Open the Gates of Desolation Canada!

Pure and genuine desolate west coast wilderness is this destination located in British Columbia. Most attractive in the tourist market for its panoramic coastal mountain vistas, Desolation Canada is a perfect get-away at the site of the 17th century Waddington City north of Desolation Sound, British Columbia’s largest marine park. It was first discovered in 1792 by Capt. George Vancouver.

Among many features, landscape is its tourist lure. Here lies Canada’s foremost tourist magnet. Its unique selling points are bountiful in a region blessed by nature where life imitates art. “Because of the mountainous areas surrounding British Columbia, we have places like Whistler hosting the Olympics in 2010. It will definitely help bring millions of people to B.C. for the first time,” said Desolation Sound Boat Tours owner and operator Greg Dickie, a gifted historian and nature-lover extraordinaire.

Whistler is about two and a half hours drive from Vancouver, at the same entrance on the right hand side of the B.C. Ferries Terminal at Horseshoe Bay. The trail connects to the Sechelt peninsula up the Sunshine Coast. At the end of the ferry-road system is the quaint seaside town of Powell River behind of which runs the 32-mile long Powell Lake. The lake is close to the gateway of Desolation Sound, otherwise known as Greg Dickie’s Backyard. About 200 floating cabins on cedar logs is Greg’s idea of paradise; North Americas’ second deepest fresh water lake was definitely God’s.

Following a circle loop tour starting from Vancouver up to Whistler, ending at the Powell River, tourists cross over to Vancouver Island to Comox, again by the ferry system. “We drive south to beautiful Victoria and back across to Vancouver. The trip to Powell River is a scenic two-ferry, five-hour trip, culminating at Desolation Sound,” said Greg. From the marine park, Greg’s group usually heads north up to the Lewis Channel, past an old native reservation called Church House - an old abandoned church where natives were relocated in 1912.

Operating on the coast for many years are fish farms teeming with salmon. “I lecture about the salmon industry. There are a couple of species of salmons I talk about before I take my guests to Stewart Island, a place John Wayne fell in love with. It was his secret get-away John used to go every year on his Corvette boat and have a drink and a good time right by the inlet entrance,” said Greg.

At the end of Highway 101 sits an impressive spot Lund. It is the gateway to Desolation Sound and the coastal islands of Savary Island, Harwood Island and the Copeland Islands Marine Park just 4 miles north to Desolation Sound.

With immense pleasure to look at, Harwood Island comes out of the sea and disappears into the sea. A huge volcanic rock, it has a circular sand quay right outside of it. Dubbed the misplaced Caribbean Island by its discoverer Capt. Vancouver, the Savary Island basks in its powdery white sand.

“The Coast Salish communities have lived on the coast in the last 10,000 years. This less known area braces for action as the 2010 Olympics draws nearer,” said Dickie.

Stretching hundreds of miles north, the Great Bear Rainforest national park, a giant conservation park opened February 2006 on the west coast of Canada.

The rainforest is a 14.4 M acre park twice the size of Yellowstone National Park or the country of Belgium. It expects to welcome guests more than double the population of the Flemish nation.

Dickie’s most popular tour is the 50-mile long Bute Inlet’s 10-hour full- day wildlife tour by boat. Commencing July 1st and running through July 15, 23, 29, August 5, 12, 19, 26 and Sept 2 and 9 on scheduled departures from Westview Powell River, it is the most-sought after. “From the 2000-feet deep Bute Inlet, guests are taken on the most amazing, awe-inspiring sites that include over 50 glaciers on the inlet en route to Homathko River property.

At the head of inlet, folks get excited over a full camp facility complete with camp cook and genuine West coast loggers accommodations.” Greg’s river comes from Lake Patalako, a glacier melt whose run off flows through the mountains from the eastern side, creating one of the largest systems of rivers in B.C. “View the several thousand feet of crystal-clear waterfalls of Twin Falls, just a 20-minute drive from my door step.”

Optional packages include a 12-passenger single Otter aircraft for fly-in's on to the on-location air strip or simply boat in. Fly out over one of Canada's largest ice fields called The Homathko Icefield and surrounding ice caps.

Boats take guests 2 miles up the river to Greg’s dock at logging camp where people can stay the night or check out a couple of activities serviced by his charters. Learn here about true life experiences of how the coast was won. Groups pass by the ancient native wintering grounds en route to Bute Inlet. Then they travel to the location of the 1864 Bute inlet massacre by helicopter.

Aside from being remote, Bute Inlet gains popularity from its great wildlife. Grizzly bears and black bears roam here, finding bliss in the backcountry at the Loggers Crummy Van. Gigantic fjords, the largest found on the west coast of North America, stretches almost infinitely along the western side of Canada. “Here is a gentle reminder of the logging/fishing industries, how they evolved and was used in Western Canada to sustain livelihoods,” said the owner. Also here lies Canada’s third highest mountain Mount Waddington, used by many British expeditions to climb before taking on greater challenge at Mt. Everest.

Capped with fun, Desolation’s 4-hour tour called the Ice Cream Run takes guests on a refreshing pit-stop on the island paradise of Refuge Cove.

Guests are served flavorful ice cream delights, at the same time, are offered sights and sounds of all areas first discovered by Captain George Vancouver in the 1790s. “We go over the facts and history of the places before I give guests a rare snapshot of a spot teeming with bald eagles, seals and porpoises.”

Hanging out in the wild with a Canadian expert makes one see, feel, hear, breathe, taste a totally different flavor or dimension in nature tourism.

Greg Dickie proves guests expectations about Desolation Canada are spot-on. After all, his is the world’s most perfect spot and ticket to almost heaven.

For details or media information, check the website www.desolation.ca , telephone cell +1-250- 213 1529 or +1-604-414-2722

17 June 2006