forget that this area was originally a rain forest on the Strait of Georgia.The park offers 1,000 gorgeous acres of flower gardens and majestic cedar, hemlock and fir trees. A six-mile bike path rings the park.

Located on the West Coast of Vancouver Island in the heart of one of the most picturesque natural areas of the Pacific Northwest, situated on 70 secluded acres of pristine forest. No roads lead to Eagle Nook Resort. Water taxi transfer departs from Ucluelet, for a 45 minute scenic cruise thought the Broken Groups Islands. The marine wildlife excursion is a truly memorable experience. While coasting by islands with amazing rock outcroppings, gorgeous beaches, tiny inlets and majestic forests, all breathtaking – whether seen on a sunny day, through coastal mists you will be in touch with nature.

Enjoy a variety of wilderness adventure including salmon and halibut fishing, sea kayaking, hiking, caving, nature cruises to view bears, sea lions and whales and helicopter tours. Two- to seven-night packages include flights to Tofino from Seattle or Vancouver, transportation to the lodge, a nature cruise, meals, and all non guided activities.

Since their discovery in the late 1800s, visitors have travelled on horseback, by boat, and later by car, to benefit from the healing powers of Harrison Hot Springs and to stay in the renowned resort hotel overlooking Harrison Lake .
Rich in history and surrounded by breathtaking scenery, Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa was a natural acquisition by Delaware North Companies in fall 2002. The company is pleased to have made the resort the latest member of its family of world-class park, resort and tourism properties.

“Harrison is a jewel waiting for a grand vision, experience, and the capital required to develop it sensitively and bring it to the level of an international resort destination,” says new General Manager Donald Ponniah.

Ponniah, most recently at the corporation’s Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite, CA, jumped at the chance to move to British Columbia . “BC is truly ’supernatural.’ When we’ve completed our renovation and restoration work, Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa will be a must-stay destination for its rich history, healing springs, scenic location and top caliber resort accommodations.”

According to Ponniah, the “new” vision for Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa encompasses a three to six-year $16 million development and renovation program including:

* A grand redesign to create an inspiring resort entrance and lobby overlooking magnificent Harrison Lake
* A stylish, new cafe restaurant with an outdoor patio reaching out to a new lakeside pathway
* Total $3 million expansion of the Healing Springs Spa and its luxurious services
* High-quality guest room and furnishing upgrades with a themed connection to the rugged alpine, evergreens and beautiful natural setting of Harrison Lake
* Renovations and improvements to the resort’s four hot springs-fed indoor and outdoor pools
* Attractive new shops, a renovated second-level Lakeside Cafe, and lounge and public areas with a welcoming new look
* A brand new public Interpretive Centre that celebrates history and tradition at the actual source of the hot springs , just a 10-minute hike along the lake

“When we’re completed,” Ponniah adds. “We believe Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa will be considered one of the finest resorts in North America.”

Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa is located in southwest British Columbia, Canada, 90 miles east of Vancouver . The resort features four hot springs-fed pools, hundreds of guest rooms, a world-class spa, restaurants, shops, convention and meeting rooms, and visitor facilities. Reservations: www.harrisonresort.com