Nelson offers more than beer and ghosts

As is so often the case, it’s entirely my parents’ fault.

When we graduated from college, they gave each of us a round-trip ticket anywhere we wanted to go.

My brother Graham went to Australia and Brett chose Mali. I headed for Europe.

And I was hooked. I went back twice – coming home long enough to save up enough money to keep myself in baguettes and cheese – and later ventured farther afield, establishing a pattern of leaving the country every even-numbered year in search of new travel adventures.

And then came 2006.

I just couldn’t find the time. A good portion of my busy year was devoted to finding interesting places for you to visit around these parts (and would it kill you to send a thank-you note or a lousy postcard?), and while there’s much to love nearby, I was in serious danger of ending a good, long streak.

Enter my friend Diane, take-charge gal.

With time running out, she lit a fire under her husband to make a run for the border, taking me and my husband along to Canada for the weekend.

So, thanks to her tenacity, my record stands.

And I had a delightful visit to Nelson, British Columbia, set for the Steve Martin movie “Roxanne,” gateway to Ainsworth Hot Springs and home to 350 heritage homes and office buildings, making it a showcase of Victorian architecture.

“We have the most heritage buildings per capita in Canada, next to Victoria,” says Angie Zielinski, executive assistant for Nelson’s Chamber of Commerce, Visitor Centre and Economic Development Partnership.

If that interests you, Nelson has a walking tour and a driving tour set up just for you; pick up details and maps at the chamber’s visitor information center.

It may surprise you, however, to learn that Tom and Mike were more excited about Kokanee beer and the Ultimate Fighting Championship under way on the big-screen TV in Mike’s Place Pub (no relation).

The Canadian contender prevailed, to the raucous approval of the crowd – louder even than the cheering Mike and Diane encountered in France during one of that country’s World Cup victories.

Normally, when I visit a foreign country I like to go to the art museums, sample the cafe culture, that sort of thing. But when in Rome …

So I watched the carnage out of the corner of my eye and took a stroll down Baker Street, the retail and restaurant heart of the city, passing, among other places, Bend Over Leather. Nearby you’ll find the Liquor Boutique, purveyor of Kokanee in a can.

“Nelson is very entrepreneurial,” Zielinski says. “We don’t let a lot of box stores in. A box store would wreck the heritage theme. A lot of people have capitalized on their own ideas.”

No doubt they’re following in the footsteps of Fred and Lydia Hume, who built the Hume Hotel and opened their doors on St. Patrick’s Day, 1898, to rave reviews.

The Tribune wrote, “Between Winnipeg on the east, and Vancouver on the west, no such building exists.”

According to local legend, the Humes were so proud of their lodging, they’ve refused to leave.

“There’s a ghost on the third floor,” says Miriam MacFarlane, who works at the Hume’s front desk. “The Nelson Paranormal League did a film last year, and they picked up a voice downstairs near the boiler room saying, ‘Careful.’ “

If you need more than spooks and beer to entertain you, Nelson offers all kinds of outdoor recreation, including downhill skiing and snowboarding, at Whitewater Ski and Winter Resort, 20 minutes from downtown, and hiking in Kokanee Creek Provincial Park and Kokanee Glacier Park.

You can find out more at www.discovernelson.com or (877) 663-5706. The Hume Hotel will take your reservations at www.humehotel.com or (877) 568-0888.

Lions and tigers and bears …

My cousin Trevor believes you can write a successful action movie by simply stringing together a series of clichés, including, “I’m too old for this (expletive deleted),” “We’ve got company” and “We’re not in Kansas anymore.”

The Oregon Zoo must like that idea, since they took a page from Trevor’s screenplay in announcing their annual ZooLights Festival:

“Dorothy and Toto aren’t in Kansas anymore – they’ve followed the yellow brick road to the family farm at the Oregon Zoo.”

For 19 years, the zoo has been gussying itself up for the season and 2006 is no exception. Nearly a million individual lights will decorate trees, buildings, the zoo train, 200 animal silhouettes and Land of Oz displays – featuring the Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and other characters from L. Frank Baum’s books – through Dec. 31.

The zoo has also introduced a Southwestern theme with a lit-up road runner, cacti with owls perched on top and an armored armadillo.

Not satisfied with just those new attractions, they’ve thrown in a Komodo dragon, hooded lizard, great auk, cougar and a family tableau of the zoo’s recently arrived ocelot kitten and his parents, Ralph and Alice – all in lights.

You can take a look at some of the displays at www.oregonzoo.com. More detail is available at (503) 226-1561.

Regional events

“New Year’s Eve Fireworks Display and Celebration, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, Big Sky, Mont. Big Sky Resort will celebrate the transition to 2007 with a dinner dance, big band entertainment, a teen and children’s dance, and fireworks over the mountains. (www.visitmt.com/ 406-995-5887)

“Juan Williams: Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, Jan. 15, Lynnwood, Washington. National Public Radio’s Williams presents “The Changing Face of America: Working Together for the Future” as part of Lynnwood’s 2007 King celebration. (www.ci.lynnwood.wa.us/ 425-775-1971)