EXPLORING B.C. — POWE a Neville Judd Contributing Writer CAPT. George Vancouver didn’t care for the waters north of Powell River. At the end of a bad week on his voyage of dis- covery more than 200 years ago, he added Desolation Sound to the naviga- tors’ lexicon. Sitting in Powell River’s McDonald's drive-thru, watching rivulets of rainwater streak down the car windows, I knew how the old curmudgeon felt The guy rounding up. shopping. trol Safeway looked like he felt the same way. Hi read: “Rehab is for quitters.” Yet the day had started with such promise. We'd woken at Desolation Resort after the first night of our two-night holiday ina pwo-storey cabin on stilts. We'd walked the waterfront overlooking Okeover Arm, marvelled at the designs of the cabins — some three storeys — and impressed upon our children that this was nearly wilderness. And they'd better enjoy it. The incessant rain hadn’t bothered us because we'd come prepared with waterproofs, and with that in mind, we'd jumped in the car and driven toward Powell River in search of the Lost Lake Trail. Inspired by Rick Hansen’s Man in Motion ‘Tour, the trail was completed i in 1989 after six years of work that involved coating the route in crushed limestone. The 13-kilometre loop around Lost Lake (also known locally as Loon Lake) is accessible to wheelchairs and strollers. At camp sites en route, small log cabins are provided exclusively for the disabled. Firewood, outhouses and fishing piers are also laid on and maintained, like the trail, by the Sunshine Coast Forest District. The 10-km logging road to the trail head isn’t quite so pampered, and left our Ford.Acrostar with a slow puac- ture and nro queasy children. “We've come this far,” we'd “thought. “The fresh air will do the children good.” . Who could have predicted my son Ryan’s phobia of wheel- chair-accessible crushed limestone pathways? Maybe it was the rain, maybe it was his sister Emma being still smal! enough (and "smug with it) to ride in a backpack, whatever it was, our angry stroller and aired his Opinions young man refused to get out of hi peared from the bush and so loudly, a fore fered us'a ride back'to the'v hich _ DESOLATION Resort’s. handcrafted luxury chalets overlook Okeover Arm. ESE NS Ls OTE SI Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused : Ports of cal: DESOLATION Sound Marine . . source of fun, des; . The Patricia Theatre is one of Powell River's claims to fame, as. TRAVEL POWELL RIVER & DESOLATION SOUND Needless to say, we didi’t complete the loop, but my wife and I walked far enough to feel entitled to some peace and quiet, which is how the four of us ended up cating McHappy Meals in a mall car park back in Poweil River. Our spirits restored, we strolled around Powell River's old town, a federally designated National Historic District, and dis- covered more to amuse ourselves than we'd expected. Maybe it was the absence of crushed limestone pathways but Ryan found the old fairground carousel behind the Patrica Theatre an endless ¢ the fact ir wasn’t worki *. the oldest operating movie theatre in B.C. The other B.C. “firsts” . include the town being the first to have dial phones (1921) and the first to receive a radiotelephone circuit (1930). : Residents can thank the old Powell River Company, original operators of the town's pulp mill, for the wide leafy streets and communal gardens designed by townsite manager John Melnryre. The company looked after its employees, building a top-quality gymnasium (good athletes got first dibs on mill jobs and an ath- letic director was on the payroll), and attracted more business and numerous federal offices to the town. Residents can also thank the mill for the stench of pulp. But like _Reighbours of pulp mills from Port Mellon to Prince George, Powell River residents will tell you the same thing about the odour: “It’s the smell of money.” If you go: Powell River is about 120 kilometres north of Vancouver and accessible on Highway 101, via B.C. Ferries (1-888- 724-5223 or www. beferrics.be.ca). The town is a gateway to 2 muluitude of outdoor pursuits, particularly canoeing and hiking. For more or \ Photos Leah Vandeberg : rk, created in 1973, consists of 14,000 acres of upland and 6,350 acres of foreshore. information, contact Vancouver, Coast and Mountains Tourism at 1-800-667-3306 or visit . Desolation Resort (604-483-3592) comprises self-contained lux- ury chalets handcrafted in local wood built on high platforms and overlooking Okeover Arm. One night’s accommodation ina |. two-bedroom cabin (maximum four peoptc) costs $160, rising to $200 from June 1 to Sept. 30. ewww. HelloBC.com/beescapes> 2000 for 7 nights to the Mexican Riviera. - Ga BODNARUK « Sentor CONSULYANT $1 099 .. cad pp Inside Cabin; _ $f y | 99. cad pp Oceanview. Cabin hit int Disney in Canadian Dollars and are per person based on double occupancy Prices are NortH -2-3683 pres an laity are bjt o cage wiht nee Ta aio. " October 4-23, 2000 aboard the Volenclam Vancouver, Victoria, San Francisco, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vall Zihuantansje, Acapulco, Costa Rica, Panama Cana! Trarisit, | Cartagena, Grand Cayman, Ft. Lauderdale Fron ©3753 9con Includes: Port charges of $652 & airfare from Ft. Lauderdale to Vancouver