Harrison Mills – Travelling During Off-Season
This is Charlie, our travel companion. We were dog sitting for dear friends of ours who were travelling. He’s always the first one on the bed. Obviously we had the dog friendly cabin.
Travelling during off-season has quite some benefits. While there are many obvious benefits to visiting a destination during its peak travel season, and even quite a few perks of visiting during shoulder season, there’s a pretty good argument to be made for only traveling somewhere when tourism is at its lowest point. A drawback can be that not all of the amenities and attractions are available during the slower season.
I love travelling during off-season especially because there’s rarely any crowds. People in the industry have more time for you. Often prices are lower. And one of my favorite reason is the weather can be quite moody depending on your destination. One has to be prepared for that though.
We brought a simple dinner for the first night.
We traveled to Harrison Mills for two nights. It’s about 90 minutes east of Vancouver. Here’s what their website says about the region:
Harrison Mills and the Hemlock Valley are best known for their pristine, yet rugged, wilderness. From their lush forests and flowing rivers to their mountain peaks and ski hills. This region is located on the traditional territory of the Sts’ailes, Scowlitz, Leq’a:mel, Douglas, Samahquam, and Skatin First Nations.
The area is a mecca for all types of outdoor enthusiasts from birders and beach goers, to paddlers and hikers, there is an abundance of immaculate nature just waiting to be explored.
Nothing is more cozy than enjoying a glass of wine with your loved one by a fireplace when it’s raining outside.
We went there in late November to see the spectacular annual congregation of the Bald Eagles. Unfortunately, even though the eagles were really close, I have no glamour shot of those majestic birds because I don’t have a paparazzi lens…
This was our cabin. It’s facing the golf course.
It was wonderful to have a dog during that time. So we packed the car with lots of things for the pooch. I brought three blankets even though we have always two in the car. I just wanted to make sure we do not leave a mess behind in the room. Especially since we had crisp white linens on the bed.
Nature along the Harrison River is spectacular.
Klaus also prepared a casual dinner for the first night. He brought a selection of cheese and charcuterie with a couple of bottles of wine. We knew the main restaurant was undergoing renovations. And since the resort only had a couple of guests, we opted to eat in the cabin. It was just much cozier than sitting in an almost empty restaurant. And also our little guest does not like to be alone, especially at a strange place.
Bald Eagles, a majestic bird!
Every year between October and January, spawning salmon return to Canada’s first certified salmon stronghold, the Harrison River. This ecologically rich river is one of the most protected and productive salmon ecosystems in the world, attracting tens of thousands of wintering bald eagles to the area.
Another bunch of Bald Eagles looking for prey.
Even though it rained off and on, that did not dampen the experience. We were prepared and had rain gear with us.
Winter was approaching.
Charlie hanging with the humans snuggled in his “bear” fur blanket.
We ended the second day with another glass of wine by the fire. It was so peaceful.
November 23 and 24, 2021
