posted by Claude-Jean Harel, MA MAHI @ 2:04 PM
0 comments
posted by Claude-Jean Harel, MA MAHI @ 1:58 PM
0 comments
posted by Claude-Jean Harel, MA MAHI @ 1:53 PM
0 comments
BY GILLES MORNEAU
Picture the perfect mountain-bike trail. At first it climbs gently through a forest redolent of pine and damp moss. Then it drops and narrows, running along a cliff and around an enormous glacial lake in a postcard setting. After that it flows onwards for 10 fast kilometres, punctuated with challenging obstacles that thrill experts and beginners alike. Yet you needn't be in peak physical condition to tackle it.
Such a trail exists. It's the Lake Minnewanka Trail near Canmore, and it's a magnet for mountain cyclists in Banff National Park.
If, on the other hand, your definition of the definitive trail involves something rougher and tougher, you could strike out for the Skogan Pass, a 20-kilometre ride that takes four hours of hard effort to complete. After climbing a steep 660-metre path, you reach the top of the pass (2,090 metres) and are rewarded with a view of the Canmore Valley spread out below, flanked by Mount Rundle and the Three Sisters mountain range. Or if you're simply thirsting for unspoiled wilderness, there's the entire Kananaskis region - laced with some 40 marked trails - just to the south of Canmore.
Indeed, whatever your idea of the ultimate trail, chances are you'll find it somewhere around Canmore, population 10,000, in the Bow River Valley, just 15 kilometres from Banff and the other Rocky Mountain national parks, and a mere 75 minutes from Calgary International Airport.
Popular Pastime
Many people who work in Banff actually live in Canmore, drawn by its laid-back tranquility. Canmore residents also tend to be outdoor sports enthusiasts, and mountain biking is particularly popular. Brian Cooke is a prime example. Affectionately known as "Big Bri," he was raised in Calgary but moved to Canmore because of his love of cycling.
Big Bri, who has roamed all over Canada and the United States on two wheels, swears there's no better place for "cross-country riders looking for epic single track in pristine non-motorized country." Plus, he says, there's another aspect to the cycling hereabouts that enhances the area's reputation. "The trend in B.C. is for lift access or shuttle access-type freeriding, but because we are in park country, this sort of thing has not happened in Canmore." Cyclists here have to earn their wild mountain descents with much effort, and there's a certain amount of pride in that.
Canmore was founded in 1883 as a mining town. Many of the present-day cycling trails wind away from mining roads that lead to the coalmines, especially in the area around the Canmore Nordic Centre. Built to host the biathlon and cross-country events in the 1988 Winter Olympics, the centre offers 70 kilometres of extremely varied trails just five minutes from downtown Canmore. Novices can rent bicycles or take introductory courses at the centre, where the trails are generally suitable for beginners - although some sections are tricky enough that they posed serious challenges for the world's best cyclists when the World Cup Cross-Country Mountain Biking races were held here in 1998, 1999 and 2000.
Canmore has also hosted numerous Canada Cup competitions and is now serving as the finish line for the TransRockies Challenge (August 10-16, 2003), an international event billed as the toughest mountain bike race in the world. In teams of two, competitors cover more than 600 kilometres of unspeakably rough wilderness trails in seven days, struggling over a route that includes numerous portages and three crossings of the Continental Divide. Also on the TransRockies agenda are a one-day race over 80 kilometres of narrow, difficult trails, and a 24-hour team race.
But Canmore isn't just for experts. For guided tours, you can join local bicycle-club outings along the most popular trails in the region. If you prefer to explore on your own, just pick up some maps and a copy of the book Backcountry Biking in the Canadian Rockies, which details various itineraries throughout the area.
But be sure to plan ahead. The climate in the Rockies is unpredictable, so take tools, spare tubes, food, water and warm clothing. Always remember that you're in the land of bears and that around any curve in the trail, you may find yourself face-to-face with one. A black bear would probably get out of your way quickly, but grizzlies are a different matter. The good news is that grizzlies tend to avoid humans, and you'd likely have to go deep into Banff National Park to encounter any. In any event, local bike shops will gladly sell you the Number One accessory for repelling unwelcome beasts - a bear bell.
Attached to your bicycle saddle, the bell jingles constantly, warning all living creatures of your coming. It can also get pretty annoying for the cyclist, but chances are you'll end up keeping it affixed forevermore to your bike as a souvenir of an unforgettable Canmore cycling vacation. If, that is, you can get used to the noise.
For more information on this or other Canadian destinations, visit the Canadian Tourism Commission's website at www.travelcanada.ca.
posted by Claude-Jean Harel, MA MAHI @ 1:47 PM
0 comments
posted by Claude-Jean Harel, MA MAHI @ 1:34 PM
0 comments
BY TAMARA NOWAKOWSKY
It's cool to be hot in Alberta's Jasper National Park. Here, at Miette Hot Springs, the steaming hot springs - with the hottest water of all the Canadian Rockies thermal springs - reach a maximum temperature of 53.9° C. Mind you, the water is cooled for bathers to a comfortable 39° C or so.
On a first visit to Miette, or a return trip if you haven't been here for a while, chances are you'll walk away feeling like a modern-day explorer who has just made a very important discovery.
First-timers can be forgiven for mistaking the drive to Miette through the spectacular Fiddle Valley as the reward, since the road winds past interesting sites like Punchbowl Falls and the jaw-dropping scene at the Ashlar Ridge Viewpoint. Surely, half the fun is getting there.
Similarly entertaining is the family of mountain sheep that visitors encounter while finding a parking spot at the pool site. A fixture at Miette, the sheep have been greeting arriving guests here for years. Stories abound about people leaving the pool building and concluding they were in the hot water a little too long, having caught sight of a sheep on the hood of their car. The sheep also like to crawl under cars to lick salt from the undercarriages.
The staff at the Miette Hot Springs pool facility are so friendly you might feel like you're visiting relatives. And like a grandmother who scolds you for walking in the house with your shoes on, the cashiers eagerly call out to people walking into changing areas to remove their shoes. The mixture of heavy foot traffic and a wet, warm environment with a heated floor can potentially breed bacteria, so cleaning staff work continually to provide and maintain sanitary conditions.
When you exit the change room to the poolside and take in the view, you'll be struck with the realization that the journey to get here, as wonderful as it was, was simply the means to an end.
The only decisions remaining are where to start, as there are three pools, and where to sit, since there are amazing vistas on all four sides of the pools.
The little pool tucked away behind a half-wall evokes the most curiosity, and visitors soon realize it's called the cold plunge pool for a reason. If you're brave and hearty enough to enter past your ankles, you'll probably end up asking yourself: "If I could make a sound, would my shrieks reverberate off of the mountains or be absorbed by them?" And then as you remember that two hot pools await, you'll likely exit faster than from any pool ever before.
The shallow hot pool is set to 39° C, while the deeper hot pool is kept at 41° C, a temperature that makes a long soak difficult and in fact inadvisable. (In the hot springs, the deeper the source water goes, the hotter it gets. At this, the hottest springs in the Canadian Rockies, the precious liquid is heated directly by the Earth's core and returns to the surface hot and loaded with dissolved natural minerals at a rate of 1,540 litres or 350 gallons per minute.) When the time comes to get out, many bathers can't resist the urge to do the circle of all three pools again.
For those who have time and energy after their dips, the site offers plenty of other activities as well. In addition to a café, gift shop and gardens, Miette's rich history is depicted on an interpretive trail leading to the original bathhouse that was erected at the source of the hot springs. Historic photographs provide an entertaining and informative peek at the period from 1919, when the first crude pool and change house were built, to the 1930s, when the original building was constructed. Miette also offers outstanding hiking in the surrounding sub-alpine terrain, along with excellent wildlife-viewing opportunities.
At the end of the day, head into Jasper to check out a variety of hotels and bed-and-breakfasts. Or if you have only enough energy to get down from the mountain, consider staying at the cozy Pocahontas Bungalows at the base of the mountain.
Resist the urge to share stories of your discovery with friends and family... at least for a day or two. Bask in the glow that comes from knowing that while you were not the first to discover the hot springs, the experience has left you deservedly, thoroughly pleased with yourself.
For more information on this or other Canadian destinations, visit the Canadian Tourism Commission's website at www.travelcanada.ca
source: Canadian Tourism Commision
posted by Claude-Jean Harel, MA MAHI @ 1:31 PM
0 comments
Behind the scenes adventures for visitors and inhabitants in one of the most fascinating settlement regions of the Western North America... Explore Regina and your world!
Claude-Jean Harel is the Founder and Manager of The Great Excursions Company, a Regina-based boutique travel and destination management company which crafts "behind the scenes" tourism experiences using a variety of techniques. He brings to tourism 25 years of broadcast media experience in the fields of culture, heritage and science, generating national and international attention for the distinctive qualities of the North American Plains region. Claude-Jean not only presents tourism products as reportages intended to be lived by guests, he is also a regular contributor to CBC Radio and Television programs. Claude-Jean's work has won numerous awards including: the Canadian Ethnic Journalists' and Writers' Club award. He is a former Commonwealth Relations Trust bursar. His work was nominated for a UNESCO Award; and in 2004, he was admitted to the degree of Master of Arts in Archaeology and Heritage with Distinction at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom. Claude-Jean's company recently joined the CAA Saskatchewan group of companies, where he is now also Manager of Inbound Travel. CAA operates the largest travel agency in the province and WestWorld Tours.
