A friend and I watch five grebes paddle by on a warm day in early summer. Some distance away, a pair of loons swims in the clear water. We're visiting Scout Island, the nature sanctuary near the town of Williams Lake, a favourite haunt for many bird species, including hummingbirds, wood ducks, ospreys, yellow-headed blackbirds, flycatchers, woodpeckers, yellow warblers and blue herons. Within walking distance of the town centre, Scout Island is criss-crossed by trails and includes a beach, nature house, picnic ground and boat launch.

During our week's vacation in Williams Lake, we establish "base camp" in a motel on the lakeshore and plan to explore B.C.'s Cariboo Country. Dubbed "the Hub City of the Cariboo," Williams Lake is approximately a seven-hour drive from Vancouver. Its central location makes it an excellent headquarters for one- or two-day excursions to various surrounding communities and points of interest.

Situated amid large cattle ranches, Williams Lake (population 11,000) has long been famous for its stampede, held each year over the Canada Day weekend. But the town caters to many other interests as well. We enjoyed the display of paintings and crafts by local artists at The Station House Museum. The Cowboy Hall of Fame, located in the Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin, gave us a sense of the rough-and-tumble early days in the region, where ranching has been an important mainstay of the economy since the 1860s.

Recently, mountain biking has emerged as a hugely popular activity, with three different areas dedicated to the sport and trails designed for every skill level. More trails are in the works.

On Fridays from May to October, vendors at the weekly farmers' market in Boitanio Park, close to the town centre, sell local produce and organic chicken and beef from nearby ranches, as well as all kinds of crafts, from knitting and crocheting to pottery and jewelry.

The Cariboo region is located on B.C.'s central plateau, and stretches from Lillooet and Cache Creek in the south, east to the Cariboo Mountains, west to the Fraser River and north to Quesnel. The region was named after a species of woodland caribou that once roamed the hills and valleys. Long inhabited by First Nations people, the Cariboo hit the world's headlines in 1862, when Billy Barker struck gold in Williams Creek, near Barkerville.

Barkerville, once a ramshackle ghost town, is now a National Historic Site. A few hours' drive from Williams Lake, it makes a wonderful destination. Locals dressed as old-time teachers, blacksmiths and miners showed us how their work was done back in the day. A stagecoach takes us for a tour of the town, and we even try to pan for gold - sadly, without hitting "pay dirt."

Back in the 1860s, the stagecoach and wagon road to the Cariboo goldfields began at Mile 0 in Lillooet and ended near Barkerville. Roadhouses were established every few miles, where horses - and passengers - could rest and refuel. Travelling the highway from the Lower Mainland and through the Fraser Canyon, then north on Highway 97 from Cache Creek, we notice many of these old "mile houses." Some, like 70 Mile House, are now not much more than wide places in the road, while others, like 100 Mile House, have grown into thriving communities.

From Williams Lake, we make day trips to a few of the region's historic gold-rush settlements. About an hour south of town, at 150 Mile House, the original one-room schoolhouse has been refurbished inside and out. Dating back to the 1890s and painted barn red, the Little Red Schoolhouse is a reminder of the days when the settlement at "the 150" was bigger and more important than that at Williams Lake.

Further south, and worth a stop, is the historic 108 Mile Ranch, restored to resemble a working ranch of the early 1900s. In the old farmhouse, the kitchen table is set for dinner; upstairs, the bedrooms are ready for weary family members. Stables and bunkhouses for ranch hands and cowboys look just as they did 100 years ago.

We also take a 90-minute drive to Likely (pop. 350), at the west end of Quesnel Lake, to see the display of early mining equipment at Cedar Point Provincial Park. From there, it's not far to Horsefly (pop. 1,000) on a good gravel road that winds through sub-alpine meadows and past thundering waterfalls, all surrounded by snow covered mountain ridges. In 1859, prospectors struck gold in this tiny community, three years before the big strike in Barkerville. We follow a short trail to view the falls on the spectacular Horsefly River.

The community of Wells, built some 80 years ago as a company town for the Cariboo Gold Quartz Mine, boasts some beautifully restored heritage structures. These include one of the most photographed buildings in B.C., the only wood-framed flat-iron building in the province. The town's population of 300 year-round residents includes many artists, and the Island Mountain Arts Society's school offers summer classes in a range of subjects.

Not far from Wells is Cornish Mountain's network of historic walking, mountain biking and cross-country ski trails.

Another highly recommended day trip takes us to Farwell Canyon and Junction Sheep Range Park. We follow Highway 20, west from Williams Lake and across the Fraser River, and through the rolling ranch lands of the Chilcotin. Farwell Canyon's weird rock formations, or hoodoos, were created by wind and rain, and the canyon's steep walls, dotted with sagebrush, plunge down to the blue Chilcotin River below.

Junction Sheep Range Park, named for the confluence of the Fraser and Chilcotin Rivers, is a lush riverside picnic area. Camping is also available.

A third not-to-be-missed tour takes us from Likely to Barkerville on the old Matthew River Road.

The 2011 Guide to Williams Lake and Area, available at the Tourist Information Centre just east of Williams Lake, outlines several day trips. Plan to spend a full day driving south of town to Alkali Lake, Dog Creek and the Gang Ranch. Together with fantastic scenery, you will pass the Gang Ranch, B.C.'s oldest ranch, once owned by the heir to the Woodward's Department Store fortune. Further south, check out the protected area at Churn Creek, one of very few places where the original bunch grass that once covered much the Fraser River's banks can still be found.
Four more circle tours, starting in Victoria or Vancouver, are outlined in the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast's 2011 guidebook, available at any tourist information centre in B.C.

The 2011 Guide to Williams Lake and Area is available at www.getawaybc.com or contact www.hellobc.com for information about accommodations, dining and circle driving tours in the Cariboo and Chilcotin regions. A 2011 Fishing Guide is also available. Contact visitors@telus.net for a copy.

JULY 2011 SENIOR LIVING MAGAZINE VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND