Canada is the perfect place to visit for an outdoors adventure – and one destination in particular that could be ideal is British Columbia.

The province is home to a wide variety of terrain, whether you’re looking to go hiking up a mountain, try your hand at windsurfing, take to the hills on a mountain bike or explore some age-old rainforests.

It also harbours some fascinating towns and cities that offer the perfect base from which to visit some of British Columbia’s less populated areas on a Canada holiday.

As a result, the key theme of any outdoors escape to British Columbia has to be diversity – there are few other places where you can go skiing, play golf and indulge in some sailing in a single day before attempting even more activities on the morrow.

One of the best places to begin on a British Columbia outdoors adventure has to be the province’s capital, Victoria.

The city is located on Vancouver Island, which offers much to see and do for those who love wildlife, nature and outdoor pursuits, so it could be an ideal place to stay while you investigate these attractions.

Victoria itself is a charming place to visit thanks to its historic buildings, gorgeous gardens, planetarium and museums.

But if you choose to head out of the city, much more awaits on Vancouver Island, including lots of opportunities to go whale-watching and the chance to spot sea lions, puffins and grizzly bears, among other creatures.

Back on the mainland, Vancouver is a must-see when it comes to Canada holidays. The city offers the perfect mix of urban entertainment and outdoors activities as a result of its favourable location – it’s surrounded by water on three sides and is situated next to a mountain range.

Highlights include a trip to Gastown, a historical district filled with cobbled streets and quaint stores, as well as the opportunity to visit attractions such as the ski town of Whistler and Grouse Mountain, both of which lie within easy reach of north Vancouver.

Elsewhere, Prince George in northern British Columbia could be the ideal destination if you want to try some fantastic hiking trails, golf and fishing against the backdrop of an immense spruce forest.

The destination is also home to an observatory, where you can gaze at the stars with one of the largest telescopes in Canada, as well as several smaller ones.

Another potential stop to list on a Canada holiday itinerary is Prince Rupert, which can be found on Kaien Island off the northern British Columbia coast.

Here, you will find that animals appear to outnumber humans, making for a great break for those who really do want to get away from it all!

You’ll be able to see bears, eagles, whales and more besides – and that’s in addition to the tame deer that can be found wandering the streets of certain Prince Rupert neighbourhoods.

The only grizzly bear sanctuary in Canada and some particularly old areas of rainforest can also be found in Prince Rupert, so be sure to check these sights out if you do visit this part of British Columbia.

If you want to experience British Columbia at its best during the summer, why not head to Thompson Okanagan?

The fertile grasslands here have given rise to numerous orchards and vineyards, while the terrain changes into forest and even desert the further you trek.

Meanwhile, the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast could be ideal for lakeside camping – the area boasts the opportunity to follow the Gold Rush Trail as well as indulge in boating, swimming, fishing and kayaking against the backdrop of several sparkling lakes.

Lastly, the Kootenay Rockies could be the perfect destination to visit for holidaymakers wanting to get active with a spot of whitewater rafting, skiing, snowboarding, windsurfing, mountain biking or canoeing and for wildlife lovers looking to catch a glimpse of a wide range of creatures.

These include bighorn sheep, coyotes, moose, cougar, black and grizzly bears, eagles, elk and mule deer.

There is much potential for creating the ideal outdoors adventure on a British Columbia getaway – as well as this combination of destinations in the province, you could head further afield and turn your Canada holiday into a proper tour of the country’s best areas of wilderness.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dipika_Patel

For anyone that is interested in the history of the British Columbia Interior they can have a field day if they decide to come and visit the area.  There are plenty of museums in the area and they will  definitely be able to show a person an insight to the beginning of British Columbia which can be traced all the way back to the Ice Age and some of the first indigenous peoples to ever step foot on North American soil.  It is here in the Interior and British Columbia that the First Nation Peoples of the Pacific Northwest have a big influence and that influence can be felt all over the province.

When it comes to the rich history of the great country of Canada, some of the most endeared tales and entities can be found in the British Columbia Interior.  The great thing is that the history that was started well over 200 years ago has bled over into the future and the coming and goings of today are setting the prececdent for the future.  The history of the Interior is being cemented in today’s world.  If you are a person that is interested in the history of the BC Interior, the best thing is to be able to visit the land itself.  If you are a history buff all around, the British Columbia Interior is without a doubt one place that should be visited.

Provincial News Covered By BC Interior Writer, Chad Morgan

We have all seen great lists of camping essentials, but in our opinion there are five items you absolutely should not do without.

Your camping trip sometimes may end up being a total write-off for the simplest reason. That’s because we don’t get to do it very often. The average camper may get to spend 15 or 20 days per year sleeping out in the great outdoors. Judging by the many accessories in today’s RV’s, roughing it may not mean the same as it did years ago.

As a couple who have had a great many nights under the stars we have compiled a short list of five items we would not leave home without. Your list may differ from ours but that’s human nature.

Our five most important camping items.

A large tarpaulin with plenty of rope. We camped on the west coast of British Columbia, as well as many years on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. In these two areas it rains plenty. On the east coast we simply put up with the rain. On those days we put up with it or went home. The ground would get wet. Everyone was bored while trapped inside the tent. Not until we camped in British Columbia did we learn what to do. Our first spring weekend trip took us to a beautiful BC Provincial park. The couple next door to our site had a huge tarpaulin set up and lashed to the trees. Two extension poles raised the center up high. It covered the entire site. It rained that night. Next morning they had a campfire going and ate breakfast under the tarp. Their site was perfectly dry. Definite high on our list of camping essentials.

An axe, a hatchet and a small bucksaw. Very important tools. You purchase a bundle of firewood. It’s either too large to burn, or too small and burns quickly. You may need to find a dead tree, a piece of driftwood or a large chunk someone else had and couldn’t cut up. The axe will split large pieces. The hatchet cuts the larger pieces down to size. The saw can be used to salvage long pieces. My saw was a Sandvik saw with a 12 inch blade. It had very sharp large teeth that cut through small logs easily. It never dulled.

Fire sticks and fire paste. Both are very effective but one or the other will do. Excellent camping essentials. If you want to be able to start a campfire every single time, these products will do the job. We have never had a failure. They are very inexpensive. A package of 12 sticks will last the entire summer. Prepare the fire with tiers of kindling and a few pieces of larger wood. Cut a one inch piece of fire stick. Slip it under the kindling and light it. It will burn until the fire is blazing.

Propane camp stove with an eight pound tank. Two or three burner. Both are excellent. We wore out two, white gas stoves over the years. The kind you pump up to use. The fuel is simply called Camp-stove fuel. They were a bother. They could be dangerous. The propane stove is much superior product. We suggest the eight pound tank as it is very cheap to fill at the local service station, will last hundreds of hours, and is easy on the landfill. Carry a one pound canister just in case you run out with the eight pound tank.

Last but not least. Check your equipment. One year we opened up our large tent during our first trip of the year only to discover the entire upper corner had been torn up and used as nesting material by squirrels during the winter. That trip was ruined. Check your stove, gas container, lamps, flashlights, tents and RV’s. Leave nothing unchecked and you will enjoy a great camping season with your camping essentials.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Macmillan

Cape Scott Provincial Park is relatively flat, with a good trail system.  Hiking trails within the park lead off to the Cape Scott Light Station, Hansen’s Lagoon, and to a several outstanding beaches.  The addition in 2008 of the North Coast Trail has opened up a number of other spectacular beaches, shoreline features, and upland ecosystems that are hardly seen anywhere else in the world.  Getting through this new trail is difficult, however, adding a new challenging hike to British Columbia’s coastal hiking network.

Several features make the trail difficult and the travel relatively slow.  Much of the trail is fraught with condition dependent spots, each spot depending on whether it is raining, or whether the tide is in or out.  And of course, transportation to and from the trail has its challenges, as well.

If you are starting from the east end of the trail, at Shushartie Bay, you will need to be taken in by water taxi from Port Hardy.  This can be a bit pricey, and currently runs at about $110 per person for 3 people.  The price goes down for more people, but expect about $100 each.  The way out is another matter.  The Cape Scott Water Taxi and Marine Services has combined with the North Coast Trail Shuttle to provide transportation both in and out, trailhead to trailhead.  This makes it easier to plan a complete hike through all of Cape Scott Park now.

The first leg of the hike out of Shushartie Bay heads immediately up.  So the first struggle is uphill, pulling up with a rope to get onto a plateau.  The climb from there is pretty steady up to a larger plateau with coastal bog terrain.  This area is quite remarkable.  There is one section of the West Coast Trail that is particularly similar, but not a lot of it.  A fair section of the bog is protected by boardwalk.  The boardwalks are new, so they are level and good, but that does not prevent them from being extremely slippery when wet.  The hiking pace must slow down on the boardwalk to prevent slips and falls.  This is not a bad thing.  So much of the bog is small in size, including the trees.  A slower pace means more attention goes to the scenery and appreciating the incredible diversity of life there.  The upland bog shows up throughout most of the rest of the hike from time to time, but the first day is full of it.

The upland trails contain some deadfall trees that have to be climbed over or through, but also vast arrays of root systems that have to be negotiated.  These root systems provide some footing opportunities, but are also usually slippery.  Climbing up and over some of these systems can be strenuous and slow.  Careful foot placement and a properly adjusted backpack are absolute essentials for travelling over these obstacles.  The benefits are travelling through sections of old growth cedar, hemlock, and sitka spruce.  The trees are magnificent and the birdsong coming from them is like a serenade.  Many aeries are atop tall trees, indicating how high the eagle population is in this area.

After the upland trail on the first leg come creek crossings and beach travel.  The creek crossings can be challenging because of swift water.  At the end of the day, it is often too time consuming to take off boots and wade across the rivers, but doing so helps prevent the problems of wet feet and wet boots.  There are two challenges to beach travel.

The first beach travel problem is the speed and effort to walk on a beach.  Some of the beaches are sandy, some are cobblestone.  With either type, the footing is somewhat soft and the travel can slow down a bit.  It is very tiring to walk on the beach, but psychologically it is great.  You can see how far you are travelling and tell you are making progress.  Cobblestones can be quite difficult, especially on sloped beaches.  Many of the middle beaches on the North Coast Trail are cobblestone.  The way between Cape Sutil and Shuttleworth Bight has a large section of cobblestone beaches, and it is called the Sutil Scramble.

The next obstacle has to do with the tides.  The tides complicate two things.  Some spots are impassable at high tides, so timing is important.  This means that you need to have the tide tables with you and be able to interpret them.  Some places have upland work arounds to pass these tide dependent spots, some do not.  A good section of the Sutil Scramble is walking over pocket beaches and getting around the headlands between them.  Some walk arounds take steep, rope scramble courses up and over narrow divides, then back down on ropes again.  Low tide walks around the headlands speed things up considerably.  Intermediate tides mean judging whether climbing the rocks at the edge of the headlands will be faster and safer than taking the walk-around trail.  The really amazing part of this area, particularly on the Sutil Scramble, it the intimate look at sea stacks, sea caves, and tide pools while moving around the headlands.

Parts of the forest trails are old settler routes and have been lined underneath with logs, creating a corduroy effect.  The corduroy can be slippery and in places where it is completely rotten, big mud holes dot the trail.  Generally, straight through the mud hole is the best way, but sometimes one has a deeper meaning to it, i.e., you are going to sink to your knees.  The history here is fascinating and a good study beforehand or with a guide along can help you appreciate the challenges that the early settlers had in trying to carve out homesteads in this wild place.

At the end of the day, after 7 to 9 kilometers of travel, you really feel like you have been somewhere.  It is not exactly bushwacking, but not far from it.  The ruggedness of the trail is exhausting; the beauty of the scenery is exhilarating; and the abundance of life is awe-inspiring here on this boundary of land and ocean.  After the North Coast Trail, Cape Scott’s trails are easy and the visit to the light station over the sand neck at Guise Bay and Experiment Bight caps off the journey with another sense of beauty and wonder.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Ward

Oak Hammock Marsh, Man

Ten applicants from across Canada will be selected by DUC to spend August 6 to 12, 2011 at the world renowned Oak Hammock Marsh and Delta Marsh in Southern Manitoba. The action-packed week includes activities like duck and songbird banding, radio telemetry, geocaching, decoy carving, wilderness survival, camping, canoeing, and much more.

“It’s a chance for teens to see hands-on what DUC scientists and staff do to conserve wetlands, and have fun doing it,” said Rick Wishart, Director of Education for DUC. “It’s going to be a week packed with activities and a great way to learn new skills while developing a stronger appreciation for wetlands and wildlife.”

Applications are online and must be submitted by June 15, 2011. All applicants will be asked to outline what they’ve done for the environment, and what their plans are after high school including post-secondary education and career goals.

The camp fee for Canadian residents is $500 and covers all food, lodging, programs and expenses. DUC will provide Canadian participants with complimentary airfare or transportation to join DUC from anywhere in Canada. Camp fee for non-Canadian residents is $2,000. The British Columbia Waterfowl Society has provided a full bursary to offset all costs for one BC teen to attend the camp and sponsors are being sought for other provinces. DUC can assist with letters of support and information on tax receipts for campers looking for donations from within their local community to offset their camp fees.

You’re not a typical teenager so why settle for a typical summer camp. Make a difference and join the outdoor adventure camp of a lifetime today. Applications are online at www.ducks.ca Also, check out our website for reflections from past camp participants.

Bighorn sheep and mountain goat are also a prized trophy hunt in the BC Interior.  The great thing about hunting in the BC Interior is that the terrain is so perfect for it.  With the mountains and the lakes and the hills, it gives all of these different animals a nice habitat to be able to survive.  Another great thing about hunting in the BC Interior is that there are scores of hunting guides and hunting lodges.  These can be found all over all sections of the BC Interior.  They are all armed and equipped with guides who have knowledge of the game and the best thing is that they know the best places to go to be able to find the game.  If you are a person that is visiting the Interior to partake in a hunt, you always want to make sure that you have all of the proper gear and the proper clearances for your firearms.  The hunting lodges and guides will have certain rules and regulations that you will have to abide by but the best thing to do is some research on the Canadian hunting laws before you decide to make a trip.

The British Columbia Interior is all about adventure and trophy hunting in this part of British Columbia is certainly an adventure.  Anyone who has the opportunity and is able to experience the thrill of hunting in the Interior should definitely jump on the chance and not let it go by.

Want to know more about hunting in BC check out this website, Hunting in BC, clique HERE. Photo courtesy of Opatcho Lake Guide Outfitters. See their website clique by HERE.

Provincial Sports Covered By BC Interior News Writer, Chad Morgan.

Ganga Giri is an inspired music creator whose passion brings people together in a modern day corroboree, which is an Australian Aboriginal dance ceremony! Blending an array of tribal percussion with congas, djembe, bougarabou, Nigerian talking drum, mbira with authentic indigenous moves and Aboriginal dancers, Ganga Giri’s live show is a modern/primitive celebration; a melting pot unifying many musical genres and cultures.

“Ganga Giri creates an amazing multi-layered blend of indigenous/electro/dance/rock, and upon my first vision of Giri dancing around the stage, waving his arms around and playing his didgeridoo at the same time, he’d won me over,” wrote a reviewer from Faster Louder Review, East Brunswick Club.

Delivering his unique and authentic taste of multicultural Australia, Ganga Giri’s music has been widely & wildly appreciated by music lovers in many countries including Australia, Japan, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States. His music has been igniting audiences in clubs and music festivals all over the world, including some of the biggest outdoor dance events across the globe.

Ganga Giri is a remarkably energetic and innovative live act. He has achieved something rare and precious, which few artists are able to capture mixing natural elements with fat tribal beats and dirty funky bass lines to create a unique tribal-technological deep earth dance experience. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see this unique musician right here in Salmon Arm!

Ganga Giri will join Jonny Lang, JJ Grey and Mofro, Justin Rutledge, Bob Wiseman, MonkeyJunk, Mighty Popo Trio, Mark Hummel and the Blues Survivors, Ben Waters Trio, Harrison Kennedy, Afenginn, Street Drum Corps, The Gillian Boucher Band, Colin Grant Band, Rachel Davis, Buddy MacDonald and Ashlea Jonesmith at this year’s Roots and Blues Festival.

The nineteenth annual Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival will take place on August 19th, 20th, and 21st at the Salmon Arm Fall Fair grounds. Limited early bird tickets are now on sale for $99 until February 25th, and can be purchase online at www.rootsandblues.ca, by phone at (250) 833-4096 and by coming to the office located at 490 5th Ave SW, Salmon Arm BC, V1E 1S9.

Photo courtesy of the Salmon Arm Roots & Blues Festival.

The most important thing is to always know where you are going.  If you are a visitor to the Interior, bring along a map.  This part of Canada is dotted with trails, mountains, and hills and if you do not know where you are going, you can get lost in a heartbeat.  There are world class ski resorts in the BC Interior and in the winter these places are known to get huge amounts of snow.  If you are able to get snow tires for your vehicle, it is highly advised to use them.  If you are able to get chains wrapped around your tires, well that will work too.  There are alot of small elevation changes and if you don’t have the right kind of tires and the roads are packed with a foot of snow and ice, you are not going to get very far.

Then there are safety measures.  A person should always carry a cell phone with them in the case if their vehicle breaks down and they will have to call for help.  Canada is known for its very cold weather and the winter in the BC Interior is no different.  Always make sure to wear lots of warm clothing.  It is always better to be safe than sorry.  Make sure to check tire pressure and other things such as gas levels and oil levels.  Another thing is to always travel at speeds that lower than what is posted.  Winter time can be fun in the BC Interior but if you do not take the necessary precautions and do not respect the area then you can find yourself in a bad situation and that is not what you want when visiting the BC Interior.
Find out the current condition on BC Highways clique here.

Provinicial Sports Covered By BC Interior News Writer, Chad Morgan. Photo courtesy of BC Driving Tips produced by the province of British Columbia.

Singing with a passion and fervor directly influenced by the classic soul heroes, JJ Grey has written and recorded five albums of original songs steeped in the rhythm & blues, rock, and country soul of his native backwoods home outside Jacksonville, Florida.

Grey comes from a long tradition of Southern storytellers and, in that spirit, he fills his songs with details that are at once vivid, personal and universal. After a decade of hard touring, he still spends eight months of the year on the road, bringing his music to a loyal, ever-growing, worldwide fan base and were nominated for the BB King International Artist of the Year Award 2011.

In a live performance review in The New York Times, writer Nate Chinen praised JJ’s “balance of wildness and cool” describing his music as “Southern swamp rock with undercurrents of Memphis soul. His songs chronicle ambiguous truths and unambiguous urges,” delivered by Grey’s “winningly uncontrived vocals.” Likewise, Billboard has praised Grey’s “world-beating blend of Southern rock, blues and Florida swamp soul.”.

Over the course of his 20-plus year career, JJ Grey has shared stages with the likes of the Allman Brothers Band, the Black Crowes, Los Lobos, Jeff Beck, Ben Harper, Booker T, Lenny Kravitz, and Mavis Staples and has performed at The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest and The Austin City Limits Festival, among others.

At the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival JJ Grey and Mofro will join Jonny Lang, Justin Rutledge, Bob Wiseman, MonkeyJunk, Mighty Popo Trio, Mark Hummel and the Blues Survivors, Ben Waters Trio, Harrison Kennedy, Afenginn, Street Drum Corps, The Gillian Boucher Band, Colin Grant Band, Rachel Davis, Buddy MacDonald and Ashlea Jonesmith.

The nineteenth annual Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival will take place on August 19th, 20th, and 21st at the Salmon Arm Fall Fair grounds. You can purchase early bird tickets for $99, but act now because they are limited and only on sale for that price until February 25th! Tickets can be purchase online at www.rootsandblues.ca, by phone at (250) 833-4096 and by coming to the office located at 490 5th Ave SW, Salmon Arm BC, V1E 1S9.

Photo of JJ Grey courtesy of the Salmon Arm Roots & Blues Festival.

Ask Craig Pulsifer what he’s up to these days and the Salmon Arm photographer will tell you, “As much as humanly possible.”

Pulsifer left engineering for full time photography in 1999 in what he describes as the Helen Keller School of Visual Arts.  His self-taught, eclectic style makes for interesting viewing.  “My portfolio strikes some as intense and divergent,” he confesses.  “I’m drawn to contrast and extremes, and that’s what is keeping me going these days – extremes.”

Building a photography business in a town of 16,000 is intense if not extreme, especially given that his wife, Lib, has chosen to home school their five kids.  Bread and butter work comes largely from portraiture and commercial work, which occasionally can be re-licensed as stock imagery.  This plays into Pulsifer’s broader plan to diversify.

“We’re mostly shooting a mix of people and lifestyle stuff using natural and studio location lighting – images for local clients and other newspaper and magazines that appeal to young, affluent audiences,” he explains.  “But, ultimately I’m trying to use my gifts as a communicator to help make a difference in the world through digital storytelling.”

Recently, Pulsifer teamed up with his nineteen year-old son, Chris, to build a new media lab in their home from which to create content for the web.

“Most of the stories we’ve done so far are for non-profits and aid agencies who are hard-pressed to afford media coverage,” he says.  “Our whole audio/visual and editing kit is designed to fit into two suitcases so that we can stay light, but still maintain high production value in the end product.”

For a closer look at some of his work, you can visit Pulsifer’s online portfolio at http://www.craigpulsifer.com.

craig pulsifer |  photographer
http://www.craigpulsifer.com
British Columbia, Canada
landline: 1 250 832-1343
cell: 1 250 833-6548