[trip style = active & adventure + sightseeing]
Yesterday we took a trip style = spa + weekend getaway to Harrison Hot Springs for a cozy and rejuvenating escape. Beyond the springs, travel down some of area's country roads to pick up award-winning cheese and fresh-roast coffee, or meander down the Harrison River to view t-h-o-u-s-a-n-d-s of bald eagles in their natural habitat.
Harrison's Secrets
Sturgeon Fishing And Eagle Watching
Huddled around a heater on a BC Sport Fishing Group jet boat, I asked owner Tony Nootebos if his 22-boat operation catered mainly to men. I assumed reeling in 5-11ft dinosaur-era sturgeons was the ultimate mancation---ok, it is. Turns out ladies like it too, accounting for 21% of his clients, some of whom come for stagettes. During the late-fall/winter grab the binocs and eagle watch! This year, over 400,000 salmon spawning drew in excess of 4000 eagles. It was a party!
Know this:
- BC Sport Fishing group uses a barbless hook to catch, tag and release sturgeon, working in concert with the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society.
- Some boats are specialized for wheelchairs!
- Open everyday but Christmas.
Farm Fresh Cheese
When local cheesemaker Debra Amrein-Boyes of The Farm House Natural Cheeses was asked to send three cheeses to the White House as a gift to Obama, she obviously cleared her schedule. Within a 12-minute drive of Harrison, this family-run, working farm, makes cheese that pushes the boundaries of non-confrontational cheese with goat gouda, quark and 20+ other varieties.
Know this:
- Open Mon - Sat 10-5, Sun 1-5. Closed January, Easter Sunday, Dec. 25 & 26.
- Buy in Vancouver at les amis du FROMAGE, Whole Foods and Save-On-Foods.
Fresh-Roast Coffee, And Pottery
Learn what it's like to live and work off the land by a family of artisans. At The Back Porch, Lynda sells her recently spun pottery and Dan uses his circa 1919 flame roaster to churn farmer-friendly, organic and shade-grown beans. Roasted daily, far, far away from any Starbucks!
Know this:
- Open Wed - Sun 11 - 5. Closed December 25 to March 1.
—————————————————– New here or faithful TS reader? Get daily trip style tips delivered right to your inbox or RSS reader, and find and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! ——————————————————
More IMG_FRI Bora Bora Portlandia Honolulu Urbanesque Coffee Shop in Bellevue, WA
[eagle photos by Tony Nootebos, all others by @tripstyler, taken while a guest of Tourism Harrison]