July 17, 2013

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Summer 2013

INSIDE:

2 Revelstoke summer events guide 3 Viewfinder: Locals share their fave summer day trips 4 The road west 6 The road south, 7 Eats: Roasting up perfect summer lamb 8 The road north 10 The road east 12 We found Revelstoke’s best ice cream

The summer road trip issue Revelstoke exists at the crossing of the Columbia River and the Trans-Canada Highway. From here, two highways radiate out neatly to the four main compass points. This issue, we explore the open road and take in the roadside attractions in the region. Pictured above, the 0-4-0 Locomotive at the Three Valley Gap Railway Museum is one of many rail artefacts accessible housed in their Roundhouse complex, located about 20 minutes west of Revelstoke on the Trans-Canada.

Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Times Review

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This summer in Revelstoke

Daily until September 1

stoke.org for details.

Fri, Aug. 16 to Sun, Aug. 18

GRIZZLY PLAZA SUMMER STREET FESTIVAL Head downtown for live music outdoors every night. From 6:30–9:30 p.m.

RAILWAY DAYS Celebrate Revelstoke's railway heritage during a weekend of events for the whole family. With special tours, music, presentations, book launches, demonstrations, kids activities, car shows and much more. Visit www.railwaymuseum.com or call 250837-5250 for details.

Ongoing to Fri, Sept. 6

ART FAIR at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre, with a members show in the side galleries. Visit www.revelstokevisualarts.com for more information. Open Friday, July 12, at 6 p.m.

Wednesday, July 17

Sat, Sept. 7, to Sun, Sept. 8

riding skills in a race at Mt. Macpherson. The race starts at the Griffith Creek parking lot. Registration is at 6:30 p.m., the race starts at 7 p.m. Visit www.bikerevelstoke.org for details.

soccer tournament turns 15, with 30+ boys and girls teams of all ages expected to take part.

LITTLE BEAR SOCCER TOURNAMENT Revelstoke's junior

RCA TWOONIE CROSS-COUNTRY RACE Come test your

Friday, July 19

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM After five days or preparation, participants in Theatre Prospero's summer drama camp perform Shakespeare's classic play. At the Performing Arts Centre at 7 p.m.

Sat., July 20, & Sun, July 21

BEACH VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT The Powder Springs hosts its annual beach volleyball tournament in the hotel's parking lot, with live music and barbecue all weekend. Register at the hotel as a team of two or five.

Saturday, July 20

CANADA PARKS DAY IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK Join a Parks Canada interpreter for a guided hike up the Illecillewaet River valley. Enjoy the views while learning about the history of the area, and the flora and the fauna along the way. Meet at the Illecillewaet Campground at 9 a.m. for a moderate, six-hour hike. Bring water and a lunch.

Sunday, July 21

STOKED TO GET SPANKED A 35-kilometre mountain bike

race through the trails of Mt. Macpherson. There are categories for experts (two laps), sport racers (one lap), and children of all ages.

Entry is $45 by July 17 and $60 afterwards, and includes one postrace beverage. Register at zone4.ca The race starts at 10 a.m. The race is organized by Skookum Cycle & Ski.

Wednesday, July 31

RCA TWOONIE CROSS-COUNTRY RACE Come test your riding skills in a race at Mt. Macpherson. The race starts just on Beaver Lake Road and includes a timed descent of Flowdown.

Registration is at 6:30 p.m., the race starts at 7 p.m. Visit www. bikerevelstoke.org for details.

Railway Days is back for a weekend of activities celebration Revelstoke’s railroading history, from Aug. 16–18. Visit railwaymuseum.com for details.

Fri, Aug. 2, to Mon, Aug. 5

GLACIER CHALLENGE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT The summer's biggest event takes over the town, as around 100 slopitch teams come to Revelstoke for a fun ball tournament, beer gardens, live music and more. For more information call 250-8379357 or visit www.glacierchallenge.com.

Fri, Aug. 9, to Sun, Aug. 11

Saturday, September 7

CELEBRATE THE SUMMIT Enjoy chocolate cake and subalpine vistas at the summit of Mt. Revelstoke.

Sunday, September 8

MT. REVELSTOKE STEAMER HILL CLIMB Test your road

bike prowess with this 26 kilometre, 5,000-vertical-foot ascent of the Meadows in the Sky Parkway in Mount Revelstoke National Park.

Or you can simply cheer on the racers as they try to beat the record time of 1:09.13, set last year by David Gonda. The race starts at 10 a.m. at the park gates.

REVELSTOKE BIKE FEST Come out for a celebration of cycling in Revelstoke. On Friday and Sunday there will be group mountain bike and road rides starting at 9 a.m. Friday night at 7 p.m. will feature the poker run, followed by a band at the River City Pub. On Saturday, there will be kids events, a bike scavenger hunt and a downtown crit. Note the schedule is subject to change.

Fri, Sept. 13, to Fri, Oct. 4

Saturday, August 10

RCA DOWNHILL RACE SERIES Come test your downhill mettle with a race down the Iron Lotus trail. Visit www.bikerevelstoke.org for details.

EVA LAKE PILGRIMAGE Join Parks Canada staff for a 12-ki-

lometre hike to Eva Lake in Mount Revelstoke National Park. Follow in the footsteps of the first people to explore the summit area of Mt. Revelstoke and witness the wildflowers in full bloom. Meet at the Balsam Lake parking lot near the summit of Mt. Revelstoke at 9 a.m.

Monday, August 12

AN EVENING WITH THE STARS Drive up to the summit of

Mt. Revelstoke National Park to watch the Perseid Meteor shower.

The Meadows in the Sky Parkway will be open until midnight for the occasion.

Wednesday, August 14

RCA TWOONIE CROSS-COUNTRY RACE Come test your

riding skills in a mountain bike race at Mt. Macpherson. Registration is at 6:30 p.m., the race starts at 7 p.m. Visit www.bikerevel-

NATURE AT ITS FINEST by Keishia Treber. With Trail of the Bear by David Rooney, and Felted Works by Robin Wiltse. Opens Friday, Sept. 13, at 6 p.m at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre.

Sunday, September 15

Sunday, September 22

REVY RIDERS FAMILY FUN RIDE A day for families to experience everything the Revy Riders have to offer, including its moto cross, enduro cross and trails. There will be prizes to be won and a barbecue after the rides.

Thu, Sept. 26 and Fri, Sept. 27

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL The world famous festival returns with films about all aspects of mountain sport and culture. Details TBA.

Sunday, September 29

RCA DOWNHILL RACE SERIES Come test your downhill mettle with a race down Rednecks Revenge on Boulder Mountain.

Visit www.bikerevelstoke.org for details.

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VIEWFINDER

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What’s your favourite summer escape in Revelstoke? We asked Revelstoke residents about their preferred summer getaway from town, within an hour of here by road. On a warm summer evening, most had their fave water hole in mind. Here’s where they recommend.

By Aaron Orlando

Angie McLeod Hiking near the Akolkolex Falls. I just like the terrain there. I like mushroom picking, berry picking, hiking, the falls – it’s one of my favourites for sure.

Bruce and Hugo Thomas

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Bruce: We like to go to Echo Lake because the kids can swim there. The reservoir’s too cold. Echo Lake, that’s my final answer.

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Cynthia, Luca and Henri Gallant

Williamson’s Lake. It’s a nice cool place on a hot day to sit on the beach.

Cynthia: Halcyon Hot Springs. It just feels like you’re getting out of town without having to go too far. It feels like a little mini vacation.

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Caden Hedley I like to go to Mount Macpherson because there’s really good trails for mountain biking and lots of downhill mountain bike trails.

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west The highway west

Peek inside some highway tourism landmarks to witness the ongoing development of the roadside attraction

By Aaron Orlando 1

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The Enchanted Forest is lodged amongst my first memoEmployment ries of road trips along theOpportunities Trans-Canada around Revelstoke.

‘Flintstone’s Bedrock City’ sign between Chilliwack and Hope? If my sister got her Enchanted Forest visit, I’d play I remember the begging, crying and desperate lobbying to the fairness card and we’d have to stop at Dusty’s Dinotown. get the parents to stop and take the family inside to find out I always wanted to stop there – too bad it went bankrupt Now what hiring team members with passion for all the enchantment was about.

Thatacame from my sis- in 2010 and I never saw just how awesome it was. customer service andtales community ter. By age seven, fairy weren’t for meinvolvement. anymore.

So, if you want your children’s memories of road trips But I helped my sister protest, adding to the whining and to Manitoba to be a blur of endless tedium in the back of Title and description position; Titlea and description of cajoling.

After all,ofwe might pass waterslide park somethe smoky van, punctuated by intermittent spittle showers position; Title description position. where on and the trip and I’d needofher support begging for a stop. as sunflower seeds get spat out the driver’s window, then And darn it, one day I was going to convince them to stop don’t stop at any roadside attractions. Worst case scenario? at Dusty’s •Dinotown Bridal Falls. Remember that giant They’re bitter and resentful the rest of their lives.

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But if you have a heart, you’ll remember childhood is an awesome, magical experience that slips away far too fast. If the kids beg you to stop, forget the schedule, loosen up on the wallet and remember this: To you, they may be regional roadside attractions, but to them, it might as well be Disneyland. *** I took a trip on the Trans-Canada west of Revelstoke last week to take in roadside attractions.

Asking around, I discovered even long-time Revelstoke locals have never been to some of them. So, I tried to gather

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1. The Three Valley Gap Heritage Ghost Town features local and regional historical artefacts and buildings collected by the Bell family since the resort was developed in the 1950s. Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Times Review

2. The Kids Tree Adventure is the more difficult of two treetop adventure courses at SkyTrek Adventure Park, which also has an adult course.

Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Times Review

3 and 6. The Three Valley Gap Railway Museum roundhouse is a massive indoor enclosure featuring dozens rail cars, locomotives and accessory machines. Aaron

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Orlando/Revelstoke Times Review

One Location.

Two Great Choices.

4. The famous Enchanted Forest treehouse is one stop on a cedar forest walk featuring displays inspired by fairy tales. Aaron Orlando/ Revelstoke Times Review

5. The Crazy Creek waterfall features a suspension bridge and a forest walkway system. This smaller roadside attraction is best experienced in combination with their outdoor hot pools. Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Times Review

images of the sometimes surprising attractions inside Three Valley Gap, The Enchanted Forest and Crazy Creek.

I hope they’ll pique your interest.

–Three Valley Gap is a roadside hotel with an extensive Heritage Ghost Town and Railway Museum. The expansive complex will appeal to railway buffs, Old West fans and those interested in local history.

–The Enchanted Forest brings childhood fairy tales to life in an outdoor children’s walking tour featuring sculptures, treehouses and other displays.

It’s ideal for young children. Right next door, the SkyTrek Adventure Park hosts adult treetop adrenaline adventures and two special treetop adventure courses for children aged 2 into their early teens.

– Crazy Creek is a campground development built on a former railway town. It features outdoor hot pools, a forest walkway system and a suspension bridge over the Crazy Creek waterfalls. Take in all three at once for the best experience.

The Mountain Guides Lounge and The Begbie Room (below).

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The many ways up Mount Sproat

South

One day I pushed my bike up Mount Sproat to a fire lookout. I was followed by two dirt bikers and a family of ATVers.

By Alex Cooper

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The Mount Sproat ATV trail, and the view of the Beaton Arm and the Upper Arrow Lake.

Alex Cooper Photography

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1884 Trans Canada Highway, Revelstoke

riving south down Airport Way, you eventually reach the end of the pavement and the start of hundreds of kilometres of dirt road. If you keep going, you'll eventually come to a fork in the road – right leads to the flats at 12 Mile and left takes you down the Alkokolex Forest Service Road.

Keep going, past Echo Lake, and eventually you'll want to hang a sharp right, across a creek; going straight will take you deep down the Alkokolex River valley.

Keep going, past the roaring Alkolkolex Falls, with its hiking trail that leads right down to the Columbia River, and over the bridge across the river. A little bit further along you'll come to a three-way fork. Turn left and you'll eventually be at Mt. McCrae hiking trail, which in about an hour brings you to a campsite next to an alpine lake, with alpine meadows just up the hill. Go straight, and the road winds through the some cut blocks and ends on the south flank of Mt. McCrae.

Turn right, and the road keeps heading south. For another 20 kilometres it winds through cut blocks that offer views across the Columbia River, which in the summer, when the reservoir is high, is turned into part of the Upper Arrow Lake.

Eventually, about 50 kilometres after you leave the pavement, the road begins to switchback up Mount Sproat. Soon enough, you'll come to a fork in the road – the left fork takes you to a hiking trail and the right fork brings you to an ATV trail. They are the two ways to get to the summit of Mount Sproat and the fire lookout that sits up there, empty, but still maintained.

The hiking trail to the top of Mount Sproat is steep and short – it climbs about 850 metres in four kilometres. After spending most of its time in the forest, it emerges into beautiful alpine, with views up and down the Upper Arrow Lake, the Beaton Arm, the Incommapleux Valley and across to the Gold Range of the Monashees.

The ATV travel first heads south and then turns east across the southern flank of the mountain, traversing across numerous avalanche paths before creating on top of a ridge, which it follows to the fire lookout.

The trail was built in 1939 and originally started in Arrowhead, a historic community on the shores of the Columbia River. According to the Ministry of Forests, the lookout wasn't built until 1949 when a pre-fabricated building was erected; before then forest rangers would live in a tent while working up there.

In 1955 the existing fire lookout was flown to the summit and erected there. In 1964, the current ATV road was built to make access to the summit easier.

When Arrowhead was abandoned due to the flooding of the reservoir, the trail and the road were largely lost too. That changed when the forest road was extended to the area and the Revelstoke ATV Club started maintaining the old road and lookout in 2003.

One day last summer, I pushed my bike up the ATV road. The first few hundred metres were very steep, before the trail leveled out and rolled along for the next two kilometres. Then it started going up and I pushed and pedaled through avalanche paths until cresting the ridge. From there, the road was lined by wildflowers as it wound its way to the lookout. As I pushed, I could hear a pair of dirt bikers coming up the trail behind me. After arriving at the lookout, which was clean and in great shape thanks to the ATV club, a family of ATVers showed up.

I can’t think of many other trails that allow four different ways to the top.

It was a hazy day, but the views were vast and amazing. The ridge to the actual summit of Mount Sproat beckoned and it seemed possible to hike for kilometres through the alpine. Instead, I turned around and made the fast descent back to my car and the road home, back north.

Eats

Lamb Leg Roast NZ Ingredients 1 Leg of lamb (preferably NZ or AB) 4 Garlic cloves peeled 2 Rosemary springs Squash 2 acorn squash haled and seeds scoped 1-table spoon Hungarian paprika 4-tablespoons of butter Pesto 6 stalks mint leafs 4 stalks parsley ½ cup walnuts toasted and chopped 1-garlic clove chopped finely Extra-virgin olive oil 100g Parmesan cheese salt and pepper to taste Tomato arugula salad 1lb cocktail tomatoes 210g washed arugula and spinach mix 100g Parmesan cheese Balsamic vinaigrette

Originally from New Zealand where I qualified as a Red Seal Chef, the best advice I was ever given was ‘never say no’ as this was the only policy that my first company’s 25-page booklet said on every page.

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Method Take roast and cut 6 thumb size holes in top and bottom and stuff ½’s of garlic and springs of rosemary and salt n’ pepper then place in roasting dish with 250 ml water and ½ can your favorite ale ( I used Powerhouse) and cover with foil and bake at 300 for 3 hours then at 400 for 20 minutes to brown then let rest in a warm place for 15 minutes.

Place Squash scoop up on roasting tray, season with salt, pepper, paprika and butter inside the hollow then place in over 40 minutes before the lamb is ready.

Place washed tomatoes into preheated pan sprinkling with salt n pepper and extra-virgin olive oil and then place in oven for 6 minutes until the ski starts splitting, Wash mint and parsley leaves and then pat dry, cut into a pulp with pine nuts and roasted garlic, add salt, pepper, EVOO and grated parmesan cheese.

Place on share platters with the lamb on a chopping board so you can carve it at the table!

Our chef Victoria Leeson Victoria Leeson

www.revelstoketimesreview.com

Working with food drives me, and I have brought my ultimate passion to Revelstoke where I am the Head Chef at the Last Drop and am now splitting my time between The Last Tee and The Last Drop, so you may see me racing back and forth on my bike (great training for Mt.

Macpherson!)

Taking great inspiration in Revy life, I volunteer with Bear Aware and many charities in town. I love the food initiatives here, with the grow and pick mentality us stokers have, contributing to the amazing place that has become my home; Revelstoke.

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203 First St. West, Revelstoke. 250-837-9453 www.freespiritsports.com

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North

The road to nowhere

By Alex Cooper Left: The Big Bend Highway just north of Frenchman’s Cap before the dam and before it was paved.

Right: Highway 23 North, at almost the same spot, now.

Earl Dickey/Revelstoke Museum & Archives Alex Cooper/Revelstoke Times Review

Highway 23 North is seemingly a road to nowhere. It’s also Revelstoke’s road to adventure.

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n 1940, when the Big Bend Highway was opened, it was hailed as the next great thing. Newspaper articles hailed its smooth roads, with easy curves and no steep grades. It was a modern highway that accessed some of the most spectacular scenery around, and the province actively promoted that fact. It passed by Boat Encampment, the historic trading post where David Thompson began mapping the Columbia River in 1811. Most importantly, it completed the highway link between Alberta and the rest of British Columbia.

"The 65-mile route we travelled over yesterday was practically sea-level road. There are no hazards, hills or mountains to climb," wrote one journalist in the News Herald while the highway was still under construction in the 1930s.

A.W. Lundell, the publisher of the Revelstoke Review, wrote: "In fact, every foot of the 180 miles between Revelstoke and Golden epitomizes the very latest in highway construction."

Twenty-two years later the Trans-Canada Highway was opened through Rogers Pass and people couldn’t be happier.

The Big Bend Highway was never paved, and it was never kept open in winter because it was too expensive to plow. It was rough and so dusty the trees were a dull grey, according to one article.

"Goodbye to the Big Bend," said the headline of an article

by Donovan Clemson in the magazine B.C. Motorist. "'And good riddance too,' I expect many motorists might exclaim."

The highway was paved to facilitate construction of the Mica Dam and rerouted when Lake Revelstoke was filled up behind the Revelstoke Dam. Before then, it followed a very different landscape. From the Big Bend to the Big Eddy, it passed through a series of seven rapids – Gordon Rapids, 12 Mile Rapids, Dalles des Morts (Death Rapids, where seven French voyageurs were wrecked and only six survived in 1817), Priest Rapids, 18 Mile Rapids, Steamboat Rapids and

Little Dalles Canyon (also known as Revelstoke Canyon, where the Revelstoke Dam is today).

Today, all that is flooded. Highway 23 North, as its now known, is 150-kilometres of paved bliss, with almost no traffic to speak of and amazing views most of the way. It’s primary purpose is to get to and from Mica Dam, but it also accesses a number of recreation sites and trails, including world-class rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking and ATVing. At pretty much any point you can turn east down a logging road and venture off into the Selkirk Mountains – good 4WD or an off-road vehicle is recommended. Or turn left to find a secret campsite that hopefully hasn’t been taken yet.

It's a joy to drive, with the views dominated by the Jordan Range, with its many glaciers and Frenchman's Cap, which is nicknamed the Matterhorn of the Monashees and is one of the area's signature peaks.

Here's your guide to the highway to nowhere.

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The Frontier Restaurant and motel. Stop for breakfast, lunch or dinner. There’s an Indian buffet on Fridays, and Mexican buffet on Sundays.

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Turn off here for the BC Interior Forestry Museum and the Revelstoke Dam Visitor Centre and learn about two of the engines of the local economy.

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The Lake Revelstoke Boat Launch. Put your boat in the water here and take off to experience the area by water.

It’s about 120 kilometres of open water to Mica.

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Waterworld, one of Revelstoke’s most unique rock climbing areas, can be found here. Either boat in from below or rappel in from the top to access a number of different climbs on three separate walls.

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Martha Creek Provincial Park nearly doubled the number of campsites last fall, expanding to 46 from 25. It also has a sandy beach, playground, boat launch and more. It’s the closest campground to Revelstoke.

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Sale Mountain turnoff. Look for the road to the east that will take you up more 1,500 metres to the alpine for some great hiking or an epic mountain bike descent all the way to the valley below.

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Wadey camground. This is the author’s pick for the most peaceful campground on the lake. It has 30 sites tucked in the forest alongside Lake Revelstoke. It’s right below the beautiful, curving Laforme Creek Bridge.

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Carnes campground is actually two different ones located north and south of Carnes Creek. There’s also a hiking trail that follows the north side of Carnes Creek –look for the turnoff just north of the bridge.

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Keystone-Standard Basin. This is one of the great scenic trails around. It’s 11 kilometres to the cabin and you can bike or hike through beautiful alpine meadows.

Look for the Keystone Creek FSR on your right.

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The Goldstream River enters Lake Revelstoke here.

There’s some great rapids in parts, and there’s a long section that makes for a great canoe trip, but the put in and take out are both difficult to access, so be careful before trusting your Backcountry Map Book.

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Mica Creek village, home to the workers at the Mica Dam, and a few others. It’s the most civilized spot around, though there really isn’t much here.

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Fred Laing Ridge. Just past Mica Creek is a rough forestry road that will take you to a radio tower and the start of a short hiking trail that leads to incredible views of the Monashees, Selkirks, Rockies and the massive Kinbasket Reservoir.

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The Mica Dam. At 242-metres high, it’s one of the world’s tallest earth-filled dams and can generate 1,805 megawatts of power. That number will increase when turbines 5 and 6 go online in the next few years.

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East

T

Journey down the Illecillewaet River with Apex Rafting.

By Alex Cooper

here’s something about the Illecillewaet River. Maybe it’s because of the fact that it originates high up in Rogers Pass from the glacier that shares its name. Or the fact it leads the way through the Selkirk Mountains. Perhaps its because that while driving east on the Trans-Canada Highway, you only get a few glimpses of it even though it’s so close. Or maybe it’s because it took me so long to spell I-L-L-E-C-I-L-L-E-W-A-E-T properly.

Maybe it’s the fact that while Revelstoke shares the Columbia River with many other communities, the Illecillewaet is ours alone.

The Illecillewaet River Valley marks the eastern access to Revelstoke. From the glacier, it tumbles down the mountain side before the Asulkan Creek joins it and then turns and runs through Glacier National Park, before crashing through Albert Canyon proper.

That’s where Apex Rafting begins its journeys. The raft run, as all the paddlers in town call it, is about 25 kilometres long and runs from Albert Canyon to Greeley, a little east of Revelstoke.

A treacherous box canyon that is run by only the best kayakers stands between the pick-up point and town. I joined one Apex one day in late-June to experience the river from right in it.

“It’s a gorgeous river. It makes you feel like you’re a million

miles away,” said Debbie Koerber, who has run Apex with her husband Ralph since 1993. “It’s right in your backyard. It’s challenging but everyone can do it. It’s gorgeous scenery. It’s exciting just enough to scare you without being dangerous.”

First Nations would venture up the Illecillewaet River to hunt and fish, but the river did not gain prominence in western minds until 1865 when the explorer Walter Moberly ventured up it in search of a passage through the Selkirk Mountains. He made it to Albert Canyon and then turned north, up what is now known as the Tangiers River. He described the area as “thickly timbered with firm white pine, cypress, cedar, and spruce, of large size.”

On his return journey down the Illecillewaet he wrote in his journal of Oct. 2: “The water in river was a succession of rapids, falls, and riffles, and very dangerous to run.” The following day, he wrote: “We ran 4 very bad rapids, and broke the canoe in one or two places.”

A trip with Apex Rafting starts just downstream of Albert Canyon, near where the Tangiers flows into the Illecillewaet, and downstream of the canyon proper, which was described by the Kootenay Star in 1890 as a “raging mass of waters compressed into a stream 20 feet wide. This strange chasm twists about, and from the train you momentary glimpses of the foaming waters far

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STREET FEST 2013 SCHEDULE

Opposite: Four rafts cruise down a gentle portion of the Apex Rafting run on the Illecillewaet river.; Above: All four rafts get thrashed about in the first set of rapids through the white canyon.

Photos courtesy Ralph Koerber/Apex Rafting

below.”

Albert Canyon is home to the Canyon Hot Springs Resort and a few homes. It’s been a retreat for Revelstokians and tourists for more than a century. It’s also where skiing was introduced to British Columbia and where Fred Forrest published a newspaper/gossip-rag with great items such as, “St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone and the boys are all nursing sore heads”, “Sealed bids wanted for rat killing at the station,” and “On the 8th day of this month, the editor received a present of a bushel of hot cross buns from Mrs. Edwards. The editorial staff sampled them and pronounced them excellent.”

The day started at the Regent Inn, where Apex stores its gear.

There were 26 of us, plus four guides – Amy, Cory, Danny and Geoff. We signed our waivers and were kitted up with wetsuits, fleeces and jackets. It was around 20 C outside, but the glacier-fed river stays a chilly 5 C year round. Unlike many other rivers, like the Kicking Horse near Golden, B.C., which have multiple companies running trips, Apex is the only rafting company on the Illecillewaet, so we were the only four rafts on the river today.

We hopped in a bus for the trip to the put-in point at Albert Canyon. Ralph Koerber was the driver (and photographer) today. We unloaded and got our helmets, lifejackets and paddles. I hopped in a raft with eight staff from SkyTrek Adventure Park and our guide Geoff Stewart. We received a safety briefing, and an explanation of the orders we would have to follow, and we set off. Geoff had us do a couple of drills as a warm up before we hit the first of about a dozen rapids.

The first set of rapids came almost instantly. We dropped into the white canyon, where somewhere above Koerber was taking pictures. We crashed through rapids named Two-foot Falls, Dog’s Leg, Woolley Bully, and Split Rock. No one knew how the rapids got their names – whoever runs them first gets to name them.

They run from class two to class three – not crazy, but enough to get your adrenaline pumping and have your arms flail about as you try to keep paddling while being thrown in the air.

The river is squeezed between the CP Rail tracks on the left and the Trans-Canada Highway on the right. I wondered how this would effect the experience, but the reality is that the highway isn’t even noticeable, and the trains add to the experience. We floated along with Mount Albert on our left and Mount Klotz to the right. At some points the river narrowed and our views were restricted to the rainforest that crowded dwn to the bank.

The raft run is 25-kilometres long and the water was moving fast today, at a rate of about 200 cubic-metres per second (it would peak at a little more than 300 cm/s a week later). That meant we didn’t have to paddle too much – just a few strokes here and there to correct course – and we listened as Geoff cracked a bunch of jokes, some family friendly, some not so much. We passed under the Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk, where tourists snapped pictures.

Then there were more rapids – Lauretta’s, Twin Turbo, and Rock Garden – and at one smoother section, we all jumped out to go for a dip in the freezing cold water.

The last bit of action was the rodeo wave followed by Peanut Butter and Jam, two rapids that came in quick succession before the coast to the take out point at Greeley, about 2.5 hours after getting dropped off.

Below Greeley the river gets funneled through a raging canyon before widening and spilling into the Columbia River at Revelstoke. It’s where a logger lost his life when the river surged way back in 1887. We took the easy way back – a short 10-minute jaunt in the Apex bus back to the Regent, where they let us warm up in the hot tub.

For more information on Apex Rafting, call 1-888-232-6666 or visit www.apexrafting.com.

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Artist Uncorked Uncorked Relative Jazz Shannon Lyon Dead Stringers Steve Palmer The Sturgeons That Girl And Earl That Girl And Earl Rippin Rattlers Joanne Stacey & Friends This Means War Blackberry Wood Sean Ashby Maritime Kitchen Party Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra Cod Gone Wild Mat Duffus Sharon Shook Mat Duffus Chris Grieve Devon Coyote Steve Palmer Joanne Stacey & Friends Nice Verdes Nice Verdes Jessica Stuart Few Bob Rogers Jazz Bob Rogers Jazz The Wheat In The Barley John And Holly Tanya Lipscomb Lindsay May The Rev Benny Walker & Band Michael Wood Band The Rev Sean Ashby Denis Severino Faye Blais Gary Kehoe Gary Kehoe Blackberry Wood Smokekiller John Jenkins Blue Scarlett Blue Scarlett

Every night in the Grizzly Plaza at 6:30pm more details at www.revelstokeartscouncil.com

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The best ice cream in Revelstoke

La Baguette’s gelato is the best in town, two sticky hands down It was a clear sign I was getting addicted. While researchBy Aaron Orlando ing to find the best ice cream in Revelstoke, I started skipping lunches to make room for frozen treats. I survived, though, and can tell you La Baguette’s homemade gelato is hands-down the best cone-topper in town.

I witnessed full-time gelato maker Leanne Harasym make their signature gelato by hand. Real cream from D-Dutchmen Dairy in Sicamous, organic cane sugar, Belcolade chocolate, organic (when possible) local fruits and the best imported flavours from Italy. Their Ferrero Rocher flavour is the most popular – a handmade replica of the favorite chocolate made from crumbled cookie and hazelnuts. Their truffle chocolate is a close second.

Their gelato trays are artfully decorated with home-made chocolates, fruits, brownies, home-made marshmallows and much more. My personal favourite is the cappucino flavour topped with maple syrup brownies.

La Baguette’s gelatos are on the move. They’ve just opened a new location at the Roxy Theatre in Revelstoke’s ice-cream alley in Grizzly Plaza, and their home-made electric/pedal gelato-mobile roams city streets on evenings and weekends. Priced competively with other ice-cream shops,

I can’t send you anywhere else. They’ve got sugar free and sorbet, too But ice cream enthusiasts are sticky about their favourites, so here’s the runner ups.

The Nomad hosts Coastal Creamery ice cream and has a giant selection.

Conversations Coffee House has a modest selection of Chapman’s brand, but focus on their frozen yoghurt blended with fresh market fruits.

WK Restaurant in Grizzly Plaza sells Foothills Creamery brand, drawing in lots of All-Canadian Moose fans from the Calgary region. Try their home-made waffle cones.

Rounding out ice-cream alley in Grizzly Plaza is Hong Kong Restaurant, who sell Island Farms brand. *** I often lament the contemporary over-use of the adjective amazing. You should really save it for truly amazing La Baguette (607 Victoria Road) creates home-made gelato masterpieces. Their things, like gelato from La Baguette – an only-in-Revelstoke gelato-mobile is a familiar sight on summer evenings, and they’ve just opened a new treat. location at the Roxy Theatre in Grizzly Plaza. Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Times Review A summer road trip here isn’t complete without it.

FERRY SCHEDULES

SCHEDULE OF ARROw LAkE FERRiES D.E. V. Galena (14' 9" Max- Cars 48) Mv Shelter Bay (14'11" Max- Cars 28)

Shelter bay to galena bay

daily revelstoke side 5:00am- 12:00pm (Last Sailing) Every Hour on the hour

eats

IT WOULD TAKE A 20 TONNE BEAVER TO BUILD A DAM THE SIZE OF REVELSTOKE. REVELSTOKE DAM. IT’S THAT BIG.

galena bay to Shelter bay

daily Nakusp side 5:30am- 12:30am (Last Sailing) Every Hour on the half hour

Dangerous Cargo Sailings Tuesday & Thursdays Revelstoke Side 9:00am & 2:00pm Nakusp Side 9:30am & 2:30pm The Smaller Vessel, "M.V. Shelter Bay Ferry" will provide additional service May 17th until October 14th, 2013 with the hours of operation from 9:00am until 7:00pm

NEEDLES FERRY SCHEDULE

FAUqUiER on the hour and 1/2 hour - NAkUSp NEEDLES On the 1/4 after the hour and the 1/4 to the hour - EDgEwOOD First Ferry 5:00am - Last Ferry 10:00pm Shuttle Service 10:00pm- 5:00am

ARROw pARk FERRY SHUttLE SERviCE Starts at 5:00am Nakusp Side (East) Last ferry 9:20pm from Arrow Park Side (West) Shutdown: 12:15pm to 2:15pm

ADAmS LAkE CAbLE FERRY 24 Hour Shuttle Service

WaterBridge Ferries Inc., Nakusp B.C. Tel: 250-265-2105

Plan your visit at bchydro.com/revelstoke