Travel

I found the Canadian Province of British Columbia a delightful destination for a summer holiday with my family. We flew into Vancouver Island, bounded on the south by the state of Washington and on the north by the state of Alaska. It is almost wholly mountainous and ideal for winter sports. Whistler, just outside of Vancouver, with the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop, is one of the most beautiful areas I have ever visited. Vancouver also has the Pacific Ocean as its western boundary with a marvelous harbor and a marina for seaplane arrivals and departures. In fact, I was going to use a seaplane (for the very first time) to take me to Victoria, another picturesque city in British Columbia. While waiting for the seaplane to depart, I engaged in my favorite pastime, a hunt for souvenirs. I spotted some little bells on a Velcro ribbon that looked interesting. The saleswoman told me that they were "bear bells." My only problem was how to put these on the bear. Noting my quizzical look, the sales clerk had a good laugh and told me that the bears did not wear these bells, but I was to adorn my wrists with these to hopefully frighten the bears away. Thus my grandkids Bradley and Maris Wasser became the first children in Roslyn to have "bear bells." I was told that this locale is rich in grizzly, black and brown bears but my family never saw one. What we did see were rivers loaded with many varieties of salmon, such as sock-eyes and Cohoes that are exported to the East Coast. The seaplane arrived and departed on schedule for our next destination, Victoria and the gracious Fairmont Hotel. The hotel was located right in the harbor, and in the grandest British tradition we were served afternoon high tea. Victoria has a fine museum with interesting "First Nation" memorabilia, the venerable London Marks & Spenser Department Store, an Imax theatre and horse and carriages to provide us with transportation through the town. I was eager to go to the Hills Health Ranch in Cariboo to learn more about Horse Whispering, particularly after reading the book and seeing the movie about the little girl and her experience with "horse whispering." Hills Ranch does have a Riding Camp program for Families and Mothers and Daughters in the summer that details the process of establishing the ultimate trust between a rider and a horse. It seems that you can whisper a secret to a stallion, a mare or a filly. I was told without equivocation that a person's dulcet tones can truly bond these herbivores with their riders and you can learn how it is accomplished. As a matter of fact, I learned that some guests at the Ranch have actually been brought to tears for years during their Horse Whispering experience and demonstration. It has to be an awesome sight to observe how these large animals become completely submissive to the person who knows how to properly communicate with them. The horse follows that person around like a puppy dog, depending upon that person to protect it from harm.This is a new Riding Camp Program to teach future equestrians how to have a truly trusting relationship between man or a woman with a horse. This program also teaches the proper way to groom a horse, horse safety and care tips, western riding lessons and the fantastic thrill of open riding on the range and a real ranch with over 20,000 acres. This is also the roaming place for 3,000 head of cattle. This is the best way to become best friends with a horse. If the family is interested in water sports, I learned that the ocean waters bordering British Columbia have been voted the top diving destination in North America by Scuba Diving Magazine's 170,000 subscribers. This September, a new program at one of the colleges in BC will for the first time award participants with an educational certificate that will be accepted in dive related jobs world wide. The courses are held on the Sunshine Coast that is recognized as one of the best places to scuba dive. It can get very warm in BC, and that is the time to take to the water in a whitewater raft at the Thompson River. It's wild and wet with roller coaster walls of water and some heart-thudding obstacles, riding the waves. Actually August and September are the best months to test this Class III Rive as you paddle big water amid a breathtaking desert and canyon setting. Incidentally, the Hills Health Spas are one of the largest in all of Canada. For information on the Hills Health Ranch, you can call toll free 1-800-668-2233 or visit www.diveindustry.com or www.reorafting.com. © Copyright by Marcia AbramsonE-mail:mascribe@aol.com