51 - Sunday, April 9, 1989 - North Shore News if you are California-bound, now is time to plan tour and book flight TRIED TO get a piane to California recently? Flights from here are booked solid with Canadians going to Palm Springs and Disneyland, and from there, Americans are bound for. Vancouver and Whistler, and then there’s the movie crews who are making Van- couver into Hollywood North. Just wait until the Alaska cruise season gets going. travel talk David Wishart ld CO STE All of which means you’d beiter book well ahead or buy a road map. A week’s notice and a full- fare ticket merely got me on the waiting list for a flight to Los Angeles. Actually, I could have got a seat on @ 6 a.m. departure, but any self-respecting lark is still in bed then. Instead I hung in for Cana- cian Airlines whose early after- noon flight served a delicious lunch above the clouds. Add to that a glass or three of wine and the trip is hardly long enough: to think of al! the things to do in California. There is an amaz- ing diversity of beaches, attrac- tions, sporting events, jazz festi- vals, restaurants, golf courses and just fun places to go. If you like people there are more of them in California than all Canada. Some cities like San Diego even have discount periods for Cana- Explore the Stein EXPLORE THE Stein and Car- manah river valleys with recCentre Ron Andrews and the Western Canada Wilderness Committee. A slide show, seminar and discussion wili be held on Thurs- day, April 13 at 8 p.m. at the rec- reation centre located at 931 Lyt- ton St. in North Vancouver. The WCWC is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of wilderness areas in Western Canada. The organization educates people about the importance of protecting the few wilderness arcas still left in British Columbia, The seminar will let interested hikers know about access to either of these vaileys and, through the slide show, disptay a little of the beauty to be seen when hiking there. Tickets are $2 and should be purchased in advance at recCentre Ron Andrews. For more informa- tion phone 929-7314. dians, usually called Maple Leaf Days, and the airlines cooperate with a limited number of seats. itavel agents have information on economy travel periods and fares. If you want to know about California, the best place to start is Travel U.S.A. in Vancouver. They den’t have a walk-in office anymore but you can call 669-1446 betweea 9:30 a.m. and noon and i p.m, and 4 p.m. There are 12 regions to choose from, with Shasta/Cascade in the far northeast. Much of this is na- tional parks and forests and is dominated by Mt. Shasta towering to 14,162 feet. The north coast stretches 400 miles down the coastline from the Oregon border to San Francisco. This is the wine country of Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties, weathered villages and hospitable old inns with all mod cons. High Sierra traverses almost two-thirds of California stretching past the sapphire blue waters of Lake Tahoe in the north to the groves of Giant Sequoias in the south. This alpine expanse is rich in skiing, hiking, camping and fishing. Highway 49 runs through Gold Country, where pioneer towns such as Chinese Camp, Nevada Ci- ty and Grass Valley beckon the traveller with tours of abandoned mines, antique shops and country inns that reflect the flavor of the old West. Outings range from an hour’s gold-panning to a weekend or week-long wagon train trek (complete, I wonder, with cavalry coming over the hill?). Central Valley offers a very ac- cessible taste of the old West, but is better known these days as the heartland of agriculture. Stop here for a fresh salad. San Francisco get: a paragraph to itself. It is the city that Van- couverites would choose if they were to move to America. It’s a fun town that everyone should visit once a year with a lover. The Central Coast takes in the scenic Coastal Route 1 from Monterey to Santa Barbara. Linger around the Monterey peninsula and the resorts of Carmel, Pacific Grove and Monterey. Play Pebble Phote submitted A STREET scene of Monterey, California brings back memories of the old waterfront that author John Steinbeck knew. Beach if you have U.S. $150 to spare. Drive slowly (the Highway Patrol got me) and look for mis- sions dating from Spanish times. Visit Hearst Castle. The deserts stretch from Los Angeles and Orange counties on the west to Wevada and the Arizona borders. This is stark, natural beauty and the manmade resort of Palm Springs, one of the better places to avoid the Van- couver winter and which offers substantial discounts to summer visitors. The Inland Empire, bordered by Los Angeles and Orange County to the west, encompasses 18 main cit- ies with countless attractions rang- ing from harvest festivals to raceways. Los Angeles has great weather, but if it does rain you're in the world’s entertainment capital. Tourists intending to use the freeways should ask their car rent- al companies about the assault rifle option. Orange County is home to Disneyland. Enough said. Finally, San Diego, home of clean air, the navy, La Jolla, the Hotel del Coronado and great beaches. Take your pick, and book early. Everybody’s favorite destination — see it the comfortable way. California Parlor Car Tours : in business since 1924, offer a wide variety of bus tours. You will be travelling in a deluxe coach with reclining seats — tinted windows — air-conditioning and restroom. The trips ) vary from 7-11 days, with many meals and hotel accommodation included and offer great value. This has become a very popular way to experience California. We ask you to call us now for reservations — you'll be glad you did. WEST VANCOUVER 320-1425 Marine Drive 926-4304 on —BENING — LUOYANG— —XIAN-~SHANGHAI—SUZHOU— —SHANGHAI— June 12-24, 1989 $2699 fi Based on double occupancy —deluxe accommodation ~ multi-lingual guide 682-8687 TRAVEL WITH TRUST TO SCOTLAND Septexnber 7 to September 24 Personally escoried by: Graeme Johnson Join us for this four of the highlands departing trom the North Shore with pickups in both West Van- couver and North Vancouver. We are only taking 25 persons on this exclusive tour of the highlands, but we will be using a full size bus so everyone should have a window seat. All our hotels have charm and character and are in- dicative of their region. We have included both breakfast and dinner, as well as many other extra’‘s such as cancellation insurance and pub nights in our price. Visit the Trossachs, Tarbet, Loch Lormond, Ben Nevis, Contin, Braemar, Spey Valley,.Pitlochry, Aberfeldy, Edinburgh, and much, much, more. L for a brochwe call: hand Trust Travel Intornational Phone: 1526 Marine Dr., West Vancouver, BC. V7V HS §=926-1692