SW Canada

On Fri, 4 Jun 2004, James Robinson wrote:

"Robert M. Gary" wrote:

I'm looking for something relaxing and quiet but with some light
activities for a young family (my kids are 8 and 9).

Another option is to fly a bit inland, perhaps to Abbotsford. You can
rent cars there, then drive up the Fraser river to Hope and north to
Boston Bar.

If you want to explore the Fraser River Canyon area (north of Hope), and
grass runways don't scare you, Hope has a very, very nice 3900' grass
strip; it's a little ways out of town, but there's a clean little Pilot's
Lounge w/ phone to call a cab.

Chilliwack is a nice paved 3900' strip, GREAT on-field cafe with the best
pie at any airport in the PNW...

Brian.
- PP-ASEL/Night -

Along the way is the Bridal Veil Falls, which make a spectacular drop
over the cliff, and with a short climb you can reach its base.

Near Hope there is a park with a path through a rugged canyon that is on
an abandoned railroad. It passes through about 4 short tunnels, and
across three bridges over a rushing river.

Each of these walks is in an area of spectacular scenery, and would take
about 45 minutes, which would be great for your kids. Not too strenuous,
but more than a simple walk across the street.

North of Hope, the highway follows the most rugged section of the Fraser
River, which is impressive to see. There are places to have a picnic,
and watch for fish. Boston Bar has a couple of restaurants that aren't
too bad.

I found the following site, where someone flew into Abbotsford and
Chilliwack for a $100 pie, and which might give you some ideas.

http://www.popularaviation.com/ListN...Dtl.asp?id=151

On Thu, 3 Jun 2004, Robert M. Gary wrote:

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message ...
"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
om...
1) where the best places to land (near Vancouver)

For GA, Boundary Bay airport is probably your best bet.

2) What types of activities can you do near there?

Vancouver is a real city. You can do pretty much whatever you'd do in any
other major city. I prefer the outdoor activities, and for in-town outdoor
stuff, Stanley Park is a really nice place to go.
http://www.seestanleypark.com/

I'm looking for something relaxing and quiet but with some light
activities for a young family (my kids are 8 and 9). Perhaps the
Nanaimo area? Would I be better off just going to Victoria Island? Do
they have good GA service? Is the Victoria Island area nice to drive
around?

There's more visitor/tourist stuff in Victoria than Nanaimo. Vancouver
Island (not Victoria Is...) is pretty big - driving around it (really from
one end to the other, because there are no roads along the west coast) is
a week's vacation in itself, really.

Victoria's my hometown; Victoria Int'l is my home airport; I'm a member of
the Victoria Flying Club, which someone else has already recommended for
tiedowns & fuel. Feel free to drop me an email if you want more
information on flying or touristing in the area...

Vict. Tourist Info: http://www.tourismvictoria.com/
Vict. Flying Club: http://www.flyvfc.com/

Hope the trip goes as (eventually) planned!

Brian.

"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
om...
2) What types of activities can you do near there?

Shop. Visit the gardens. The two most famous gardens are Stanley Gardens and
the Sun Yat Sen Chinese Garden.

Personally, I prefer Victoria, which has Butchart Gardens, the British
Columbia Museum (a truly amazing place), and a really neat atmosphere.

3) Can I rent a car with a California DL?

Yes.

5) Should I get approach plates, do you get much IMC this time of
year?

Not much.

"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
om...
"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...

I'm looking for something relaxing and quiet but with some light
activities for a young family (my kids are 8 and 9). Perhaps the
Nanaimo area?

Vancouver Island is a fantastic place. Nanaimo is interesting from the air,
but the main activity there is fishing. You will need to make reservations
in advance for that. I do NOT recommend staying on the Princess there.

Brian Burger wrote in message ia.tc.ca...
On Fri, 4 Jun 2004, James Robinson wrote:

"Robert M. Gary" wrote:

I'm looking for something relaxing and quiet but with some light
activities for a young family (my kids are 8 and 9).

Another option is to fly a bit inland, perhaps to Abbotsford. You can
rent cars there, then drive up the Fraser river to Hope and north to
Boston Bar.

If you want to explore the Fraser River Canyon area (north of Hope), and
grass runways don't scare you, Hope has a very, very nice 3900' grass
strip; it's a little ways out of town, but there's a clean little Pilot's
Lounge w/ phone to call a cab.

Chilliwack is a nice paved 3900' strip, GREAT on-field cafe with the best
pie at any airport in the PNW...

Brian.
- PP-ASEL/Night -

If you decide to fly further inland, make sure the weather is
manageable. The terrain rises pretty sharply east of Hope, and many
pilots have run into sudden storms and ended up spread across some
mountainside. The Fraser Canyon is lower than the Coquihalla route and
the weather is usually not as bad. If it's CAVU, the scenery is
spectacular and well worth the trip to Kamloops or the Okanagan
Valley. Mountain flying training would be very advisable.

Dan

"Brian Burger" wrote in message
a.tc.ca...
snip

Chilliwack is a nice paved 3900' strip, GREAT on-field cafe with the best
pie at any airport in the PNW...

Brian.
- PP-ASEL/Night -


Yes! The restaurant at Chilliwack airport offers probably 20 different types
of pie, all made fresh. When I told the waitress I'd flown 800 miles for
the pie she looked at me like I was a little nuts...

Harry

If you go up north of Kelowna, there is a small village called Vernon. I
rented a Skyhawk there (very reasonable, and the rental check-out consisted of
once around the pattern) and flew up into the mountains--it was spectacular
scenery with snow caps at 10,000 ft in August.


www.Rosspilot.com

Brian Burger wrote in message ia.tc.ca...
On Fri, 4 Jun 2004, James Robinson wrote:

"Robert M. Gary" wrote:

I'm looking for something relaxing and quiet but with some light
activities for a young family (my kids are 8 and 9).

Another option is to fly a bit inland, perhaps to Abbotsford. You can
rent cars there, then drive up the Fraser river to Hope and north to
Boston Bar.

If you want to explore the Fraser River Canyon area (north of Hope), and
grass runways don't scare you, Hope has a very, very nice 3900' grass
strip; it's a little ways out of town, but there's a clean little Pilot's
Lounge w/ phone to call a cab.

Grass runways don't scare me but they do scare my Mooney (the ground
clearance between the bottom of the tire and the gear door is about
1.5 inches)

On Fri, 4 Jun 2004, Robert M. Gary wrote:

Brian Burger wrote in message ia.tc.ca...
On Fri, 4 Jun 2004, James Robinson wrote:

"Robert M. Gary" wrote:

I'm looking for something relaxing and quiet but with some light
activities for a young family (my kids are 8 and 9).

Another option is to fly a bit inland, perhaps to Abbotsford. You can
rent cars there, then drive up the Fraser river to Hope and north to
Boston Bar.

If you want to explore the Fraser River Canyon area (north of Hope), and
grass runways don't scare you, Hope has a very, very nice 3900' grass
strip; it's a little ways out of town, but there's a clean little Pilot's
Lounge w/ phone to call a cab.

Grass runways don't scare me but they do scare my Mooney (the ground
clearance between the bottom of the tire and the gear door is about
1.5 inches)

Ah, that'd do it! You're excused! I've only taken Cessnas in there, and
ones w/ no wheel pants, at that...

Too bad, though, because Hope (CYHE) really is a neat strip; it's the only
large (over 1900') public grass strip in this quarter of BC. It's owned &
run by the Regional District/municipality, and they do a beautiful job.
The strip itself is rolled & mowed, and the pilot's lounge is immaculatly
kept and well equipped - there's a whole fridge & counter full of snacks,
and just an open coffee tin for your money.

They're holding an airport festival there on the 21st of June; I'm
planning on being there!

Brian.