kylewith

Jun 06 2011

First time on BC Ferry

I don’t know if I have mentioned this yet or not, but this is my first time on “The Island” and no I’m not talking about the island in Lost, although that might be fun too. The island I’m talking about is Vancouver Island. This was is my first time in Vancouver and Victoria. Yes, they finally let me out of the north.

Well to get to the island I had to take the ferry over. This was my first time on a BC Ferry. I have taken ferries in Ontario and in Alaska, and of course the ferry crossing the MacKenzie River on the way to and from Yellowknife.

I have heard many people talk about BC Ferry on Twitter and not all good things, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Truthfully, because of the people I have met through twitter I was a little worried.

When I boarded the ferry though, I was pleasantly surprised. The ferry was clean, timely and accommodating. As I climbed the levels to the main decks, I found a lot of seating for all the passengers. It appeared there were more seats than passengers, so that is always good to see and the seats were relatively comfortable. Having been slightly sick earlier that morning and hungry I wanted to get something to eat. So we found the food area and got some food. Ferry Food as someone called it, wasn’t the greatest around. I would compare the burger I had to one that was left until the end of the day at McDonald’s. It was dried and shriveled.

As I toured around the ferry, I learned that they offered free WiFi, although it was slooooow. You do seem to keep cell service for the majority of the ride though, so tethering saved me from boredom. I also found a kids area and a private area, for those who wish to pay more. I made my way out onto the front deck, which was right under the bridge and I could see the captain. I was somewhat surprised we saw land for most of the trip, then again I didn’t know what to expect.

Getting on and off the ferry was actually a fairly fluid process. We drive on, park, rest and then drive off.

Jun 05 2011

Oak Bay Tea Party with Geeks

We ended off the Social Media Camp with going to the Oak Bay Tea Party, which was much more of a party than I was expecting.

Jun 05 2011

Crazy Oak Bay Tea Party

After dinner at this cool little Tapas place in Victoria, which I forgot to document (stupid Kyle, stupid Kyle), we needed to kill some time, so we went to the Oak Bay Tea Party. Oh and by we I mean, Andrew, Martin, his girlfriend Michelle and myself.

Honestly I had no idea what the Oak Bay Tea Party was, here I am thinking it is some really old tradition where everyone sits around drinking tea and eating crumpets. WRONG. This was one of the liveliest events I have been to, carnival wise. It was much like a fair, there were lots of rides, lots of food, lots of music and lots of people. Families, Adults and crazy people like us, all there to just enjoy the evening.

I have fallen in love with the island, I love the view of the ocean and the mountains in the background and the general vide of the place. While I was enjoying that, Andrew was bouncing around encouraging me to go on some of the rides. Me being very unenthusiastic towards rides, I finally caved and went on just the ferris wheel. Amazing, I know, the ferris wheel (see video). I did enjoy the ferris wheel though, as it gave an amazing view of the bay and mountain. I was smart though I opted out of the next two rides in fear of becoming sick, which was smart. Andrew and Martin thought they could handle it (again see end of video).

I really enjoy the vibe of the community, it just seems like it is always here and I want that. Nevertheless though, I am a northern boy.

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If photos don’t display correctly see them here on Flickr.

Jun 04 2011

A Trip to Hell’s Gate

If you ever drive Prince George to Vancouver, chances are you are going to pass Hell’s Gate. It is not what you expect either. It is not firey hot or red or even the home of scary demons. It does have an amazing amount of power though and when standing on top of it you can feel it below your feet.

The Hell’s Gate I am referring to of course is the narrow part of the Fraser River. The Fraser River flows through this gorge and as it does it gets narrower, gains speed and depth, making it a force to be recon with.

Because of this significance with the gorge and the history of the rain line and salmon run this spot has been turned into a mini tourist attraction. A Tram from the highway was built that suspends into the gorge across the river. At the bottom of the tram a little site has been build for visitors. There is a fudge factory, Salmon history as well has more information on the river itself and the rail line. Once a person is down they can also walk across a bridge at the bottom to feel the river below them.

It is early in the tourism season and the tram was not that busy. Only 5 or 6 other people were also down in the gorge at the same time as I was. For me, it was just interesting to go down the tram and take in the power of the river through the canyon. It was interesting to know that in 1948 the water level of the river was at its highest of something like 250 feet, which managed to wipe of the old bridge that was crossing the river. The current level of the river while we were down was about 180 feet, which was higher than normal.

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Jun 02 2011

Welcome to Vancouver during Rain and Playoffs

My first mistake was not thinking more about getting a hotel room for the night. I mean who knew there was a Canucks game, the first of the final series of the playoffs, happing in Vancouver. You think they would have told me before hand.

I kid of course, I did know of the game and was a little concerned about getting a hotel coming into the City. We weren’t sure though if we were going to stay in Downtown Vancity or outside and Skytrain in. Well at 4pm we didn’t have much choice. So after about 15 minutes of Googling available hotels in the area, while screaming through the windy roads of BC we found a place in Burnaby. It was a class place, lodge like. Actually the smell reminded me of the rooms at Bathurst Inlet Lodge. Nevertheless, it was a room and bed for the night.

So once we were settled and ready to go downtown I encountered my second mistake. Underestimating the rain. People have told me about the Vancouver rain. It is heavy and full, comes down in buckets. I thought I would be ready for it, but I wasn’t. I brought my rain jacket, but that wasn’t enough for me. Just walking 5 minutes to the Skytrain station, my legs got soaked.

Of course I go soaking wet walking to the Skytrain, but then when we got into downtown it had stopped and everything was great, except for the fact I was wet. I guess the saying “If you don’t like the weather in Canada, wait five minutes” rains true in Vancouver. Next time I see an umbrella in my hand.

This has just been a quick trip through Vancouver and I don’t think I have experienced it enough to make a call as to whether I like it or not. It is a City to me right now, like any other.

Next in our journey is the Ferry to the Island for Social Media Camp Victoria. By the way you can expect a post on Prince George to Burnaby and one on Hell’s Gate.