Category Archives: Tour

5 Horseback Riding Vacations in BC

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There’s something special about horse riding holidays: Whether it’s your very first time on a horse or the latest in a long line of horseback riding vacations, horse riding holidays are like nothing else. Here are the top five horseback riding vacations in BC:

  1. Chilko Explorer Ride

The faraway wilderness lodge and base for this trip is located at the north end of Chilko Lake, British Columbia, the gateway to Tsylos Park Lodge. The area offers exceptional riding country that it is the most perfect place to enjoy some riding adventures with its undeniably beautiful horses and extremely great leather, with the addition of the spectacular nature consisting of the wonderful scent of pine trees, the touch of the cool breeze, the cracking of the leaves beneath your feet, bird-chirpingpings, and the horses snorting making you feel the true atmosphere of a rider and his horse like they are really connected and talking. Chilko Explorer Ride was designed for the intermediate to advanced rider looking for a thrilling horseback riding in an awe-inspiring country while enjoying the comforts of a wilderness lodge at night. The daily rides from the lodge offer a variety of riding experiences - ride up Mount Tulin and enjoy some of the most breathtaking views over Chilko Lake - then explore the Chilcotin Plateau with its open grasslands, rolling hills, numerous small lakes, adjacent mountain peaks with unmatched vistas and a couple hundred miles of riding trails.

  1. Chilcotin Ranch

It is located in the heart of the Chilcotin Plateau in Canada’s British Columbia, this working guest ranch, set on a panoramic plateau at 1300m, offers soothing all-inclusive ranch stays. At the ranch there are some stunning trails to be discovered whether on a horse or by foot. You may surely spot some wild horses who live around the ranch, a true testament to the history of the surrounding mountains. The atmosphere is personal and friendly with hosts who are just waiting to show you the highlights of their home in stunning British Columbia, away from civilisation and amongst the beautiful Chilcotin Mountains. The flawless mountain lakes, meadows of flowers, boundless rangelands and extremely breathtaking snow-capped mountains await you as you navigate your way through the trails.

  1. Beautiful BC on Icelandics

Visit beautiful British Columbia and stay in a very comfortable log cabin and explore the wilderness by Icelandic horse. Situated on 300 acres and bordering Provincial Crown land, the facility offers riding treks on numerous trails of the glorious surrounding countryside. You may discover dazzling views and an abundant wildlife habitat on horseback. Riders have the opportunity to experience the splendid smooth gait and gentle nature of our much loved horses.

  1. South Chilcotin Getaway

Descend into meadows of wild alpine flowers, bursting with color from June to September and along the way you may spot some of the local inhabitants like bears, moose, marmots, deer, wolves, and mountain goats. You can visit some of the base camp locations in the wilderness and even go further into the back country were few people wander. Staying overnight there, wake each morning to a blazing campfire, the soothing smell of cowboy coffee, and a full breakfast. There will be many photo opportunities on this trip as well as unforgettable memories to remember, so make sure to bring your camera with you to not miss those wonderful moments. This pack trip heads above the tree line into the meadows of wildflowers and when the sun casts long shadows over the lake, the fresh caught rainbow trout are baked over the campfire. On a unclouded night, a breeze filled with … Read More

Reasons to join Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Events

/ / City Information, Tour

Don’t you just hate getting event invites on Facebook? I mean come on if I had an interest in it I’d simply go not tell half the planet about it.

Have you heard the story about a guy who updated his location on Facebook and got robbed? If you haven’t let me tell you about it, this guy went on a trip to Europe the mistake he made was he updated his home’s address. Burglars figured out that he was not at home and went ahead and robbed his home, so why should you join Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Events?

Get new ideas and experience something new

The thing is as a species we live very short lives, look at it this way, in 150 years every person on the planet today will be dead. This means that this is your moment in the sun, if you spend your life behind the screen of a computer working all the time you won’t live a full life.

You may think that people who attend events in Maple ridge-Pitt meadows are only the sociable types, truth is most events are attended by people from all walks of life, you will meet shy ones, fun loving ones, introverts etc.

The awesome thing about events is they bring us together, thus you get to meet people maybe even you soul mate. For instance, if you have a soft spot for animals you should attend Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows Country fest where you will meet people who have the same interests as you.

The event happens in July so you still have time to prepare, there you will get to see llamas, goats, pigs, sheep and other animals. This is a good thing if you want to try animal farming, the event is educational thus you will learn new things and be able to make better decisions.

Another event that you should attend is the Haney farmer’s market, the event only happens on Saturdays from May to October. What makes this event worth your time is diversity; you will find food, baked products, beer wines, spirits, and many other things only found here.

Make connections

Some opportunities only happen once in a lifetime, for instance, meeting a soul mate or a business partner. Believe it or not most people make connections outside the office.

If you can join the Multicultural Women’s group events every Wednesday or if you are unemployed you can attend Work BC employment service center events every Monday to Friday from 4pm. There you will get to make connections that can help you to secure your future.

If you are looking to volunteer you can attend Cythera Transition House society events, volunteering helps you build your CV thus you will make it easy on yourself to find work in future.

4Meet new vendors

If you are looking for vendors you can attend farmers, markets such as Haney farmers markets, air shows such as Pitt meadows Air show. There you will meet vendors who deal in food, beverage, cars, antiques and anything else you after.

Have fun

At the end of the day the point of going to an event is to let loose and have fun, therefore pick an event you like, go there and have fun. Remember you sabotage yourself by telling yourself that something sucks, what you should do is look at everything in positive light.… Read More

Joining Geocaching in Maple Ridge

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In the past hunting was about survival, if you didn’t catch something your village, clan and family slept hungry. Today thanks to malls, food vendors and supermarkets we no longer have need to hunt. The only issue is hunting is an instinct that’s deep inside us all, think about it, remember when you were young and you used to hunt grasshoppers and other weird animals? Being that hunting today is prohibited in most parts of the world because it’s cruel there are alternatives to hunting that won’t put you behind bars or in the crosshairs of animal rights activists.

Geocaching, fancy word I know. Geocaching refers to a treasure hunting game that allows you to become a “pirate”, what could be better than that? Wait I know, you get to do it with your family, spouse or friends. Geocaching in Maple Ridge is quickly becoming one of the most popular games in North America. If you check the numbers you will find that today there are over six million geocaches on the planet.

Why? Maple ridge

Picture this, a location that sits between Golden Ear Mountains and the Fraser River, if you head down town Maple Ridge you will find what can only be described as the perfect spot to go Geocaching, and the best part is all you need is your Smartphone. To participate in a Geocaching exercise you will have to download a Geocaching app.

Maple ridge is a blend of urban and country living meaning that there is diversity; this translates to fresh air and beautiful locations. Geocaching requires you to walk meaning that it is a good way to keep yourself and your family fit; you should encourage your kids to start because they will exercise without knowing it. Remember, walking is one of the best ways to stay fit.

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The theory behind Geocaching in Maple Ridge

The theory is simple a Geocacher picks a location in Maple ridge, when he or she gets there he/she hides “treasure” in a waterproof container. It could be anything, the Geocacher then logs the existence of the treasure on a Geocaching app, when another Geocacher sees the listing he/she goes out to find it.

The important thing to know is that, when you take something you leave something for someone else to find, and that’s how it goes.

Important things to know about Geocaching in Maple Ridge

Geocaching is an activity that is designed to make you want to go outdoors; it takes you to places that you normally don’t go. This means that you need a sense of adventure in order to enjoy it, remember when you go outdoors safety should always come first.

As a consequence of that you should only rely on reputable Geocaching websites especially if you are taking your kids with you. My advice is:

  1. Be aware and look out for warnings from law enforcement
  2. Bring a first aid kit
  3. Bring a cell phone, preferably a satellite phone
  4. Wear sunscreen and bug repellant
  5. Carry water
  6. Trust your gut, if it tells you something is wrong back off
… Read More

Best Shops to Visit in Pitt Meadows

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The truth is we work long and hard in order to have money to buy things. To understand the importance of money, you should walk by a taco stand when broke. What will happen is, your body will want the tacos, but at the back of the mind you will know that you don’t have enough money for that big delicious taco.

The real issue here is most of us don’t know what to do with money when we get it, that’s why we end up buying things that sometimes make us question our own sanity. For instance do you know that back in 2009 people bought something known as the DVD rewinder? People also bought the gold fish walker, shoe umbrella and the pet rock. Why I’m I telling you this? The reason why you are broke most of the time is because you buy silly things.

Don’t get me wrong, you deserve to buy silly things once in a while but make sure that you have cash to waste. If you are visiting Pitt Meadows or Maple Ridge there are shops that sell things that you need. The question is what do you need?


Sports supplies2

If you are going mountain biking, trekking or camping you will have to visit a sports store or two. If you need a bike or anything related to bikes you should go to Wentings, Cap’s Westwood Cycle, or the local ride bike shop. You can find the addresses and contacts online, these businesses have been in operation for a long time meaning that they know what you need.

If you are out to do some fishing in one of the many water bodies in the region, you should get your supplies from Wanstalls, red sports, Gone Fish’n and tackle or from belle sports. There you will get high quality fishing gear.

Furniture

If you need furniture in Pitt Meadows I recommend that you visit homestead furniture, the company was established back in 2003 and has the largest reclaimed timber furniture showroom. Reclaimed simply means that they are not the guys who screw Mother Nature by chopping down forests in the middle of the night, instead they use recycled timber.

2aTourists

If you are visiting and want to carry something home with you, I recommend that you visit a museum or two and check out the gifts shops, if you are looking for something a bit modern you should visit Tomes &Tales Books, Gifts, &Tea. As the name suggests you get to have tea as you look around for something you fancy. Items on offer here are gift cards, jewelry and books.

If you want to make your girl or wife happy you should visit Meadows flowers, you know because girls like flowers. Also if you want to get plants for your home or garden this is the place to be.

Before I forget if you are looking for something a bit different you should visit Little Cricket Gift Gallery, trust me you will never leave empty handed when you enter this store.… Read More

Amazing Art Museums in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows

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1There is saying that goes “our past makes us who we are” every day thousands if not millions are born worldwide; the issue here is most people live their lives without leaving a mark on the planet. Look at it this way; we can’t all be Barrack Obama, Abraham Lincoln or anyone else who will go down in history as being good at something or for an achievement. The one thing that we all have in common is we share our cultures, beliefs and time.

That’s why museums are created; museums are there to preserve the way we live today or how we lived in the past, five hundred years from now if the apocalypse doesn’t happen or if we don’t nuke each other out of existence. Museums will be there to tell people about how we all lived in the 21st century.

When you visit a new location it is important to give museums a visit; sure some might try to convince you that our ancestor was an ape named ‘Lucy’ but whatever you choose to believe museums are still a big part of our lives.

Art and museums

Art and museums go together like bread and butter, look at it this way, most works of art are shown at museums. If you are in Maple Ridge or Pitt Meadows, I recommend that you visit Haney House Museum, if you Google the museum you will find an image that looks like any other home. The area where the museum is located will teach you a lot about the history of the first nations, how families lived back then and everything you might want to learn about the railway.

This is a very different type of museum because it is a home that is “stuck in history,” even the staff there dress in costumes and serve you “old fashioned tea” thus you will learn the differences between back the and right now.

The ACT Arts Center

If you are visiting Maple Ridge or Pitt Meadows, the Act Arts Center should be top on your agenda.

The good thing about this destination is that apart from the gallery the center also has a comfortable modern theater where you can watch a show or two when you visit. The center’s gallery features work from regional, international and local artists.

Pitt Meadows Museum

The museum is housed in a general store that was constructed 127 years ago; this means that there is a lot of history here. If you want to learn the history of the entire region including Maple Ridge, this is the place to be. You will have to make a small donation to gain admission. If you are looking for something a bit modern, you should visit the Maple Ridge Museum.

The museum features works from local artist and also displays artifacts from the First Nations, Japanese work and Finnish works of art. So, what are you waiting for? Get in your car or a bus and visit one or two museums in Maple Ridge or Pitt Meadows today.… Read More

Things to do in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows

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Let’s face it; we build homes for the simple reason that we want somewhere to sleep at the end of the day, not for fun. This means that if you want to have fun you must go outdoors, I know you are thinking, but what about television, video games, sleeping, making sandwiches, sleeping?

You do those things so that you don’t face the reality that being at home is boring. The awesome thing about being outdoors is diversity i.e. you get to see lots of things, meet lots of people, and have fun.

To truly have fun outdoors you need a location that has a wealthy dose of outdoorsy things to do, if you are in British Columbia, I recommend that you head down to Maple Ridge and while you are there you should also take a bite at Pitt Meadows.

If you are the type of person who enjoys hitting a small white ball over and over till it enters into a little hole in the ground, you should know that there are six golf courses in Maple Ridge alone. These are not your ordinary golf courses they are championship golf courses, making Maple Ridge the perfect place to play golf even if you don’t know how to play.

Wait forgot to tell you the location; we don’t want you getting lost. We all know that British Columbia is a big place. To find Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, you will have to head to the northeast section of Metro Vancouver and locate Maple Ridge city between the Fraser River and a group of mountains known as the Golden Ears.

Picture that a city surrounded by mountains and the Fraser River that makes it the perfect place to go site seeing, mountain biking, canoeing, kayaking, horseback riding or to just sit back and relax oh and don’t forget fishing.

Christmas is coming so you know that you must attend the annual Santa parade, the seasonal farmers market or any other awesome festival in the area.

The difference between Agri-tourism and normal tourism is you get to visit ranches and farms if you are new to it may sound boring, but it’s not, in fact, Agri-tourism is becoming the in-thing in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.

If you want to taste something new, hunt, fish learn something or stay overnight Agri-tourism is for you.

There are lots of farms in the area; you can visit one or you can do any of the following fun activities:

  1. Go paddle boating on Whonnock Lake or take the Pitt Lake natural wilderness cruise if you are into that.
  2. Go horseback riding and visit golden ears Provincial Park where you may get to see Mike Lake.
  3. Try skydiving at Pitt Meadows Regional Airport.
  4. Visit the many historical sites in the area.
  5. Go shopping.
  6. Go fishing, mountain bike riding, kayaking or canoeing.
  7. Visit a farm or ranch and become an Agri-tourist.
… Read More

Best Restaurants to Try at Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows

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The term best is defined in the dictionary as most desirable, useful or suitable. When it comes to restaurants when you use the term best it means that you are talking about restaurants that rise above the rest in terms of food, service beverages or anything else in that line. Maple Ridge is a big place meaning that it is not practical to visit all the restaurants; the same is true with Pitt Meadow.

The best way to truly know a place is through trial and error, where you go to places randomly and see what happens. The problem with that is there is a high chance that you will waste lots of time and money. If you are visiting Maple Ridge or Pitt Meadows anytime soon you should give the following restaurants a try and if you have the time visit other restaurants and tell us about it, we’d love to hear your opinion.

The Firehall bistro

Based on customer reviews Firehall bistro is one of the best restaurants in the region, the reason for this is the service is great and the restaurant has a cozy atmosphere that is rare to find anywhere else. This is an awesome place to take your family or spouse for a meal so try it, I’m sure that you will come back for more.

The big feast

If you have kids and you want them to eat healthy, you should take them to ‘The Big Feast’, this is a place that has something for everyone, not just kids. The restaurant is located in what can only be described as a cute neighborhood, if you happen to visit Golden Ears peak make sure that you try the big feast on your way out. The food is good and the service is excellent. So go check it out and tell us about it.

GM restaurant

If you are looking for something a bit different you should visit GM restaurant, this is an Indian restaurant that’s perfect for vegetarians. It is a family run operation meaning that it is the perfect place to take your kids.

The service is good and the quality and size of the portions fit the price, this is definitely one of the best Indian restaurants in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.

Home restaurant

This is a restaurant that simply feels like home, the service is good, the staff friendly and the portions are big. When you get there don’t forget to try the pies believe me they are worth the trip.

The Mexican gourmet

Admit it; it’s hard to resist Mexican food especially big burritos and tacos. My recommendation is that you try the salsa, the food is fresh the service is good and the atmosphere is a bit different from other restaurants in the area. Simply put, if you want Mexican food in Maple Ridge go the Mexican gourmet.

This is not a complete list; feel free to make suggestions in the comments section.… Read More

Most Visited Places in Maple Ridge

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We all have that one thing that keeps us coming back, for me its food give me something tasty and I may never leave your place. There are lots of things to do in Maple Ridge, but there are those that outweigh the rest regarding fun. This means that some places get more visitors than others; you see the thing is we are all different thus we enjoy different things.

However, there are those things that we can all relate to. For instance, most of us enjoy music; this means that places that play music attract more people. This brings us to our first destination in Maple Ridge ‘The Act Arts Center’.

The Act Arts Center

If you enjoy good music, then this is the place for, if you visit the Act Art Center you will get to enjoy music from all over the planet. The selection is a mix of Spanish, Indian, Cuban and local music, the types of music played are country, Celtic, blues and jazz, but that’s not all, that’s just what’s going down this December as they mark their 14th season.

If you enjoy plays and anything else to do with arts and culture, you should visit this center.

Paintball

What’s more fun than going around shooting other people with a paintball gun in the face? Maybe camping near the mountains or hiking on one of the many trails in the region.

If you are into paintball warfare you should visit Delta Force Paintball, trust me if your wife or girlfriend feels that you are not dangerous enough, this is a great place to show her your warrior side.

Golden Ears Provincial Park

Maple Ridge is located near Golden Ears Provincial Park, what makes the park one of the most visited regions of Maple Ridge are the views, trails, and campgrounds. If you want to get away from the modern life, you should visit this area.

Golden Ears weird name I know some people think that the peaks got that name because they resemble golden ears at sunset and others think that the peaks got their names from eagles that were observed near the summit. But regardless of where the name came from this is a must see the sight.

Memorial Peace Park

If you are in it for the shopping you should visit Haney farmers market; the market takes place at memorial peace park from May until mid-October, and from mid-October to mid-November.

Memorial Peace Park is an open green space that’s perfect for families or individual visitors.

Golf courses

If you want the perfect location to play golf you should head to Swan-e-Set Bay Resort, trust me this is one of the most beautiful golfing locations in British Columbia. The course is located in Pitt Meadows next to maple ridge at 16651 Rannie Road.

For those us who enjoy water-based activities, the most visited locations in Maple Ridge are Alouette Lake, Mike Lake and Pitt Lake in Pitt Meadows. There you can swim, fish, kayak, etc.… Read More