The Mouse is our Friend: What is it about Disney Fans?

As many of you may know, we are fans of Disney. We love the parks, the resorts, and the cruises. We get excited about traveling on a Disney vacation, even if it is a short one. We are also very proud owners of a Disney timeshare product called Disney Vacation Club, which allows us to spend a week or so at a resort about once a year. So, it would make sense that, at least once, we would write about something Disney related, right?

This weekend we spent some time at a convention called the Pacific Northwest Mouse Meet. Basically it is a yearly convention where fans of all things Disney get together and meet. There is a small trade show portion where vendors can sell their wares, anything from trade-able pins, artwork, and jewelry. One of the sponsors was a Disney-specific travel agency. They have special guest speakers that include people that have worked for Disney as Imagineers or actors. There are raffles that go to charity, photo ops on old roller coaster carts, or in front of set from Cars or Frozen. In all, it has a little something for every fan.

And speaking of fans, we found out this weekend that there are people that are more fan-atical than we are! Sure, we have a tattoo and some earrings, and a lot of Disney clothing, but there were people there dressed up in costumes (all day), buying up some of the expensive art, and sporting something Disney on every available body part that was visible (I don't want to think of the non-visible!).

Through all this hype and fanaticism, I had to ask myself, what is it about this Disney stuff that makes us so excited?

The first time I walked into Disneyland was many years ago, but before that, I wasn't all that excited about it. As I was walking into the park I noticed  sign above the entrance that said "Welcome to the happiest place on earth!". I thought ... wow, that's something. But as I walked into the park something happened. I smiled. And I grinned. And I laughed. And I had fun! As you look around at the people, whether it is at one of the theme parks, on a Disney ship, or at one of the non-park resorts (Aulani, Vero Beach, etc) you see something on their faces...a smile. Sometimes it is a smile of wonder and amazement on the face of a child. Other times it is a big goofy grin on a dad as he exits a ride. That smile is contagious.

The other thing that I discovered this weekend is the influence that Walt Disney has had on peoples' lives. I have never really thought much about Disney the man until I watched the movie Saving Mr Banks. There I saw the portrayal of a man that looked at his work, his life, and his business like an excited child on Christmas morning. When I listened to the speakers this weekend talk about their lives with Disney and with Walt, I could see that excitement. This man has influenced the emotions and the intelligence of many people. I think I am one of them!

So, what is it about Disney fans? They are excited about something, and that says it all!

South Chilcotin Holiday

Last weekend, we decided to something a little off the wall, but appropriate for this kind of blog. So, in the spirit of Backyard Adventures, we set off for the South Chilcotin.

I had heard about a ranch outside of Gold Bridge, BC, 2 hours west of Lillooet. From Vancouver, we have a choice of 3 ways to get there. The first way is to drive up the TransCanada Hwy (route 1) to Lytton, then west on the 12 to Lillooet. From there we go west on route 40, a rough back road highway that runs along Bridge River and Carpenter Lake. The second route goes from Vancouver up to Pemberton on the Sea to Sky Hwy (route 99), and continue to Lillooet, then follow route 40. The third, and likely the most interesting of the 3, is the Hurley River Rd Forestry Service Road. This route is not for the light-hearted, occasional traveler. FSRs are affected by weather, floods, slides, and washouts. They are rough gravel trails, at best. These are not the roads you drive a car on. So we didn’t. Next time?

On the way up, we took the TransCanada Hwy. Along the way, we decides to stop at a couple of geocaches. Nothing major in numbers, but just something to break the monotony of the drive. As it happened, we chose a few roadside stops that had waterfalls.

The drive up to Lytton was pretty much uneventful, but the road between Lytton and Lillooet? That was another story. Not a bad one; just a really long one. We hadn’t driven this highway since before we were married – that’s over 26 years! – and I must say, I did not remember much of it at all, and even wondered if maybe we went the wrong way? It is a narrow road, winding around the hills, with some especially narrow corners that only one car can safely navigate. To make it even more fun, we got stuck behind a student driver … in a semi with trailer! There were corners that did not register on our speedometer, and there were no safe places to pass. Finally, a safe place made itself shown, and a few of us roared past, hoping that no one was coming around the next corner!

From Lillooet News

Lillooet has grown considerably in the last 2 decades. I remember it being a depressing little village, full of sad faces, no employment opportunities, and everyone was leaving the town and not coming back. Now, it is “guaranteed rugged”, advertising eco- and adventure tours mountain biking, river rafting, and winter sports. There are a number of cute shops on Main St that have a historic flair to them, including a couple of restaurant and hotels.

From Lillooet, Route 20 took us winding through a few passes, down some great switchbacks through Moha, a small community along Bridge River, and down to the dam at the east end of Carpenter Lake. From there it is due west along the lake to enjoy some beautiful scenery; huge mountains sloping sharply down to the lake, and a road that seems to be literally cut into the slide area of the mountainside. As the driver, I had to watch for rocks on the road, but what worried me more was the chance of seeing rocks coming down the mountain! We were fortunate, and we managed to miss all the big ones!

Wildlife?

Carpenter Lake was created by the completion of the Terzaghi Dam in 1960[1]. The dam itself doesn’t create power, but the water is diverted through a tunnel in the mountain to the Seton Lake dam. What to dam does create is a 50km long lake with water in various shades of greens and blues, stunning vistas and reflections of mountains and skies, and beautiful waterfalls and creeks, perfect for wildlife viewing. We saw none. Typical. Well, we saw some people in a tent.

Tyax Lodge

The turnoff to our eventual destination came sooner than we thought it would. The Tyaughton Lake Road leads to Tyaughton Lake, and to Tyax Lodge, a year round getaway for city folk that want to hunt, fish, ride horses, and just sit in the spa for up to thousands of dollars a day. The road also leads to Gun Creek Road, and up a windy mountain trail to Chilcotin Holidays, an adventure tourism wilderness ranch. This was our destination. (to be continued!)

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[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_River_Power_Project

To the Gates of Hell!

Today I did something that I have always wanted to do.

Hell's Gate Airtram is a fun tourist activity that takes you hundreds of feet over a roaring, rushing, raging river. The tram first opened in the Summer of 1971, and has grown from just a tram to a house and the fish ladders, to the Interpretive Centre, shops, restaurant, and attraction that it is today. There is a lot to do for people of all ages, from walking across the steel grate bridge, to eating ice cream, or even listening to the musical entertainment. Kids of all ages can even try their hand at panning for gold!

I've been going to Hell's Gate for as long as I remember. I might have even been there during their first few years! The gondola/tram ride down is fun, even a little scary for some, as it swings a little, and on a windy day you can really feel the movement; but it is quite safe, and I don't know of any accidents there. The idea is to pay for the ride at the top of the mountain, and take the tram down, spend a few hours checking it out, then ride the tram back up.

But there is another way! There is a service road about 400 meters down from the entrance that is blocked off, but people are welcome to walk down. It is a kilometer down several steep switchbacks. Walking down is okay, but up? Looks hard. I have always thought "why walk when you can ride the tram?", but today I decided to walk down. It was easier than I thought it would be, and only took about 20 minutes. You have to walk down the steep switchback gravel road, across the railway tracks, and then across the steel grate bridge. there are some incredible views, and a lot of untouched forest to see. I am sure that
wildlife is abundant, but I only saw a chipmunk and some birds.

Once I got down and joined the others, we waited a bit for our table to get set up at the restaurant (they missed our reservations somehow!), so we had a few minutes to browse the shops and check out the entertainment. As we were there on Canyon appreciation Day, they had a decent live band playing a lot of classic rock music. Some people were complaining about it being quite loud, but most seemed to be enjoying it.

The views are incredible, and watching the water come through is pretty amazing. I would not want to be a salmon trying to get through that water; that is why they built the fish ladders in 1945, making it easier for the fish to come through. Today the water was high, and the water was brown.

Take a day off, and visit them. You can find out more at www.hellsgateairtram.com!

Hell's Gate: Being Beyond Hope

We had the day all planned out. I went onto Google Maps and figured out where we were going, what stops we were going to make, and how long the drive was.
Our plan was to leave at 7AM. We wanted to stop for breakfast, and be there by 10AM. Everything was all set! Or so we thought. It's funny how you can plan everything out, and then life throws you a curve ball. What is not so funny is when that curve ball is followed by a fast ball, a knuckle ball, and a slider, one after another.

Every year, Hell's Gate Airtram holds Canyon Appreciation Day. They open the tram up for free, anyone can ride down across the mighty Fraser River, see the fish ladders, and maybe a river rafter or two, from hundreds of feet above the raging river. Once down you can enjoy the musical entertainment, do some gold panning, enjoy the salmon chowder at the cafe, or satisfy your sweet tooth with ice cream or fudge. If you are so inclined, you can opt for the walkway back up, which we have never done, but we've seen people do it! It looks hard! If you buy a season's pass on Appreciation Day, you and 10 others can ride the tram for free anytime all year!

Today was Canyon Appreciation Day, and our plan was to buy a season's pass. You see, next week is Stefani's birthday, and we were going to buy the pass so that we could go up again next week with her family and everyone could go for free!

The curve ball. We were just about at Hope, which is a little mountain village about 1.5 hours from our place in Surrey, and we saw a message on the highway sign: "Highway 1 closed at Boston Bar". No problem, we weren't going that far up the Canyon, but we were still curious. Stefani brought up Google, and quickly found out that the highway was closed due to a slide about 200 meters from Hell's Gate. Well, that should be exciting, we might see some rocks a little farther down the road. No, as Stefani kept reading, she found out that Hell's Gate was effected; they were closing the day and postponing it to next week.

Okay, so let's still go to Home Restaurant, have a great breakfast, and figure it out from there. The plan was to do some geocaching on the way home, so let's do some geocaching now. Someone said to check out Hope Nature Trails, where the Coquihalla River flows into the Fraser River. breakfast was fantastic, by the way!

There are 4 geocaches listed at the park. The trails are quite nice, and you can park at either end. Of the 4 caches, 1 was listed on the logs as "DNF" (did not find), so we were expecting that. The first cache was supposedly hidden in a log ... it wasn't there. I emailed the CO (cache owner) to confirm the suspected location, but I have not yet heard back from them. The second cache was where it was supposed to be, but not very well hidden. We fixed that. The third cache was the one that was DNF, and we also DNF it, and the fourth cache was found almost right where it said it was.

That was the fast ball ... a 50% find rate ... we don't expect to find them all, but 2 out of 4?

We had found out that we could get up to Emory Creek and Camp Squeah (about 30 mins up the TCH from Hope) to get a few caches, so off we went.

Emory Creek is the site of an old gold rush town, built around the same time as Yale. Unfortunately, when the gold rush dwindled, Emory Creek became quite deserted, and the shanty homes and sod houses dwindled with it. It is now a lovely BC Campground, with pit toilets, and easy access to the river and the highway.

There were 3 caches at the Emory Creek campground that we wanted. Unfortunately, there is no day use parking in the campground, so we did not have time to hunt for 2 of them. We did find 1, though.

So, out of 7 caches, we found 3 ... not great odds. But we weren't done, yet. We knew that we could still go to Yale and maybe get a couple more.

Yale is another historic gold rush town. At it's height, the population was that of a small city. If you have ever been to Yale, you would wonder were all those people would fit; it is situated on a tiny little bench between the mountains and the river.

We grabbed 2 caches in Yale: 1 at an old historic cemetery, and another at a spot that shows the different historical areas of Yale. Time to turn around and head for home.

At Emory Creek, on the southbound side, is a little gas station/store/restaurant that attracts travelers. Just outside of that stop is a red caboose. On that caboose is a geocache. At that stop was our knuckle ball. One of our nearly brand new tires developed a cyst. Actually, it is explained as a split in the sidewall, resulting in air being trapped, causing the sidewall to bulge. So, not only does it look kind of funny, it is also very dangerous to try driving on it, as it could blow at any time. I did not really know this at the time of seeing it, but I did know that it was something best not ignored.

Next stop was Camp Squeah, where there is a geocache in the structure/sign at the road. The bulge was still there ... in the tire ... on our car.

We made another quick stop at the BC Nickel Mine turnoff. I have to get a couple of dirt bikes, as there are some neat caches up those trails, not accessible by Mustang, especially one with a faulty tire!

One more quick stop at The Lake Of the Woods. There is a little restaurant there, and a hotel, nestled alongside a cute little lake of dark green water. Apparently it is a very popular place in the summer, especially on the hotter days. It is also the spot where my in-laws spent their first night as a married couple, but I don't really want to get into that! By the way, the bulge was still there.

We got back on the highway. Stefani drove, and I worried. Every corner, every bump, every time the wheels turned ... that means the whole time. We stopped for gas in Popkum, and decided to get off the highway at Bridal Falls and call BCAA. Hence came the slider ...

Nothing is more embarrassing than driving down a highway at 80km per hour, with the hazard flashers on, getting passed by EVERYONE! The little old man with the wheelchair sign? Passed us. The broken down 4X4? Passed us! The kids on the tricycles? PASSED US! But seriously folks, when you see someone in an obviously nice car driving 20+ km under the speed limit WITH the flashers on, assume that they are doing so because there is something wrong with the car. You don't need to honk the horn, yell, scream, finger, and swear at us! We know! We are going too slow! What do you want us to do about it?

We are home now. Beat. Tired. Ready for bed, and a little disappointed that the day did not go as planned, and hopeful that Kaltire will be nice and cover the defective tire under a full warranty. Time for dinner, a Mojito, and some TV.

Until next time ... have an adventure!