Last week, myself and a few others were invited by the North Shore Tourism Association for a day of fun exploring some of the adventure and dining options being offered by local businesses on the other side of the inlet.
We started early in the morning, meeting at Deep Cove Outdoors for a cup of coffee and a few of the infamous sugar bombs from Honey Donuts before we made our way down to the shore to pick up our kayaks for a morning paddle in the sound.
After a quick orientation and safety lesson, we were on the water coasting past curious seals. It was a calm and warm day, perfect paddling weather for a bunch of city nubes freshly extracted from their internet connections.
Deep Cove Outdoors owns and operates the kayak centre located at the base of the marina and offers hourly, daily and multi-day rentals of ocean kayaks, canoes and surf skis at very reasonable prices.
Next, we were to lunch at The Observatory, the fine dining room atop Grouse Mountain that has one of the most incredible views of the entire Lower Mainland and the surrounding waters. I will be the first to admit that I was a little skeptical coming into this meal. Too often restaurants with fabulous views tend to lean too heavily on their visual blessings and quickly loose the focus of putting consistent value and quality on the plate. I am happy to report that this is not the case here. Chef Dino L. Gazzola (formerly of The Teahouse and Bridges) and the rest of his crew delivered one of my most memorable meals of the year, certainly the best lunch I have had in a very long time. The locally sourced and quality ingredients were cooked to perfection and the wine pairings from their very deep cellar by sommelier Brent Fraser were bang on.
^ Hecate Strait Halibut, fiddleheads, morel mushrooms, popcorn and beat sprouts with a glass of 2005 Blue Mountain Reserve Chardonnay.
^ Polderside Duck Breast, BC micro green salad, Puy lentils, sour cherry duck jus with a glass of 2007 Road 13 Jackpot Pinot Noir.
^ Summer Berry & Champagne Consommé, crème fraîche sorbet, almond cake, mint pearls.
Luckily we had a few minutes to walk off that incredible meal, the cultural highlight being the holy trinity of Canadian sports immortalized in wood.
The final activity of our North Shore Fun Day was a 2 hour guided tour of the legendary Grouse Mountain Ziplines.
Last year they ran over 12,000 people through with just 3 lines. This year with 2 new lines being added, they look to zip a new record of thrill seekers through their amazing circuit.
Reaching speeds of up to 80 km per hour, we flew across canyons and over creeks while gathered crowds of touristas snapped pictures of our butts while we screamed past. Awesome.
A big thank you to the North Shore Tourism Association, Deep Cove Outdoors, and Grouse Mountain for the great day! ~ PK
NOTE to visiting tourists: To encourage visitors to stay on the North Shore, Vancouver’s North Shore Tourism Association will pay for the taxi ride from the airport to any of Vancouver’s North Shore hotels. Guests booking a North Vancouver hotel, between now and July 15th, will be reimbursed (up to $50) for their taxi fare to the hotel. To qualify for the free taxi ride, visitors must book in advance for a minimum two-night stay in a North Vancouver hotel during the month of July. After the guests have stayed two nights Vancouver’s North Shore Tourism Association will place a credit on the hotel room account, reimbursing the guest for their one-way fare to the hotel. Guests will simply be asked to hand in their taxi cab receipt when checking in to their hotel.
