Stories

When summer slips into fall, two-wheel adventures enter a new level of awesome. Whether you're into extreme mounting biking or cruising down a scenic path, cyclers rule the shoulder season!

Un bourdonnement se fait entendre pendant que Rob Wicker tire un panneau de sa ruche d’abeilles pour nous le montrer. Juste là, devant nous, une poignée d’abeilles ouvrières travaillent, disons, comme des abeilles et ne nous voient pas. Nous sommes tous émerveillés.

Rosalie Subchuk soupire en se penchant pour jeter un coup d’œil dans les fenêtres de la petite église. Pendant cette visite à Plamondon, dans la région de Lac La Biche, en Alberta, ses souvenirs d’enfance l’envahissent. Rosalie a grandi sur une ferme dans les années 1960-1970, tout près de ce hameau.

Des éclats de petits fruits aux teintes pourpre et magenta pendent des branches d’amélanchiers de quelque deux mètres et demi de hauteur au Rocky Meadows Country Getaway, juste en dehors de Bonnyville. Les membres de la famille Robson déambulent dans les rangs, remplissant leurs seaux avec ardeur, dans un silence plutôt zen. 

Jeremy Derksen pour #TakeItToTheLake 

Le café, l’artisan fromager, le confectionneur de cocktails. Non, ce n’est pas une comptine... c’est plutôt un après-midi à Vermilion. Les gâteries de l’après-midi se partagent souvent mieux entre amis. Par exemple, les fraises au chocolat sur pain rôti, un assortiment de fromages raffinés ou un cocktail à 15 heures.

Le sourire fendu jusqu’aux oreilles, l’eau éclaboussant derrière lui, Josh Meredith se promène en Sea-Doo. Nikki Hallows le suit de près, traverse son sillage et met de la pression sur son moteur pour s’élancer dans les airs. Le bruit des moteurs se fait entendre pendant qu’ils vont et viennent sur le lac Baptiste, dans le comté d’Athabasca.

As someone who lives in an area known for mountain biking, I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived in Hinton to ride the local trails. As a passionate rider, I love exploring new trails and seeing how communities have been embracing the sport. Well, after my visit, I can tell you that this town on the edge of the Northern Rockies has the mountain bike scene dialed and then some.

Nestled below the towering peaks of Alberta’s Northern Rockies amid the rolling foothills, you will find the town of Hinton. Surrounded by dense forest, endless lakes and powerful rivers upon the traditional territory of the local Indigenous First Nations, the region holds mesmerizing beauty.

On a normal summer day, enjoying his passion for dinosaur fossil hunting in the valleys and river bottoms of the Pipestone Creek near Grande Prairie in 1974, Al Lakusta unearthed something that would transform the landscape of paleontology in Alberta. His discovery of one of the most massive fossil beds would put the Peace Region in northwestern Alberta on the dinosaur map.

Years ago, I recall driving through Grande Cache on Highway 40 and loving the thick forests as I passed by. But I didn’t really know what was waiting to be discovered just out of view.

As you step into the cozy gazebo, the earthy aromas of freshly cooked pizza, lasagna, rhubarb crisp, and bread waft in the air of the gazebo where Vermilion’s community oven is a hive of activity.

We could easily write a hefty book about all the ways to get out on the water around British Columbia. But, we’re not going to attempt that. However, we will try to inspire you to get out of the city and find some secret waterfalls and hidden coves, beaches (yes, even for dogs!) and swimming holes.

Vancouverites already have an entire ocean on their doorstep, but sometimes a refreshing dip in a saltless body of water does the soul good.

The long, hot days of summer in Alberta just beg water lovers to find a swimming hole, a place to SUP, kayak or canoe or let a meandering river take you on a blissful float.

If you have a favourite hue of green or blue, you’ll find it on one of Alberta hundreds of lakes or rivers.

Angus Cockney stalked the sunrise over the lake like a cougar tracking a deer in the forest, his strides long and quiet, his gaze intent. The dreamiest times for a photographer like Cockney are dawn and dusk. It's all about the glimmering light that plays on the landscape.

Canmore-based Inuit photographer Angus Cockney recently went on assignment for ZenSeekers #TakeItToTheLake expedition, exploring the beauty and culture of the vast Athabasca Region. His photos evoke solitude and wide-open spaces, and convey a real sense that the people who live here love and enjoy their backyard. 

Clucks and whinnies greet Caitlyn Chernish and Toni Shenfield as they walk towards the bright red barn. From the moment you step onto the Leaning Tree ranch, there is a sense of well-maintained order and tranquility, of nature in harmony with humanity. 

Fiddle song dances play lightly over the patio at Métis Crossing as Sameer Ahmed and his wife Salma do their best to match their steps to the beat. Soha, their daughter, joins in too. Brianna Lizotte, the fiddle player, is teaching them a Métis jig, with the basic 3-and-1 step and a couple of changes. 

Buzzing envelops us as Rob Wicker holds out a panel of his honeybee hives for us to see. There, in front of us, are a handful of worker bees, ignoring us working like, well - bees on their honeycomb. Wonder overpowers us all.

Vast as Cold Lake is, you don’t have to go far to find fish. In just over an hour, Greg and Lisa Folliot have reeled in (and released) three good sized lake trout. Our fishing guide, Kim Grey of Angler’s Fishing Tours, says that this is a slow day. Not that anyone minds.

Grinning ear to ear and spraying a fan of water behind him, Josh Meredith skims past on a Sea-Doo. Nikki Hallows is close behind, cutting across his wake and goosing the engine to launch herself into the air. Engine hum fills the air as they rev around Baptiste Lake in Athabasca County, Alberta.