Travel Guides to Canada

tidAl poWer, noVA scotiA Nova Scotia is home to the Annapolis Tidal Generating Station—one of only three tidal power generating stations in the world, and the only one in the western hemisphere. You can find it at Annapolis Royal on the Bay of Fundy. The Bay fun- nels the highest tides in the world, and it's this massive movement of the water that is harnessed by the station to generate enough power for 4,500 homes. You can visit the station's interpretation centre (it's free) from mid-May until mid-October. Public "hard hat" tours that descend five stories into the power plant are offered during hours that the station is not gener- ating power. HAppy trAils, prince edWArd islAnd The 173-mile (279-km) province-wide Confederation Trail, which follows a for- mer rail line, is the first provincial section to be completed in what will be the lon- gest recreational trail in the world—the 13,980-mile (22,500-km) Trans Canada Trail. Prince Edward Island's multi-purpose path (walking, hiking, cycling, jogging and wheelchairs) meanders through rolling countryside, scenic wetlands and quaint villages. There's a special accommodation program for cyclists. In winter, snowmo- bilers use the trail. iceBerG siGHtinGs, neWFoundlAnd & lABrAdor Canada's most eastern province is one of the only places in the world where they make award-winning vodka, rum, gin and beer with the best water in the world melted from icebergs. You can purchase Iceberg Vodka and bottled water in local stores, and see icebergs from shore or from tour boats. The best time to spot them is in spring and early summer along the east- ern shores of Newfoundland, and in July off the coast of Labrador. In 2010, a giant 10-storey 97-square-mile (250-sq-km) ice island (Peterman Ice Island) snapped off Greenland and headed down Labrador's coast during the summer of 2011. Gold rusH, yuKon After gold was discovered in the Yukon's Bonanza Creek in 1896, tens of thousands of prospectors scrambled to reach the region to find their fortune. One very lucky fellow discovered a single gold nug- get that weighed over 72 ounces (2 kg). Even today, a sign in the local airport states payment at a nearby hotel can be made in gold dust. Thanks to Dawson City's status as a Parks Canada national historic site, much of the Klondike Gold Rush era atmosphere still remains. The Gold Rush is celebrated with the longest annual canoe and kayak marathon in the world, "The Race to the Midnight Sun." toss tHe BlAnKet, nortHWest territories The Blanket Toss, a unique Arctic sport, evolved from a technique for tossing hunt- ers to a height that would help them spot game at a distance. It was a demonstration sport at the 2010 Olympics. Today you can see participants soar as high as 30 feet (nine m) in the air, in Inuvik on Aboriginal Day, celebrated on June 21. The Blanket Toss is also performed at the Northern Games, held every two years—usually in Inuvik but occasionally in other commu- nities. Even Canada's former Governor General Michaëlle Jean was "given the bounce" when she visited Inuvik in 2008. nAViGAtinG, nunAVut Where is the Magnetic North Pole? That depends on when you ask the question. It's constantly moving. According to National Geographic, currently, it's west of Canada's Ellesmere Island and travel- ling toward Russia at an estimated 40 miles (64 km) a year. Not to be confused with the geographic North Pole, this is where a compass needle points. An added bonus: when solar radiation bounces off this magnetic field, it creates the aurora borealis, or northern lights. In 2011 six British explorers became the first to row 450 miles from Resolute Bay to the pole. For more fascinating facts about Canada, visit: www.canadacool.com ICEBERG ALLEY • NL TOURISM/BARRETT & MACKAY 20 2012 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CANADA CANADA COOL

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