From Christina Lake, Gladstone Provincial Park, BC to Granville Island Hotel, BC.
Another beautiful, sunny day for driving. I must give thanks to Mother Gaia for 8 straight days of not having to drive in rain.
Time to head back to the city. Camping was great the last few days but need to get cleaned up. Vancouver is large so I decided to visit and explore just one area – Granville Island. Booked into a boutique hotel and luxuriated with a long, hot shower.
* Not a camp for early birds
* Coffee roaster just when you need one
* Granville Pet Treatery
* Bridges restaurant
* Those damn geese again
* Music: Phone died so no playlist. However, I’m going to try and see local musicians whenever I’m in the city.
We tried to get an early start and leave by 6 am. Didn’t even make coffee. The gate is locked until 7 am. So we waited an hour for the gate to be unlocked. The best laid plans of pugs and men.
About 20 minutes out of the park, saw a sign on the side of the building that said Coffee and Open. 2 magic words. I didn’t make coffee when we got up because I wanted to get an early start. So this place was a welcoming sign. We had coffee and a muffin in this little rock garden area. Shared the muffin with the pugs. There was a smell of coffee in the air, mountains in the background.
Turns out they were coffee roasters. I could smell the coffee coming out of the door. You just never know what you are going to find in these little towns.
The drive through BC was up and down. My ears would plug up and then pop, plug and pop. This is looking down into Osyoos, BC – the fruit belt. 15 lbs of apples for $10. Didn’t stop because of time but lots of fruit stands. This was our first view of the Okanagan Valley.
It was bumper to bumper traffic to get into Granville Island. It is a tourist destination, and there is not much parking. And it was a sunny day so lots of people crossing the street. Here is the Granville Island Pet Treatery. A visit to this place is definitely on our bucket list.
The Granville Island Hotel only has 3 floors so it is long and narrow. But it was great being able to just step out the door and have all the shops so close. The valet had a spot reserved for us.
We checked into the hotel. There was a group of flight attendants ahead of us. As soon as they saw the pugs they went all mushy. Raisin recognized the word “cute” and headed over to get a pat. We then headed out to explore. First stop was the Treatery. Raisin wandered behind where the baker was doing the cookies. I said she wanted a job and he said he would gladly let someone do it while he took the summer off.
The treatery is an antique railway car. It’s where we also got the hand knitted leashes. I decided it was just too congested and hot for the pugs to explore. Made plans to go out the next morning.
Eva and Raisin both agree – enough with the camping. It’s been 4 days. We need a soft bed, cookies from Granville Pet Treatery and new leashes. The other leashes will be the camping ones as they will get dirty. The new ones are for the city. They are hand knitted by Vancouver knitter Dawn Mac Designs.
Also from the treatery were dried chicken breasts – which they got for their supper.
While the pugs settled down into a long nap, I headed out to the other side of the island. I had a reservation at Bridges Restaurant. The big attraction of Granville Island is the view. The sunny day did not disappoint.
One of the reasons I book a reservation is because they generally give me a good table. I ordered a Granville Island Brewery IPA. The brewery has some beer making kegs stored at my hotel.
Prawn cakes with apple vinaigrette slaw, wasabi aioli. I’m next to the ocean so time to take advantage of some seafood.
Roasted Cajun halibut, roasted nugget potatoes and seasonal vegetables, pineapple salsa. Camping saves money on food so I like to splurge when I get to the city.
By the time I got back the pugs were ready for a walk. There is a green walkway behind the hotel that follows the water.
As we came around the corner we encountered the dreaded Canada Goose. Actually they were good with moving out of the way. I just had to watch where the poop was. Eve was wondering if this was going to be turf war.
Late afternoon sun on the willow. Eve keeping an eye on the geese. We reached the end of the walk. We cut through an alley and back to the street.
The island has a live music venue called the Backstage Lounge. Local band Freeflow was celebrating their 20th anniversary and the lead singer’s 50th birthday. His mom and dad flew in from Toronto for the show. They do a mix of funk, rap, reggae and soul. The place was packed.
