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‘WHITEWATER SKI area in the Kootenays reports that conditions are
excellent and the mountain is open for business. Here, skiers enjoy one

of 19 ski runs.

living and snor

‘From page 46

- The Goose is. right next door to
the Queen Mary on.the dock in
Long‘ Beach. The famous ship has

been turned’ into a. floating: hotel;

keeping. much of the:decor popular
in the °50s,when she last crossed
the Atlantic.

Tours ofthe ship run. regularly
all. day and “include. the . bridge,
-engine;room :.and' restored areas
such as'an exhibit of the ‘‘decor’’
during the Second World War
when the Queen was a troop car-

Tier. The words - “sardine, can”
come to mind. "

If you want to” pare: 10° “years:
from your. agey. ‘take a look in any
of the mirrors‘aboard the Queen:
They are. peach-tinted so that the
_passengers,:“in. the days before
stabilizers, couldn’t see their grecn,
seasick: faces.

And : “if you're planning on get-

ting. ‘married and want an unusual

spot to-held the service, the Queen...
Mary. has a wedding chapel and the *
‘captain’? i is a licensed minister.
“!MaKe your arrangements well in
advarice, though, as I’m told that
the: current captain has not been

well: and has ‘cut back on the

number of ceremonies performed.

= To round out your day, there is
a-small shopping area with pubs
and nightclubs across the parking
lot. °

Called ‘‘Londontowne’’ it’s
supposed to have a British touch

. Which-escapes me, but you'll
probably find something to spend
your. American dollars on.
+ *

“Twenty-six miles across

sea, Santa Catalina‘is waiting for

me...’ Remember the °50s song ~

.about ‘the*‘island of romance’?

Well, L-hate to be a spoil-sport but «

they had it all wrong — Santa
Catalina is 22 miles:from Long
Beach."

That doesn’t make it any less
roinantic,:I.suppose. Catalina is a
charming, laid-back resort, par-
ticularly this: time of year. During
the summer, “when the tourists
swell the population to..10,000, it
might be a different story. :

Catalina Cruises runs round: -trip
crossings from their pier at 330
Golden Shore Blvd. They start at

5:30 in-the morning and end at.” ;

9:15 at night and cost 325.
This time of-year you probably
don’t needa reservation but come

- summer..... If you’re staying in the .

the .

Los Angeles area and are driving
to the dock, take the Long Beach
Freeway (I-710), keep right as you
pass the Port of Long Beach-
Queen Mary exit and look for
Golden Shore. ~

There are plenty of hotels of all
descriptions on Catalina. 1
wouldn’t risk an overnight visit
without a reservation, especially i in
the summer.

Contact: Catalina Island
Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box
217, Avalon, CA 90704 -or ‘call:
(213) 510-1520. Bed and breakfast
is a big thing on Catalina and it
would, certainly be something I’d

“Yook into. were I planning an ex-

tended visit: =
One hotel that caught. my imag-

ination was the Zane Grey Pueblo. -
—— the former home to the famous \

author. .

The rooms, instead - of. being
numbered, are named for the titles
of his many books. Wouldn’t you
jike to sleep in The Riders of the
‘Purple Sage?

I can’t give the hotel a personal

.fecommendation — I haven’t.been
inside, just heard about it.

Diving and snorkelling are a big

ALTHO‘IGH the name may sound more like a river
rafting adventure, don’t be fooled — Whitewater is a
thriving ski resort in the Kootenays.

The ski area, located 2! kilometres southeast of the
scenic town of Nelson, is reporting excellent snow
conditions as it kicks off the 1987-88 season.

‘*We've got about six feet (185 centimetres) of snow
at the top of the summit, which is our main chair,”
ski area manager Mike Adams said in an interview.

With full operations opened Saturday, Adams said
he is seeing this season off to a better start than the
last one at this Interior, B.C. ski resort.

With a base elevation of 5,300 feet (1,630 metres),
Whitewater offers 19 runs — beginner, intermediate
and advanced — with two double chairlifts and a T-

ar.

A new addition to mountain services this season is
the 7-Eleven-sponsored kids’ centre. ‘“You can drop
off your kids on an hourly basis, half day or full
day,’’ explained Adams. ‘‘They have all sorts of kids’
activities for them.””

Located just 20 minutes from Nelson, the mountain
is close to a variety of hotels, motels, restaurants and
the necessary conveniences.

From the highway, skiers take the access road to
Whitewater to experience the ski resort that is consid-

reat on

Catalina and golf carts are a
common means of

attraction on Catalina and if you
want to see the marine life without

ered to be one of the Interior’s best-kept skiing
secrets.

Maintained by the provincial government, the roads
are consistently kept cleared, but cars must be equip-
ped with snow tires and/or chains.

With a lodge offering a cosy break from a day’s
skiing, a fully-equipped rental shop and a professional
ski school, Whitewater has the facilities and expertise
skiers need.

Labelled by Ski Canada magazine as having ‘the
best day-to-day powder of any area,’’ Whitewater has
an annual snowfall of 275 inches (700 centimetres).

Movie-goers will remember the town of Nelson
from the Steve Martin hit movie Roxanne, filmed
there recently. Dating back to the mining days of the
early 1800s, much of the town’s Victorian architecture
has been carefully restored.

“It’s not your typical B.C. sawmill town,”? said
Adams, noting the success of Roxanne has spelled an
influx of visitors. ‘‘It's really pretty.”’

Just a short drive from Whitewater is Ainsworth
Hot Springs, where many a tired skier has dipped i into’
the warm mineral water after a day on the slopes.

For further information and accommodation reser-
vations, call 1-354-4944.

Latalina -

higher than anywhere else in

transport. California.

-* ©

getting wet, ‘there are glass-bottom
boats. The locals call these the
‘floating prayer meetings’? which
they resemble when viewed from
above. ;

When’ I read through - my
itinerary for the day in Catalina, a
visit to the ‘Casino’ ‘was men-
tioned. Great! Sounded like a
chance to lose a little money.

Sorry, folks. The Casino is an
enormous theatre- ballroom com-
plex built in 1929, fully: restored
and ‘in regular use. What a dance
floor! They’re. throwing’ a New
Year’s Eve-bash there that should
be some party.

The'main area ‘of. Catalina i is the

village of Avalon. :You can walk to:
“the Casino ‘in. five minutes’ from: :

the dock. Tours of the island are
available —— drop into the Visitors
Information Centre, adjacent to
the boat Janding.

Bring walking shoes — you’ll do
a fair bit of hiking on the island.

And, for those: who would rather —

ride, ‘horseback: tours are quite
cheap — $16 for 1% hours.
Cars are strictly limited on

‘Tet ose 09 seDerTH AND WEST WUNCOUVER

- x
Y * WEONEEDAY + emoaY

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BOOKING DEADLINES Friday previous to

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- FOR FURTHER INFORMATION —
Call Display Advertising 980- 0511

Should a resident want to bring a
car to the island there’s all sorts of
red tape and then he must pay not
only the freight cost to bring the
vehicle over but the cost of sending '
it back, Catalina has no junk cars:
As for parking, what place in
the world would have a sign on the
main drag, ‘‘Don’t even THINK
of parking here’’. That’s’ the
Catalina approach. .
Many resort islands are wallet-
busters. With a cat market,
prices for food and suvenirs are
outrageous. . This’ -ign’t true in
Catalina. I checked prices in every
restaurant I passed and they're no

Back to Long Beach, I’m going
t o tell you about a restaurant that
iP il never, ever visit with Brian, I’d°
“never get him out of the place!

It’s the sports lovers dream:
huge TV screens on every: wall,..
ticker-tape. results flashed -. con-.-
stantly, covering every sporting ;
event — J think in the world.

Simply awful for people like me,
but a great place to dump a couple
of husbands if you want to get into
power shopping.

Leave them at ‘‘Legends’’ 5236
E.. 2nd St., Belmont Shore. The
food is standard rib-house fare,
enormous servings.

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