Today’s Cowichan, our little slice of West Coast paradise, offers the same variety and abundance that helped our proud First Nations people prosper for centuries.

Carved out of the rugged bedrock of Vancouver Island, just north of the capital of Victoria, Cowichan boasts one of Canada’s mildest climates and opportunities for an amazing variety of experiences.

It has jewel-studded lakes, a national heritage river, all the splendour of the northwest rainforest and the warm Pacific coastline of the Salish sea.

It’s home to pastoral farmland, a burgeoning menu of slow food and fine dining and the emerging star of Canadian wineries.

Art, music, theatre and the rich culture of our First Nations people are yours to explore. Try it out. It won’t take long to warm to the Warm Land.;

But local foodies know The Warm Land has developed its own unique taste tempting residents and visitors alike.

Corkscrews, wine glasses and napkins are standard gear here.

It’s simple here to grab a few local groceries and have a picnic, check out an annual gourmet festival, or try local dishes at various eateries.

Cowichan also boasts more than a dozen wineries growing their own grapes or importing them to make vino as their vines ripen for harvesting.

The area’s oldest winery is Glenora’s Zanatta Vineyards, started in the 1950s by the late Dennis Zanatta and now run by daughter Loretta.

Their line of whites, reds and sparkling products complement an array of wines from Cowichan’s other vineyards dotting the rolling, diverse landscape.

From Alderlea Vineyards on Quamichan Lake and Averill Creek Winery on sunny Mount Prevost to Glenora’s rustic Godfrey Brownell Vineyards, Cherry Point Vineyards (try their blackberry port) and Cowichan Station’s Blue Grouse Vineyards, all operations are open year round for trying and buying.

The taste of Cowichan is also served in grand style during the annual Cowichan Valley Wine & Culinary Festival.

The fifth-annual event will be uncorked at some 16 locations Sept. 19 and 20, 2009 with dinners and other happenings spanning the valley.

Many folks tour wineries, resorts and bistros to sample vino and dishes specifically made with locally grown or raised ingredients.

For instance, a stop at Hilary’s Cheese in Cherry Point often twins a visit to Cowichan Bay’s True Grain Bread en route to the next winery.

But Cowichan – also named Napa North – offers beverages other than wine.

There’s Merridale Ciderworks near Shawnigan Lake where a variety of ciders and brandies are made on site with from apples from some 3,200 trees.

Also, Craig Street Brewing Company in downtown Duncan serves four house brews plus special monthly beers in its popular brewpub restaurant.

Imbibing goes hand in glove with eating in Cowichan.

The Saturday morning Downtown Farmers’ Market in core Duncan sees local growers selling everything from garlic and vegetables to berries, honey and jam to free-range eggs.

Agritourism has become big business in Cowichan with many farms selling stuff at the farm gate too.

There’s Cobble Hill’s Saskatoon Berry Farm, produce galore at the pastoral Providence Farm General Store off Tzouhalem Road, emu meat at Code’s Corner Emu Farm, water buffalo products at Fairburn Farm, and fresh poultry at historic Cowichan Bay Farm just up the road from downtown Cowichan Bay Udder Guys Ice Cream Parlour.

Seafood lovers can reel in everything from fish and live crabs to shellfish at Duncan’s Mad Dog Crabs Seafood Market.

And salmon lovers can try authentic Native cuisine at the Quw’utsun’ Cultural Centre’s River Walk Cafe near Duncan.

To boot, valley chefs Bill Jones, Mara Jernigan, Don Genova and others hold cooking classes regularly throughout the year with Jernigan championing the slow-cooking movement.

Local restaurant chefs, including Gerald Billings of Gerald Elford Farm Pastry, also use tons of local ingredients during their annual fall Chef’s Table benefit to help community programs at Providence Farm.

Indeed, eating and responsible drinking are part of Cowichan’s social fabric that’s open to visitors willing to leave the highway and follow their noses and tongues.

For current culinary events, call the Duncan-Cowichan Chamber of Commerce at 250-746-4636.

But those interested in getting closer to these spectacular creatures than nature would ever allow can’t miss one of the community’s signature attractions.

Pacific Northwest Raptors is not only home to eagles, but to many kinds of hawks, owls, vultures and more.

The centre, at 1877 Herd Road north of Duncan, is the only facility of its type in the Pacific Northwest.

A rehabilitation and education centre, it offers the public a chance to observe, learn about and even handle a large selection of birds of prey. Drop in to check out a stunning array of birds, or sign up for a course that teaches basic falconry skills.

The visitors centre is open from mid-March until the end of October. For more information, log onto www.pnwraptors.com, or phone 250-746-0372.;

The stunning region boasts old-growth forest and farmland, mountains and valleys, lakes and rivers, and offers virtually any outdoor activity you can think of.

Skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling and dog sledding? Check.

Canoeing, kayaking, scuba diving and wakeboarding? Check.

Hiking, cycling, ATVing, camping, golfing, swimming, fishing, hang-gliding, snorkeling, sailing and tubing. Check, check and check.

Recreational opportunities in the Cowichan Valley are endless for even the most avid outdoor enthusiast, but also appeal to those just looking to spend a little time reconnecting with the wilderness.

No matter how tight your bond with Mother Nature, if simple exploration is your aim there’s no better place to start than a hike through one of the valley’s myriad parks and trails.

The Cowichan River Provincial Park boasts the historic, 20-kilometre Cowichan River Footpath, with picturesque landscapes and a dense forest of Douglas fir and Western Hemlock.

The hike up Mount Tzouhalem is suitable year-round and concludes with stunning views at a 525-metre elevation, while the Trans-Canada Trail, which follows the abandoned Canadian National Railway track between Shawnigan Lake and Glenora, is the gateway to the Kinsol Trestle. The historic structure was completed in 1920 and remains the largest wooden trestle in the British Commonwealth.

For mountain views, sandy beaches and a second-growth forest boasting Arbutus trees, Bamberton Provincial Park is a good bet. The Mill Bay-area park meets the Saanich Inlet and offers spectacular sights of the Gulf Islands and Mount Baker.

If it flies, walks or swims, it can likely be seen at Bright Angel Park on the bank of the Koksilah River. Trails, a suspension bridge and a vast mix of trees can also be found at the regionally run park.

Family picnics abound at the West Shawnigan Lake Provincial Park, where fishing, boating and water-skiing are paired with cycling and swimming.

In Lake Cowichan – which sits on bi, beautiful Cowichan Lake – locals blend small-town charm with outdoor opportunities aplenty.

One of the largest bodies of fresh water on Vancouver Island, Cowichan Lake is also the second-largest lake on the island at 42-kilometres long.

The water offers trout, steelhead and salmon fishing, while the land around it grows a variety of berries as well as edible mushrooms.

And the lake is the headwater of the valley’s version of a Slip ‘n Slide, the Cowichan River.

Tubing is a favoured pastime every summer as Cowichanians of all ages head up-river carrying inflatable tubes and head down lolling comfortably on them.

And while Cowichan – known as the Warm Land for good reason – offers enough to make calling it the “great” outdoors an understatement, it also has activities for those who don’t mind zipping up their coats and pulling on some gloves.

The snowdrifts at Mount Brenton have been used for everything from cross-country skiing and snowboarding to snowmobiling and dog sledding.

But whether the sun is shining or the snow is falling, the Somenos Marsh near downtown Duncan is a peaceful spot to take in a variety of fauna and flora.

Two-hundred hectares in size, the marsh includes Somenos Lake, four creeks and a new trail, the Somenos Open Air Classroom.

Flora includes the Vancouver Island ringlet, prairie lupine, yellow montane violet and Garry aaks, and the marsh is also a wildlife refuge.

Every winter trumpeter swans flock to the marsh, which also sees the great blue heron, barn owls and plenty of waterfowl on-wing.

In fact, 219 bird species have been recorded in the refuge, including rarities like the tufted duck, Eurasian wigeon, black-crowned night-heron, white-faced ibis, great egret and black-throated sparrow.

If you’re more into beaches than birds, Maple Bay Beach is a hotspot for picnicking on the ocean, while Mason’s Beach on Shawnigan Lake provides warm water for swimming. Mill Bay Beach is known for beautiful views and offers great ground for long walks and wildlife watching.

And if the on-land opportunities don’t quite quench your outdoor thirst, take to the sky in a hang-glider, or sink into the sea and discover what Cowichan has to offer underwater.

That should whet your outdoor appetite.

On the shores of Lake Cowichan is family camping destination Gordon Bay Provincial Park, which boasts warm water, sandy beaches, hiking trails and fresh-water fishing. The 51-hectare park is also a popular spot for waterskiing and windsurfing.

The Beaver Lake Resort and Campground offers everything from shady areas to set up a tent and RV rentals to cabins and a full-service resort, while the Lakeview Park campground offers an on-site wharf with a marina close by as well as showers and full-service RV sites.

Bamberton Provincial Park offers a 225-metre sandy beach and an abundance of arbutus trees.

The Youbou Marina campground along Cowichan Lake has a boat launch and boat rentals as well as a laundry facility.

In Crofton, the Osborne Bay Resort has both cabins and camping, while the Beehive campground and RV park is set adjacent to the Mill Bay Nature Park with a variety of trails and creeks.

Country Maples and Bald Eagle campgrounds cater to RVers and tenters. Both are on the Chemainus River.

And the Cowichan River Provincial Park – which is broken into the Skutz Falls and Stoltz Pool campgrounds – is 1,414 hectares of scenic outdoor recreation opportunities, from swimming, canoeing, white-water kayaking and tubing, to camping, fishing and hiking.

It’s a city only one square-mile wide and contains about 5,000 residents, but with more than 250 unique shops, services and restaurants there is as much to do in Duncan as could be found in much larger cities without the smog, shoulder-bumping sidewalk traffic and sound pollution.

Duncan is a city that has embraced its heritage and has gone to great lengths to preserve its vintage buildings to showcase a varied assortment of small, exquisite shops and restaurants catering to all tastes.

So much so that it can claim to be the Boutique Capital of Vancouver Island

Duncan also claims to have more artists and performers per capita than anywhere in Canada.

And the only problem visitors will have when hunger hits is deciding in which eatery they’d like to sit.

The options are many and varied from the popular, including the Craig Street Brew Pub – the only one of its kind in the valley – to the Riverwalk Cafe, for genuine Native fare that utilizes such traditional ingredients as rabbit, venison, buffalo, and halibut.

The Riverwalk is part of the Quw’utsun’ Cultural Centre, our Coast Salish heritage cornerstone, where you can check out Native art and watch artisans knit world-famous Cowichan sweaters.

However, First Nations-flavoured activity isn’t restricted to the QCC – after all, Duncan is not known as the City of Totems for nothing!

Guided tours of all 37 genuine hand-carved totems takes about 45 minutes and will give visitors a terrific introduction to the local First Nation heritage and art of totem carving and the stories each pole tells.

And if its wood of a different kind of Canadiana you’re into, check out the world’s largest hockey stick atop the community centre.

Those who love games of chance can check out Chances gaming centre, right next to the Quw’utsun’ Cultural Centre.

A pair of great art galleries easily add to the culture: ‘Imagine That!’ Gallery displays and sells the work of more than 100 established and emerging artists; the E. J. Hughes Gallery exclusively shows the work of the legendary popular Canadian artist who, for the last 28 years of his life, called Duncan home.

For those who want to enjoy the best the valley has to offer, the downtown Duncan Farmers’ is a venue for local farmers and artisans.

The weekly event showcases the very best of Cowichan agriculture, baking, artwork and more.

Downtown also comes alive during the annual Summer Festival, running this year from July 12 to 18. The Islands Folk Festival is an annual treat for music lovers. You can check out the 25th edition this year, just outside Duncan at pastoral Providence Farm, July 24 to 26.

To learn more of what fascinating Duncan has to offer, log onto http://www.downtownduncan.ca.

Riding a real steam locomotive train is not a fantasy on Vancouver Island.

It can be done most of the time during the prime tourist season at the B.C. Forest Discovery Centre just north of Duncan.

While the steam train has long been the centre’s main attraction, there is much more to see and do at the 100-acre site at all times of the year.

Special events such as the Bigleaf Maple Syrup Festival in February and the Christmas carol train make it a special time to visit for a unique experience at different times of the year.

The centre’s grounds feature forest and marsh trails for excellent bird-watching opportunities. Some of the old-growth forest on the nature path is worth seeing itself, just to appreciate such magnificent trees.

The story of B.C.’s forest industry is told through exhibits, heritage buildings, logging artifacts, displays, hands-on activities and much more.

Educational programs are also offered to groups of school students between the ages of five and 12 who meet Ministry of Education guidelines. The programs vary in length from one-and-a-half to two hours.

For complete information about the centre, visit www.bcforestmuseum.com.

The stripped-down Boeing 737 was lowered about 60 feet onto a seabed platform by crews led by Thetis Island dive master Peter Luckham in January 2006.

Since then, an octopus’s garden of undersea critters has made the aluminum shell their home.

From giant squids, wolf eels and fish to sea urchins – namesake of the Xihwu Reef – Luckham reports an explosion of sea life to see while exploring the wet jet.

The reef is marked on the surface by a totem created by valley artist Gus Modeste while a sea-urchin sculpture by Doug August decorates the waterlogged 737’s nose.

Good clarity in cold water around the reef enhances scuba photography.

Aside from attracting fish and other seabed stuff, the vibrant reef has also helped spawn a renewed dive industry in Cowichan.

It’s drawn attention to preserving the area’s fragile ocean ecosystem that’s home to various local shipwrecks too.

For more, visit www.divemaster.ca.;

If you have enough time and an appetite for whale-watching, Cowichan Bay is an embarkation point for tours with guaranteed sightings.

Simon Pidcock is in his seventh year of operating Ocean Ecoventures. Tours in 24-foot open Zodiacs leave right from the heart of the bay and have proven to be extremely popular with tourists – rivaling any such adventure that draws people to the island’s west coast communities of Tofino and Ucluelet.

“We pick up whales from anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes away,” says Pidcock.

Tours take from three to four hours and Pidcock will go with the flow of the Georgia Strait waters and down into the San Juan Islands of Washington state to find them.

“We just go to wherever they are,” says Pidcock, who runs the tours himself and has discovered the area of the Haro Strait between Sidney and the San Juans as almost a can’t-miss for whale sightings.

Orcas, greys, humpbacks and minke can all be spotted on the tours at different times. Excursions run twice a day around noon and 5 p.m. seven days a week from May to the end of October.

“We’re definitely over 95 per cent sightings. Last year we had two trips where we didn’t see whales,” says Pidcock. “We’re talking a lot of trips, out of 200 trips.”

Those on tours that don’t result in a sighting are entitled to another one for free.

The boat must stay within 100 metres of the whales in accordance with guidelines but that’s plenty close enough to enjoy the magical splendor of the magnificent creatures.

Pidcock says friends and family members of visitors to the valley often go on the tours with them because it’s something they wouldn’t normally do on their own. Many Europeans travelling through the area take advantage of the opportunity for a close-up look at the whales.

Bookings should normally be made three to four days in advance to ensure a spot. The minimum is four people and maximum 12 per trip.

“In the summer, you definitely need reservations,” says Pidcock.

“It’s totally different every day. That’s what makes it fun.

“When we started, I never thought it would be repeat business. We have people who come six or seven times a year.”

Pidcock has spent many long hours over the years on the water. He’s also an experienced sailor from his time with the Maple Bay Yacht Club.

If sailing or kayaking are more your speed than a whale-watching tour in a Zodiac, you can do that in Cowichan Bay, too.

Cowichan Bay Kayak and Outfitters carries a full line of touring kayaks. For the less experienced, kayaking demos can be arranged to get you started.

Other means of getting out onto the water are through Tom’s Cruise Catamaran Charters and Excalibur Charters for a variety of options from nature cruises to guided fishing.

If plunging under water is more your style, Pacific Water Sports is the place to be for all scuba diving needs, courses, information and services.

And if getting all wet makes you yearn for feeling high and dry, there’s plenty of places to go where the bay forms a great backdrop for food and beverages where you can stay nestled inside.

The Rock Cod Cafe is a popular place for casual dining at lunch or dinner, with a wide variety of seafood selections. The Bay Pub, Oceanfront Grand Resort and Marina, the Masthead Restaurant and Schooner’s Restaurant at the Bluenose Marina are all located within “the strip” through Cowichan Bay.

Specialty shops such as Hilary’s Cheese, True Grain Bread & Mill and Udder Guy’s Ice Cream Co. are also popular for some quick snacks or take-home items. The Art Vickers Shipyard Gallery celebrates the work of Vickers, one of Vancouver Island’s most noted artists.

The Cowichan Bay experience wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Wooden Boat Society and Maritime Centre. The history of the bay can be viewed through interesting artifacts and photographs as you stroll on walkways above the water and there’s always plenty of activity to check out at the wooden boat shop.

Artisan crafts at small shops are sure to pique enough interest to purchase something unique as a memento of your visit.

Many people just like to stroll down the main road through the bay and soak up the atmosphere, detouring to the government wharf as the spirit moves to check out what’s happening at the houseboats and fishboats moored there.

The combination of amenities gives the bay that personal charm and a step back from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.;

Clear, sky-blue and aware, yet flavoured with an unmistakable warmth.

The face of Billy Thomas, the first European child born in Chemainus, is the perfect metaphor for his hometown, one of the must-see stops of any tour of Vancouver Island.

Like Thomas, Chemainus is one of a kind.

The Thomas story is one of 40 painted on the walls of this Vancouver Island pioneer town, a town that lived and died with the logging industry and was reborn thanks to a unique marriage of the past, the arts and a rare dose of community spirit.

Chemainus is Vancouver Island’s Little Town That Did, an outdoor art gallery that welcomes thousands of visitors every year to drink in its heritage and its hospitality.

Nestled five minutes east of the Trans-Canada Highway, less than an hour north of Victoria, Chemainus is, was, and may always be a mill town.

But that was seriously in doubt in the early 1980s.

A mill first perched on the town’s small, deep, horseshoe-shaped harbour in the early pioneer days of Vancouver Island – 1862.

A succession of replacements fueled the growth of a small village into a thriving town.

The mill built in the 1920s was one of the marvels of the coast – a massive operation that at its peak employed about 750 workers. It even attracted a planned visit from Queen Elizabeth II – a visit that had to be cancelled at the last minute when a strike closed the doors.

But by the late 1970s this once-proud giant had become old and outdated. It was losing money by the bucketful. Its demise seemed imminent.

With that threat raising a spectre of death above their entire beloved community, civic leaders banded together looking for something to keep them afloat.

They found it in their hearts and on the bones of their town.

Their past, the events that shaped the community would save them. They would bring this past to life on the walls of their downtown buildings.

The Festival of Murals was born in 1981. Within a year, four world-class artists had finished five huge murals in prominent locations. Each featured a story straight out of Chemainus history books.

By the end of the following year, the number of murals had swollen to a dozen, coupled with an aggressive downtown revitalization and beautification plan.

The marketing genius of mural guru Karl Schutz took hold and the world started to take notice. The tourists began to pour in and Chemainus claimed the international title of the Little Town That Did.

While profiting from its past, Chemainus also learned from it; No more would it be a one-trick pony. 1993 marked the opening of the Chemainus Theatre, a 268-seat downtown facility featuring professional live theatre, first-class dining and an attractive art gallery.

It, too, was a hit – churning out dozens of polished, family-friendly productions over the years and cementing itself into the culture of Vancouver Island.

In 2009, Chemainus Theatre expects to stage 366 shows – attracting more than 80,000 visitors to its six mainstage productions, plus three more aimed directly at kids.

Forestry still has a strong presence, as a new mill dominates the waterfront, built two years after the old dinosaur shut for good in 1983.

The mural population continues to grow. Some have gone three-dimensional, and the townscape is freckled with sculpture. Even the murals themselves are part of the painted history, as their birth was celebrated in a mural unveiled adjacent the theatre in 2007.

New subject matter – world-famous Vancouver Island artist Emily Carr – was added to the canon last year.

A horse-drawn carriage tours visitors around the town, explaining the stories behind the art. More depth and history is featured in the local museum. Musical entertainment is regularly heard at Waterwheel Park’s downtown bandshell.

Tour buses arrive daily. A new hotel – the Chemainus Festival Inn – has sprung up complementing an array of spas and bed and breakfasts.

Parks dot the area, along with an 18-hole golf course opposite the hotel. Nearby campgrounds are available for the outdoorsy types.

Work on a waterfront quay is underway aimed at providing a new link to an already thriving ocean playground that includes excellent opportunities for sailing, kayaking, prawning and diving.

A ferry connects visitors to idyllic Thetis Island, while another departs from nearby Crofton for picturesque and funky Salt Spring.

Gift shops and restaurants bustle under the summer sun as visitors indulge in the delight of old Billy Thomas – some of the best waffle cone ice cream anywhere.

For information, call the Chemainus and District Chamber of Commerce at 250-246-3944.