Noah’s Ark Resort, located on the Trans- Canada Highway between Revelstoke and Sicamous, is a fun and fresh vacation destination for those looking for experiences that are out of the ordinary. Owners Jano and Sonia Koziboykian have developed a welcoming campground, with RV set-ups, cabin rentals, children’s play area, a convenience store and gift shop, free hot showers, Internet and telephone availability and amphibious Argo rides.
I had the pleasure of going to Revelstoke in early June to experience the Argo rides for myself—wow, was I surprised.
Boom, crash, splash
My boyfriend Ben and I arrived at Noah’s Ark Resort and were greeted by the Koziboykians and their two St. Bernard dogs. After exchanging pleasantries, Jano asked Ben and me if we wanted to go for a ride. We said we were ready and Jano led us outside. What I saw was interesting. Never had I seen a vehicle with eight tires and stick steering.
After Jano took us for a test drive and explained safety procedures on an Argo, we were left to fend for ourselves. An Argo is an amphibious vehicle with six or eight wheels that can travel over any type of terrain—including some of the roughest trails I have ever seen—and float on water.
Ben hopped into the driver’s seat and we took off. There are numerous trails set up and huge expanses of backcountry at Noah’s Ark Resort for the Argos, and Ben and I spent a couple of hours checking them all out. At first I was nervous while riding in the Argo as it indisputably does go over everything—huge rocks that I felt sure would tip us over, abrupt steep slopes that made me feel like I was on a roller-coaster and tall grass that I was sure we would get stuck in.
However, after the first loop around one of the trails, I eased up and even tried driving the Argo. Along the way, Ben and I stopped at a little farm the Koziboykians have on their property, with llamas and goats inside. They were all eager to be petted and stuck their faces out of the fence enclosure to eat some of the green grass we offered them.
The grand finale
Once Ben and I returned to the reception area, Jano took me on my own personalized ride on the Argo. Directly across from the gift shop, there is a small lake with an island in the middle. Jano told Ben to go and stand on the island, as that is where the best pictures are taken from.
Jano backed the Argo up so that there was a considerable distance between us and the lake. He turned to me and asked, “Are you scared?” I laughed and said no, even though that was a bit of a lie.
Jano pushed down on the accelerator and we zoomed into the lake with amazing speed. The splash was huge and I thought we would surely sink. But as the initial shock wore off, I realized we were still afloat and calmly floating on top of the water.
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