SUNDAY SUN
TRAVEL FEBRUARY 4, 2007
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Up close with Keys’ eco-system KEY WEST, Fla. — Florida Keys visitors now have a way to experience the area’s underwater ecosystem without getting wet: The new Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center. The 595-square-metre, $6-million US facility opened last month on the waterfront to showcase the underwater and upland habitats that characterize the Keys, emphasizing the coral reef that parallels the island chain. Admission is free. Through interactive and touch-screen exhibits and audio and video components, visitors can explore the Keys’ hardwood hammock, mangrove, patch reef, seagrass, deep shelf and Dry Tortugas environments. Exhibit highlights include a walkthrough version of the Aquarius Undersea Lab, a manned underwater research laboratory located off Key Largo. Visitors can hear recordings from the lab, take video tours of the Keys’ undersea world and view indigenous fish and sea creatures through video screens shaped like portholes. The Eco-Discovery Center is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. See floridakeys.noaa. gov/eco—discovery.html.
companies said. Construction is set to begin this year, with opening scheduled for 2010. To be called Baha Mar, the resort will generate 10,000 temporary and permanent jobs on the Caribbean island, officials said.
Hawaii getting ferry HONOLULU — A Hawaii Superferry will undergo tests before sailing to the islands in May, with fast ferry service between the Hawaiian islands expected to start in July. The boats are an attempt to link Hawaii’s islands by something other than airplane. The first of two ferries will link Honolulu with Maui and Kauai. A second vessel is planned for 2009 to serve the Big Island. The ferries are designed to hold up to 866 passengers and 282 cars. Several local environmental groups recently called for an environmental review of the project. The U.S. department of transportation’s maritime administration had determined an environmental review was not necessary. John Garibaldi, the Superferry CEO, did not express any concerns that environmental issues could delay the project. He said the company has been working with local communities since 2004 and made changes in response to their concerns, such as developing procedures to stop the spread of invasive species from island to island. The ferries also have a whale avoidance plan that includes changing routes during the humpback migration season and posting whale lookouts on its ships, he said. Ferry fares listed on the company’s web site range up to $70 US for adults. See hawaiisuperferry.com. — Sun wire services
$1.6B Bahamian resort NASSAU, Bahamas — U.S. companies Harrah’s Entertainment and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide will team up with developer Baha Mar Resorts Ltd. to build a $1.6-billion US resort complex in the Bahamas. The six-hotel, 3,550-room compound will feature a 9,000-square-metre casino and an 18-hole golf course on 400 hectares of land on Nassau’s Cable Beach, the
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STEPHEN HUI/SUN MEDIA PHOTOS
Quarry Rock, near the east end of British Columbia’s Baden-Powell Trail, offers a spectacular view of the islands in Indian Arm.
Scouting for a day hike You don’t have to go far to walk amid the mountains in Vancouver STEPHEN HUI Sun Media
NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. — In Vancouver, it’s often said the Coast Mountains are practically on your doorstep. Rising just north of the city, they are so close you don’t even need a car to reach some amazing day hikes — you can just hop on a bus. One hiking route that is particularly well served by transit is the Baden-Powell Trail.
Remains passable
Traversing the southern slopes of the North Shore mountains, the B-P Trail — built by Boy Scouts and named after the founder, Robert Baden-Powell — extends 42 km from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to Deep Cove in North Vancouver. The trail is also noteworthy because much of it remains passable for the majority of the year, unlike the many other trails in the area that lead up to the often-snowy mountaintops. Due to its length, most hikers choose to divide the B-P Trail into smaller day hikes.
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A good place to start is the 12-km section between Lynn Ca nyo n a n d D e e p C ov e, which is not difficult but is steep at times. The hike begins by crossing the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge. From Lynn Canyon Park, the undulating route takes you through the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve and Mount Seymour Provincial Park. Blue markers bearing the Scout fleur-de-lis lead the way, and maps are occasionally posted. In some parts, the trail skirts residential areas and even crosses roads, while, in others, it heads deep into the temperate rainforest. The payoff lies near the B-P Trail’s eastern terminus. From Quarry Rock, a bluff overlooking Deep Cove, the satisfying view encompasses the islands of Indian Arm and the summits of Eagle Ridge, as well as
suburban Burnaby. When you get there, you’re also within sight of another reward — the delicious doughnuts and ice cream of Deep Cove.
GETTING THERE
Take bus 28 from JoyceCollingwood or Gilmore SkyTrain station, or drive to the park ’n’ ride at Phibbs E x c h a n g e ( O x f o rd St . a t Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 offramp, North Vancouver). Bus 229 brings you to Lynn Canyon Park. From Deep Cove, bus 211 or 212 gets you back to Phibbs. Allow 4-5 hours for the hike.
ON THE WEB
Lynn Canyon Park, dnv. org/ecology/. Deep Cove info, deepcovebc.com. TransLink, translink.bc.ca. stephen.hui@tor.sunpub.com
The Baden-Powell Trail heads into the temperate rainforest.