Vancouver Island

If you go THE BEST WAY TO PORT ALBERNI, CANADA From LAX, Air Canada, Delta, WestJet, United and Alaska offer nonstop service to Vancouver, and Delta, United and Alaska offer offer connecting service (change of plane). Restricted round-trip fares begin at $291, including taxes and fees. For information on the McLean Mill, Alberni Pacific Railway, Alberni Valley Museum and Maritime Discovery Centre, go to http://www.alberniheritage.com . For information on the Frances Barkley , call (250)

A 6.7 magnitude earthquake was reported off Canada's Vancouver Island on Wednesday night. But there were no tsunami concerns for the Pacific Coast, including California. The quake rocked the region around 8:10 p.m. and was located about 58 miles southwest of Port Hardy in British Columbia, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake was followed by two aftershocks of 5.0 and 4.2. There were no tsunami watches, warnings or advisories for the Pacific Coast, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

Vancouver Island , Canada, is within easy reach of Seattle . Now Clipper Vacations makes it easy and cheap. Fall and winter getaways with a ferry and hotel package start at $99 a person for an overnight stay. Go for fall colors, holiday lights or anytime in between. The deal: The Big Colorful Sale includes a round-trip ferry crossing from Seattle to Victoria and one night at the Harbour Towers for $99 a person. Two nights start at $123 per person. Prices are based on double occupancy and exclude tax and fees.

The Royal Canadian Geographical Society and Maple Leaf Adventures are launching a series of cruises that should appeal to those interested in exploring British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest. The remote region stretches from the northern tip of Vancouver Island to the Alaska border and is known for its deep fiords, whale population and grizzly and black bears. The eight-night/nine-day cruise will take place aboard a small flotilla of one to three small expedition ships, with a maximum of eight guests per ship.

It's been a good summer for orca sightings among kayakers in British Columbia's Johnstone Strait, and at least one outfitter is offering discounts on its last trip of the season. The Johnstone Strait, home to the Robson Bight (Michael Bigg) Orca Preserve, draws many kayak-trip outfitters, including Sea Kayak Adventures , which is based in Idaho but has been running Johnstone Strait trips since 1996. This year, said S.K.A. co-owner Nancy Mertz, “they had a late spring, and it suddenly blossomed into sunshine and orcas.

You think you know storms, Southern California? Canada's Vancouver Island--now it knows storm. The Long Beach Lodge Resort near Tofino, British Columbia, offers one of North America's finest vistas for storm-watching. For those wanting to immerse themselves in the fury, the lodge and other local outfitters also offer superb winter surfing amid the wicked winter waves of the Pacific Ocean. The lodge, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2012, was built along Cox Bay, and its great room provides an ideal place for curling up in an overstuffed leather chair and watching the massive waves roll in, whipped to a frenzy by gale-force winds.

An earthquake shook part of Vancouver Island in British Columbia on Monday, but there were no reports of damage or injuries. The quake was estimated at between 5.0 and 5.5 on the Richter scale, the Pacific Geoscience Center said.

In the cab of Alberni Pacific Railway's No. 7, a small, tough logging locomotive that has spent its 82 years on Vancouver Island, Canada, George Williamson - at 78, nearly as old as the engine - notched out the throttle. In the fireman's seat was his son, Pat, not a young man himself. Nor was I, returning to a locomotive cab in which I'd ridden in 1969, when I'd wangled a ride out of the forest when this locomotive was hauling logs. Now it was toting tourists, and my cab ride was available for a modest extra fare.

A strong earthquake rumbled beneath the ocean off the west coast of Vancouver Island today, but there were no reports of damage on land. The quake, estimated at about 6.0 on the Richter scale, was detected off Estevan Point at 9:05 a.m., said a seismologist with the Pacific Geoscience Center, and was centered in the ocean.

A new vintage railway is taking passengers on 2 1/2-hour excursions north from Victoria, Canada, to Malahat Mountain and back. The 40-mile round trip through the suburbs and woodlands of southern Vancouver Island crosses two 300-foot-high trestles and includes views of the Pacific's Finlayson Arm, a spokeswoman said. The Pacific Wilderness Railway uses a mix of restored 1930s cars without air-conditioning and 1950s cars with air, pulled by diesel-electric engines.

See orcas up close and listen to them chatter underwater during a sea kayaking tour off the waters of Canada's Vancouver Island. The six-day trip to British Columbia is in part inspired by the 2013 documentary "Blackfish," which highlights the plight of orcas kept in captivity. ROW Sea Kayak Adventures based in Idaho invites kayakers on a guided "Blackfish" tour to the Johnstone Strait, Vancouver's inside passage and home to a sanctuary for the big black-and-white orcas, also known as killer whales.

A recent study published in the journal PLOS One found that people who exercise in natural settings enhance their creativity. No surprise then to learn that Sarah McLachlan writes songs in her head while trail running. But 45-year-old singer also takes part in sports that require more attention to the task at hand. I understand you're a fan of surfing. Surfing is my passion because I love being active on the water. It's my big thing, even though I'm still not that good. A friend of mine in L.A., a famous surfer named Israel Paskowitz, convinced me to come out surfing about 15 years ago, and I fell in love with it. Living in Vancouver, there aren't many opportunities for me to surf, so I am just paddle boarding there, but I regularly head up to Tofino [on the west coast of Canada's Vancouver Island]

A new indoor market in downtown Victoria, Canada , will open in the spring, making Vancouver Island's abundant produce available year-round. The Victoria Public Market at the Hudson will be home to goods produced by bakers, butchers, fishermen and florists, among others. Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, is at the southern tip of Vancouver Island. It's about 60 miles from Vancouver and about a three-hour (or less) ferry ride from Seattle. The new market will be in what was once the Hudson's Bay department store.

You think you know storms, Southern California? Canada's Vancouver Island--now it knows storm. The Long Beach Lodge Resort near Tofino, British Columbia, offers one of North America's finest vistas for storm-watching. For those wanting to immerse themselves in the fury, the lodge and other local outfitters also offer superb winter surfing amid the wicked winter waves of the Pacific Ocean. The lodge, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2012, was built along Cox Bay, and its great room provides an ideal place for curling up in an overstuffed leather chair and watching the massive waves roll in, whipped to a frenzy by gale-force winds.

FRIDAY HARBOR, Wash. - Two dozen hardy travelers were clustered near me on the top deck of a 114-foot ferry, most of us shivering under cloudy skies as a colorful mosaic of water and land slid by the vessel, the Victoria Clipper III. We were sailing through the San Juan Islands, an archipelago of hundreds of isles between mainland Canada, Vancouver Island and Washington state's northwestern coast. As we cruised north from Seattle, rolling hills were replaced by dark green forests and rocky bluffs that overlooked fiord-like inlets.

I'm crazy for oysters, always have been. At Hog Island Oysters near Bodega Bay, I've been known to down three or four dozen at a time, all shucked, slowly, by me. Wherever I'm headed, you can be sure I've got the oyster bars mapped out ahead of time. So when news came that a new oyster bar was about to open across from LA Mill in Silver Lake, I was thrilled. Even sweeter, the partners in the new spot are Dustin Lancaster and Matthew Kaner, the duo that brought Los Feliz the quality wine bar Covell.

Victoria moves at its own pace--a slow one--which makes it perfect for walks short and long, past architectural landmarks, historic homes, fabulous gardens and parks. Make time, before or after the following hikes, to walk around the city's center, past large flower baskets hanging from lampposts. Just outside Victoria's tidy confines are some stunning, surprisingly rugged provincial parks laced with miles of fine hiking trails.

The title of the documentary "The Whale" might at first glance seem generic or uninspired, but it's really a nod of awed respect to an extraordinary individual: the orphaned orca that captivated the residents of Vancouver Island for five years beginning in 2001. Thoughtful and moving, if often heavy-handed, "The Whale" follows the remarkable story of Luna and will appeal to animal lovers of all ages, although it doesn't sugarcoat some difficult events. Expanding on their 2008 documentary "Saving Luna," British Columbia-based directors Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit have added footage and receive a profile-heightening boost from executive producers Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson.

If you go THE BEST WAY TO PORT ALBERNI, CANADA From LAX, Air Canada, Delta, WestJet, United and Alaska offer nonstop service to Vancouver, and Delta, United and Alaska offer offer connecting service (change of plane). Restricted round-trip fares begin at $291, including taxes and fees. For information on the McLean Mill, Alberni Pacific Railway, Alberni Valley Museum and Maritime Discovery Centre, go to http://www.alberniheritage.com . For information on the Frances Barkley , call (250)

In the cab of Alberni Pacific Railway's No. 7, a small, tough logging locomotive that has spent its 82 years on Vancouver Island, Canada, George Williamson - at 78, nearly as old as the engine - notched out the throttle. In the fireman's seat was his son, Pat, not a young man himself. Nor was I, returning to a locomotive cab in which I'd ridden in 1969, when I'd wangled a ride out of the forest when this locomotive was hauling logs. Now it was toting tourists, and my cab ride was available for a modest extra fare.