Escape to the North Shore sounds kind of metaphorical…almost like meet me on that heavenly shore. Go toward the light!

But in truth this post is about the North Shore in Vancouver. It did, however, turn out to be a rather Bible-blue-skied day.

I was there to meet some other clients of the North Shore’s PR guru, Jane Ince. We were there to find out what’s going on in the neighborhood. But first we started the day with breakfast at the Pinnacle at the Pier hotel.

First, it must be noted that since my stay at the Fresh Start retreat last year, I generally have  a green smoothie for breakfast.

My recipes vary widely, but usually include a healthy array of fruit, greens and nuts, blended into a greenie-purply swirl. I love it.

And yes, the Pinnacle offered some yogurt/fruit heart-smart looking options, but I was on that Heavenly Other Shore and quite sure that I needed French toast and bacon. It was exactly what I’d hoped for. Crisp edges, bacon with a bit of syrup on the side and lots of fresh berries.

But here’s what you need to know when you book your stay at that lovely Pinnacle hotel. Order what Jane always orders; The Crab Cake Benny’s. She slipped a chunk of that crabby cake onto my plate and I nearly cried. I’ve eaten a few crab cakes in my day. The ones at the Pinnacle are my new benchmark for how a crab cake should taste.

That breakfast started us on a great tour. We did some walking and then in the afternoon we hopped on board with Barry Stutz of Rockwood Adventures. The man was a veritable encyclopedia of nature knowledge. As we walked the trails around Capilano, he regaled us with information about the greenery around us.

Did you know a substance called berberine, found in Oregon Grape, might prove to be a new insulin substitute? That deer fern has antiseptic properties and that deer intuitively rub the sore spots left from their recently shed antlers on these ferns? That salmon DNA has been found in the treetop needles of Hemlocks? Salmon-laden bear scat is absorbed by the earth, and the resulting moisture drawn up the tree and into the needles. Seriously. I was in Nature Heaven. I love learning stuff like that and would have happily listened to Barry for hours.

Considering I’m still working on this novel and not traveling for awhile, it was fun to get out on a great little trip that happens to be only a ferry ride away. I feel like I really went somewhere. Check in to the Pinnacle, walk around the neighborhood and tell them Colleen sent you.