(Provided for use by Destination British Columbia)
by Margo Pfeiff
We've all seen them on highways and rural byways, massive roadside
attractions that elicit a gasp or a guffaw — buffalo as big as
locomotives, a helicopter-sized mosquito or a cowboy boot that would fit
King Kong.
Everybody loves a road trip and these kitschy, small-town
landmarks are part of the fun. While they may not be a destination on
their own, they offer a quirky target to aim for with the goal of
exploring the surrounding region.
British Columbia has its share of mammoth landmarks and — since this
is Canada — the Guinness Book of World Records' holder for the world's
largest hockey stick (and puck), seems a good place to start.
Recognized
by the Hockey Hall of Fame, the 207-foot (63-metre), 33-tonne wooden
goal-maker was created for Vancouver's Expo 86 and now graces the
community centre in Duncan, north of Victoria on Vancouver Island. And
when hockey fans need to refuel? You're in the heart of the Cowichan
Valley, where produce is showcased weekly at the town's lively Saturday
farmers market.
A short drive from Duncan promises a lush mini-Provence,
where you can navigate scenic, winding country roads along "Gourmet
Trail" tasting routes, dropping in on cheesemakers, wineries, cideries
and organic farms. If adventure is your game, head west of Duncan for
hiking and paddling around Cowichan Lake; 20 minutes to the south,
Shawnigan Lake is the site of the historic Kinsol Trestle, one of the
world's largest free-standing wooden trestles at 187 metres (614 feet)
in length and 46 metres (150 feet) in height. With views of the Koksilah
River, this eye-popper can be found on a hiking/biking route that is
part of the Trans-Canada Trail.
While Duncan is renowned for having more than 30 totem poles that
stand tall along its downtown streets, the community of Hope, 150
kilometres (93 miles) east of Vancouver along the Fraser Valley, has its
own wooden statue bragging rights. The town is an outdoor menagerie of
more than 30 of Pete Ryan's giant chainsaw-carved bears, cougars,
eagles, foxes and mountain sheep that you'll spot on a Carving Walk.
Those critters in real life reside in the surrounding wilds since the
town sits between the Coast and Cascade mountain ranges with dramatic
rainforests, alpine meadows and whitewater rivers to explore. Between
Vancouver and Hope, the broad Fraser Valley is a fertile rural region
where self-guided driving tours, Circle Farm Tours, lead to
everything from hazelnut orchards and goat dairies to small wineries
like Township 7 and Domaine de Chaberton with its fine bistro — some of
the Lower Mainland's best-kept secrets.
Serious wine lovers will want to continue from Hope 240 kilometres
(149 miles) further northeast to Kelowna and the Thompson Okanagan
grape-growing/wine-making Mecca where there is another quirky landmark
worth searching out: a real pyramid. Summerhill Pyramid Winery is
Canada's largest certified organic winery and owner Stephen Cipes places
his award-winning products — mostly sparkling wines — into the cool
pyramid as the final step in production. Bonus: visitors can experience
the serenity of the winery's authentic, sacred geometric chamber on a
tour. Post exploration, continue south along the vineyard-lined shores
of Okanagan, Skaha and Osoyoos lakes, stopping in for tastings at dozens
of wineries en route. Some of the province's best reds ripen in the hot
sun of Canada's only true desert just shy of the US border in the
Osoyoos region. And that's not all; winery touring and tasting — even by
bicycle — is year-round fun, while opportunities to raise a glass mark
the seasons, thanks to lively celebrations hosted by the Okanagan Wine
Festivals Society.
East of the Okanagan Valley, the Rocky Mountains provide a
spectacular backdrop along the highway through Revelstoke, Golden and
Invermere to Fernie, communities known for their heaps of snow and prime
downhill and heli-skiing. But there's another draw that is sure to
captivate: just 30 minutes from the slopes of Fernie, in the mining town
of Sparwood, a colossal roadside attraction — the world's largest
tandem axel dump truck — will take your breath away. Twenty metres (66
feet) long with 3,300 horsepower, its box can hold two Greyhound buses
and a pair of pickup trucks — all at once! While here, be sure to
explore the history of underground coal mining on a Sparwood Mining History Walking Tour
and see antique mining machinery as well as giant murals around town.
Surrounded by the Rockies, Sparwood is known for its fishing and has an
extensive hiking and snowshoeing/cross-country ski network.
But for one of the province's true epicentres of world-class
cross-country skiing, drive 450 kilometres (280 miles) northeast of
Vancouver into the South Cariboo region to 100 Mile House whose
surroundings have one of Canada's most extensive groomed ski trail
networks, about 150 kilometres (93 miles) with warming huts en route.
There are trails for beginners to experts, even an Adventure Trail for
parents and kids. So it's logical that this is where you'll also
encounter the world's largest pair of cross-country skis — the poles
alone tower nine metres (30 feet). Want to ditch the woollies? During
warm, dry, sunny summers the region's trails and backcountry are popular
with hikers, bikers, campers and horseback riders.
Continue due north from 100 Mile House on Highway 97 — the route of
the original Cariboo Wagon Road through wide-open cowboy country —
passing Williams Lake and Quesnel. Your journey will take you to the
Northern BC city of Prince George, where the tight-knit community is
saluted by Mr. PG, an eight-metre (26-foot) tall figure made out of ...
fake "logs" (a nod to its forestry roots). Originally designed as an
inclusion for the 1963 Grey Cup Parade in Vancouver, Mr. PG became a
proud symbol of the city; he routinely took part in many parades that
followed and has even been featured on a Canada Post stamp. (Perhaps
these days he should be sporting a crown to celebrate the arrival of a
newly born Prince George.) Today, he sits permanently at the
intersection of Highways 97 and 16, occasionally waving a flag to
welcome folks to this outdoor adventure playground, where summer beckons
with hiking and biking and winter promises equal allure with snow
shoeing, cross-country, downhill and heli-skiing.
Want more zany roadside attractions? There are so many across British
Columbia. Make a mission and plan a roadside-attraction-themed road
trip — after all, who knows what you might discover around the world's
biggest fly-fishing rod in Houston or near Alert Bay's 53-metre
(174-foot) totem pole, a contender for the world's tallest.
For more on British Columbia's destinations and travel information, visit www.HelloBC.com.
Contacts:
Tourism Cowichan: www.tourismcowichan.com
Pete Ryan: www.pete-ryan.ca
Circle Farm Tours: www.circlefarmtour.com
Domaine de Chaberton Estate Winery: www.domainedechaberton.com
Township 7 Vineyards & Winery: www.township7.com
Summerhill Pyramid Winery: www.summerhill.bc.ca
Okanagan Wine Festivals: www.thewinefestivals.com
Sparwood: www.sparwood.ca
Skiing in the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast: skithehills.com; www.100milenordics.com
Tourism Prince George: www.tourismpg.com
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