Canada Welcomes the World!

It starts today. Canada hosts the world at the 2010 Winter Olympic games in Vancouver, British Columbia. Now that's exciting! The world will be impressed. And it should be. Vancouver is a beautiful city.

Vancouver skyline - Click for larger

It has even been rated by The Economist Intelligence Unit as 2010's best city in the world to live. But British Columbia is also a beautiful province.

Duffey Lake Provincial Park - Click for larger

They really weren't kidding when they put the slogan "Beautiful British Columbia" on their license plates. Everywhere you look there is a beautiful vista such as snow capped mountains, lush rainforest, and rugged Pacific coast.

Rainforest - Click for larger

Pacific Rim - Click for larger

The province boasts the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies - Mount Robson with its head in the clouds at 3954 m. 12,972 ft. <---Mount Robson - click image for larger view It also has clear mountain lakes and tourquiose streams. The tourquoise and emerald lakes and streams are caused by the way the pulverized rock in the water called rock flour reflects the light.

Emerald Lake - Click for larger

And there are spectacular waterfalls too - lots of them. Like Helmcken Falls in Wells Gray Provincial Park. It's a 141 m. (463 ft.) high plunge type falls and the fifth highest waterfalls in Canada.

Helmcken Falls - Click for larger

There are many ways to get out and enjoy all that wonderful scenery.

Paddling a canoe - Click

Fishing - Click for larger

Lakeside camping - Click for larger

Surfing - Click for larger

There is also the diverse and interesting wildlife. Everything from these tiny little Pikas - a relative of the rabbit

Pika - Click for larger

to Stellar Jays (British Columbia's provincial bird)

Steller's Jay - Click for larger

Caribou,

Caribou Calf - Click for larger

Bison, Black Bears and Grizzly Bears to name a few.

Grizzly Bear - Click for larger

Even delicate wildflowers like these Sparrow's-Egg Lady's-Slippers (a wild subarctic orchid species that is found only in Canada and Alaska) are found in British Columbia.

Sparrow's-Egg Lady's-Slipper - Click for larger

Yes indeed - British Columbia and Vancouver are beautiful. No doubt the city and the province will make all of Canada proud.

Groundhog Day

February 2nd is Groundhog Day. That means today in places all over North America like in Wiarton, Ontario we expect a woodchuck,

Groundhog - Click for larger

this large furry rodent more commonly called a groundhog, to predict the length of winter. Usually winter looks something like this in Southern Ontario:

Winter at Presqu'ile - Click for larger

Normally in our area a groundhog would be hibernating at least until March. But on this day the legend has it that a groundhog will awake from its winter sleep, poke its head up out of its den and look around.

Groundhog - Click for larger

If it sees its shadow then it goes back to hibernating thus predicting another six weeks of winter. If the groundhog doesn't see a shadow then it will be an early Spring.

Trilliums - Click for larger

In Wiarton this responsibility is given to one woodchuck named Wiarton Willie. This year he predicted that there will be another six weeks of winter. Considering the official start of Spring is at least six weeks off then odds are, he is right.

Scarborough Bluffs Winter - Click for larger